Hope For Today – Given Everything We Need for Life and Godliness!

Posted on January 11, 2016 by Dr. Matthew Lee Smith

hope changes everything 2

Editor’s Note: Hope for Today is a weekly message about God’s possibilities for your life by Dr. Matthew Lee Smith of Eagles In Leadership. It currently is heard on radio station, KSUN, 103.5 FM, Sun Prairie, Wisconsin on “PRAISE IN THE PRAIRIE” each Sunday and hosted by our own executive vice president of media here at EIL . Listen online though this website between 9:00 am and noon (Central) at this link.

 

Given Everything We Need for Life and Godliness!

The New Year waits for no one, does it! As the month flies by, we can see why so many people start gym memberships with good intentions but abandon their commitment quickly – life reasserts itself!

I’m Dr. Matthew Lee Smith and I want to share some Hope For Today about living our lives to the fullest, all the while pleasing God!

Peter tells us in 2 Peter 1:3 (Modern English Version): “His divine power have given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness through the knowledge of Him who has called us by His own glory and excellence.

Life has a way of disappearing while we are living life – doesn’t it. We get so busy and, when we look up, a month or two has flown by. God never intended for you to live your life on “auto-pilot!”

That’s why Peter tells us that life is all about a constant, vibrant, real conversation with Jesus and in God’s Word. God has already given us everything we need for an incredible life – and they are all located in our personal relationship with Jesus!

In many ways, life is like exploring a foreign country – and that is best done with a knowledgeable guide! No one knows life more that the One who created it! God has an incredible plan for your life – and Jesus is our personal guide to experiencing ALL of it.

Before you hop out of bed and rush through your days this week, why not open God’s Word, read a chapter and talk it over with Jesus … you’ll be surprised at all He wants you to enjoy!

 

Hope For Today is a part of the ministry of Eagles In Leadership. If you would like to know more about the hope God gives and His abundant life through Jesus Christ, I would invite you to check out our website: Eagles In Leadership . org; that’s Eagles In Leadership .org.

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Transformed Podcast # 279: Refocusing On Our Purpose in Sunday School!

Posted on January 10, 2016 by Dr. Matthew Lee Smith

sunday-school Growing together in Christ

Many people today believe Sunday School should go the way of the dinosaurs. (And perhaps the way they do it, it should!)

However, in our New Year series, “When Sunday School Works Well!” Dr. Matthew Lee Smith explains how this familiar program can be transformed into a viable discipling tool.

Let’s listen in as he teaches on the subject, “Refocusing On Our Purpose in Sunday School” at a conference held in Northern California recently.

 

Would You Like to Help Spread the Word?

Perhaps you would you consider sharing this message with a friend? God longs to release the captives of our culture into the freedom of faith. Thank you!

 

If you would like to explore how you can be a more effective disciple of Jesus Christ, Dr. Smith has written a book to take you to the next level!

Growing Missional Leaders is a practical passionate, Biblical mentoring journey for individuals, small groups, leadership teams and congregations who desire to win their world for Christ.

Readers will appreciate the enthusiastic and Spirit-filled hope God provides as Matthew …

* Tells stories – of lost opportunities and successes with friends – that give powerful, encouragement of personal and corporate outreach

* Opens Bible passages – again and again – showing God’s heart is to bring his lost children home

* Provides stimulating discussion questions – at the end of each chapter -providing the stepping stones to launching fresh ministry into your community Believers hungering to reach their world for Christ will be energized by this passionate call to fulfill Christ’s Gospel and the invigorating manner in which their thought processes will be stretched to God-sized proportions.

You can order your copy Growing Missional Leaders at the Eagles In Leadership website by clicking the appropriate link on the right hand side panel of the Eagles In Leadership website.

Today’s episode was recorded live in Orangevale, California and edited by Melodee Smith in La Puente, California.

And now, until next time, we are praying you would be filled with the love of God so that you can demonstrate His love to the lost and dying in your city! God bless!

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Studying James 5:13!

Posted on January 7, 2016 by Dr. Matthew Lee Smith

James web slider

Welcome to the Transformed Podcast!

