Faith Bible Blog

Information and Reflections for the FBC Family

October 5, 2011
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Posts: 6

Becoming a ‘God Pleaser’

Hi, my name is Shane, and I’m a recovering “People Pleaser”!

A people pleaser, by definition, is a person who commits themselves to boosting the well-being of other people, even when doing comes at an emotional, physical or economic expense.

Certainly, responding to others and helping them in their time of need is a normal social function. People pleasers, however, invest themselves deeply in gaining approval from others to such a degree that their own needs and wants are set aside.

This has been my battle for as long as I can remember. I’m not certain of its origins, but I have molded myself, my interests, likes and dislikes around others for far too long. It has manifested in multiple fashions throughout my forty years.

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October 4, 2011
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Posts: 25

RMG Life: Sweet Refreshment

Have you ever been sitting at a restaurant and “dying” of thirst, waiting for that ice-cold Coke you ordered? You know, the one packed with crystal clear ice cubes and beads of condensation forming on the sides of the glass? The carbonation will burn your throat, tickle your nose and make your eyes water. What a great feeling of anticipation!

The glass arrives. You take your first drink.  The satisfaction is almost there . . . only to be jerked away by the sudden realization that you have been duped into drinking that tasteless concoction known as “Diet Coke”. Continue Reading →

October 3, 2011
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Posts: 46

Reflections: Learning from John’s Humility

My in-laws were in town with us this weekend from Michigan, and it was a sweet time of soaking up their company and enjoying faith-filled conversations. My mother-in-law always makes a point to graciously give compliments about the food, activities, accommodations, etc. The way I naturally receive these comments, however, unfortunately reveals I do not have the godly humility of John “the immersing one.”

After listening to Chris’s sermon on Sunday, the “particular” of John’s ministry that hit me like a ton of bricks was in Mark 1:7, where John explains his humble position in respect to the “One” who is coming, Jesus.

I have to admit that a heart of humility is something I pray for frequently. But what if Jesus himself told everyone that I was the greatest woman ever born? Jesus actually said that exact thing about John in Luke 7:28! In the midst of this comment and having thousands of people come to hear him, John still said “A man can receive nothing unless it has been given him from heaven.” (John 3:27) Continue Reading →

September 29, 2011
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Posts: 7

Running to the Door Means Something

In our early years as parents, we found great comfort and practical help in some of the biblically-based parenting programs that were being offered through the church at the time. We would listen to tapes, read the books, and then attempt to implement the principles at home with our children. We wanted to honor Christ in our parenting and only had limited real-life glimpses of how to accomplish that. We ate up anything biblical that could help us, but I have to admit that some of our pre-Ted Tripp parenting instruction seemed a bit more like behavior-modification than “Jesus-modification.” In spite of the occasional red-flags in some materials we encountered, we did find many worthy strategies for cultivating God-honoring behavior in our kids.Running to the Door

One of those valuable principles we worked on back then seems even more important now, as our kids are moving through their teens. I can vividly remember teaching our kids how to greet their father when he returned home from work. (Way back then, this instruction was geared toward the presumed family dynamic of the day, where mom was at home with kids, Dad at work, and so on. Today our culture looks somewhat less conventional, even in the church, but we must not lose sight of the intended idea, children acknowledging and showing honor to adults.) We diligently worked on this and made this a mainstay in our home.

This one, rather simple, ritual of jumping up and running to the door (when our kids were young) to greet our loved one, accomplished many different, positive things that I never realized would be so sorely needed today.

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September 28, 2011
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Posts: 6

Going from ‘I Do’ to ‘What are you doing?’

I’ve been married for just under twenty years. When I met the girl who knocked me off of my feet, I didn’t think, “If she was just a little better here, she would be perfect.”  No, I fell in love with her, (figurative) warts and all.

Why was it that shortly after “I do” I started wanting her to change? As you can imagine, this created a set of insecurities in my new bride. What I had intended as constructive criticism turned out to be destructive. Part of my role was to be the biblical leader in my home, but it was clear I didn’t understand how to do that in my young marriage. Continue Reading →