Who are you listening to ?

Steven Furtick offers good counsel regularly. A recent blog made me think a bit more than usual. Thanks Steve!

We receive so many messages every day and have heard them from birth. We learn and seek to be discerning and sort out the good from the bad. Sometimes, perhaps when we were younger we listened to some from authority figures like parents, teachers etc, perhaps some were not so helpful.
I need to listen to the my Father's voice and ask him to help me remove the messages I've taken on board that are not the truth. More than that now I need to find my identity in Him - and filter all the messages through that.

HT: Steve Furtick

Good challenge out of Orange Conference

SOmebody at the conference shared this on their blog... Reggie Joiner shared last night about Prodigal Son story at the Orange Conference! I was there last year and would've liked to go again this year ...

Comparing the Loving Father’s response to the returning son to that of the Older Brother.

LOVING FATHER: Preoccupied with whoever is missing
OLDER SON: Preoccupied with self

LOVING FATHER: operates on a context of forgiveness
OLDER SON: operates under a context of shame

LOVING FATHER: throws a party
OLDER SON: throws a fit

LOVING FATHER: confronts the older brothers thinking
OLDER SON: criticizes the loving father ways of thinking

LOVING FATHER: probably kept the porch light on for the sons return
OLDER SON: probably turned the light off and locked the door

As a church - our heart, our mission needs to be that of the LOVING FATHER. We need to treat every prodigal the way a loving father treats his prodigal son. We need to make sure our church emphasizes FORGIVENESS & JOY.

Good stuff to act on.

Fathers !

Robin over on Robbieducky as he engages in parent ministry sets out a challenge for fathers. He points out that David was an awful father.
My question how could he fall into that way ? Perhaps where he was at with his sins, I wonder if he felt that he didn't have the moral authority that was his to discipline his son ?
If such a person who was after God's own heart be in that situation, we need God sooooooo much to help us guard our hearts and minds to these dangers. And of course to bring healing and restoration to us fathers, so we can be more like the father he would have us be.