Transformed Episode #072 – The Murder of Jesus (A Costly Forgiveness)

Posted on October 18, 2009 by Dr. Matthew Lee Smith

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Today we begin a new series entitled, Forgiveness – The Breath of Life!

In this series we hope you will discover the power and reality of authentic Christian forgiveness.

Have you been hurt? Have you been injured by another? Are you having a hard time forgiving? Does your offender ignore the attack upon you? Is the pain unbearable?

What can we do when we know forgiveness is needed and wanted?

In this first episode, The Murder of Jesus, we will discover the understandings necessary to open our hearts for cleansing, liberation and transformation that true and appropriate forgiveness brings!

The cross stands at the very heart of the gospel. The Lord Jesus defined His life in terms of the cross. The central meaning of the life of Jesus is not found in the living of his life but in the giving of it! We received a costly forgiveness. Let’s join Dr. Matthew Lee Smith as he teaches the congregation at First Baptist Church of Palos Verdes Ca from Isaiah 52.13 – 53.12.

Expressing and receiving God’s love and forgiveness is what Dr. Smith’s book, In His Image, is all about. As you respond to God’s Word and wisdom today, we are sure this book will show you both how to love like God loves and enjoy his forgiveness on a daily basis. Copies are available on the side bar at the EaglesInLeadership.org website. We encourage you to order yours today.

You can also contact Dr. Smith by emailing us at transformedpodcast@gmail.com or you can call our voicemail line at 206-350-1566. Leave a comment that we can play on a future episode …If you enjoyed this podcast, please leave a review at iTunes or Podcast Pickle. Feel free to pass this episode on to a friend.

This podcast was recorded in Palos Verdes, CA by Tabitha Grace Smith. All material contained therein is distributed under the Creative Commons License, please do not rebroadcast without permission.

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Transformed Podcast Interviews David Ferguson

Posted on October 13, 2009 by Dr. Matthew Lee Smith

DaveFergusonToday’s interview is with Dave Ferguson who dreams of “helping all people find their way back to God.” He tells us, “I write to inspire, instruct and collaborate with others who share this dream. To see that dream realized I’m using my influence and creativity to catalyze a movement of reproducing churches. Toward that end I serve as the Lead Pastor for a remarkable group of Christ Followers called Community Christian Church and I provide visionary leadership for NewThing, a global network of reproducing churches.”

Dave  Ferguson  is  the Lead Pastor  of  Community  Christian Church (www.communitychristian.org),  an  innovative  multi‐site  missional community that  is  passionate  about  “helping  people  find  their  way  back  to  God.”

CCC has  grown  from  Dave,  his  wife  and  four  friends  to  over  5000  every  weekend meeting  at  eleven locations.    CCC  empowers  over  600  volunteer  leaders  to oversee  difference‐making  ministry  throughout Chicago  and  was  recently recognized  as  one  of  the  most  influential  churches  in  America.

Dave  provides visionary  leadership  fo he  NewThing Network  (www.newthing.org)  whose  catalyst  for  a  movement  of  reproducing  churches.  NewThing  is  a  network of reproducing churches  internationally  and  a  resource  to  churches  looking  to  reproduce  multiple sites or new churches.

Dave is the author of the newly released, The Big Idea–Focus the Message, Maximize the Impact along with Jon Ferguson and Eric Bramlett. Next to Jesus, Dave loves his wife Sue the most and then his three terrific kids Amy ‐ 19, Joshua ‐ 16  and  Caleb  ‐  11. Dave  and  his  family  live  in  Naperville,  IL.  Dave  enjoys  hanging  out  with  his  family,  reading,  running  and  playing  any  sport  with  a  ball.  If  you  want  to  keep  up  with  Dave’s adventures check out his blog at www.daveferguson.org.

Blog: http://www.daveferguson.typepad.com/

Twitter: http://twitter.com/daveferguson

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/dave.ferguson

Order The Big Idea: Focus the MessageMultiply the Impact (Leadership Network Innovation Series) on Amazon.

Pre-order The Exponential Church: How You and Your Friends Can Spread a Missional Movement (Exponential Series) on Amazon.

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Win a Free Autographed Copy of In His Image or In His Presence!

Posted on September 29, 2009 by Dr. Matthew Lee Smith

autographed

Despair and troubles seem to be overwhelming the people of God right now. The only way for the men and women of God to weather the storms of life is to cling to the God in charge of it all. A deep, storm-busting faith begins with our daily time in God’s word. Dr. Smith has words of hope, love and wisdom gleaned from this study of God’s word and he’s collected them into two faith building books – In His Image and In His Presence.

And now Dr. Smith is asking for  your help promoting the books and he’s offering you a chance to win a free autographed copy of your very own.

Find some way to promote the book: you can write about it on your blog, post a video on YouTube, Tweet about it on Twitter, tell your Facebook friends, run something in your church bulletin, buy some copies for your local church library,  leave a review on Amazon … whatever you can think of. The idea is (of course) to drive sales of the book.

If at all possible, link to the book itself using the following URLs:

In His Presence: https://www.createspace.com/3382271
In His Image: https://www.createspace.com/3391449

Once you’ve posted something, write about it in the comments section at the bottom of this page.

