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Product vs. Process Living (Priorities, Part 5)
It's very easy to be living for another day in the future, for the product or the accomplishment of your next major milestone. Author Isaac Rubin writes, "The joy and happiness from the process lasts much longer and can be much more satisfying over the duration of your life. But if you are totally goal oriented in a success oriented culture and if the product is the only goal, you will destroy much of the possibility for true joy and happiness in life."
Discover Wisdom Through Humility (Priorities, Part 4)
Church leaders must be on guard against the danger of only seeing themselves as servants and soldiers of God, but not children of God. In John 15, Jesus said, "You are my friends." That's richer than merely being a slave or a soldier. 1 John 3:1 says, "See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God!" And a Father's love for his child is even higher!
Working Towards Your Goals (Priorities, Part 3)
One of the reasons many dropout of the ministry is because they have never learned the simple distinction between goals and desires. In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus said, "Do not be anxious for tomorrow, for tomorrow will care for itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own."
Manage Your Life and Not Just Your Time (Priorities, Part 2)
How many church leaders on their deathbed do you think wish that they had just spent more time at the church? At the root of our frantic propensity to overwork in the ministry, is usually the sin of pride, an exalted sense of our importance to the kingdom of God. The answer is not managing our time; it's managing our priorities.
Liberating Ministry from Success Syndrome (Priorities, Part 1)
In the trenches of all the hard work necessary in ministry, it's very easy for church leaders to become discouraged and depressed. It's especially easy to be seduced by the Success Syndrome Seductress! In this session, you'll learn how to balance your life and ministry priorities in the face of what can sometimes seem like impossible competing time-demands.
How Do I Forgive Someone Who Wronged Me? (Managing Conflict, Part 6)
Forgiveness is not merely a feeling. It is primarily a decision, an act of the will, that God calls you to make, often in spite of your feelings. Forgiveness is always costly, just like it cost God something great, in his Son, to forgive you. It will always cost you something great to forgive someone else. The person who has wronged you is in your debt until you decide to release that debt you've been holding on to. Forgiveness is a costly choice for you, but a choice that always pays the giver rich dividends.
How Do I Own Conflict as a “Chief Repenter”? (Managing Conflict, Part 5)
One of the most significant ways that church leaders can serve as examples to the flock is through their repentance. Only through the Gospel can we find the power to be criticized and then to humble ourselves and confess our sins to others no matter what their response might be to us.
How Do I Engage in Conflict with Wisdom? (Managing Conflict, Part 4)
We should always seek first to overlook the offenses of others. But sometimes it becomes necessary to talk with others about their failures.
How Do I Redeem Conflict? (Managing Conflict, Part 2)
When faced with conflict, the first question we should ask ourselves is “How can I best honor God and love this person?"
How Do I Understand Conflict? (Managing Conflict, Part 1)
Having personal conflict with others is an inevitable part of ministry. The question is not whether you will face conflict, it's simply when you will face it and how you will respond. In this session you’ll learn about key dynamics involved in conflict to help you answer the question, “How do I understand the danger and hope in my conflict?”.
Is there any hope for the future? (Ultimate Questions, Part 3)
Begin answering the question "What is God's purpose for the world?" and thinking through what the answers mean for your life.
What in the World is God Doing? (Ultimate Questions, Part 2)
“What in the World is God doing?” Learn how to look at history through the biblical lens of a 5-Act Play and what Act you're in today!
Is History A Meaningless Cycle of Events? (Ultimate Questions, Part 1)
Nothing really makes ultimate sense in life until we can answer these kinds of questions. In many ways, the history of civilization is the history of human beings trying to answer these ultimate questions of purpose and meaning. Ultimate questions deserve ultimate answers.
2018 Ministry Update Video & Photos
The underground church in East Asia is facing increased persecution at frightening new levels.
Old Reliable Triangle: How to Apply God's Word by John Frame
John Frame and Steve Childers draw from their more than 70 combined years as seminary professors to help you learn how to apply God’s Word to all areas of life.
Childers' First Church Plant Celebrates 40th Anniversary in OKC
Forty years ago, Steve Childers became the founding pastor of Heritage Presbyterian Church in Oklahoma City, serving there from 1977-1982.
Why Study Theology? Excerpt from Childers & Frame Book & Course
We saw earlier how theology can be understood as a “study of God,” based on the meaning of the word theology. But the word logos, from which we get the word, theo-logy, conveys not only the idea of the study of God, but also the knowledge of God that is the result of that study.
Watch Childers and Team Training in Muslim West Africa
Watch this 3 minute video about Steve Childers training leaders in West Africa.
A Tribute to My Dad on Father's Day
Even though it’s been almost 40 years since my dad died, my heart especially aches for him every Father’s Day. Several times today I’ve thought about how wonderful it would be if I could call him. As I looked at pictures of him, my mind was flooded with rich memories.
Day One: Worship and Preaching, Kara, Togo, West Africa
Watch this video of Steve Childers preaching in West Africa.