Built To Last

How are you constructing your life?

Make no mistake—you are building something. The question is will your work stand the test of time.

Best-selling business author, speaker, and leader Jim Collins offers insights from years of research. But his principles apply to much more than corporations. His concepts can be put into practice in the social sector and even our personal lives.

Collins poses three questions which if carefully considered and thoughtfully, truthfully answered can open your eyes and help you move from “good to great.” Here’s my paraphrase:

1. What’s your passion?
2. What’s your talent?
3. How do you fuel your fire?

If you want to build to last, it makes no sense to construct a life you don’t like. To work a job you hate. To romance, then marry someone you don’t love. To waste your time and energy doing mundane tasks that produce no satisfaction. Those are the building blocks for disaster.

Moreover, what good is talent if it’s not honed? Skill is the result of practice. But practice doesn’t make perfect; it makes permanent. Doing the wrong thing will never make you good at anything. And it certainly won’t make you great. But practiced discipline and a willingness to examine all that you think you know will set you apart.

Finally, what drives your passion will hone your skill. But you’ll never achieve greatness—never be head and shoulders above the rest of the crowd, the person others look up to—until you recognize your weaknesses. You need help; everyone does.

President Ronald Regan often voiced the idea that, “You can get a lot done if you don’t care who gets the credit.” Because of this he surrounded himself with people who knew more than he did about those things he knew little about.

Regardless of whether you’re leading a nation, a company, a group of volunteers, or your family, you’d be smart to take time to look over the materials you’re working with to ensure that what you do will be built to last.



Want to learn more? Visit http://praisechapelkingman.podblaze.com to hear a sermon by Senior Pastor Howard Pennington or any of our pastors or guest speakers.

Stranger Than Fiction

“What if it were true?”

That was the premise that gave birth to the Harry Potter books by J.K. Rowling. But if you think her stories are fantastic, you should read the Bible.

Just a few of the characters are enough for a best-selling series. A know-it-all snake. A talking donkey. And a man who conversed with a burning bush. Another man who built a boat—before it ever rained. A fish that swallowed a runaway. A bird that fed a prophet. And a valley full of brittle bones that assembled themselves into an army.

Those are just a few of the characters in the Old Testament. Then there are the events that even Hollywood can’t duplicate. From Creation to Armageddon, the Bible is filled with the fantastic, the extraordinary, the supernatural.

And some people think God is boring. He has an imagination unrivaled by Steven Spielberg or George Lucas.

What would it be like to meet the God of the Bible? To be there when he parted the Red Sea or raised Lazarus from the dead? To listen to him pray? To eat with him? To feel his gentle grip rescue you from some as-yet-unseen consequence?

What if you could live when Jesus walked this earth? Sail with him on the Sea of Galilee? Sit at his feet with Mary?

What would you say? How would you act differently?

What if instead of you going back in time, God lived in your world today?

We may piously think if Jesus visited any of our homes that we wouldn’t get caught up in preparing a fancy meal. We might imagine that we wouldn’t lose our tempers as Peter did. We wouldn’t believe we’d be capable of doing what we do every day. But such dreams would never come true.

Jesus is Emmanuel—God with us. He is a very present help in time of trouble. He promised he would never leave us; that he would be with us always. True, he’s not here physically, but the Holy Spirit lives in us. So he is wherever we are.

That can be a little disconcerting, but it should also be comforting. It’s a matter of perspective. And maybe we need a change of view. Perhaps we should see ourselves from God’s vantage point. He says we’re forgiven. Healed. Whole, rather than broken.

“What if it were true?”


Want to learn more? Visit http://praisechapelkingman.podblaze.com to hear a sermon by Pastor John Pool or any of our pastors or guest speakers.

Under the Influence

Between a rock and a hard place? You’ve been there. So have I. So was Moses. With one difference—he was responsible for a few million people.

You know the scene I’m talking about. Backs to the Red Sea. Facing Pharaoh’s army. Nowhere to run, nowhere to hide. And the folks he led into the desert are starting to form a lynch mob. Somebody’s looking for rope. A few more are looking for a tree. And a growing crowd is yelling for the leader to do something—anything. No one is happy.

