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Personal Growth
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Jesus
46 pages- Post 3884Bill Perkins
My Resume of Failure
I've got an impressive resume of failure. Really. It's embarrassing to admit, but it's true. At one time or another I've failed in every area of my life. Seriously. I've broken things I hoped to fix, dropped things I hoped to carry…
StrongholdsCollected Essays - Post 3878Bill Perkins
Winning a Spiritual Tug of War
“Therefore, prepare your minds for action; be self-controlled; set your hope fully on the grace to be given you when Jesus Christ is revealed. As obedient children, do not conform to the evil desires you had when you lived in ignorance.
Strongholds - Post 2767Bill Perkins
Do You Know a Procrastinator?
Have you ever met someone who puts off starting or finishing something they dread? The task may not be difficult or complicated, but it's dreadful. For instance, I'm skilled at putting paperwork into piles and hiding them in a drawer…
Sin - Post 2631Bill Perkins
Freedom Begins With Forgiveness
Below is a nasty list of attitudes and actions people struggle with. Most of us not only battle to break free but to keep the battle a secret. Yet, if we’re going to find freedom, we must first identify what it is we’re struggling with.
RelationshipsSpiritual WarfareCollected Essays - Post 2386Bill Perkins
How to Win the Fight for Your Heart
A real fight isn’t Tae Bo. It’s not like hitting one of those four-foot-tall inflatable punching bags that looks like a clown and makes a weak punch look like a hay-maker. Stepping into a ring and fighting for three minutes turns…
PornographySpiritual Warfare - Post 2363Bill Perkins
Johnny Lingo's Eight Cow Wife
Patricia McGeer tells the story of a journey to the island of Kiniwata in the Pacific. While on the island she repeatedly heard stories about Johnny Lingo--the brightest, strongest and richest man on the island. Every time his name…
Relationships - Post 2260Bill Perkins
Seize the Moment
Procrastinators focus on problems. The diligent focus on solutions. There is an element of dishonesty in procrastination. When we procrastinate, we lie to ourselves to avoid work, instead of facing the facts. We lack the integrity to…
- Post 2240Bill Perkins
The key to success or failure
Consider these truths that come from a single principle: You reap only if you sow. You reap only what you sow. You reap after you sow. You reap more than you sow. All of this flows from the law of the harvest: "You always reap what you sow"
- Post 2206Bill Perkins
The Greatest Easter Ever
There are 57 days until Easter. If you read the Jesus Story for less than ten minutes a day you’ll experience the entire life of Christ in chronological order and reach the resurrection on Easter Day. Only 300 copies of this limited…
- Post 2160Bill Perkins
Will you join me?
Nothing has strengthened my faith and transformed my life more than reading through the four Gospels every month. When I began, 59 months ago, I followed a much weaker Jesus than I do today. Much of this was due to my theological…
- Post 2102Bill Perkins
A weird experiment with a lesson
I've never cracked an egg with a chicken inside. That would be a shocker if it occurred over a frying pan. But it's been done by biologists with a fascinating result. In fact, it's an experiment with a lesson. A biologist cracks the…
Prayer - Post 2029Bill Perkins
Failure is the seed of success
I've got an impressive resume of failure. It's embarrassing to admit, but it's true. At one time or another I've failed in every area of my life. Seriously. I've broken things I hoped to fix, dropped things I hoped to carry, and hurt…
- Post 2000Bill Perkins
Something Jesus Never Did
Lately I’ve been thinking about procrastination. How I tend to put off doing things I don’t enjoy. Like de-cluttering the storage room or shaving my dog—my dog is a golden-doodle and I shave her to the skin twice a year, except for her…
- Post 1996Bill Perkins
Do you do this?
After the false alarm regarding a brain disease a radiologist said I had, which a neurologist later said I don’t have , I thought a lot about the brevity of life. And how much time I waste. I don’t like to think I’m lazy. After all, I’m…
- Post 1978Bill Perkins
Are you open to correction?
