Questions to live by

I recently read One Question by Ken Coleman, New York Time Best-Selling Author and emcee of Catalyst conference. This book is a “best-of” all the interviews Coleman has done with some of the best Christian leaders in America. I have decided to list some of the most powerful questions these leaders have lived by and the questions they challenge others to ask themselves:

John Maxwell- What are you passionate about? What are you good at?

Marcus Buckingham – What is the best way you learn? How can you apply this principal to both your areas of strength and weakness?

Peter Guber- Are you truly connecting with people or just trying to sell something? Are you being your authentic self with your clients? Are you opening up to your customer’s hearts before their wallets?

Randall Wallace- If you are telling a story, does the story move you? In life are you trying to find your message first or your audience first?

Seth Godin- Are you waiting for opportunities? Or are you ready for them?

T. D. Jakes- What is my vision? Where do I see things that others do not see?

Blake Mycoskie- How can I start small to follow my dream?

If you could only ask one question

If you could only ask one question to some of the most influential leaders or your favorite leaders or authors, what would that question be? This is the inspiration and idea behind Ken Coleman’s book, One Question: Life Changing Answers From Today’s Leading Voices.  One Question, is a “best of” content from Ken’s interviews with influential leaders at Catalyst Conferences. These leaders include John Maxwell, Rick Warren, John Acuff, Seth Godin, Tony Robbins, Jim Collins and so many more! Instead of merely summarizing entire interviews from these leaders, Ken, focuses in on the some of the best questions he has asked these leaders and their insight from these questions.

I interviewed Ken on the phone, he reported that his goal for this book was to encourage people to ask more questions. He wants to help his readers develop a habit of inquiry. Society today focuses on getting answers. Although, in order to solve problem and succeed in life, it is much better to know how to ask questions and solve problems from those questions. The entrepreneurial mindset is one of curiosity and one that is always learning new things.
Ken declared that One Question, could be a “manual for life coaching.” The book has three main sections: succeeding, surviving and sustaining. Each section is packed with insights from various leaders offering tips on how they dealt with initial success, how they survived failure and difficult times and how they sustained success in the long-run.

The book is a great resource for any life coach, business owner or influencer. It is a great book for anyone who also desires to be an entrepreneur, life coach, or business leader. I highly recommend getting a hold of this book and reading it. The insights alone from these world leaders is well worth the price of the book. What Ken adds about developing a habit of inquiry is also fascinating. From all of 36 leaders, who Ken  featured in this book, one big overall theme rings true, they all asked questions. Ken challenges the reader in the final chapter to never stop asking questions. You can read a lot of reviews and even hear some incredible free content in video, audio and print form on his website for the book!

Review the year with these 4 questions

I had the privilege to interview Ken Coleman author of  the book, One Question: Life Changing Answers From Today’s Leading Voices. The book is a “best of” content from Ken’s interviews with influential leaders of faith at Catalyst Conferences. These leaders include John Maxwell, Rick Warren, John Acuff, Seth Godin, Tony Robbins, Jim Collins and so many more! Instead of merely summarizing entire interviews from these leaders, Ken, focuses in on the some of the best questions he has asked these leaders and their insight from these questions.
When I interviewed Ken on the phone, I asked him “What are the top questions we need to ask ourselves as we end 2013 and begin 2014?” Ken offered four insightful questions to reflect upon, two that help us review the past and two that help us look to the next year.

For all the major areas of life can to be evaluate with these questions as we review 2013:
1. “What did I do right?” It is important to focus on the positives and the blessings. Think about what are you grateful and thankful for this year. These are the ‘wins’ of 2013.
2. “What did I loose?” Failure can hurt but it also is the best way to learn. So this question is not for being hard and critical on yourself but a way to review what you learned as you move forward.
Moving forward into 2014:
3. “Where do I want to be/go?” This question helps us to realize our vision for the future. It helps us dream.
4. “What do I need to get done in 2014?” It is easy to have a lot of lessons learned and a lot of vision. These things are great, although, often time we naturally create too many goals. So this question is very clear and straight-forward, to help us create realistic goal based on strong clarity of our vision. What is the one or two really big things that need to get done?