With good reason. It seems they’re all alone. They’re not sure where God is, but they’re becoming convinced he’s not where they need him to be—where they are. Then, before the special effects, God pauses to give a brief three-point sermon. “Fear not. Stand still. See my salvation.”

We may not have been there and we have the advantage of knowing how the story ends. But we don’t have that benefit when it comes to our circumstances. When the words, “You’re fired!” aren’t confined to a TV show. When you’re asked to help carry a friend’s son’s casket. When the second doctor’s opinion is the same as the first. We can’t be certain how life will turn out or what will happen next. And we’re tempted, just as the Israelites were, to look for someone to blame.

The problem is that by that time who is at fault doesn’t really matter. What’s important isn’t so much why we’re under pressure, but how we respond to it.

Stress can reveal the worst in people. It can also bring out the best in us. Like popcorn. Under the influence of heat and pressure, all that’s good on the inside can be released so we reach our full potential.

You don’t need to panic. God said your trials aren’t unique; they’re common. As for an exit strategy, the impasse you face may lead to your future. Don’t forget, he’s been where you are. And he promised he’d stay with you until you are with him.


Want to learn more? Visit http://praisechapelkingman.podblaze.com to hear a sermon by Senior Pastor Howard Pennington or any of our pastors or guest speakers.

Rest Easy

You’ve seen the bumper sticker: NO JESUS, NO PEACE; KNOW JESUS, KNOW PEACE. Nice idea. Catchy phrase. Easy to remember. But wrong.

Now, before you become indignant, hear me out. At first the concept seems true. We want it to be true. We want life to be that simple, but it rarely is.

If knowing Jesus resulted in peace of mind, a quiet spirit, a still heart, a soul as placid as a glassy lake, Christians wouldn’t experience turmoil. But we do.

People who profess Christ as their savior struggle with excuses and abuses. Divorce rates among believers are as high as those of non-believers. We eat too much, drink when we shouldn’t, abuse drugs (including prescription medications), and exploit others and ourselves in a vain effort to be happy.

So, either we don’t know God or knowing peace isn’t as easy as the bumper sticker would have us believe. Since no one who attends church wants to admit to not knowing a divine, infinite, perfect, omnipotent, omnipresent, omniscient, loving, merciful God we’re stuck with agreeing that peace may involve a pursuit. But what if finding peace is simple?

The apostle Paul wrote that he learned the secret; he discovered he could be content regardless of his circumstances. Good days or bad, hungry or not, honored or beaten, admired or left for dead. What happened around him—and more importantly what happened to him—didn’t change what mattered most: God loved Paul.

King David understood this truth when he wrote the 23rd Psalm. I can hear it with a good Jewish lilt. “The Lord, he’s my shepherd. Me? I want nothing.” Oh, he and Paul both had dreams and ambitions. But neither of these men needed anything; they had everything that mattered. So do we.

Jesus is all I need. God provides more than enough for all my needs. My wants? That’s different. But if I learn the difference, I’ll be wiser than many. And even if I’m not, I’ll be content.


Want to learn more? Visit http://praisechapelkingman.podblaze.com to hear a sermon by Senior Pastor Howard Pennington or any of our pastors or guest speakers.

Thirst Quencher

When you’re thirsty, you’ll drink almost anything. But not everything satisfies your thirst.

Maybe you’ve been in the desert a long time. Longer than you care to remember. You’ve wandered here and there, searching. And now you’re not sure where you are or how you’ll ever find you’re way back.

Perhaps your bed is only half full. Maybe your company outsourced your job. Or was it that doctor’s report? As soon as he said those words—“There’s nothing we can do.”—hope disappeared. You went in for a check-up and he told you to get ready to check out. But you weren’t ready then and you’re still not prepared. You don’t have the will to go on, but you know you shouldn’t give up.

At first you were hurt. Then, anger baked your heart until it became dry and cracked. Joy evaporated. And left you thirstier than ever.

Our souls can become so parched that we forget what it’s like to taste anything other than dust. It doesn’t take long to become dehydrated. The struggle to continue can leave us exhausted. We become confused, disoriented. In time, we’ll die. Maybe just fifty feet from what could save us.

