Usually its better to slow down!
By Bill Gaultiere © 2010
I was coming down the stairs this morning with my arms full and heading out to an appointment that I was going to be late for when I spilled my cup full of cereal all down the stairs and across the entry! This is a parable…
Most pastors and leaders that my wife Kristi and I minister to have the same problem I had this morning – they’re carrying too much and they’re moving too fast. They’re under tremendous stress and have difficulty making time for the intimacy with Jesus that they crave and [...]
Continue reading Hurry to Spill Mercy
By Bill Gaultiere © 2010
From time to time we all go through trials in which we lose heart and feel overwhelmed with discouragement, worry, or exhaustion. The painful times are “Dark Nights of the Soul” when our prayers seem to go unanswered and God’s comfort cannot be found.
All Christ-followers go through Dark Nights when God seems distant and prayer and other spiritual activities do not yield the experience of God’s blessings as they have in times past. But few people today have been trained in how to deal with these spiritual trials. Inspired by Psalm 77, I wrote [...]
Continue reading In the Dark Night Remember God
By Bill Gaultiere © 2010
Are you free – really free? Are you at peace being the person God created you to be and enjoying your life with him?
Many people we talk to are wearing a heavy yoke. They’re working all the time. Or they’re worried about money or their health or their kids. Or they’re tired of trying to please an impossible to please spouse. Or they’re depending on alcohol to relax.
Jesus shows us a life of freedom. No one has had more pressure than Jesus. No one has had more responsibility, expectations, temptations, stress, or pain than Jesus. And no one lived life more [...]
Continue reading Be Free! Live in Jesus’ Easy Yoke!
By Bill Gaultiere © 2010
“All reading not intended for us by God is dangerous,” wrote Jeane-Pierre de Caussade in his classic devotional book of the 18th Century.
The French Jesuit Priest continued,” It is by doing the will of God and obeying His holy inspirations that we obtain grace, and this grace works in our hearts through our reading or other employment. Apart from God reading is empty and vain and, being deprived for us of the life-giving power of the action of God, only succeeds in emptying they heart by the very fullness it gives to the mind” (Section V, p. [...]
Continue reading Only Read if You’re Thirsty
By Bill Gaultiere © 2010
Many people after they put themselves out to minister to others feel self-doubt. Pastors may wonder if they preached a good sermon. Small group leaders may question their effectiveness. Counselors feel might feel unsure they said the right thing. Anyone who serves others is likely to ask: “Did I make a difference?”
In order to feel adequate in our ministry to others most of us try too hard. We rely more on our own wisdom and strength than on the Holy Spirit. We try to please people and base our identity on what they think of us. What exhaustion and distress this [...]
Continue reading A Prayer for When You Minister to Others
When the shepherds in our churches and Christian organizations are depressed, overstressed, or struggling with compulsive behavior then the sheep they care for suffer.
If pastors are not growing in their own intimacy with Jesus then their ministry to others is diminished. If Christian leaders are distracted from setting aside ministry demands to be still with God and open up their hearts to him then they probably are having trouble hearing his voice and relying on his Spirit in their ministry.
Recent statistics…