If we're not open to correction then we’re inauthentic. The religious leaders of Jesus' day had developed an elaborate system of rituals (masks) that enabled them to appear better on the outside than they were on the inside. Over time…
- Post 1973Thomas Wells
Fear Isn't an Excuse Not to Act
While visiting an orphanage in India several years ago, my host asked if I wanted to preach to a group of pastors and widows. I told him "No." It’s one thing to give my testimony at a youth event, like I did in Indonesia…
- Post 1942Bill Perkins
What I Never Saw Before
I counted twenty-three times in the Gospels that Jesus referred directly or indirectly to his death and/or resurrection. In none of those instances did the disciples understand what he was talking about. Not once. The most memorable…
- Post 1822Bill Perkins
Something to give thanks for
Thanksgiving is a wonderful holiday. Unfortunately, I'm too often like a cat living in a palace. Surrounded by beauty it focuses on the bird on a branch just outside the glass window. It places a padded paw on the pane as it craves the…
- Post 1768Bill Perkins
Do this to an enemy
Humility is sometimes measured by how losses are handled. Humble men and women don't make excuses. They don't point fingers. They accept that even a valiant effort sometimes isn't enough. On other occasions it's measured by how…
- Post 1763Bill Perkins
Am I dying?
I’m not. That is, I’m not dying. But I can worry like a man waiting for a doc’s fatal diagnosis. And yet, I’m an amateur worrier compared to a friend. I asked him once if he ever noticed that most of the things he worries about never…
- Post 1754Bill Perkins
When you go for it, and things don’t go
We're taught to travel fast and light. On the freeway we drive in the fast lane. If we want something we're told to, "Go for it!" Immediate gratification is a driving force in our lives. We expect pain to go away fast—that's what…
- Post 1642Bill Perkins
He Slammed His Fist Down
One day a man sat across from my desk and accused me of insensitivity. Not a novel observation. In the past my mother, father, wife, children, best friends, casual acquaintances, and strangers had pointed it out to me. That's why his…
- Post 1559Thomas Wells
The Question You Must Always Ask
The other week, my wife, Claire, and I were at the airport. As we walked toward our gate, I noticed someone familiar—he had a bald head, stood about my height, and wore a suit. At first…
- Post 1506Bill Perkins
The Danger of Selective Listening
“What is a dog?” That’s the title to a funny little description which begins like this: “Dogs lie around all day, sprawled on the most comfortable piece of furniture in the house. They constantly scratch themselves. They can hear a…
- Post 1451Bill Perkins
Something I Easily Take for Granted
I'm too often like a cat living in a palace. What cat ever pondered the brilliance of the architecture or the art that adorns the palace walls? Surrounded by beauty it focuses on the bird perched on a branch just outside the window. It…
- Post 1367Bill Perkins
I Do It All The Time
I see someone and quickly make judgments based on a visual inspection. I judge how well they measure-up to my dress, grooming and posture standards. Are they fit? Or not? Are they attractive? Or not?
- Post 1304Bill Perkins
How to Break Free of Despair
All of us battle with discouragement. Occasionally, it can lead to despair. Getting free of toxic emotions, like discouragement and despair, begins with finding out what thought triggered the emotion. We need to follow the example of…
- Post 1130Thomas Wells
What Would I Say to My Younger Self
I recently traveled home to Oregon with my wife. It was an exciting trip, because it was the first time we visited since getting married. We arrived late and went to sleep soon after getting to my parents’ house.…
- Post 1114Bill Perkins
Try This the Next Time You Argue
Conflict is as unavoidable as traffic in Los Angeles. If you've got two people on a team, or in a family, who never argue, one of them isn't needed. Jesus, the greatest leader of all time, experienced conflict among his disciples…
Collected Essays - Post 1102Bill Perkins
The Tragedy of Getting What You Want
A paradigm defines the way we view something. For instance, if a man wears binoculars he'll see things far away better than things close. A paradigm shift would occur if he turned the binoculars around or placed them on a table.
