PB Mini-Bytes: The Problem With Vague Affection
In this episode, PB & Andy talk about the problem with vague affection. Listen and enjoy!
Posts by: Brian Dolleman
I am a husband, father, pastor, leader & reader. I love God, love people & love life.
A Beautiful Body—Scars & All
I’d be one of the first to admit… the church is far from perfect.
It’s easy to make lists of church flaws, problems, flops, embarrassments, and disasters.
Unfortunately, we often get so focused on the ugly that we lose sight of the beauty.
The church is a beautiful body—scars and all.
“God has put all things under the authority of Christ and has made him head over all things for the benefit of the church. And the church is his body; it is made full and complete by Christ…” (Ephesians 1.22, 23 NLT)
Did you catch that?
The church is his body; it is made full and complete by Christ.
Yes, the church is marked with the scars of our failures…
And it is filled with Christ.
It is His body.
It is a beautiful body—scars and all.
Jesus spent time with his disciples after he rose from the grave.
He was fully alive, had conquered death, hell, and the grave… and he still had the scars in his hands and his side.
Our beautiful Savior—scars and all.
Those scars serve as a reminder that Jesus suffered for us and he is victorious.
Those scars serve as a reminder that with God, anything is possible.
Those scars serve to as a reminder that God is OK with our scars.
I know the church isn’t perfect.
You know it, and God knows too.
It’s actually kinda hard to say this, but I know it’s true…
God sees us (the church) as the beautiful body of Christ—scars and all.
I think God wants us to see what he sees.
I believe He wants to remind us, “Don’t get so focused on the ugly that you lose sight of the beauty.”
The church is a beautiful body—scars and all.
Your Super Power
If I could choose a super power, I’d want the ability to be invisible.
How about you—what super power would you choose?
Here’s something cool…
We already have a super power!
“I want you to know about the great and mighty power that God has for us followers. It is the same wonderful power he used when he raised Christ from death.” (Ephesians 1.18, 19 CEV)
There’s a familiar Hillsong chorus that says, “The same power that conquered the grave lives in me.”
Yup, God’s limitless power lives in us…
But the truth is, it’s really His power, not ours.
We have His power living in us—and because it’s His power, it’s accomplishing His purpose.
My purpose for wanting the power of being invisible?
Because it would really help me pull off some incredible pranks.
But it’s mostly so I could see and hear things that people didn’t intend for me to see or hear.
God’s super power in us is different. It’s not there for pranks or putting us in a place of advantage over others.
God’s power in us is accomplishing His purpose.
What God wants (His purpose), He provides the power to accomplish.
He wanted Christ raised from the dead—and His power made it happen.
God wants us to be free, forgiven, holy, courageous, bold, and on-mission for Him.
And the good news is: He provides all the power needed to accomplish His purpose in our lives.
What God wants in us, He provides the power to accomplish.
That should make us smile.
By the way, I’d love to hear from you… what super power would you choose and why?
7 Symptoms Of A Blessed Life
We are blessed with every blessing heaven has to offer because we are united with Christ (Ephesians 1.3).
The next few verses describe the symptoms of a blessed life.
Check it out:
1. We Are Loved. (vs. 4 God loved us)
2. We Are Chosen. (vs. 4 and chose us)
3. We Are Made Blameless. (vs. 4 to be holy and without fault in his eyes)
4. We Are Adopted. (vs 5 God decided in advance to adopt us into his own family)
5. We Are Showered With Grace. (vs. 6 grace he has poured out on us)
6. We Are Free. (vs. 7 he purchased our freedom)
7. We Are Forgiven. (vs. 7 and forgave our sins)
This list should make us smile.
Thank you God for giving us such a blessed life.
You’re Leaking
Bring it on Donkey Kong.
I’m saying YES to a blessed life—I’m taking what He’s giving.
I want to be more and more aware of His blessings in my life, to be be “blessing-conscious.”
Maybe you know that old hymn of the church…
“Count your blessings, name them one by one, count your blessings, see what God hath done!”
The first verse of that hymn says, “When upon life’s billows you are tempest tossed, when you are discouraged, thinking all is lost—count your many blessings, name them one by one, and it will surprise you what the Lord hath done.”
That’s so good.
Let’s be more blessing-conscious and celebrate all the good things God has done in our lives.
The Bible reminds us, “Through Christ, God has blessed us with every spiritual blessing that heaven has to offer.” (Ephesians 1.3 GNT)
Snap!
Every spiritual blessing that heaven has to offer…
Are you kidding me?
That’s huge.
What God dishes out (in terms of blessings) always exceeds our capacity to contain it.
We are overflowing, dripping, leaking, oozing with the blessings of God.
So go ahead—say YES to a blessed life.
