KeithFerrin.com

Bringing the Word to Life

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2 Different Views on What It Means to Take a Sabbath

Do you take a Sabbath? Weekly? A couple times a month? A yearly extended Sabbath? A few half-days here and there?

I ask because it seems to be coming up a LOT in conversation these days. I’ve seen bloggers write about it, pastors speak about it, and all kinds of people posting about it on social media.

The other day, I received two emails within less than an hour about taking a Sabbath. Both had very different takes.

One I loved. The other I agreed with two of her three points. The third point I strongly disagreed with!

Then I recorded this…

What is your take on the Sabbath? Do you practice it? How? What’s the benefit?

I’d love to hear your thoughts.

NOTE: Here’s the blog post I mention in the video.

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Does God Really Open and Close Doors?

How do you determine God’s will? People have been seeking the answer to that question since…well…forever.

[featured-image single_newwindow=”true” alt=”Do you use ‘open and closed’ doors as the litmus test for whether something is God’s will or not? If so…you should watch this video.”]

It seems to me like the most common answer to that question is “If it’s God’s will, He’ll open the door. If it’s not, He’ll close it.”

That sounds good. But I don’t think it’s biblical. 

Sometimes God opens the door. Other times, He wants you to kick it down.

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Today’s “Along the Road” video takes a look at a time (in 1 Samuel 14) when determining God’s will was choosing the hardest of the two options.

[youtube id=”KCmg0z5PEfw”]

Maybe an open or closed door ISN’T an indication of God’s will. #AlongTheRoadVideo

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I’d love to hear your thoughts…even if you don’t agree with me. (Maybe especially if you don’t agree with me.)

[reminder]Do you think open and closed doors are a good way of determining God’s will? [/reminder]

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Seeing God Clearly at 7,156'

Last week, our family spent a glorious, unplugged vacation in one of the most beautiful parts of the world. If you haven’t been to Whistler, British Columbia, you owe it to yourself to visit our friends north of the border. (Or on the other side of the ocean, depending on where you are when you’re reading this.)

[featured-image single_newwindow=”true” alt=”Rarely have I seen God so clearly than last Thursday, alone at Harmony Lake. I recorded what I was thinking and seeing.”]

On Thursday, my family went off for a bike ride. Since I still had three pins sticking out of my surgically-repaired finger at the time, I decided to go for a solo hike at the top of the mountain.

I found a trail to a place called Harmony Lake and headed up the gondola. NOTE: Any hike with a lake at the end is always better than one without a lake.

I saw God at Harmony Lake.

In fact, I recorded this 2-minute video sharing what I was thinking. I even recorded it while I was hiking…and I didn’t trip!

Take a look… [Read more…] about Seeing God Clearly at 7,156'

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Encouragement for Those Who Feel Like They Should DO More or BE Better

Two conversations in the last week have me pondering something that’s a bit of an epidemic problem in the church. Both of these people told me of how far away they feel from God, how much they fail, and how many things they need to work on.

The essence of their comments came from the false belief that they weren’t doing enough – or being enough – to please God.

[featured-image single_newwindow=”true” alt=”Encouragement for Those Who Feel Like They Should DO More or BE Better”]

Ugh. How often do you believe this lie?

I’m now on Week #5 since my finger surgery and I probably have another 2-4 weeks until I can type semi-normally. So, rather than typing, I mounted my phone on my dashboard, hit the red button, and  recorded this 3-minute video…

[youtube id=”7aEcxZ1IhBs”]

God isn’t concerned that you do everything. He’s concerned that you do the next right thing.

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Philippians 1:6

…being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.”

II Peter 1:5-8

For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, mutual affection; and to mutual affection, love. For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.”

[reminder]What can you do to focus on the ‘next right thing?'[/reminder]