Tag Archives: love

Renewing the Mind to Kingdom Thinking (Part-5)

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This week we are continuing the series on “Renewing the Mind to Kingdom Thinking”. Here is the link to the previous post just in case you missed it: http://wp.me/p1zGjk-e2

In the process of renewing the mind, we will find a limitless list of topics. That’s because the renewing process has to be done in all areas of life and it must be a daily action. What do I mean by a daily action? Glad you asked =). Each day we awake to new encounters; some good and some bad. And with that, we can’t live using yesterday’s answers. This is why spending all your time jumping from book to book, blog to blog, and conference to conference will NOT give you the full answer to your questions. They will help add knowledge to your arsenal but only YOU can find the real answers to YOUR victories. It can’t be done for you; BUT this is what most people want to happen. We live in a society that mimics what others do expecting to get what they got without spending the time seeking it. One of my favorite scriptures is Matthew 6:33 where it tells us to “seek first the kingdom”. What is the Kingdom? It’s God Himself. We must learn that we are investing in ourselves when we answer the calling of that scripture.

You can read in the Bible about the new wine being poured into an old wine skin. The result of the new wine introduced into an old wine skin causes it to burst. We ourselves are like that old wine skin in the fact that we are trying to put new actions and dreams into our same old thinking. Business and ministries alike cannot be held to yesterday’s types and shadows. The way we did it yesterday was for yesterday; but today has to see a new level of leadership and attention.

I want to encourage you to renew your mind to the fact that yesterday might be filled with great victories and also horrible setbacks, BUT today is a new day. Take hold of it like no other day in your life and live it to the fullest.

I believe our life is truly meant to be the greatest adventure novel waiting to be written as we live it out. So start living the best life possible NOW on purpose with purpose. Live with no regrets and love without boundaries. Hold nothing back and charge life head on. I am excited for what’s next, because the excitement of anticipation and not knowing of what is next is what births each breath in life.

So stand strong, live life loud and bold! Take this new day gladiator style, ruling and reigning it and not letting it reign you.

LivXtrem4Him

Renewing the Mind to Kingdom Thinking (Part-3)

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This week we are continuing the series on “Renewing the Mind to Kingdom Thinking”.  Here is the link to the previous post just in case you missed it:  http://goo.gl/pObBJ0

Also, here is last week’s podcast link: http://goo.gl/adHxxK

Renewing the Mind to Kingdom Thinking is not a conforming act; but instead, a restoration process.  We were never designed to be “bottom of the barrel” thinkers or dreamers.  Life is not about getting by; but instead, it’s about going above and beyond.

Most have dreams, but they are afraid to chase after them.  Many have formed a mindset of “live just to get by” or “take whatever comes my way”.  We settle for a paycheck instead of birthing a dream.  We compromise our beliefs for the sake of a job.  The world does not care about the dream you have and fears the thought of us actually moving forward in it.

So what is it you love to do?  What excites you when you talk about it?  If you had the ability to do whatever you wanted, what would you do?  Those answers are your starting ground in moving forward.  I believe once we answer those questions, we can then go to God with them and ask for His wisdom and direction (revelation) to what’s next.

So write those answers down in your journal with a date and time stamp next to them.  I believe when we write it down, it takes them from dreams to now visions and allows God to show us His Kingdom design for them.

I believe our life is truly meant to be the greatest adventure novel waiting to be written as we live it out.  So start living the best life possible NOW on purpose with purpose.  Live with no regrets and love without boundaries.  Hold nothing back and charge life head on.  I am excited for what’s next, because the excitement of anticipation and not knowing of what is next is what births each breath in life.

So stand strong, live life loud and bold!  Take this new day gladiator style, ruling and reigning it and not letting it reign you.

LivXtrem4Him

Renewing The Mind To Kingdom Thinking (Part-2)

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So last week we kicked off a new series called “Renewing the Mind to Kingdom Thinking”. Here is the link to that post: http://wp.me/p1zGjk-dI . So grab your Bible, journal, pen, and highlighter and let’s go!

