Their own private vending machine ...

It's always the solution, regardless of how tangled the situation and how seemingly impossible the remedy. You must "get up and go to Bethel." Read more ... billelliff.org/blogs/news/ge…

"I walked out of the room a little taller, and a lot more joyful" ... read more billelliff.org/blogs/news/i-…

I WAS WHINING AGAIN Yesterday, my pastor, BJ Stricklin, preached a great message from 1 Corinthians 3 on spiritual unity. He reminded us that the foundation of unity is the understanding that WE is greater than ME, and, beyond that, that HE (God) is greater even than WE. We must take our eyes off ourselves and place them on others, and, most importantly, on Him. My heart has been whining a bit lately before the Lord. About my current situation: my health problems and the health of many around me; my changing ministry role in this season; changes that are happening around me (that I love and believe in) but that are hard for me personally. All of these are simply the natural progression of life. At the close of the third worship service, God brought me to a wonderful, fresh surrender of my life to Him. A reminder that I have had so much throughout my life, and it was all from Him. And that nothing has ever been about me … it never has been. It is about Him and His glory. I told the Lord I was tired of whining and ready to move forward by His grace, grateful for the privilege of knowing and walking with Him. It was a blessed and needed surrender and course correction, once again. I walked out taller ... and joyful. IN PRAYER As I entered His presence this morning in prayer, I began to thank Him and write my thanks in my prayer book for all the experiences and people He has given me in the last 75 years … things others do not have and have never experienced. It filled pages, and I was overwhelmed with the sheer magnitude of His blessings. I wrote of people I’ve known, friends I have, my blessed, adventuresome wife, my 10 children (2 in heaven) and their families, the manifold experiences of His manifest presence—over and over again—that have shaped and transformed me, the great and godly mentors I have had; my godly, discipling parents, and brothers, and my sweet sister; the churches I’ve been allowed to pastor and the people I have been enabled to invest in; the places I have preached; the mission trips around the world where we have encountered God and the expansive nature of Christ’s body; the missionaries I have been blessed to know and minister to and that have ministered to me; the privilege of joining others to begin the Summit Family of Churches … and on and on and on. And the added gift of being allowed to write and speak for His purposes. But most astounding is that the Lord created me, and called me, and then came to inhabit me by His Spirit, giving me all of Him and all I need. The glorious, all-encompassing, all-sufficient gift of His presence. AND JACOB And then, my reading that followed prayer this morning was in Genesis 28. Isaac blesses Jacob and sends him off to get a wife. Along the way, we read this account of Jacob’s dream of a ladder with angels going up and down. 13 The LORD was standing there beside him, saying, “I am the LORD, the God of your father Abraham and the God of Isaac. I will give you and your offspring the land on which you are lying. 14 Your offspring will be like the dust of the earth, and you will spread out toward the west, the east, the north, and the south. All the peoples on earth will be blessed through you and your offspring. 15 Look, I am with you and will watch over you wherever you go. I will bring you back to this land, p 24 for I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you.” (Ge 28:13–15) The Lord was with Jacob and promised to remain with Him. The Lord was speaking to him. What could be more glorious? And by God’s grace, this, in some measure, has been my very experience. The Lord has been with me, standing by me, speaking to me, over and over again for seven and a half decades. Jacob realized what had happened and replied: 16 When Jacob awoke from his sleep, he said, “Surely the LORD is in this place, and I did not know it.” 17 He was afraid and said, “What an awesome place this is! This is none other than the house of God. This is the gate of heaven.” (Ge 28:16–17) Surely, I have experienced the foyer of heaven, every morning in prayer. I see it as such each day as I open the door and enter in, just as He invited me to do in Matthew 6:6. In glorious experiences with my family, with friends, with godly mentors, with young men I’ve discipled, with wonderful groups of His people in churches around the world; in seasons of God’s manifest presence, and day to day in prayer and His Word, He has let me experience His presence. He has been and will be with me, and has blessed me and used me, and afterward He will receive me to glory. What could be more glorious in this life? My whining is over. Lord, keep it so. And when I forget, set me down before my wonderful pastor and correct me again. I may dabble in it, but don’t let me wallow there, and particularly, don’t let me affect others by any crusty, old, sad, self-focus. It is not about me; it never has been. And I am, of all men, most blessed.

