A New Social Network for the Saints!

Good news family...

We've launched a new Christian Social Network called Kingdom Minded Connection. Although Kingdom Minded Coach is a blog that offers great spiritual insight and encouragement, it is limited in its interaction. Here at KM Coach you can only comment, but at Kingdom Minded Connection you will have unlimited interaction that allows you to create your own homepage and it gives you the opportunity to post your own thoughts and views relating to your spiritual journey.

This new social network gives Christians a place online to fellowship, post events, find events, share photos, upload videos, blog, start discussions, testify, and so much more! When you have the chance please visit the network and join, its free. Once signed in you can join an existing group or add a group for the members of your church, ministry, choir or bible class as simple as 1, 2, 3! If your church is going skating, bowling, or ya'll are in revival... share it with the network by adding it to the events.

Thanks for taking the time to visit Kingdom Minded Connection at www.kingdommindedconnect.com.

Sign in and join the fellowship!

Avoid Burnout

1 Kings 19: 4-6

...while he himself went a day's journey into the desert. He came to a broom tree, sat down under it and prayed that he might die. "I have had enough, LORD," he said. "Take my life; I am no better than my ancestors." Then he lay down under the tree and fell asleep. All at once an angel touched him and said, "Get up and eat." He looked around, and there by his head was a cake of bread baked over hot coals, and a jar of water. He ate and drank and then lay down again.

I ran across an article on Entrepreneur.com that gives readers several trips on "how to avoid occupational burnout", and I thought how interesting it is that entrepreneurs are battling with many similarities as do Christian servant-leaders who are working for the Kingdom. Most of those working for the Kingdom are bi-vocational workers who volunteer their time and services at church. So after working 9 to 12 hour days in the office, some head over to the church the same evening or at least once or twice later in the week and press to potentially burning themselves out.

The article suggests that the "entrepreneur spirit", although it is good, is one that has the potential of turning into an obsession. I won't necessarily call our love for Christ an obsession, but it becomes a thin line when our passion and our drive for what we do for the church has nothing to do with Christ. I've witnessed over time how some saints who love worship so much become worshipers who nothing but worship worship and not God. The same also applies to the various ministries that they participate in. It is all about that ministry and not the entire Body of Christ, or close to any understanding about working together for the Kingdom.

Nevertheless, there are signs that help us all determine whether or not we are heading for burnout. According to the article, the Entrepreneur may contend with canceling social events to spend more time at the office, they rarely take vacations, and they spend more time answering the cell or emails for work when they are off duty. Now for the saints, as much as we can't get enough of being at church or in fellowship with other saints, there are signs that we too are headed for burnout. And many saints battle guilt of not being able to serve in the church or they are dealing with the guilt by not meeting the needs at home because they have been at the church all week.

The article tells entrepreneurs to set priorities, delegate, take on new and exciting projects, and to keep learning. However, for the saints and you "Kingdompreneurs"as I call it... the remedy is not that difficult. Although I agree with setting priorities, delegating, and being open to what's new and fresh with an open mind so you won't get stressed and worried about why things are not the same... avoiding burnout in the Kingdom requires one thing, spending more time with God. Whether it is reading His Word, sitting still, or in prayer spending time with God will keep us from burning out.

Spending time with God helps us avoid burnout, but the signs of reaching burnout are simple. A clear indication that a saint is out of fellowship with God is when they are short with you, irritable quite often, easily tempered when asked to do anything, and they consistently mummer and complain about the changes that are occurring around them. Elijah, in 1 Kings 19, struggled with burnout, but God taught him how important it was to step back for a minute, get into His presence, let Him minister to you, and then get back in to action.

One simple remedy for avoiding burnout in the Kingdom and in the business world is to stop depending on our own strength. Trying to doing things absent of the presence and power of Christ will lead us straight to burnout. Spend as much time as you can sitting with the Lord, studying His Word, and allowing time for Him to minister to you by availing yourself to His correction and cleansing (1 Jn 1:9). Even if you have falling prey to burnout, it is never too late to bounce back! For the Lord says to us that if we hunger and thirst for righteousness, we shall be filled (Mt 5:6)!

This is done by shutting out the world, turning the television and radio off, put the cell on silent and the laptop on stand-by, and find a nice quiet spot to be by yourself so you can spend the time in His presence. You may not feel anything while there or you may not understand what you are reading and studying, but trust me... He uses what little time we give Him to prepare us for tasks that lie ahead.

Take better care of yourselves and those around you by taking time to see about God.

A Must Read...

Hey My Brothers!
I ran across a great read that will bless your life! In addition to your daily devotions and time studying the Word, check out Henry and Tom Blackaby's book "The Man God Uses". Its a short easy read that can be used for a men's group. In fact, my church uses this book for Men's Bible Study and the study has been off the hook!
Check it out... you will be blessed!

"I'm Not Going Out Like That"

Now there were four men with leprosy at the entrance of the city gate. They said to each other, "Why stay here until we die? If we say, 'We'll go into the city'-the famine is there, and we will die. And if we stay here, we will die. So let's go over to the camp of the Arameans and surrender. If they spare us, we live; if they kill us, then we die." 2 Kings 7:3-4

While reading the Holy writ the other day, I happened across a short story that is woven within a major story. It was the one where the four lepers were at a gate in Israel wrestling with making a major life decision. A famine has plagued the land over the years due to the kings participation in idolatry, which left the people and these four lepers anticipating certain death that was drawing near.

