My Personal Strengths and Weaknesses
Fourthstream - