Welcome to the Truth@Life Blog Site by Curtis Songer


If you receive value from these blogs, please consider donating to keep this blog site up and running. This ministry cannot continue without the generous donations of its readers. Just click on the "Donate" button to the right.

This blog site is loaded with tools to help you find what you're looking for. Here's how it works...

There are 5 threads of thought in this blog site:
1. Church Stuff - things pertaining to the evangelical Christian Church of today
2. Leadership Corner - concepts on management & leadership
3. Two Becoming One - principles of marriage enrichment
4. Train Up a Child - principles of parenting
5. Personal Thoughts - my mental ramblings on how God is growing me

I highly recommend you find an entry on one of these topics that interests you and click on that label at the end of that entry. It will bring up all the entries on that particular category. And be sure to check out the great web site links in the lower right corner of this page - Enjoy!

Wednesday, December 16, 2009

Work as Praise

So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.
1 Corinthians 10.31


“The (Irish) penitentials did not restrict their understanding of man's relationship with God to the moments of formal prayer and liturgy; instead, all daily work and activity was looked upon as a continuous act of praise and worship to God.”
- Hugh Connolly, The Irish Penitentials

This is true Christian faith, faith that embraces every aspect of life and leads us to praise God for His steadfast love and faithfulness and to serve Him with whatever He brings into our hands at any moment. This is an all-pervading faith; not the sacred/secular split so common among many Christians today, keeping faith in its place and the world in its.

Not only our work but our avocations, diversions, relationships, conversations, habits of reading and study, and everything else can serve as praise and service to the living God. To know the faith of Christ in this way is to practice not only His presence, but His pre-eminence as well.

Please comment below or email me directly at csonger@new-communitychurch.org

Wednesday, December 9, 2009

Quiet Moments – Part 2

But Jesus Himself would often slip away to the wilderness to pray.
Luke 5:16


In the movie Castaway, Tom Hanks says "We live and we die by time. And we must not commit the sin of losing our track on time." He adds about late Fedex packages, "First thing it's two minutes, then four, then six, then the next thing you know, we're the U.S. mail."

I am having to redo how I do my life. Life is more complicated than ever: strategic planning and budgeting for work, planning for Christmas, husband, father of 6, caring for an aging parent, etc…

In Africa they have a saying, "In America, everyone has watches and no one has any time. In Africa, few have watches and everyone has time for you."

Like Luther, I am rethinking how I plan my day. I've got to get the spiritual disciplines and exercise in first. I have to continue to let go of the small things and focus on the most important.

Are you too busy? If God wanted to get a hold of you, how would he do it?

Please comment below or email me directly at csonger@new-communitychurch.org

Tuesday, December 1, 2009

Quiet Moments

But Jesus Himself would often slip away to the wilderness to pray.
Luke 5:16


Did you know there are cultures in the world that don't have a word for "minute" or "hour"? They simply have no need or desire to measure time in such short increments. Nor do they attempt to maximize every second of every day. Filling their lives to the brink would be unthinkable. Sound too third-worldish to you? Isn't it easy to see how such words are not necessary in places where people grow their own food and rarely venture beyond their own village?

I'm not suggesting that we all move into the woods and live off the land. But I am encouraging you to consider the benefits of pulling the throttle back just a notch and embracing a more contemplative lifestyle. When you allow yourself time for creative solitude, you can see God at work and begin to rediscover life in all its richness. When you give yourself the necessary time and space to seek clarity, gain perspective and ponder decisions, you find more to savor, enjoy and appreciate.

As I reflect on these two different approaches to life--the rushed and the restful--I force myself to ask, How did Jesus live? Was He frantic or steady? Was He checking the sundial every few minutes, wishing He could cut some time off His commute to the next city? Or was He able to stop and tend to the needs around Him?

Jesus had more pressure on Him than any of us can fathom. His own disciples were always peppering Him with questions. The Pharisees wanted Him dead. The crowds wanted Him king. Many pressed against Him, wanting to be healed. Yet He got alone to pray. To think. To be strengthened. He sought His Father and enjoyed Him in the quiet moments of life.

I don’t know about you, but this is an area I need to work on. Perhaps you think (as I often do) that you just don’t have time? Well, let’s remember who gives us every minute of every day. Don’t you think it is enough time for you to spend a part of it with Him? Bottom Line… it is a matter of trust. As it says in Proverbs 3:5, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding.”

Please comment below or email me directly at csonger@new-communitychurch.org