Blogs

Have you ever rejected an apology? Have you ever accepted an apology that you never received? Forgiveness is a central theme of your faith and you know that the forgiveness you receive is related to the forgiveness you give. But what if the forgiveness you are prepared to give is not sought? Does this put you in a pickle? You can complete your part of the transaction even if the other party does not. You can decline to take the offenses that are offered, and you can go beyond the assent of forgiveness to release claims of justice against those who have hurt you.

"Woe to the one who quarrels with his Maker … Will the clay say to the potter, 'What are you doing?'” (Isa. 45:1-13)

The first Saturday morning of every month Dr. Flavien Williams and Dr. Mark Virkler have an interactive Zoom meeting which all current and past Christian Leadership (CLU) students are welcome to attend. If you are a current or past CLU student, you may sign up here to be notified of these meetings. Dr. Flavien is part of the faculty of CLU and a professor to our doctoral students. Below is part of what Dr. Flavien shared in our last meeting. I believe it will be a blessing to all!

Have you ever gone on a trip and taken pictures and shared them with your friends back home and realized that the pictures didn’t do justice to the experience? Have you had the same thing happen in a spiritual sense, that you couldn’t adequately describe your experience with God? Paul was taken up into heaven and said he saw things that were not lawful to speak. Perhaps this could also be translated as things that were impossible to describe. Have you ever been at a loss for words? Is it desirable for your experience to run ahead of your comprehension or not?

Listening to the news media can cause one to crash emotionally and spiritually.

LaWanda - Oh, Jesus.  I see us – me seated and you standing behind me with your hands on my shoulders.  You are not speaking but your touch is saying everything.  

Have you ever heard of being put in your place, or of people who didn’t know their place? These are not complimentary statements and they imply that people have a proper station in life and if they act in a way that is beyond their station then it is appropriate to correct them and remind them of where they belong. Is there a positive way to view this? Isn’t everyone looking for a place where they belong, and finding your place in life is a part of your search for your identity. Can you find this by yourself?

This must be one of the saddest of all situations; You have a business or a career for which God has great plans, but those plans are never realized because you limited God’s involvement in them.  You end your career with just a fraction of the impact you could have had.  I believe that situation is the rule, not the exception for most Christians in the marketplace.  If we could change that, we could change the world in one generation. While God has great plans for our careers and our businesses, we all too often limit his intervention in our lives by the things that we do. 

Have you ever opened up to a friend in vulnerable exposure? What happened next? The response to such an action is a measure of the depth and maturity of the friendship. The concept of exposure is real. You take a risk of a bad reaction that will make you regret taking the chance. Yet you need healing or you wouldn’t have taken the risk, and sharing your story offers a loving friend to be a part of the healing process. You need to know that you are not alone, that others have struggled too, and that they are there for you. Are you able to do this for others who confide in you?

God speaks, “I am causing the secrets of heaven to erupt within your spirit, resulting in vision, foresight, and insight to saturate your inner being. Do not look to the left nor look to the right; keep your eyes on me. Do not be distracted by anyone or anything; keep your eyes on me. As you keep your eyes on me, I will go before you as a spiritual bulldozer and remove every obstacle in your way.”