There is a reason that the Bible tells us in Romans 12:2 to “renew our minds”. Most Christians will tell you it is because we are not to be like the world, but instead, like Christ. True BUT there is so much more to it than just that! It’s said we are to mold ourselves into His image and likeness; but really, we were created that way, so we must realize and take hold of that design. And that only comes through following the direction of Matthew 6:33 “Seek first the Kingdom of God and His Righteousness”. We won’t find the answers in a self-help book or even in a blog, it’s only in His Word. (However, we can gain knowledge, which can produce wisdom and insight, through other types of written words.) What I have found, is that as I read books, magazines, blogs and such that the Lord gives me Kingdom principles within those things that I can relate back to His Word.

Going back to my opening scripture, I see a clearer and deeper picture in this translation of Romans 12:2 (The Mirror Bible) “Do not allow current religious tradition to mold you into its pattern of reasoning. Like an inspired artist, give attention to the detail of God’s desire to find expression in you. Become acquainted with perfection. To accommodate yourself to the delight and good pleasure of Him will transform your thoughts afresh from within”. Most of the time, Christians are quick to reference to not be like the world BUT I see a reference to “religious tradition” and see just as many people lost in that as in the world.

So we have to first realize that the renewing of the mind is the fact of finding ourselves in the Word of God. We must then realize that the resting place of His Word was not meant to be on the pages of a book BUT instead in the lives of His Kingdom kids being lived out with purpose each and every day! Start renewing your mind right now by seeing you as God see’s you, through the eyes of Christ.

I believe our life is truly meant to be the greatest adventure novel waiting to be written as we live it out. So start living the best life possible NOW on purpose with purpose. Live with no regrets and love without boundaries. Hold nothing back and charge life head on. I am excited for what’s next, because the excitement of anticipation and not knowing of what is next is what births each breath in life.

So stand strong, live life loud and bold! Take this new day gladiator style, ruling and reigning it and not letting it reign you.

LivXtrem4Him

 

Renewing The Mind To Kingdom Thinking (Part-1)

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In the coming weeks, we are going to be focusing on the topic of “Renewing The Mind To Kingdom Thinking”.  So first, grab a pen and journal/notebook because there is much to learn and writing it down and re-reading what you wrote, is key to growth.  So let’s hit the road on the adventure of a lifetime!

It does not matter if you are a Christian or not; my blog can change your life if you apply the principles.  I promise!  How can I make this promise?  Because they are not my principles AND they have been tried and proven true by many before you or I ever set foot on this earth.  I’m sharing the principles and concepts of the Creator of all things beyond even what we know.  You got it – GOD!  Now before you hit delete and move on, I challenge you to hear me out.  Stay with me in the coming weeks…  What do you have to lose?

Whether you believe as I do or not, your mind is always being renewed, good or bad.  The definition of the word “renewed” is:  To make new or as if new again, resume, repeat, regain, restore, revive, replenish, reestablish, to start over.  Daily things are trying to grab our thoughts and change our thinking.  That is how trends work.  You see it and maybe the fact of how it looks, sounds and who is promoting it, changes your thinking on it.  Here is an example: the 60’s and 70’s were a time for bell-bottom jeans and hip huggers, but when I was in elementary school, if you wore them then, you were laughed at.  Then someone with a voice that is being heard said they were cool again and BOOM they are back.  Minds are renewed and bell-bottoms became cool once again… got to love society!  We were created to take information in and then make decisions based on what we learn.  The problem is that what the world offers, is all about increasing themselves.  It’s about marketing and growth on an idea, dream, an individual, and not about you.

I want to share the real direction of the kick-off post.  You have been designed for something bigger than you could ever imagine.  God, the creator of the universe and all that is in it, created you.  Many might be saying, “But if He did that, then why am I in the place I’m in today?  Why has my life been so horrible and why am I here”?  That answer and every other answer to every other question you could think of is in one book.  You guessed it, the Bible!  Your life, the success of your marriage and even the growth and success of your business, is all in one book and that book is the Bible.

As for me, I did not grow up as a Christian and I could probably write “the book of wrong” better than most; BUT God set me up! YES, I was set up by God. I encountered a beautiful young lady and she introduced me to a life I never knew I needed. I have lived both sides of the fence, I guess you could say.  (So I do speak from experience when I say life is better on this side!)