You have until 10/30/09 to come up and execute your promotional idea.

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Transformed Episode #071 – Careers Beyond Your Wildest Dreams

Posted on September 27, 2009 by Dr. Matthew Lee Smith

What does it take for the true follower of Jesus Christ to enjoy a career beyond your wildest dreams? A career beyond our wildest dreams can only happen when we obey our bosses or care for our employees as if we were working directly for King Jesus!

If you want a career beyond your wildest dreams, then you will need to endear yourself to the boss. Your conditions will soften or change as a result, perhaps even becoming “like family” and being cared for with similar treatment. This will only happen when you do your work from the heart – and accept, even appreciate – the role and benefits of your boss.

You can also contact Dr. Smith in one of three ways:

Commenting on this post at eaglesinleadership.org
or by emailing us at transformedpodcast@gmail.com
or you can call our voicemail line at 206-350-1566. Leave a comment that we can play on a future episode …If you enjoyed this podcast, please leave a review at iTunes or Podcast Pickle. Feel free to pass this episode on to a friend.

This podcast was recorded and edited in Palos Verdes, CA by Tabitha Grace Smith. All material contained therein is copyrighted under the Creative Commons License, please do not rebroadcast without permission.

As a member of our audience we’d love to offer you a special discount for Dr. Smith’s books! Enter the special code 9LM6PF94 at checkout from our CreateSpace estore and receive 25% off!

Click here to order In His Presence: https://www.createspace.com/3382271
Click here to order In His Image: https://www.createspace.com/3391449

Posted in christian life, Ephesians, Transformed | Leave a comment

Looking for a Great Christmas Gift?

Posted on September 24, 2009 by Dr. Matthew Lee Smith

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Christmas is a great time to buy your loved ones a new daily devotional to keep them reading through God’s word in 2010!

From now till October 15 2009 you can get 25% OFF each of Dr. Smith’s books! Enter the special code 9LM6PF94 at checkout from our CreateSpace estore.

Read what folks are saying about these two books!

[In His Presence] is a great book that really digs into understanding the Psalms like you never did before! We love this book so much, we started out saying we would only do 1 Psalm per day, but… it is so hard to put down you cheat and find yourself doing more and more and more!! You must have this book!

[In His Image] is a book everyone should have sitting right next to your Bible. As you read your bible look in Dr. Matthew Smith’s book and see how he sums up what you just read. He is so knowledgeable! This book takes you through the Bible in 1 yr. We used it in our Sunday School Class as well. It helped us alot, I highly recommend this book.

Click here to order In His Presence: https://www.createspace.com/3382271
Click here to order In His Image: https://www.createspace.com/3391449

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Transformed Episode #070 – Parenting Beyond Your Wildest Dreams!

Posted on September 19, 2009 by Dr. Matthew Lee Smith

What does it take to enjoy parenting beyond your wildest dreams? Parenting beyond our wildest dreams can only happen when we follow the commands of our God for our family. After all, God is our Father and we are His children. Who should know more about parenting than God?

Many people are confused as to HOW God gives us an abundant life, especially when it comes to parenting. Abundant life comes from following the LIFESTYLE God sets forth in His word. There is no “zap” from God, whereby he does everything and you do nothing but receive. God gives us grace. And grace is the power to do the things we ought to do. That cooperation with the grace of God allows us to lead transformed lives!

And transformed parenting is what Dr. Matthew Lee Smith, senior pastor of the First Baptist Church of Palos Verdes CA, brings from Ephesians 6!

Let’s listen in now and discover the two keys to parenting – beyond your wildest dreams!

You can also contact Dr. Smith in one of three ways:

Commenting on this post at eaglesinleadership.org
or by emailing us at transformedpodcast@gmail.com
or you can call our voicemail line at 206-350-1566. Leave a comment that we can play on a future episode …If you enjoyed this podcast, please leave a review at iTunes or Podcast Pickle. Feel free to pass this episode on to a friend.

This podcast was recorded and edited in Palos Verdes, CA by Tabitha Grace Smith. All material contained therein is copyrighted under the Creative Commons License, please do not rebroadcast without permission.

As a member of our audience we’d love to offer you a special discount for Dr. Smith’s books! Enter the special code 9LM6PF94 at checkout from our CreateSpace estore and receive 25% off!

Click here to order In His Presence: https://www.createspace.com/3382271
Click here to order In His Image: https://www.createspace.com/3391449

Posted in christian life, Ephesians, Transformed | Leave a comment

“Fearless” by Max Lucado a ‘Must Read’ This Fall!

Posted on September 11, 2009 by Dr. Matthew Lee Smith

97808499639711Max Lucado has provided us with a strong helping of hope and courage in his newest book, “Fearless,” available today from Thomas Nelson. Max reminds us that “There’s a stampede of fear out there. Let’s not get caught in it.” With each paragraph, the doubts and fears seem to vaporize as Lucado takes us along on the Gospel journey with Jesus and his disciples as be builds encouragement into their lives.