Dr. Matthew Smith, director of Eagles In Leadership, continues to teach verse by verse through the book of James, one verse per podcast. These studies were recorded live in his class at Bible Believers Christian College and Seminary in Hawthorne, California.

The book of James has been called, “the faith explained” and that is the purpose of these teachings. These short studies are designed to help you grow your faith.

Now, let’s open our Bibles to the book of James as Dr. Smith, Director of Eagles In Leadership, discusses our faith from the words of the step-brother of Jesus, the head of the Jerusalem Church …

 

This podcast was recorded in Hawthorne, California and edited by Melodee Smith.

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Hope For Today – My Whole Life One Long, Obedient Response!

Posted on January 4, 2016 by Dr. Matthew Lee Smith

hope changes everything 2

Editor’s Note: Hope for Today is a weekly message about God’s possibilities for your life by Dr. Matthew Lee Smith of Eagles In Leadership. It currently is heard on radio station, KSUN, 103.5 FM, Sun Prairie, Wisconsin on “PRAISE IN THE PRAIRIE” each Sunday and hosted by our own executive vice president of media here at EIL​ . Listen online though this website between 9:00 am and noon (Central) at this link.

My Whole Life One Long, Obedient Response!

Have you put up your new calendar yet? Yes, it’s a New Year – a time for celebration and dedication!

I’m Dr. Matthew Lee Smith and I want to share some Hope For Today about making our whole lives one long, obedient response!

King David’s is celebrating the work of the Word of God in His life in Psalm 119:34 when he prays, “Give me insight so I can do what you tell me— my whole life one long, obedient response.”

The New Year affords us a moment to stop, thank God for His incredible intervention, protection and preservation over the past 12 months. It also allows us a moment to reflect, inspect and redirect our lives for the coming 12 months.

That is what David is doing here, and what we can do today, this week, and our whole lives. David’s prayer should be my prayer, your prayer every day: “Give me insight so I can do what you tell me— my whole life one long, obedient response.”

Insight comes best from the Word of God … there, we learn the lessons that help us stay the course. As we listen to His words, we discover the guidance we need to steer through the traffic of life. He shows us what is so temporary, so meaningless in the long run, helping us to cling to the things that matter, the relationships that are essential.

It is in those daily times alone with God, listening to His counsel that we find hope for the hard times and direction when discouraged!

 

Hope For Today is a part of the ministry of Eagles In Leadership. If you would like to know more about the hope God gives and His abundant life through Jesus Christ, I would invite you to check out our website: Eagles In Leadership . org; that’s Eagles In Leadership .org.

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EIL Honors Meadowlark Lemon!

Posted on January 3, 2016 by Dr. Matthew Lee Smith

Mike and Meadowlark Lemon

Mike Powers and Meadowlark Lemon, November 12, 2000

(Photo Credit: Pastor Roger Olson)

It is with great respect and admiration we broadcast this interview with the legendary basketball player, Meadowlark Lemon. His love for people, basketball and the Lord are all highlighted in this November 2000 interview with our own, Mike Powers.

The Harlem Globetrotters reported,

During 24 seasons as the “Clown Prince” of the Harlem Globetrotters, Meadowlark Lemon – who passed away in Scottsdale, Ariz., on Dec. 27, 2015, at the age of 83 – played in more than 7,500 consecutive games for the red, white, and blue. He played before popes, kings, queens and presidents in nearly 100 countries around the world.

The New York Times called Lemon,

A gifted athlete with an entertainer’s hunger for the spotlight, Lemon, who dreamed of playing for the Globetrotters as a boy in North Carolina, joined the team in 1954, not long after leaving the Army. Within a few years, he had assumed the central role of showman, taking over from the Trotters’ long-reigning clown prince Reece Tatum, whom everyone called Goose.