This will be the kick-off scripture, Matthew 6:33 (Amplified Bible) “But seek (aim at and strive after) first of all His kingdom and His righteousness (His way of doing and being right), and then all these things taken together will be given you besides.”

The importance of this scripture is that we will never know us until we first know Him and we will never have completeness not knowing ourselves!

HOMEWORK: Write down today’s date and the time and note the areas of your life that you want to see changed.  What are you believing God for?  Write that down.  The importance of this page and these notes will become evident to you as you learn and have your mind renewed to true Kingdom Thinking.

So that’s it for now, but tomorrow I will be releasing a Podcast which you can find on iTunes and by searching Kingdom Thinking or my name.  Then on Friday, I will be releasing a V-Cast on YouTube and it will be wrapped around this same theme and I do believe it will be helpful to you in this adventure.

I believe our life is truly meant to be the greatest adventure novel waiting to be written as we live it out.  So start living the best life possible NOW on purpose with purpose.  Live with no regrets and love without boundaries.  Hold nothing back and charge life head on.  I am excited for what’s next, because the excitement of anticipation and not knowing of what is next is what births each breath in life.

So stand strong, live life loud and bold! Take this new day gladiator style, ruling and reigning it and not letting it reign you.

LivXtrem4Him

I’m Back!!!! =)

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Im back

 

It seems like forever since I sat down to write a blog post. Pretty much my entire social media world went on hold, with the exception of pictures and random thoughts.

I wanted to give you a quick recap of my life since March 24th – so let’s hit the rewind button and hit play =)

On April 24th, I left DFW airport and also the most beautiful lady in the world, for the second longest trip away from our marriage. (To be honest, I love spending time with her and so one day away is too long for me!) Anyways, I left for the beautiful country of Guatemala, where I was going to be part of one of our ministry outreaches in the town of Chuva, Guatemala. We were going there for a 4 day medical/evangelistic outreach. The drive to this location was all fine and dandy until the pavement ended and suddenly the song, “Welcome to the Jungle” went off in my head =). We drove for the next 45 minutes on trails and over what felt like mammoth boulders. With the song still going off in my head, we exited the vehicles and the real journey began. The people of Chuva were so sweet and open to hear the Word of God. By the time we left that Saturday morning, we had treated 2,213 people and 410 of them had made Jesus the Lord of their lives. It was a powerful time in a setting that many would not know even exists. The world we live in is so vast BUT yet so small. These are mine and your neighbors; granted – not living in the same neighborhood or even country, BUT instead neighbors of a much bigger picture. CLICK HERE TO SEE PICTURES FROM THE CHUVA OUTREACH

I will hit the fast forward button now to Monday, March 31st. A ministry worker, along with a young man that teaches in our on campus ACE school and a group member from the US, all left the campus with me early in the a.m., for the city of Huehuetenango, where we had been invited to do a training outreach to the fire fighters. I have done this same outreach in the countries of Guatemala, Panama and Paraguay and the fruit of these outreaches have always been great and the training brought so very needed. We arrived at 8:00 a.m., had breakfast with the directors in that city and then headed to the fire department where we took a tour and then started the training. I taught 4 hours of training to 20 fire fighters and then our local director shared with them for a short time; 5 gave their lives to Christ. It was truly a great time and they have invited me back to do more training and also spend some time going on calls with them. CLICK HERE TO SEE PICTURES FROM HUEHUETENANGO FIRE FIGHTER OUTREACH

Fast forward once again – now to April 2nd. I flew from Guatemala to the country of Nicaragua where I met up with our ministry directors there for 4 days of meetings. We had service each day and also while there, we held 3 seminars. My main topic for the trip was, “Renewing The Mind To Kingdom Thinking”. The people were so hungry in each service and seminar. When I left for the U.S. on April 7th, I had been gone 15 days and traveled to 2 countries and ministered A LOT – I loved every second of it!! CLICK HERE TO SEE PICTURES FROM NICARAGUA TRIP

On April 7th, I re-entered the country through Miami International Airport and figured out why the airport code is MIA. It’s because after spending over 30 minutes trying to work my way through the maze they call customs, you feel as though you are MISSING IN ACTION (MIA)! But I knew DFW Airport was that much closer to home and that meant seeing someone that I had missed very much. I finally arrived in TX and into the arms of the most beautiful and amazing creation of God, my wife. It was so good to be home once again!

