Bryan E. posted an article on bdentzy - Feb 1, 2012, 4:30 am
On the first day of February it’s time to talk about goals and plans for the year. Have you made any resolutions yet? Have you kept them so far? If you’ve already broken your resolutions, it’s not too late.  But I bet a little focus might go a long way to helping your achieve your goals. ...
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Bryan E. posted an article on bdentzy - Nov 28, 2011, 7:05 am
Just having a good idea isn’t enough to make you successful. If that were enough, yours truly would have been wildly successful at the age of 6.  Unfortunately, success requires more than good ideas. Truly good ideas, world-changing ideas, need to have a couple more things going for them: The wo...
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Bryan E. posted an article on bdentzy - Nov 25, 2011, 6:48 am
If you’ve not already started, it’s time to think about Christmas. What you’ll get. What you’ll give. Where you’ll spend your time. Especially in a time when it seems that jobs are paying less and stuff costs more, what we can’t buy may be depressing. It seems we can never spend enough ...
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Bryan E. posted an article on bdentzy - Nov 24, 2011, 7:31 am
Today’s post is about you and the people you love. Who are you thankful for? Most of the time when we think of giving thanks, we think of things. You know, iPods and running water and having nice houses. But what about people? Many times the people we love bring more to our lives than the stuff ...
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Bryan E. posted an article on bdentzy - Oct 28, 2011, 7:15 am
People look for God in all kinds of places.  Here’s just one uncommon place where you can find God. When the righteous cry for help, the Lord hears and delivers them out of all their troubles. The Lord is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit. Psalm 34:17-18 If we know t...
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Bryan E. posted an article on bdentzy - Oct 24, 2011, 8:30 am
Have you ever wondered if Facebook cheapens your relationships? Seriously, have you thought about whether you’re building relationships or just serving some narcissistic need to feel informed, important, and connected? About whether you really care about people or are simply using social convent...
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Bryan E. posted an article on bdentzy - Oct 20, 2011, 5:47 pm
Here are two super simple steps to give your life more meaning. If you’re looking for something more complex, so that you can feel better about yourself and not actually living a more meaningful life, keep looking.  But don’t worry –  just because they’re simple doesn’t mean they’re ...
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Bryan E. posted an article on bdentzy - Oct 18, 2011, 9:05 am
The Amazing Katherine: You’re my favorite.  I love you more now than I did the day we were married.  Thank you for loving me and making these past three years the best in my life. Happy anniversary! Happy Anniversary, My Love is licensed under a Creative Commons License. Stop by bdentzy | Br...
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Bryan E. posted an article on bdentzy - Oct 12, 2011, 9:18 am
I’m sure that you’ve heard about a “to do” list but have you ever considered a “not to do” list? Seriously, a “not to do” list can change your life. I suspect that many people don’t consider this but it’s as difficult to stop a negative habit as it is to start a positive habit. ...
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Bryan E. posted an article on bdentzy - Oct 10, 2011, 9:29 am
Welcome to Monday. No other day so reminds us of how difficult it can be to get it all done.  And, if you’re like me, it’s probably the one day you hope to be the most effective.  There are probably a zillion things on your desk all crying for your attention. People have been emailing and cal...
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Bryan E. posted an article on bdentzy - Oct 7, 2011, 11:25 am
Fail Like a Baby to Succeed is a guest post by Aaron Shaver (@shaversrazor), who blogs at aaronshaver.com.  I’ve known Aaron for several years and I think you’ll enjoy what he has to say.  Aaron’s a youth minister, an actor, a new father, and is really passionate about Jesus.  He and his El...
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Bryan E. posted an article on bdentzy - Oct 3, 2011, 9:14 am
How is it that some people are successful against all odds while others flounder with little or no success even though they have every advantage? Many people would say hard work and that’s sure part of it. But there’s another element in the relentless pursuit of a vision, goal, or cause. The abi...
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Bryan E. posted an article on bdentzy - Sep 30, 2011, 9:03 am
Today’s post is a special edition “Follow Friday Extravaganza” requested by Aaron.   I follow every one of these blogs and tweeters, and, though I may not always agree with everything that’s written or how it’s presented, they always encourage, challenge, and inspire me.  I think they�...
