This weekend, we will begin a series of messages that examine Peter’s encouragement to his readers, asking them to be of one mind. Unity is especially important when living in exile. As believers, we must function in unity in order to be effective, but to do that, you and I must pursue the mind of Christ. The title of this weekend’s message is “ONE MIND.”
LIKE-MINDED by Pastor Shah, Clearview Church, Henderson Introduction: Few years ago, we were at a family camp in Bryson City and one of the outdoor activities was canoeing. Nicole and I got into this two-person canoe. She had plenty of experience from her days as a camp counsellor in Texas. I had very little experience and I kept paddling in the wrong... Continue Reading →
UNITED by Pastor Shah, Clearview Church, Henderson Introduction: Have any of ya’ll ever walked into an establishment like a restaurant where the waiters or waitresses didn’t get along? The meal was good but the atmosphere gave you a heartburn! Have any of you ever been to someone’s house where the family members didn’t get along? The house... Continue Reading →
You’re scrolling through your favorite social media and you see the perfect picture with perfect smiles and perfect clothes with a perfect background. To top it all off, its accompanied by a perfect caption, including hashtags like #lovinglife #love #loveus #happiness #sohappy #perfectday #forever #natural – What do all these hashtags and the posts and pictures that accompany them have in common? They are deceiving. They only give a partial, wishful, and concocted glimpse of life. I wish people would also add these hashtags to their posts and pictures– #pleasethinkImhappy #pretendwithmethatallisfine #IwishIfeltlikethispicture #Iwishwecouldalwaysbethishappy #justhadafight #abouttohaveafight #tookme20triestogetthispicture.
Repeatedly, the Bible commands us to treat children with the utmost respect and care. This requires that we understand that what they truly deserve and desire from us is right training. Proverbs 22:6 lays out the 4 non-negotiables in this process.
CHANGING SEASONS OF A MARRIAGE (Article) by Abidan Paul Shah (Published in the newspaper Daily Dispatch, Henderson on February 3, 2018) Genesis 8:22 “While the earth remains, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, winter and summer, and day and night shall not cease.” Ecclesiastes 3:1 “To everything there is a season…” We all have our favorite seasons.... Continue Reading →
My last article, “How To Handle Toxic People,” drew more responses than any of my pervious articles! Evidently, it touched a nerve and God used it to meet a real need. Thank you for all the words of appreciation! Some of you raised a question that I feel the answer may benefit others as well – “Daily we go through minor toxic encounters that leave us feeling upset to one degree or another. Does that mean that for each of those incidents we have to go through the same process of praying for 20 days until we are free of the toxin?” Of course not. Toxic people and minor toxic encounters are two different things. The first are individuals who perpetually cause us to feel miserable and the second are chance happenings that inject just enough toxin in us to ruin our spirit. Although the latter are not as harmful as the former, don’t assume that they are completely harmless. If left untreated, those emotional fender-benders can cause us to ruin others’ spirits as well. Let me explain below.
Have you ever been a victim of a toxic person? Let me share with you how to handle them.
In the concluding message titled “Love is Liberating,” Paul reminds the Corinthians that true love never ends. It doesn’t have any limitations. It doesn’t use any threats and fears. In fact, it brings a sense of freedom that allows the other person to flourish and love back without any barriers.
Many people like to focus on the weaknesses of others or point out their failures. True love allows the other person to put down their guard, knowing that they are in a safe zone and they won’t be attacked, ambushed, or shamed. Are you the kind of person who helps people relax around you or are you the kind of person who loves to agitate others? This message is titled “Love is Disarming.”
OUT OF THE GRAVEYARD (Article) by Abidan Paul Shah (Published in the newspaper Daily Dispatch, Henderson on January 7, 2017) This is the time of the year when many people struggle to keep their New Year’s resolutions. According to some surveys, about 70% are broken by the end of January. This is especially true when... Continue Reading →
LOVE IS CALMING by Pastor Shah, Clearview Church, Henderson, NC Introduction: This is the second message in our new series – “LOVE IS THE GREATEST.” As Valentine’s Day is approaching, we’re looking at what the Bible has to say about love. Again, please don’t misunderstand, the series is not just about romantic or marital love.... Continue Reading →
In this episode, Abidan Paul Shah will be talking with Dr. David Alan Black about his newest book "Running My Race: Reflections on Life, Loss, Aging, and Forty Years of Teaching." It's about learning to deal with the pains of life in a way that draws us closer to the heart of God. Both laypeople and scholars will benefit from this book.
Imagine your life as a circle with God as its center and everything flowing out of Him. He is no longer just someone we glance at once or twice a week but our entire life becomes an outworking of His love and truth. In the process we not only love Him with everything we have but His love radiates through us to those around us. Our friends and family feel it and so do our enemies. We begin to make wise decisions that are motivated by God’s love rather than our impulse or others’ incitement. In short, a God centered life brings to us the best of times in spite of the worst of times.