Ken is a master of asking questions. Ken Coleman reported that the goal for writing One Question was to encourage people to ask more questions. He wants to help his readers develop a habit of inquiry. Society today focuses on getting answers. Although, in order to solve problem and succeed in life, it is much better to know how to ask questions and solve problems from those questions. The entrepreneurial mindset is one of curiosity and one that is always learning new things. The book is a great resource for any life coach, business owner or Christian leader. It is a great book for anyone who also desires to be an entrepreneur, life coach, or Christian leader. I highly recommend getting a hold of this book and reading it. The insights alone from these world leaders is well worth the price of the book. What Ken adds about developing a habit of inquiry is also fascinating. From all of 36 leaders, who Ken featured in this book, one big overall theme rings true, they all asked questions. Ken challenges the reader in the final chapter to never stop asking questions. You can read a lot of reviews and even hear some incredible free content in video, audio and print form on his website for the book!

The Question

I recently listened to podcast by Apologetics.com featuring apologist and author Greg Koukl who recently authored the book called Tactics. In this book Greg offers several great approaches to talking to people in a way that will lead to spiritual conversations and possibly sharing yor faith with them.

The podcast did not offer everything that is in the book but briefly went over some of the important topics in the book.
One thing that really stands out from the podcast is the simple use of the question.
A lot of Christians are not sure what to say or what to talk about in order to bring a spiritual conversation, some Christians are just afraid…
but the use of questions is an amazing thing.
First it puts the burden of proof on the other person. Second it makes you look like a good guy, you care and are asking great questions and are letting them share thier prespective. Thirdly it is safe. They are relational. They encourage your relationship with others. 
Questions can be leading. can be investigative, or can be curious. If your friend says they do not believe in God for instances…instead of being afraid and feeling like you have to prove God, simply ask “What do you mean by God?” or “How did you come to that conclusion?”
Let them do the explaining…then after they have shared you can be ready to offer your own expirience or opinions in a kind but evangelistic manner.
I plan on getting this book and posting more about this book on my blog eventually. But check out the book Tactics. And the podcasts at Apologetics.com 

I want to see the fossils…

I have a problem with the evolution’s theory and I think any logical thinking scientist or evolutionist should have a problem with it too… the lack of evidence in fossils of “slow” evolution?

Where are all these “transitional” fossils? Without them no one can see this “slow evolution.”

If this evolution was really happening even at a slow pace, the fossils would, in fact, back it up. But we do not have any fossil record to back up these small changes. The changes are imagined. Evolutionists keep telling themselves that the changes are occurring “at such a small pace that it is not noticeable,” this seems said only to make themselves feel better about themselves.
Because even if the changes occurred at such a small pace OVER Millions or Billions of years , there would, in fact, be some kind of fossil record. There should be MILLIONS of years worth of fossils….which is NOT the case!

I will admit that fossils by themselves cannot prove or deny evolution. But the evidence leans towards denying it. It is a matter of interpretation. My question is how do you interpret the evidence to seem like there is millions of years worth of fossils, when there is not? It is a simple question.

I will admit there have been some fossils that are good finds and might be “transitional fossils,” but the number of these great finds is not even in double digits…five fossils does not prove anything. In fact it makes the case for itself that these five fossils or so are more likely to be unique, seperate extinct species and not transitional fossils at all.

150 years of energetic and well funded world-wide searching for fossils to ‘prove’ evolution have failed to reveal more than a tiny handful of disputed possible intermediate forms. If Darwin was right about gradual changes happening over millions of years, millions and millions of ‘missing links’ would have come to light. The fact that each Archaeopteryx, Tiktalik, Flores man is triumphantly announced as ‘THE’ missing link only underlines the lack of the MILLIONS of intermediate missing links which Darwin’s hypothesis of gradual change over millions of years requires to sustain it. What about all the hominid, ape-man, Neanderthal, Cro-Magnon man and other fossils? Where are they?

Second question:
If we found a fossil, dated at 37.5 million years ago, with features of both organisms A and B, and called it AB, the young earth creationist would then say “There are no transitional life forms between A and AB, or between AB and B.” So another simple question…where is the transitional fossils? They are non-existent.