Smile, celebrate it, and don’t forget…
You’re leaking.
HERE’S A CHALLENGE:
• Be “blessing-conscious” – be on the lookout for blessings today.
• Try to discover at least one blessing you weren’t really aware of before.
• Thank God for something you haven’t already thanked him for.
What blessings are you discovering? What blessings are you thankful for today?
Guest Post: Ashah Dolleman “A Little Reminder To Be Fearless”
When we encounter situations that put us down or make us think, “I’ll never be able to do that,” think about Daniel’s friends, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego.
My dad has been doing a series from the book of Daniel, on being fearless or fearing less. This has been a helpful reminder for me to think about when I don’t know what to do.
Psalm 21.7 (MSG) says…
With Him on my side I’m fearless, afraid of no one and nothing.
I recently went to Hawaii and had the chance to go snorkeling. At first I was excited, but soon got really scared when I found out there was jellyfish infested water where we were going snorkeling. My mom and cousin weren’t scared one bit, which made me think that they were crazy, but after some time being in the water, I forgot about the whole jellyfish thing.
You see, my situation wasn’t anything like Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego’s. I needed a little reminder to be fearless.
Daniel’s friends didn’t back down when the king told them to bow down to the idol he had made. They could’ve ran away and never come back. They could’ve just went with the flow and bowed down to the idol, but they didn’t. They were fearless!
Here is a great verse that can help you be reminded to be fearless…
God is there, ready to help; I’m fearless no matter what. Who or what can get to me? Hebrews 13.6 (MSG)
We all need to be fearless people!
PB Mini-Bytes: Designated Space
In this 6-minute leadership podcast, PB and Andy talk about having more designated space and less empty space. This one ends with, “Boom. Roasted.” Listen and enjoy!
A Little Post About Big Things
Fear keeps things small.
It prevents us from attempting big things.
However, the knowledge that God is for us, not against us—gives us strength and courage.
I believe God wants us to have strength for today and courage for tomorrow.
I believe He want us to fear less…
And I believe God wants us to attempt big things.
“The people who know their God shall be strong, and carry out great exploits.” (Daniel 11.32b NKJV)
Great exploits = big things.
Let’s do big things!
What Are Your Go-To Thoughts?
We all have ‘em:
Thoughts, ideas, phrases, expressions, internal dialog…
Our go-to thoughts are those ones we repeat to ourselves often.
They reveal how we see things, how we reason—how we explain what’s going on in life.
Let me share a few of mine:
• I enjoy getting older. I keep getting better… better looking, wiser, and stronger.
• Every challenge has a blessing and reward waiting for me right around the corner.
• What they’re doing (that shocks, annoys, or confuses me) somehow makes sense to them. No one intentionally tries to sabotage their own life.
• There is much beauty in life that is waiting to be discovered.
• The best is yet to come. My greatest days are before me.
• God is for me.
You probably noticed—my go-to thoughts tend to be full of peace, joy, and life.
Perhaps you’ve also noticed that some people’s go-to thoughts tend to be full of fear, doom, and gloom…
• Here we go again.
• Nobody notices me.
• Why do things always have to be so difficult?
• Things used to be so much better—back when…
• You just can’t trust anyone anymore.
The book of Daniel records Daniel praying to God out of concern for his people…
And God sends Daniel a message, repeated 3 times:
“You are greatly treasured.”
“Your God thinks highly of you.”
“You are greatly treasured. All will be well with you.”
It seems to me that God used repetition to emphasize something he wanted Daniel to know, believe, and have as his very own go-to thought…
• God treasures me, he thinks the world of me, and he’s got me covered.
I love it. In fact, I’m gonna adopt this as one of my own go-to thoughts.
So, how about you?
What are your go-to thoughts?
Please share! I’d love to hear ‘em…
Maybe I’ll adopt some of yours too!
Someone Treasures You
Someone thinks you’re pretty amazing.
Someone can’t get enough of you.
Someone treasures you.
When Daniel was praying, God sent him a message…
“When you began making your requests, a word went out, and I’ve come to tell it to you because YOU ARE GREATLY TREASURED.” (Daniel 9.23 CEB)
“Daniel, YOUR GOD THINKS HIGHLY OF YOU, and he has sent me. So stand up and pay close attention. Don’t be afraid, Daniel, because… your words were heard. I’ve come because of your words!” (Daniel 10.11, 12 CEB)
“Don’t be afraid. YOU ARE GREATLY TREASURED. All will be well with you. Be strong!” (Daniel 10.18 CEB)
I believe God wants you (just like Daniel) to receive a message today:
You are greatly treasured.
Your God thinks highly of you.
Don’t be afraid. All will be well with you. Be strong!
You are greatly treasured.