goforwardinfaith Christianity, Religion, Theology

The Hope of Easter

By Linda Tancs

In this challenging world, Easter gives us hope and encouragement. After all, if Jesus had not been raised from the dead, Christianity never would’ve survived, particularly considering three centuries of persecution of the early church. Our belief in the Risen Jesus gives meaning to our lives as well as our personal and common prayers. Our trust in Him gives us strength to fight against temptations and to resist worry and fear. May you rest in that truth today and every day, and have a Blessed Easter.

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As part of FOOT FORWARD MINISTRIES (a teaching and speaking ministry), Go Forward in Faith represents faith-based meditations for personal and professional growth. Join the Facebook group @goforwardinfaith.

goforwardinfaith Christianity, Religion, Theology

The Law of the Gift

By Linda Tancs

Pope St. John Paul II referred to a principle called the law of the gift—namely, that one’s being increases in the measure that one gives oneself away. That principle encapsulates the life of John the Baptist, who declared that he must decrease so that Jesus may increase (John 3:30). In the natural, that meant stepping aside to give place to the One greater than he. In doing so, John fulfilled his life’s purpose, a ministry dedicated to magnifying Christ. Whatever we praise, we raise in our life.

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As part of FOOT FORWARD MINISTRIES (a teaching and speaking ministry), Go Forward in Faith represents faith-based meditations for personal and professional growth. Join the Facebook group @goforwardinfaith.

goforwardinfaith Christianity, Religion, Theology

Just the Facts

By Linda Tancs

When captured, the presentation of name, rank and serial number is a requirement of the Geneva Convention. It is the only information a prisoner of war is obligated to give. In daily life, sometimes we stick to the facts, exchanging pleasantries or basic information with others. We never get beneath the surface. Popular culture talks about “emotional availability,” the ability of two people to share a healthy emotional connection. It is, indeed, an important element in bonding with others. Emotionally available people are present, open to understanding and empathizing with others and can reciprocate their emotions. Those are the characteristics that enable one to establish friendships, to be the one who sticks closer than a brother (Proverbs 18:24). That’s who Jesus is to us, and that’s who we should be to others.

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As part of FOOT FORWARD MINISTRIES (a teaching and speaking ministry), Go Forward in Faith represents faith-based meditations for personal and professional growth. Join the Facebook group @goforwardinfaith.

goforwardinfaith Christianity, Religion, Theology

The Privilege and the Power

By Linda Tancs

You have the privilege and the power of praying in Jesus’s name. After all, Jesus gave you the right to use His name when you go to God in prayer (John 16:23-24). Think about how powerful that is—when we pray in Jesus’s name, it’s as if He is making the supplication Himself. Unlike earthly privileges (like driving a car), you don’t need to worry about losing it. Enjoy this great privilege!

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As part of FOOT FORWARD MINISTRIES (a teaching and speaking ministry), Go Forward in Faith represents faith-based meditations for personal and professional growth. Join the Facebook group @goforwardinfaith.

goforwardinfaith Christianity, Faith-Based Business, Religion, Theology

The Multitasking Minister

By Linda Tancs

Multitasking is the performance of more than one task at the same time, involving the interruption of one thing to begin another. Once heralded as a prized skill, recent studies suggest that multitasking causes us to make more mistakes and retain less information, resulting in less workplace efficiency. However, consider the benefits of multitasking in ministry, specifically when an interruption in your coveted to-do list can benefit others. Jesus had no problem pivoting to meet the needs of others. In Mark’s gospel the story is relayed about a man named Jairus interrupting Jesus’s planned journey to a crowd to ask for his daughter’s healing (Mark 5:21-23). On the way to Jairus’s house, a woman with a blood disorder interrupted that unplanned journey to ask for her own healing (Mark 5:25-34). Don’t be so married to your agenda that you fail to see an opportunity to bless others. Sometimes, a little multitasking is a big deal.