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Bryan E. posted an article on bdentzy - Sep 26, 2011, 4:03 am
Dropping the ball doesn’t have to end in failure. In fact, we can often recover by taking quick and appropriate action. What happens after failure sets our course. First, let’s lay this out there - while nobody wants to drop the ball, we’ve all done it. We’ve all failed in some way, and s...
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Bryan E. posted an article on bdentzy - May 13, 2011, 12:19 am
Have you ever wondered why we keep scrapbooks?  I know I have. My mom has made at least a couple of scrapbooks from when I was growing up.  They have the usual things – a lock of hair, a senior picture, and pictures of all kinds of relatives and vacations and the first ever experience with bubb...
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Bryan E. posted an article on bdentzy - Apr 12, 2011, 3:16 pm
One of the worst mistakes that we can make in our efforts to bring men to Christ is to try to convince them of sin in any power of our own.  Unfortunately, it is one of the commonest mistakes. R.A. Torrey – The Person and Work of the Holy Spirit, p. 82 Thanks for reading One of the Worst Mistak...
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Bryan E. posted an article on bdentzy - Mar 29, 2011, 7:29 am
Do you recognize one of the primary differences between people who are caught up in popular culture and people who are part of the Christian subculture? Most of the people caught up in popular culture are striving towards goals.  While, at the same time, many of the people who are part of the Chri...
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Bryan E. posted an article on bdentzy - Mar 23, 2011, 7:04 am
Do you want to stand out in a crowd? Do you want your life to matter? Live on Purpose Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed—not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence—continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you to will...
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Bryan E. posted an article on bdentzy - Jan 10, 2011, 7:22 am
Have you ever considered praying the Bible?  Below is my prayer for today based on Colossians 1:1-6.  I used a devotional format that is in Jean Fleming’s book, Feeding Your Soul (Amazon link) that I have previously written about here.  If you’ve never tried this, I’d recommend it. Lord, G...
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Bryan E. posted an article on bdentzy - Jan 5, 2011, 1:06 pm
Have you ever noticed how children may pay a lot of attention to what they wear but not necessarily whether their outfit matches?  I my minds eye, I can see a little girl wearing a tiara, a sweatshirt, dingy jeans, a tutu, and rubber boots.  She’s cute but she doesn’t match. I’ve met that gi...
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Bryan E. posted an article on bdentzy - Dec 30, 2010, 9:00 am
A couple of days ago I wrote this post about a report put out by the Barna Group.  I’m still hoping that you’ll go read the report if you haven’t already. Last week I was discussing some of the findings from this report with Pastor Wayne. One of the interesting things that he mentioned was a...
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Bryan E. posted an article on bdentzy - Dec 28, 2010, 9:05 am
This is my first time ever doing a public year-end review.  In all honesty, it’s a little scary to think about doing this.  First, because it means  I’m being public about my successes and failures.  But secondly, because it feels a little narcissistic to think that people might even care en...
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Bryan E. posted an article on bdentzy - Dec 27, 2010, 9:05 am
I’m writing this hoping that you’ll go read this report by the Barna Group.  If you’re a a Christian in American culture or, especially, if you’re a spiritual leader, I believe this report is very important to you.  But, if you’re not into that sort of thing, just skip right over this po...
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Bryan E. posted an article on bdentzy - Dec 26, 2010, 11:03 pm
Some of you have heard Geoff Butterworth sing The Wexford Carol at Springhouse Worship & Arts Center and some of you have never had that pleasure.  I have to say that if anybody can pull this a’cappella, Geoff is the man. In any event, The Wexford Carol, is an amazing, deep, enchanting carol and...
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Bryan E. posted an article on bdentzy - Dec 25, 2010, 3:55 pm
Christmas is one of my favorite times of year.  This year was definitely different, but no exception.  You see, this is my first Christmas as a daddy. Looking back over the year – really, looking back over the decades – I can see how amazingly good God has been to me.  How he’s taken care ...