Lemon was a slick ballhandler and a virtuoso passer, and he specialized in the long-distance hook, a trick shot he made with remarkable regularity. But it was his charisma and comic bravado that made him perhaps the most famous Globetrotter. For 22 years, until he left the team in 1978, Lemon was the Trotters’ ringmaster, directing their basketball circus from the pivot. He imitated Tatum’s reams, including spying on the opposition’s huddle, and added his own.

He threatened referees or fans with a bucket that like as not was filled with confetti instead of water. He dribbled above his head and walked with exaggerated steps. He mimicked a hitter in the batter’s box and, with teammates, pantomimed a baseball game. And both to torment the opposing team — as time went on, it was often a hired squad of foils — and to amuse the appreciative spectators, he smiled and laughed and teased and chattered; like Tatum, he talked most of the time he was on the court.

ESPN says,

Lemon, who was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2003, joined the Globetrotters in 1954 at age 22 and stayed with the traveling show until 1978, appearing in more than 16,000 games in more than 100 countries.

“Meadowlark was the most sensational, awesome, incredible basketball player I’ve ever seen,” NBA great and former Globetrotter Wilt Chamberlain said shortly before his death in 1999. “People would say it would be Dr. J or even [Michael] Jordan. For me, it would be Meadowlark Lemon.”

The Globetrotters said on Twitter that they’d dedicate the team’s 90th anniversary tour to Lemon and former teammate and fellow Hall of Famer Marques Haynes, who died in May.

Here at Eagles in Leadership we pray that God’s blessing and comfort be with the family and loved ones of one of His great representatives to the world – someone who brought joy and pleasure to so many.

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Eagles In Leadership Is Wishing You a Prosperous New Year!

Posted on January 1, 2016 by Dr. Matthew Lee Smith

Happy-New-Year-Images-2016

 

“This book of instruction must not depart from your mouth; you are to recite it day and night so that you may carefully observe everything written in it.

For then you will prosper and succeed in whatever you do.” (Joshua 1:8, HCSB)

We are here to help you fulfill your God-given destiny in 2016 as described in this verse!

Matt, Melodee, Tabitha and Mike

Your Eagles In Leadership team

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Read God’s Word With Us in 2016!

Posted on December 31, 2015 by Dr. Matthew Lee Smith

Bible Mine Zech

God Wants to Speak With You!

In just 15 minutes a day, you’ll read the whole Bible cover to cover in 2016. I’m just finishing my 37th read and looking forward to the coming year! Melodee has finished her 30th read and here’s what she said: “Just finished my 30th read through the whole Bible! I learned so much this year about health, rest, faith and fear! It was an amazing year walking through the words of God. What an amazing God we serve!”

Think about it … track what God says about faith, mercy, grace and hope … and so much more! What changes could God bring if you just looked for these subjects as you read this year? 

Will you join us in discovering the will and whim of God for your life through the Word of God this coming year? Just print out the reading schedule at this link.

Will you start your spiritual adventure with us on January 1st?

Bible - Mine - Genesis - Blank

The Process is Simple:

Many don’t know where to start. Here is a simple process I use:

1)   Get a fresh Bible, preferably in a translation you haven’t read before or for a while.

2)   Ask God to open your eyes, your ears and your heart as He speaks to you through His Word each time you read it. (This is a daily request)

3)   Search for what the Bible says on the following issues:

  1. Faith
  2. Mercy
  3. Grace
  4. Hope

This is the key to success!

4)   Read the chapters on the “Whole Year Reading Schedule” each day out loud, slowly.

5)   Listen to the whispers of the Spirit as you read, as He reveals God’s will concerning faith, mercy, grace and hope (and so much more).

6)   Write down what you discover in a notebook or on a document file in your computer or device to share with others and to track what God is teaching you personally. (I like to review these often – Sunday evenings are a good time for me.)

7)   Share what you are learning with others in your church on a regular basis, and with the others in your ministry team / small group to encourage them in the Lord.

Each time I read the Word of God, I am amazed at how practical His will and whim are. It encourages the soul, transforming us into His image each day we step into His presence through His Word and then act on the things HE says that day.

How to Stay Consistent!

As I mentioned, I have read cover-t0-cover 37 times. Staying consistent is something I understand is a difficulty. Here’s some tips and tricks I have learned over the past 32 years.