That’s what happened to one woman. She went jogging in the desert early one morning with some friends. Somehow she lagged behind; they didn’t know what happened. Alone, incoherent, she stumbled along until she couldn’t go any farther. Someone found her body—in a ditch fifty feet from a house with all the water she needed.

We could condemn her companions. We could blame the homeowners for not helping. Maybe they weren’t home. We don’t know why her friends didn’t realize what happened. And we can’t be certain the woman herself didn’t make some poor choices that put her at risk. But blaming someone—anyone—afterward won’t change anything.

It doesn’t matter why you’re thirsty. What’s important is that you drink. But you can’t gulp just anything. Sodas won’t satisfy. Coffee won’t quench. What you need is water. And sometimes you need someone else to get it for you.

Jesus asked for a drink and gave a woman more than she asked for. He will do the same for you. He’s the original thirst quencher.


Want to learn more? Visit http://praisechapelkingman.podblaze.com to hear a sermon by Senior Pastor Howard Pennington or any of our pastors or guest speakers.

Survival Guide

Storms in the desert can be deadly. First comes a wall of dust, then the downpour. The rains sweep through canyons in flash floods. One minute everything is dry. The next, everything that was is no more. In a moment, the landscape of your life is changed.

Storms are indiscriminate. They don’t care; they have no feelings. They’re out to devastate everything in their paths. And if you happen to get in their way, they can destroy you.

You might not see or hear a storm coming; they rarely announce their arrival. And even when they do, you often have little time to do anything more than try to escape their fury.

They can appear any time, anywhere. They frequently attack when you least expect them. They come when you’re not looking. When you’re tired. In the middle of the night. Out of nowhere. They blindside you, knock you down—if not knock you out. And they will if you don’t get up.

When a storm hits, you’re not enjoying a refreshing swim; you’re caught in a deluge. And the torrent is sweeping through faster than you ever imagined it could. You’re whirled around, upside down. Stumbling, tumbling. You thought you were standing on a solid rock. Where is the rock? Now all that you feel under your feet seems to be sinking sand.

What you do in the midst of a storm won’t deter it’s fury. Your actions and reactions won’t deflect its path or defer the damage. But who you blame will affect what happens in the aftermath.

When the storm has passed—and it will—if you think the storm was an act of God, you’ll be angry. But what if storms are a part of life? What if they’re indiscriminate? What if the bad things that happen to you aren’t caused by a vindictive, mean, angry God? What if God is the one trying to rescue you?

That’s happened. On one occasion, Jesus came walking through a hurricane. During another tempest, he was asleep in the boat with those who feared for their lives. Both times, people misunderstood him.

We do, too. We either think he’s come to torment us or that he doesn’t care. But if that were true, why bother to come where we are? To be in the same boat with us?

That’s what comforts me and what should comfort you—he is where we are. He knows what we’re going through. And because he does, he can do what we can’t. He will either quiet the storm or calm our fears. Either way, he’s our guide.


Want to learn more? Visit http://praisechapelkingman.podblaze.com to hear a sermon by Senior Pastor Howard Pennington or any of our pastors or guest speakers.

Attitude Adjustments

For the space shuttle to dock with the space station, the spacecraft must maintain the proper pitch and yaw—attitude. Not only must the craft be oriented properly—pointed in the right direction—its attitude must be controlled.

The same is true with us. We need to maintain control and keep a good attitude in order to be connected with God. Anger, bitterness, and other negative emotions change our pitch and yaw. We can look at other people and circumstances—and God—in a way that skews our vision. And not being able to see correctly means we view God as something he’s not.

Often if we’re angry, we infer meanings from what people say or how they say something. We misread body language and facial expressions. We read into what they don’t say and reach wrong conclusions. We do the same thing with God.

With a right attitude we’ll read a passage of Scripture one way. But with a wrong attitude we can read the same verses negatively. I’ve done both—read a passage as both a dire warning and a promise—because of my personal experiences at the time. Our perspective is affected by what we perceive and by our past. Then, what we think affects what we do and how we react.

If we want to see God, we need pure hearts. If we want to be closer to God, we need to be sure we are pointed in the right direction, that we’re moving toward him, not away from him. And then adjust our point of view.