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Bryan E. posted an article on bdentzy - Dec 21, 2010, 6:18 pm
I don’t know about you, but I like to be very intentional with the time I spend on Facebook.  Well, really I like to be intentional about how I spend my time on any of the social media tools I use. I don’t want to log in and spend hours browsing – after all, you can’t have fondue on Facebo...
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Bryan E. posted an article on bdentzy - Dec 20, 2010, 8:38 pm
Aaron Shaver (@shaversrazor) is a good friend of mine who has been a guest blogger here and at Andy in Progress.  I’ve known Aaron for years since we worked together at a Chick-fil-A when he was in high school and have been involved in ministry with him for several years at Springhouse Worship & ...
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Bryan E. posted an article on bdentzy - Dec 20, 2010, 9:03 am
In a recent infographic, Clicker reports that not only are some people watching internet TV while they should be working but that it affects productivity.  While that’s not surprising, it certainly surprised me that their research shows that it actually increases productivity. Now, first, I ha...
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Bryan E. posted an article on bdentzy - Dec 16, 2010, 10:35 am
How often do we quietly whisper “here I am to worship” rather than loudly proclaim our love for and devotion to God.  Should praise and worship be quiet or loud? Obviously, there is a time and place for everything.  But there’s nothing wrong with loud praise and worship.  Nothing wrong wit...
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Bryan E. posted an article on bdentzy - Dec 10, 2010, 1:17 pm
Do you ever have difficulty figuring out what’s most important?  I know that I often do – on several levels. Because of the way I try to understand the world, I’m always searching for the core or the most fundamental.  I always want to understand as completely as possible.  But sometimes t...
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Bryan E. posted an article on bdentzy - Oct 12, 2010, 8:54 am
I remember hearing this for the first time several years ago.  It continues to affect me deeply as I think about who God is and what he has done for me.  He’s a very good God. Take a couple minutes to enjoy.  And feel free to share him (or this video – it’s on YouTube) with others. Embedd...
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Bryan E. posted an article on bdentzy - Oct 11, 2010, 1:37 pm
Sometimes it’s easy to forget about the goodness of God.   It’s easy to miss his all-surpassing greatness because of our “light and momentary trials.” (2 Corinthians 4:17) But God is not a “what have you done for me lately” God.  He is the Eternal God (Deuteronomy 33:27).  He has al...
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Bryan E. posted an article on bdentzy - Oct 8, 2010, 8:05 am
Have you ever wanted to be successful?  Have you ever dreamed about it?  I know I have.  In fact, I think our culture is drunk on success – or more accurately, drunk on the accoutrements of success – the power, prestige, toys, glory, and responsibility. But I wonder if we ever take the time ...
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Bryan E. posted an article on bdentzy - Sep 21, 2010, 9:14 am
Sometimes it’s easy to know what to do.  Sometimes it’s easy to know God‘s will.  If God has spoken clearly through his written word, there ought to be no question what we should do.  Or if the Holy Spirit has spoken to us, our course should be clear. In those cases, our response to God is...
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Bryan E. posted an article on bdentzy - Sep 10, 2010, 6:14 pm
Well, it’s been a busy few weeks.  In addition to being a new dad and working full time, I’ve been helping get our church’s new website up and running.  We decided to switch from a custom hosting option to using WordPress for our church’s website – SpringhouseSmyrna.com. As many of you ...
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Bryan E. posted an article on bdentzy - Sep 6, 2010, 9:00 am
We head to Church on Sundays to worship.  Well, at least some of us do.  But did you ever wonder if worship was bigger than a Sunday morning?  What if that’s just the tip of the iceberg?  What if there’s so much more? At Springhouse Worship & Arts Center (yes that’s the name of the church...
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Bryan E. posted an article on bdentzy - Aug 19, 2010, 1:46 pm
I don’t believe I’ve ever felt more profoundly inept than I have over the past few days. It’s unbelievable that our seven pound baby can bring a two-hundred pound man to a screeching halt with one whimper. Yet that is what’s happening. As I’ve pondered raising our new daughter (we’re n...
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Bryan E. posted an article on bdentzy - Aug 10, 2010, 9:26 am
We all have hopes and dreams and I can tell you from experience that it can be a hard thing to watch a dream die.  But have you ever considered letting your dreams die? Let me be a little more specific.  Have you ever considered that you might need to let one dream die so that a greater dream can...