1) Do it with someone else – we are always supposed to walk with others on our spiritual journey.

2) Stop “reading” and start searching (Proverbs 2:4) the Bible for what it says on the following issues:

  1. Faith
  2. Mercy
  3. Grace
  4. Hope

Bible - Mine - Matthew

3) Understand this is the primary way God speaks to you through the Spirit, so read the Bible out loud (Romans 10.17) and listen to God speak to you.

4) Get a fresh translation – I HIGHLY recommend the New Living Translation (NLT)! Wow, it will blow your mind!

You CAN Do This!

I know you can do this. And when you start FINDING things, things that impact your daily life – which is really God speaking to YOU!!! – your desire to be in God’s Word grows into a daily need!

If you have questions, need help, or just want to comment, please, feel free. I’m here to help!

 

And yes, the pictures are from my Bible 2015 (Zechariah and Matthew) and 2016 (Blank Genesis).

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Studying James 5:12!

Posted on December 30, 2015 by Dr. Matthew Lee Smith

James web slider

Welcome to the Transformed Podcast!

Dr. Matthew Smith, director of Eagles In Leadership, continues to teach verse by verse through the book of James, one verse per podcast. These studies were recorded live in his class at Bible Believers Christian College and Seminary in Hawthorne, California.

The book of James has been called, “the faith explained” and that is the purpose of these teachings. These short studies are designed to help you grow your faith.

Now, let’s open our Bibles to the book of James as Dr. Smith, Director of Eagles In Leadership, discusses our faith from the words of the step-brother of Jesus, the head of the Jerusalem Church …

 

This podcast was recorded in Hawthorne, California and edited by Melodee Smith.

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Transformed Podcast #278: It’s Time For Salvation! [Repost]

Posted on December 27, 2015 by Dr. Matthew Lee Smith

luke-2-11

Editor’s Note: This repost was first posted in 2007 the week BEFORE Christmas. 

 

The purpose of Christmas can be seen in the words of the angels at Bethlehem,

For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. Luke 2.11

God sent a personal savior!

Surveys show that 90% of our society prays on a regular basis. What that means is that people recognize their need for somebody greater than themselves – someone to help them through a problem, rescue them from a tight spot and ultimately save them from something that they can’t solve on their own.

What does it mean to be saved?

The Good News is that Jesus Christ came to save you!

The Big Idea:  Jesus Christ came to save you FROM your hurts, habits and hangups, FOR his purpose, and BY his grace.

 

WOULD YOU HELP US SPREAD THE WORD?

Could you take just a moment and contact a friend and share the link to this message and encourage them to listen as well? Thank you!

CHRISTMAS IS RIGHT AROUND THE CORNER! 

With Christmas only a couple of months away we know you would like to get your shopping done early AND give a meaningful gift this year to the ones you love.

Dr. Smith has written two daily devotionals that cover every day of the coming year … allowing you to give the gift that keeps on giving God’s Word and His encouragement in the lives of your family and friends.

In His Presence is a detailed look at walking with God through life’s ups and downs. Built around the premise that God welcomes you into His presence with joy and pleasure, In His Presence helps you see that the life of abundance can only be enjoyed when we take everything to the Lord and walk every day at His right hand.

In His Image explores God’s great love for humanity from every book of the Bible. From the creation of Genesis to the culmination in Revelation, God’s love shines through every page. Never is this ever clearer than in the times of Israel’s great betrayal of their God. His passionate pursuit of His children can be heard dripping from his voice as He calls them (and us by proxy) back to His shelter and protection.

You can order your copy In His Image or In His Presence from Amazon at the Eagles In Leadership website by clicking the appropriate link on the right hand side panel of the Eagles In Leadership website.

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Merry Christmas from Eagles In Leadership!

Posted on December 24, 2015 by Dr. Matthew Lee Smith

Christmas - His Presence Not Presents

 

Merry Christmas!

 

Matt, Melodee, Tabitha and Mike!

Your Eagles In Leadership team

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