When bad things happen, we need to remind ourselves how good God is. Read a Psalm, listen to a sermon, read a book, listen to music—worship. Even if all we have is five minutes that may be enough.

To correct the pitch and yaw of the shuttle, the astronauts fire small maneuvering thrusters. A few seconds may be all it takes to regain a right attitude and control in order to reconnect with God.


Want to learn more? Visit http://praisechapelkingman.podblaze.com to hear a sermon by Senior Pastor Howard Pennington or any of our pastors or guest speakers.

What's the Problem?

Dysfunction is rampant, at least in America. And those who consider themselves Christians aren’t exempt. No one gets a free pass.

More families than ever before are at risk of divorce. That means another generation of children more likely to experience a failed marriage themselves. More promiscuity. More sexually transmitted diseases. More teenage pregnancies. More abortions. Not a very pretty picture. And divorce is just one pressure that’s squeezing the life out of us.

So why do we have so many problems? There are a lot of reasons. Here’s a short checklist to help you identify some of the sources of your stress.

1. YOU’RE TRYING TO BE SOMEONE YOU’RE NOT. You’re afraid others won’t like the real you, so you pretend to be who you think they want you to be.
2. YOU’RE TRYING TO PLEASE THE WRONG PERSON. That might be a parent, a child, a boss, a teacher, a pastor, or even yourself.
3. YOU DON’T HAVE A CLEAR PURPOSE. Consequently, you live under the tyranny of the urgent and rarely under the influence of what’s important.
4. YOU PURSUE PLEASURE RATHER THAN HAPPINESS. The former is momentary; the latter leads to a life of contentment—with whatever you have, in good times and bad.
5. YOU LIVE WITH UNFULFILLED DREAMS. Hope has disappeared or at least it’s fading fast.
6. YOU LIVE WITH UNPLEASANT CIRCUMSTANCES. Life is out of control. Your bus is headed toward a cliff and you’re not driving.
7. YOU LIVE WITH AN UNCERTAIN FUTURE. You doubt things will get better and you’re almost convinced they will get worse.

There are other causes of pressure, but once you know where the root of the problem is, you know where to dig. However, maybe you need a bigger, stronger shovel.

If you’re like me, you may have more than one problem at a time. If so, start with the biggest weed in your yard. It may take awhile to eradicate all of them, but the progress you make today with just one will make you feel better now—and tomorrow.


Want to learn more? Visit http://praisechapelkingman.podblaze.com to hear a sermon by Senior Pastor Howard Pennington or any of our pastors or guest speakers.

got stress?

If you have problems, you have stress. Maybe yours isn’t the same as mine, but we all face stress. Sometimes more, other times less. It comes in various forms—work, relationships, family. Thankfully there are seasons when there’s less stress. But there are times of every year when it hits new peaks. From kids going back to school, to holidays; from weddings to graduations; from unemployment to retirement; the causes may change, but the pressure remains—and often increases.

Illness, especially catastrophic or chronic, can result in depression. Financial downturns can produce everything from ulcers and headaches to fatigue associated with a host of long-term debilitating illnesses. Stress seems to be a normal part of life. But does it have to be?

If we don’t manage our problems, our problems will manage us. We know we need to relax, but how? And when? Many of us are too busy. We are wired 24/7 with cell phones, laptops, and Palm Pilots. Our planners and calendars are never far from our reach. And we mistakenly think that our lives are like the movie title, As Good As It Gets. But we can change.

We don’t have to stay where we are, do what we do, or be who we’ve been. Our lives can be different, better. Here are three practical tips to help you.

1. Don’t accept defeat. Believe that if you change what you do, you’ll change who you are. You don’t have to let your problems determine your destiny.

2. Be honest with yourself. Take responsibility, but don’t accept blame. Mistakes prove you’re human. Don’t beat yourself up for that, much less for someone else’s errors.

3. Act. Get up and get going. If you stay where you are, you’ll always be where you’ve been.

Change isn’t easy, but the struggle is far better than the pain of living with the pressure that’s crushing your life—and worth the effort.


Want to learn more? Visit http://praisechapelkingman.podblaze.com to hear a sermon by Senior Pastor Howard Pennington or any of our pastors or guest speakers.