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Bryan E. posted an article on bdentzy - Aug 9, 2010, 8:45 am
When I was growing up, we used to have an album (yes, vinyl) that we would listen to a lot.  One of the songs on the albums was called “Have Patience” and I have to tell you that I think it was specifically designed to teach that I didn’t have patience. That song just lumbered slowly along l...
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Bryan E. posted an article on bdentzy - Aug 6, 2010, 8:44 am
Have you ever given a crummy gift because you thought it was expected?  Have you ever put out second-rate work because you couldn’t figure out what first-rate work looked like or because you didn’t even know it was second rate?  I know that I have. A couple of years ago I was getting ready to...
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Bryan E. posted an article on bdentzy - Aug 5, 2010, 8:45 am
Do you have any idea how many hours I waste looking for the perfect blog template or plugins to help me make my stuff easier to find or share? Well, I don’t either.  But I know it’s more than I think it ought to be – especially when I could just write great content. Take this weekend, for ex...
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Bryan E. posted an article on bdentzy - Aug 2, 2010, 9:08 am
My wife and I are expecting our first baby.  Actually, we’ve been expecting her for the last nine months or so, because her official due date is today. (No, that is not our baby in the photo.) Clearly, she hasn’t been born yet, and it’s possible she won’t be born today.  In times like thi...
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Bryan E. posted an article on bdentzy - Jul 31, 2010, 8:45 am
I think if I ever actually achieved some level of humility, I’d probably mess it up by being proud of myself as though I had actually accomplished something.  What’s more, I’m not sure how I’d ever actually achieve humility. I mean, is humility something that we can work towards?  Can we ...
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Bryan E. posted an article on bdentzy - Jul 30, 2010, 8:45 am
Are you satisfied with your life?  Is it all that you want it to be?  Do you think it’s all that God would have it to be?  Is your life smaller than your ability to live it? Do you find areas in your life where your focus has been off or where you’ve known what to do but just haven’t been ...
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Bryan E. posted an article on bdentzy - Jul 29, 2010, 8:45 am
Facebook is a pretty cool thing.  I’m on Facebook and I like it.  It’s great for sharing photos and stories and such.  And for keeping up with friends.  But does it make us better friends? I don’t know I’m talking to you – the “regular” people who use Facebook and email and Twitt...
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Bryan E. posted an article on bdentzy - Jul 28, 2010, 8:45 am
I’m sure that you want to have a great life – I know I do.  But do you have a plan for an effective, victorious life of God’s very best? It’s OK to have a plan – a strategy, if you will.  It’s even right to have a strategy.  But I think most people misunderstand strategy.  Football ...
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Bryan E. posted an article on bdentzy - Jul 27, 2010, 8:45 am
I was thinking about this the other day.  I hear people talk about those who have died as though their lives were taken from them.  I think sometimes people are even mad at God for “taking” a life. But I wonder, can God take my life?  Does God take our lives? We’ve Already Lost our Lives I...
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Bryan E. posted an article on bdentzy - Jul 26, 2010, 8:45 am
Sometimes I learn about God and about a life of faith in the most unexpected places.  Often in the most mundane places.  I find that so often God speaks to me in the boring parts of a glorious life.  I guess it’s no wonder that Jesus commanded us to “consider the lilies,” (Luke 12:27), is i...
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Bryan E. posted an article on bdentzy - Jul 25, 2010, 5:11 pm
Think about this for a second – what do you think of when I say “God will bless you?”  Do you think of money?  Do you think of health or healing? I suspect that most people hear “God will bless you” as “God will make you rich.”  In fact I would go so far as to say that there are pr...
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Bryan E. posted an article on bdentzy - Jul 23, 2010, 6:59 pm
Image by Stathis Stavrianos (Stathis_1980) via Flickr Our life in Christ isn’t static.  It’s dynamic.  It shifts and changes and grows.  It’s not a destination, it’s a journey.  And it’s a journey that’s meant to be shared.  Shared with God and shared with others. In fact your jour...
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