This mission trip was truly awesome and as I meditate back on it, I am so honored to be a man that God can and is using to build His Kingdom. If you would like to learn more about our ministry, our mission trips and our other outreaches, you can visit our web-site at: http://www.livingwaterteaching.org

Now upon my arrival home, my wife and I did what we love to do which is have fun and explore! We truly enjoy life and we do it best together. We spent almost two days enjoying a historic hotel in Downtown Dallas and also exploring what downtown had to offer. (Just a side note, we explored every area we could find and even found the door to the roof top and got a great view.) CLICK HERE TO SEE PICTURES FROM OUR ADVENTURE =)

I believe our life is truly meant to be the greatest adventure novel – waiting to be written as we live it out. So start living the best life possible NOW on purpose with purpose. Live with no regrets and love without boundaries. Hold nothing back and charge life head on. I am excited for what’s next, because the excitement of anticipation and not knowing of what is next is what births each breath in life.

So stand strong, live life loud and bold! Take this new day gladiator style, ruling and reigning it and not letting it reign you.

LivXtrem4Him

Living Life on Paper

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Time not journaled is history up for interpretation tomorrow. That might not make sense to you, but it speaks volumes to me and hopefully, I can clear the fog for you as you continue to read this.

My life challenge to myself is: I want to live a life that is worth writing about and that in every word I write, that my Jesus would be glorified. I have no interest in one day dying and all that can be said about me is “he was a nice guy”. I want to make an impact, a difference and leave a legacy in the here and now and in the days to come.

My wife’s father, the late Dr. James L. Zirkle, was quoted saying, “The shortest pencil is better than the sharpest mind”. He was always requiring the staff to have some type of planner system for our calendars, contacts, to do list, along with notes from meetings and other such things. He knew the importance of writing things down. But relating this back to my opening statement, you are worth writing about when you live the life God has secured for you through Jesus and His death and resurrection.

Michael Hyatt has produced a couple of great blog posts on journaling that I highly recommend. Click the links to read:
The 7 Benefits of Keeping a Daily Journal:
How to Become More Consistent in Your Daily Journaling:

Since the beginning of time and throughout history, somehow mankind has journaled their life and the events that impacted it. Now think about how it would be today if they had not done that! The many things we would not know and the things we would have to try and figure out all over again. On the walls of caves, animal skins, and parched scrolls of old, is journaled history screaming out for us and to us today and the generations to come. Men and women have been writing things because they realized the importance of it and hopefully, that will never change. I heard someone once say, “My life is not anything that someone would want to read about”. Well change that thinking today! You have significance whether you realize it or not. I want the future generations of my family to know who I am, not just by what others might say, but also by my life lived in my journals. Every up and down moment has a voice and we can learn and grow from them all and so can others.

Many of the writers I love and admire most are not here with us anymore, but their writings live on and many of those writings have touched and changed my life; like CS Lewis and JRR Tolkien to just name two. But I could list many, many more.

So I want to encourage you to invest in a journal, and start writing today. It’s not science or even a structure; just be real and write from your heart.

So that’s it for NOW! I want to hear from you with your thoughts and input on this post. So please share them below.

Until next time, eyes up and gear up for the best yet is right at hand. Take this day gladiator style, ruling and reigning it and not letting it reign you.

LivXtrem4Him

MARCH MEDICAL MISSION TRIP UPDATE:

In just 6 days, I am leaving for my March Medical Mission trip that will take me to Guatemala and then over to Nicaragua. As you may know, I leave March the 24th and return on April the 7th. We have a budget of $3,000 for this trip. As of today, we have had $2,611 of this come in. We still need those remaining funds, in order to complete everything we are doing in both of those countries. You can click on this link to give NOW or send your seed to:
Living Water Teaching
PO Box 1190
Caddo Mills, TX 75135
On the memo line of your check write #25000.

Thank you for partnering with us as we go forth doing His Kingdom work.

WHY?