“When Jesus is great, our fears are not.” Walking us hand-in-hand with Jesus and his disciples, Max reminds us that “yes, life stinks. But it won’t forever.” Quoting a friend, he tells us, “Everything will work out in the end. If it’s not working out, it’s not the end.”

Acknowledging those nagging times of distrust, Max reminds us that doubts “can make hermits out of us, driving us into hiding. Yet the cave has no answers. Christ distributes courage through community; he dissipates doubts through fellowship.” Pushing us back into relationship with Christ and his body – the local community of followers – Lucado pours fresh, satisfying water on those parched souls struggling for hope in the midst of these turbulent times.

I highly recommend “Fearless” and encourage you to purchase a copy today! You can buy a copy of Max Lucado’s book by clicking this link: Fearless: Imagine Your Life Without Fear

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Transformed Episode #069: Marriage – Beyond Your Wildest Dreams!

Posted on August 30, 2009 by Dr. Matthew Lee Smith

We would like to tell you that by accepting Christ’s gift of eternal life that you can “affair proof” your marriage, or for that matter “problem proof” your marriage. But according to the statistics, that just isn’t so!

You see, accepting Christ’s gift of eternal life has little effect on your marriage … unless you choose to closely follow the ways of Jesus Christ for marriage! Now we want to assure you that: A transformed marriage looks nothing like the marriage of a worldling: It is sacrificial, joyful and it models the relationship between Jesus and the Church.

As Dr. Matthew Lee Smith, senior pastor of the First Baptist Church of Palos Verdes CA, explains the roles God has given to husbands and wives, we have the opportunity to respond by choosing God’s wisdom …

Expressing and receiving God’s love is what Dr. Smith’s book, In His Image, is all about. As you respond to God’s Word and wisdom today, we are sure this book will show you both how to love like God loves and prepare yourself to receive al your spouse has for you. Copies are available on the side bar at the EaglesInLeadership.org website. We encourage you to order yours today.

You can also contact Dr. Smith in one of three ways:

    Commenting on this post at eaglesinleadership.org
    or by emailing us at transformedpodcast@gmail.com
    or you can call our voicemail line at 206-350-1566. Leave a comment that we can play on a future episode …If you enjoyed this podcast, please leave a review at iTunes or Podcast Pickle. Feel free to pass this episode on to a friend.

This podcast was recorded and edited in Palos Verdes, CA by Tabitha Grace Smith. All material contained therein is copyrighted under the Creative Commons License, please do not rebroadcast without permission.

Let’s listen in now as Pastor Matt shows us how to enjoy marriage – beyond your wildest dreams from Ephesians 5!

Posted in christian life, Ephesians, Transformed | Leave a comment

Leonard Sweet Shares With Eagles In Leadership

Posted on August 27, 2009 by Dr. Matthew Lee Smith

sweetJoin Dr. Matthew Lee Smith as he interviews Leonard Sweet about his new book, the church and his “Twitter Theology.” As a friend of EIL, Len shares from his heart concerning the nature of the church as God has designed it, and some vital keys to being effective in the ‘Google world’ we now live in.

Dr. Leonard Sweet is the Vice President of Academic Affairs and Dean of the Theological School at Drew University. He also serves as a consultant to many of America’s denominational leaders and agencies. In 2006 and 2007, he was voted “One of the 50 Most Influential Christians in America.” Dr. Sweet is the author of more than one hundred articles, over six hundred published sermons, and a wide array of books. To learn more, visit him at www.leonardsweet.com.

And don’t forget to get a copy of Len’s newest book, “So Beautiful” – God’s divine design shines through everything, from DNA’s double helix to the blueprint for his church. Referencing the life of John Newton, Sweet calls for a reunion of complementary strands that make up the “beautiful” structure of the church—missional, relational, and incarnational—and shows how today’s congregations can weave them together to accomplish God’s purpose. You can order a copy of Leonard’s book by clicking this link: So Beautiful: Divine Design for Life and the Church

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Engaging, Transparent and Practical Book on Prayer

Posted on August 18, 2009 by Dr. Matthew Lee Smith

miller-praying-lifeA Praying Life

by Paul E. Miller

NavPress
ISBN: 13: 978-1-60006-300-8

Paul Miller has written an engaging, transparent and practical book on prayer. His connection to his everyday life, filled with trials and tribulations (their daughter Kim struggles with autism and developmental delay). This ‘real world’ approach to prayer lends credibility and quality to the read. Enjoying prayer and our conversation with the Lord is what this book brings to one’s life – returning to a close walk with the God who loves us. In his easy to read style, Miller encourages us to ‘live in your Father’s story.’  By this he means “you can’t listen to God if you are isolated from a life of surrender that draws you into his story for your life.” In essence, this is what the five sections of this book does, using humor, pain and his real life adventures as a backdrop for our return into his presence. This may be one of the best books written on prayer in decades, since it combines sound Biblical truth and tested street leather application. I highly recommend this book and encourage you to pick up a copy for yourself and for a friend – this is a great book for a group journey deeper into God’s presence.

You can order a copy by clicking this link right now: A Praying Life: Connecting with God in a Distracting World

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