An Introduction to “Krishnamurti’s Notebook” | Book Review by Eckhart Tolle

Is it prudent and realistic to send church teams on short international missions trips? With so much economic and political uncertainty these days, should we be spending our time and money on these things? Your church might be struggling with this very question. If you are, you need to examine assumptions that motivate those questions. This article explores those assumptions.

One of the dilemmas I faced on becoming a fully-fledged Christian was coming to terms with my loyalty to certain cultural icons who in the passed had been labelled as un-Christian. The greatest of these is no doubt “the King” himself, Elvis Presley. Before Elvis, the only individual in history who could be known simply as “the King” was probably Jesus himself. Was Elvis an example of Satan’s grand plan to subvert the authority of our Lord?

Before planning your church’s short term missions program, read this article. It will instruct you on the potential pitfalls of bad planning. With a few reminders of what not to do, you will be better prepared for what to do.

Life is like this when all’s boiled down. When the fancy frills of life, the transitory things, are all stripped away, it’s just me and him. That’s the way of eternity, now and to come!

The path of the spiritual life should leave us lighter than we were before and not weigh us down. Spirituality should help us to understand and access the divine purpose behind the universe and our lives. From that understanding comes peace, and from that peace comes laughter.

In today’s society, we often mistake avoidance for rest. We engage in “relaxing activities” such as television, computers, video games, etc. But all of these things cause us to avoid the experience of having a quiet mind and keep us from discovering what our soul, or God, might want to tell us if we gave ourselves a chance to truly rest and reflect.

The teen years are a time for learning what life is really about and finding purpose and direction for the years to come. But it is also a time full of questions. Is obtaining the latest gadget or following American Idol really where life is at? Many teens find the affluence of American life too small a challenge. “What else is out there that I can sink my teeth into,” teens wonder.

Short term missions has contributed significantly to the spiritual growth of its participants. But suppose you are the one who has to plan for it? The logistics can be daunting. Fortunately there is help for planning short term and summer missions.

God does not wish to see anyone humiliated. That is why Jesus teaches people to be humble. He does it by saying, “Humble yourself”. That is not a common popular everyday teaching – “Humble yourself”. Never pray – “Make me humble”. Just do it – humble yourself.

If you’ve never had a mentor or someone to look up to, you’re probably missing a lot and I would advise you to start searching for someone who is a great example and can provide you with the ability to have a better life. These people can be located at work, on the Internet, within your family and even at your place of worship. They’re usually not hard to find and once you find one, you need to start acting like a sponge and your going to start absorbing the water of wisdom.

Universally a hymn, this psalm is quite unlike the vast majority of psalms which speak about personal or communal lament, grief, joy, thanksgiving and praise. But it is incredibly fluent and graphically resplendent in situating for today’s reader the glorious works of the LORD God in history.

That was such a close thing in Corinth. It happened in the life of a leader; in the life of one of the greatest missionaries and pioneers the Church of Jesus Christ has ever seen.