Other interesting stuff:

What does not honest, good scientist do with this: unfossilized dinosaur bones with soft material found in the earth? From a non-Christian


Darwinists say, “We continually revise our theories and welcome critical examination and evaluation.” They may revise aspects of their theories, but because evolution is so incredibly malleable, no amount of contrary evidence will convince them otherwise. But how much contrary evidence must accumulate before a theory is discarded?

Today evolution survives, not so much as a theory of science, but as a philosophical necessity. Good science is always tentative and self-correcting, but this never really happens in the case of evolution.


explanatory power

Christians…
if we believe we have the answers (which we really do), then we have explanatory power…
If we have explanatory power, then why are we not using it?

One of the big problems is ignorance. Many “Christians” are not well versed, taught enough. They do not understand their faith completely.

Another problem is lack of faith. Some believes just do not believe that we have all the answers.

Maybe another problem is the lack of effort. Some Christians know that we have God on our side and know that we have the answers. They trust God and all, but they are not disciplined enough or serious enough about studying the Word of God and being ready at any moment to answer such questions.

Question of the Day

Will we miss those who are not in Heaven when we are in Heaven?

A member of my church mentioned, during a rabbit trail of his sermon, that Christians will not miss those who are not in Heaven, because Heaven is perfect…there is not more tears, pain, suffering, etc…therefore it must be so.

I do not know if that is true. I do not know if it is even something we can know for sure. But at first thought I recall that there is tears in Heaven. Although it is Christ Jesus who wipes away those tears. I am not sure I even like that line of thinking, because an extreme case of this type of thinking will lead to hyper-Calvinism… “I don’t need to share the Gospel, cause God is ultimately in control and did not want everyone in Heaven in the first place and I will not miss any one who is not up there any way!”

Albeit, this person was NOT preaching a Calvinistic sermon and he is not a hyper-Calvinist by any means. He did not mean it that way, but when reflecting on this question that thought came to my mind.

To me, it is vital that we think about eternal life while we live in this temporary one. It is vital that we share our faith. And while I do not want to merely give out “get out of jail free cards.” I do think that the after life, Heaven and Hell can, will, and should motivate us Christians to share our faith and the unsaved to act upon the Good News. Becuase Hell is real.

We should build relationships of discipleship and not merely save’m and leave’m. Of course. But do not forget about how real and life changing the message of Heaven and Hell really is.

Now back to the question:
“Will we miss those not in Heaven?

I have heard and read some pre-millinalist dispensationalists say that “Yes. We will miss those not Heaven.”

So what do you think?

Social justice

I have written blog posts about this previously but
today it seems even more real and more concerning!
I am going to be blogging more about this in the future as well,
the topic:
social justice.
Why has it been so real to me recently?
I have been reading the prophets a lot recently!
It is not just in Amos, although there it is prevalent!
Just read in Isaiah, Micah, Malachi – social justice is a foundational point to all of the prophets and the ideas are not just limited to the prophets!
In fact the prophets were only building on the foundations of the Mosaic and Deuteronomic law!
Which also speaks about fighting for justice!

God is a God of justice, love and compassion.

I will be posting more later to build on this but I wanted to stress the idea in this post that OT stresses the importance of fighing for social justice.

In later posts I will address these questions:

Does the NT also address social justice/issues the same way?
How does this relate to us today in modern world?
Why should you care?
What social justices should we be concerned for/ fighting for?
How does this relate to Dominion theology and what are the concerns (pros and cons?)
How does this relate to our political stance?
Should a conservative and/or liberal Christian work together for social justice?
How does fighting for social justice relate to post-modern society?
How does it relate to the emergin and emergnat churches? Should we be concerned?
Can we take stands for social justice and not loose our foundational, essential theology?

Random Question

I have been trying to do some extra research in my free time to learn about the differences between:
Covenant theology vs. dispensational theology
And then:
The different types of dispensational theology:
premillennial, progressive, traditional, etc

I was wondering if anyone had a simple, easy, or straight-forward resource about any of these topics or if they simply have an explanation that they just want to share with me! That would be great!
I have not had enough time to delve too much into this research, so for now I just would like a starting point.

Thanks
Alex