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As part of FOOT FORWARD MINISTRIES (a teaching and speaking ministry), Go Forward in Faith represents faith-based meditations for personal and professional growth. Join the Facebook group @goforwardinfaith.

goforwardinfaith Christianity, Religion, Theology

Start Your Engine

By Linda Tancs

If you’re familiar with professional auto racing, then you know that popular refrain, “Drivers, start your engines.” If you’re a driver on that track, then you know you better be ready when the call comes. It’s a lot like that for all of us, actually, professional driver or not. Only God is the announcer (John 15:16). And you don’t have to worry about losing the race. When you follow His call, you’re always a winner (Philippians 3:14).

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As part of FOOT FORWARD MINISTRIES (a teaching and speaking ministry), Go Forward in Faith represents faith-based meditations for personal and professional growth. Join the Facebook group @goforwardinfaith.

goforwardinfaith Christianity, Religion, Theology

Just the Beginning

By Linda Tancs

At Christmas it’s especially fitting to remember that Jesus’s birth was just the beginning. Indeed, the story doesn’t end with an infant wrapped in swaddling clothes and lying in a manger (Luke 2:11-12). The joy of His birth culminates in the joy of His resurrection (Romans 5:8). Don’t forget the full message of Christmas as you celebrate this season.

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As part of FOOT FORWARD MINISTRIES (a teaching and speaking ministry), Go Forward in Faith represents faith-based meditations for personal and professional growth. Follow us on Twitter @moveonfaith and join the Facebook group @goforwardinfaith.

goforwardinfaith Christianity, Religion, Theology

Life Happens

By Linda Tancs

A popular expression reminds us that life is what happens when you’re busy making other plans. Who knew that better than Simon of Cyrene? He was the man compelled by the Romans to carry the cross of Jesus on the way to His crucifixion (Luke 23:26). Regardless of his reason for being in town that day, it was hardly the kind of thing he would’ve had on his to-do list. It was a sudden, random event for Simon. Not so for us because we’re commissioned to pick up our cross daily and follow Him (Luke 9:23). That’s when life really happens.

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As part of FOOT FORWARD MINISTRIES (a teaching and speaking ministry), Go Forward in Faith represents faith-based meditations for personal and professional growth. Follow us on Twitter @moveonfaith and join the Facebook group @goforwardinfaith.

goforwardinfaith Christianity, Religion, Theology

Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner

By Linda Tancs

Jesus wasn’t shy about making himself a house guest. After all, he told the tax collector Zacchaeus that He would be staying at his house. (Luke 19:1-10). To associate with a sinner (a wealthy and detested tax collector) was unthinkable to his cohorts. But Jesus didn’t think like others think because He loved unlike others loved. The core of love is acceptance; the fruit of acceptance is redemption. Zacchaeus was a redeemed man thanks to his encounter with Jesus. What a dinner party that must have been!

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As part of FOOT FORWARD MINISTRIES (a teaching and speaking ministry), Go Forward in Faith represents faith-based meditations for personal and professional growth. Follow us on Twitter @moveonfaith and join the Facebook group @goforwardinfaith.

goforwardinfaith Christianity, Religion, Theology

Free But Not Cheap

By Linda Tancs

An old saying tells us that “the best things in life are free.” Well, some of the best things in life are, indeed, free: air, sunlight, water, soil and other natural resources. Although they’re free, they’re not cheap, considering their life-giving properties. Likewise, salvation is free (Isaiah 55:1) and certainly not cheap, considering that it cannot be bargained for like chattel. It can’t be earned through good behavior or social standing. How grateful we should be that God puts no price tag on the gift above all other gifts (John 10:9).

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As part of FOOT FORWARD MINISTRIES (a teaching and speaking ministry), Go Forward in Faith represents faith-based meditations for personal and professional growth. Follow us on Twitter @moveonfaith and join the Facebook group @goforwardinfaith.