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This week is Spring Break and my family and I are spending some time out playing, so I am reposting one of my first blog posts (it is also a favorite of mine). I hope you enjoy the post and I will be back next week; until then, Eyes Up & Gear Up for the best is right at hand…

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I am going to list a few questions you might have asked yourself, as I know I have asked myself these questions before!

1.) WHY?

2.) What is my purpose?

3.) How did I get to this place in life?

What are we seeking when we ask these questions? Are we seeking answers or purpose, or is it our way of dealing with a lost feeling of life with no direction? Whatever the case may be, we can’t stop living. We all have a number of undefined days in life and with each passing one, we have got to know that we made it count in some way.

I’m a dreamer and a visionary and like many, my mind seems to live in “LET’S GO” mode 24/7/365. But I also have to know that I am a man with a purpose and a WHY and my WHY is not your WHY and unless ordained, no one else can fulfill that WHY! Still with me?

I look at some great dreamers like Walt Disney, who believed that actually doing the impossible was fun. I also look at writers like C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien, who wrote masterpieces that have gone beyond their years in what is now future generations and touched our hearts with hope and our minds with adventure, while bringing a Kingdom message to all that watch. What about Henry Ford, who dreamed of a machine that we could get around on, on it’s own power? And then there was the legendary John D. Rockefeller, the first billionaire in history. Although his life was not perfect, he had strong Kingdom beliefs. He is quoted to have said, ”I never would have been able to tithe my first million dollars I ever made, if I had not tithed my first salary, which was $1.50 per week.” It has been said that he gave away over $555 million in his lifetime.

I have always been intrigued by visionary dreamers, those that would take a dream and run with it and not look back. Those that had value and character and respect that was not demanded but instead, earned, as only it can be truly acquired.

The answer to WHY is in the commission that we have all been called to in life. The WHY is not really a WHY but instead a WHO. It’s made up of a global sea of faces. When we are in our WHY, then we can impact the WHO, which in return is fulfilling the greatest command ever spoken and that is “GO YE”.

So next time you wonder WHY, don’t look inside yourself; but instead, look around you at a lost and dying wold filled with the WHO’s you have been called to touch and make a difference. BUT to do this, you must know HIM! You might say HIM WHO? The HIM that loved you so much HE created you in HIS likeness and created a KINGDOM like no other for you to not just live in, but to rule and reign in. SO it’s time to know HIM so you can then know WHY and then reach WHO the one true KING of KING’s has called you to and so that you will one day be spoken of as one of those uncommon dreamers of then and now.

So open the door and ask HIM into your life as your LORD and SAVIOR forevermore!

Are You Really Secure?

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secure

Are you really secure? What a profound question to ask!

Let’s first define the definition of secure: Free from danger, attack, loss, free from fear, anxiety, or doubt, stable or firmly fastened, reliable and dependable.

I remember Debbie’s dad, the late Dr. James Zirkle, making this statement: “If you want to succeed, then help someone else succeed”.

I believe discipleship means you are always leading others to a place called there or their yes. You are to be helping others find their way. Here is a link to my first Podcast title: “Are you a beacon of light for the lost?” – Which focuses on this very topic. I have made some awesome new friends lately and everyone is always so eager to help one another succeed at their dreams and the group just keeps growing with other like-minded individuals.

But you don’t always see this attitude around you; either Christian or not. You can look at the businesses, churches, and ministries and find insecurity that speaks out in the inability to work with others in fear they might lose something or someone. Insecurity creates a wall that keeps you from advancing and at some point you will be the one thing that kills your own dreams if you were to continue in that insecurity.

I myself want others to succeed and I want to rejoice with them as they are rejoicing. I have a friend named Kimanzi Constable and he just moved to the next level of his dream by moving to Hawaii. Another new friend I consider to be close has two successful businesses; he also blogs weekly and his name is Zech Newman. Another good friend is Kent Sanders, who to me is the king of Evernote, which I love and use it ALL the time. (CLICK HERE to visit his Evernote training site.) I will be spotlighting more and more of these friends as we go, because that’s what we are to do – help others, not with an agenda but because we are called to help and lift one another up. (Side note – You all who are my dreamer friends and you know who you are, I want say thank you so much for all you have done to bless my life!)