- Post 807Bill Perkins
The Key to Overcoming Inertia
I've always been fascinated by trains. I used to lay in bed at night, before falling asleep, and imagine climbing into a freight car and traveling across the country. Even now when I hear a faraway train whistle from the deck of my…
- Post 658Bill Perkins
Locking Arms with Me and Others Around the World
It's the first of the year and I was thinking about water-skiing in Texas in December--without a wet-suit. I used to barefoot water-ski. I thrived on the adrenaline rush of skimming across glass-smooth water at high speeds. I enjoyed…
- Post 605Bill Perkins
I Broke My Son's Mouth!
While each of my three sons wore braces my middle son, David, had an unusual problem that had to be corrected. Seems his mouth wasn't large enough to hold his teeth. To remedy this, his orthodontist placed a telescopic bar across his…
Tough Questions - Post 551Bill Perkins
You're the Keeper of Your Heart
The great composer Mendelssohn visited a cathedral in Europe that housed one of the most magnificent organs in the world. The German composer quietly sat in a pew and listened as the cathedral organist prepared for the Sunday mass.…
SinHoly Spirit - Post 445Bill Perkins
Two Minutes that Will Change a Life
On a dark rainy day several years ago my mood matched the weather. I climbed in my car and listened to the rain patter on the roof. I felt physically and emotionally drained. Suddenly, my cell phone rang. I answered with a cheerier…
Prayer - Post 413Bill Perkins
Seize the Moment
You've probably seen the ad on TV where small electrodes are attached to a man's abdomen. When the device is activated the muscles contract. It's not the sort of thing you'd wear to work because it triggers uncontrollable spasms. But…
- Post 398Bill Perkins
Relieving Christmas Season Stress
December is a short month. While it may not have fewer days, it has fewer work days. Less time to get important things done. Many companies and individuals are trying to wrap things up before the holidays. So in essence, we have three…
- Post 353Bill Perkins
Don't Give Up on Your Dreams
Between the period of childhood and adulthood, something pretty amazing happens, and it's more than just getting taller and wiser. It seems as if the world at some point, comes down and crushes our childhood capacity to dream that we…
- Post 349Bill Perkins
The Difference Between Values and Practices
Values are not practices. A practice is an activity or action. A practice that works in one situation may not work in another because practices apply to specific situations. Because my second son, David, lived to be with people, when…
- Post 306Bill Perkins
How to Rein in Runaway Emotions
Science has identified a clear link between your thoughts and emotions and your physical and mental well-being. When you think a negative thought toxic chemicals flood your body triggering intense emotions like anger, despair…
- Post 239Bill Perkins
Are Your Kids into Porn?
Note: If you have children, please take part in a short survey at the end of this article. Several years ago the leader of a sizable city-wide men's ministry picked me up at the airport. I was going to speak to 600 men at a breakfast…
Tough Questions - Post 226Bill Perkins
Need a Second Chance?
Anybody who ever failed a test longed for a second chance ... one more night to study ... one more chance to make the grade. Those who have suffered the agony of a failed romance or marriage look back at hurtful things they said or…
- Post 218Bill Perkins
I'm 63 Today
For the next 364 days when I take the platform at a speaking engagement, after an introduction, I'll sometimes say, "I'm 63 today." The audience will break out in applause, some will shout out a, "Happy Birthday," and who knows, a…
- Post 214Bill Perkins
I hate to admit this about myself
I hate to admit it, but I'm a hypocrite. You see, I've become skilled at hiding my flaws behind a mask of superiority while condemning the same sins in others. For instance, the other day a driver was tailgating me. "Can you believe…
- Post 142Bill Perkins
A Spiritual Experiment
I got the idea for The Jesus Experiment several years ago while writing a book based on the leadership style of Jesus. After completing the manuscript, I knew I had overlooked something significant. All of my research hadn't turned up…
- Post 111Bill Perkins
The Day I Learned to Fear God
The Northwest boasts some of the most beautiful country in the world. Primeval forests form a soaring cathedral over the hills. Sheer cliffs stand hundreds of feet above the ocean. Giant black rocks form surreal towers that rise over…
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