Surprisingly, the four unnamed men were determined not to let the famine dictate their lives. They still had charge over their plight, which somewhat lessoned the strength of the famine. They determined that staying where they were, where the famine was at its best, they would surely die. The better option for them was to take a risk... or shall I say they stepped out on faith. They decided to go in a direction that they had never gone before. They literally said to the famine "we are not going out like that!"

With all that is happening today in our economy, everyone... even the saints, have literally been making life decisions at the pump, in the food market, with retirement accounts, and I hate to say it but even in their tithes and offering. Everyone at one level or another has felt the effects of an economy that has turned upside down. Although the effects of the a down trodden economy has put a squeeze on our pockets and purses, as saints, we should not allow it to squeeze out our faith.

My encouragement to you today is to stay strong in the faith! Make a declaration that you are not going to let what is happening in the world change your perspective and perception on who God is and what He is more than capable of doing in your life. Keep the faith and watch God set you up for a major blessing.

The lepers left the gate and went to the Aramean camp. When they arrived at the camp they received the blessing of a life time. As they stepped out on faith God made provision prior to the lepers arriving at the camp. God always shows himself trustworthy when you exercise your faith. And if only we trust Him in seasons when we're challenged in our health, challenged in our relationships, and challenged in our finances we too will receive the same when we tell our famines that "we're not going out like that!"

"Built to Last"

When the Lord commissioned Paul to go to Rome, which concluded his third missionary journey, Paul had already been through enough to have to deal with more problems or opposition. During his first missionary journey he was stoned and severely flogged. It was during his second missionary journey when he was stripped, beaten, and then thrown in prison. And at the outset of his third journey, rioters literally wanted Paul dead all because he shared the truth of the Gospel of Jesus the Christ. Needless to say, Paul had already endured enough to have to go through anything else while in route to Rome.

Nevertheless, while in route to Rome, the ship that Paul had traveled on ran aground and crumbled to pieces. In fact the story has it in the 28th chapter of the book of Acts that the men who could not swim drifted to the shore on the broken pieces. Similar to the men, there are times in our lives when we are literally drifting on the broken pieces of our lives. We have had heartbreaks, setbacks, and disappointments, but we have drifted in on broken pieces. In other words, we have been through some turbulent times, but we're still here. Yet, the main point I want for you to learn and to be encouraged from this story is that once Paul made it to the shore he did not let his situation change who he was.

The bibles say that the islanders came out to welcome them and to build a fire because they were wet and exhausted from the crash. But Paul, unlike the others, went right to work. Paul did not let his circumstances change who he was. He kept on serving. He kept on pressing. Why... because he had a Word. You see, before the storm altered their course and shipwrecked them, the Lord told Paul he would make it to Rome. When the Lord speaks a Word to you, your situations may change, your environment may change, but you will remain true to who you are. Paul had a Word to hold on to. And by this Word he was built to last.

Paul was made for this. He was equipped and prepared for this...

...and the Lord shows us through Paul that we too are build to last. Yes, times are challenging, but I am here to tell you that you can handle whatever happens in your life. You can and will make it through the storms and the shipwrecks of life, because the Lord has equipped you and prepared you for all seasons of life. Whether its stormy or clear skies, whether your 401k is growing or rapidly diverging, the Lord has spoken a Word in your life. And its His Word that lets us know we can handle it!

No matter where you are in life, you have been built to last!

"Stop Tripping"

Despite the enormous amount of drama that is prevailing across the globe, we, the Kingdom Citizens - Believers of the Lord Jesus who is the Christ, ought to bear witness that the happenings in this world do not dictate who we are or the faith that we have in God. Although there have been hurricanes in the Gulf, fires that have swept across wild lands, dark clouds hovering over the homes a thousands of families due to casualties of a senseless war, the market and economy has turned upset down, banks are closing, insurance agencies are folding, employment is decreasing as jobs are becoming a scarcity, and foreclosures and homelessness is at it highest... in the mist of all of this Kingdom Citizens should be encouraged to know that God still has a plan.

Unlike the Prophet Samuel, regardless of what occurrences take place in our lives we should never overlook the fact that God always has a plan. In 1 Samuel 16, God literally told Samuel to stop tripping over the fact that He was removing Saul from the throne. Saul's life had changed in an instant. And Samuel's world also came crashing in because things were happening different from the way he had thought they would be. As result of God's plan, Samuel became stagnate and spent a season grieving because he was close to Saul.

"How long will you mourn for Saul since I have rejected him.... fill your horn... be on your way", God commanded Samuel. In other words, get over it and keep moving. Rather than spending time reflecting on how things used to be and how much better things were then, get over it and keep moving forward. I'm sure those of you reading this are wondering how one can just get over a friend losing their job and/or their livelihood. Well, I feel ya'. However, according to this story, what will help us get over it is knowing that God is over it! And if God is over it, then why are we losing sleep, having nervous breakdowns, and stressing out over it?

Stop tripping! There is a reason why things are the way they are. And since God is behind the reason we should be assured in knowing that everything is going to be all right! "And we know that in all things God works... " Rm 8:28. If God is working in all things then why am I tripping.

Kingdom Minded Couples