Now how do we do this? How do we put ourselves to the side and openly help each other achieve their dreams? By letting down the walls and letting others in so we can help them be all they dream and desire to be, by being secure in who we are and also whose we are. I’m a Christian, no apology and no hiding it. That’s who I am and what I am. I’m secure in who I am and also whose I am because of Christ in me, the hope of glory, Colossians 1:27.

I started the http://www.kingdomthinking.org blog for one reason and that is to share my Jesus as I grow in His Kingdom. Hopefully by doing this, others will be able to learn because we spend so much time recreating a wheel that is already built and perfected.

So I ask you again, are you secure? Can you wake up each new day and take it head on with no regret or condemnation? If not, allow me to give you a good starting place. Grab any Bible and turn to Matthew 6:33 and start there and move forward.

You are highly favored and deeply loved beyond anything you could ever imagine.

So eyes up and gear up for the best is right at hand. Take this day gladiator style, ruling and reigning, dominating it and not letting it dominate you!

CALL TO ACTION

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Long before the posters of Uncle Sam came to be, a call to action was pronounced.

UncleSamWantsYou

Before we charged the front lines of any battlefield or charged the beaches to take back what our enemies had taken, a battle cry was proclaimed.

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Now please do not think I am putting down our military, because I love our men and women who are holding the lines around the world – I even have two boys doing their part in the Air Force. But long before any of this was even thought of, a battle cry went around the world and called ALL of mankind to rise up and take their place to live a life with purpose and vision for the lost and lonely who had no hope.

As we daily walk the battlefields of life, many turn a blind eye to what’s going on around them. They live life as if everything is ok, but it’s not. People daily make decisions that will affect them beyond this short time they have here on earth. They live for themselves as if they don’t need an eternal savior but when they find themselves lying at the threshold of life and death, they find themselves crying out for a person they never took the time to know. They might have even found their way and maybe are even living their dream, but if it never impacts the lives of the hurting and hungry souls, then what good is it?

But at the same time, I know there are those that proclaim Him as their savior, but never take the time to really get to know Him. God wants us to have a personal relationship with Him; not a “fly by” one that drops an empty prayer filled with empty words spoken from an empty heart. After all these years, I seem to daily find something new about Him!

Why don’t you start your journey right this second? Set your spiritual GPS; grab a pen, paper, and get ready, because an EPIC adventure awaits you!

So eyes up and gear up for the best is right at hand. Take life gladiator style, ruling and reigning forevermore.

We would love to hear from you on this post or any older ones. Maybe you have a thought about a future blog post; please share it.

Until next time, live Xtrem4Him!!!!!

KINGDOM THINKING UPDATE:

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With only 26 days left in 2013, I see even more new changes in my life ahead. As I enjoy the remaining days in this year and start praying about next year, I won’t be posting any of the daily Kingdom Thinking thoughts. I will be uploading weekly VCast and blog posts as God gives them to me, but that’s it.

I have a prayer request. Our ministry outreach, Operation Shoebox, is in full swing and my wife leaves for Guatemala in the AM for 9 days. Please be standing with us for safety, wisdom and Kingdom success as they minister and bless the children of Guatemala, Panama and Nicaragua in the days to come.

Here are two blog post links that I feel would be an encouragement as you prepare for this new day and year to come:
Gear Up (Part 10) – “CHANGE”
https://kingdomthinking.org/2013/11/19/gear-up-part-10-change/
Gear Up (Part 11) UNPLUGGED
https://kingdomthinking.org/2013/12/03/gear-up-part-11-unplugged/

I want to say thank you to all those that have followed the KT blog this year and I know that the best is right now at hand. Kingdom Thinking has touched lives in places I have never dreamed of. This blog is just another part of fulling the vision God has given our ministry, and that is to make disciples. You can partner with us in this outreach as we reach out globally in helping others live a Kingdom life and fulfill their dreams. Just click this link and note KT in the memo area of your donation. LINK HERE

Always know that you are in our prayers and we count it an honor every time we hear from you with praise reports, prayer requests and/or questions.

MERRY CHRISTMAS & HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!

Sincerely,
Keith & Debbie Spanberger
CEO’s/Executive Directors
Living Water Teaching International
http://www.livingwaterteaching.org
Kingdom Thinking Blog
http://www.kingdomthinking.org