Are you bargaining with God or believing? Read more ... billelliff.org/blogs/news/se…

As a member of the 6:4 Fellowship Directional Leadership Team, I want to personally encourage pastors and church leadership teams to attend The Resilience Conference, Oct. 13–15 in Houston. In a demanding season of ministry, we need a fresh return to the biblical priorities that give the church spiritual power and resilience—prayer and the ministry of the Word. Come ready to be renewed, encouraged, and equipped for greater impact. resilienceconference.com

Prayer should be the air we breathe, but our pride—sometimes subtle, often on full display—causes us to be oxygen-deprived. The in-and-out of constant communion is rare among us, and because of that we suffer a deprivation we can ill-afford.

Such a great and often overlooked truth.

A fresh reminder we need. Read more ... billelliff.org/blogs/news/wh…

PASTORS AND SPIRITUAL LEADERS! We have had some unexpected openings in our cohort for this fall for our Presence Centered Leadership Cohort. I will be mtg with 8-10 men for training in Presence Centered living, leadership, and church building. 7 weeks, 1.5 a session by zoom. Scholarships available. If you are interested, I need to know NOW please. Check it out and register at the site below. billelliff.org/pages/presenc…

The greatest danger for a seasoned veteran of the faith is to slowly turn from an aggressive pursuit of God, proudly thinking that somehow you are above careful obedience. Sin is no respecter of spiritual maturity. Same consequences for young and old. Read more, please ... billelliff.org/blogs/news/th…

SOME IMPORTANT WORDS ABOUT YOUR WORDS Think of a person you know that constantly brings you life. To be around them is to be encouraged, lifted, comforted, healed. Their words may not always be syrupy sweet. They could even be words of gentle rebuke, but you find that even correcting words from them seem to give life. Proverbs describes this. The tongue that heals is a tree of life. (Proverbs 15:4) To be around them is to receive fruit from a tree that is not poisonous or harsh or bitter. But its fruit is healing and life-giving. You are always better after you have heard from them. The writer of Proverbs 15 helps us understand what can make us have tongues that heal, words that are life-giving. GENTLE WORDS A gentle answer turns away anger, but a harsh word stirs up wrath. (Proverbs 15:1) A hot-tempered person stirs up conflict, but one slow to anger calms strife. (Pr. 15:18) Some people’s thoughtless, harsh responses are like gasoline to a fire. But a life-giver has gentle words that calm the situation. He expands on this truth in verse 18. WISE WORDS The lips of the wise broadcast knowledge, but not so the heart of fools. (Pr. 15:7) To “broadcast” means to “sow like seed.” Everywhere a wise man goes and speaks, truth and knowledge and wisdom seem to be planted. And such seeds will yield a bountiful harvest. JOYFUL WORDS A joyful heart makes a face cheerful, but a sad heart produces a broken spirit … a cheerful heart has a continual feast. (Proverbs 15:13, 15) Bright eyes cheer the heart; good news strengthens the bones. (Pr. 15:30) Communication is not just made with our mouths, but with our eyes, our face, our body. But these joyful, cheerful expressions spring from a joyful heart. “The mouth speaks from that which fills the heart,” Jesus said (Matthew 12:34). TIMELY, THOUGHTFUL WORDS A person takes joy in giving an answer, and a timely word—how good that is! (pr. 15:23) The mind of the righteous person thinks before answering, but the mouth of the wicked blurts out evil things. (Pr. 15:28) Life-givers think before they speak. Better yet, they pray, asking God to give them the right words that would help all those who hear. They are the ones who are constantly giving “words fit for the need of the moment that give grace to those who hear” (Ephesians 4:29). HOW WILL YOU LIVE? Do you want to be a life-giver? A person whose words heal others? Regardless of your past, you can become the one that others desire to be around; the one who is a healer. But you must let Christ enter and fill you, and then you must learn to follow the promptings of His Spirit with every word. Your motivation should not be prideful, to make sure everyone knows what you know and how much you know. But you must think of others and their needs in the moment and let it drive your speech. Jesus said, when He operated as a man on earth, that He only spoke what He heard His Father saying. And so can you.

This is something we all need to realize. read more ... billelliff.org/blogs/news/si…

Never follow a leader who is not willing to humbly, fully follow Christ. Authority and impurity is a deadly combination. David led with a "pure heart" and "Skillful hands," a blessed combination. (Psalm 78:72)

There's a very good chance you need to take 3 minutes and read this today. Right now. billelliff.org/blogs/news/bl…

You may need this today. Read more .... billelliff.org/blogs/news/th…

It's amazing how God can use two sentences to change the trajectory of your life. If you'll listen. Read more ... billelliff.org/blogs/news/th…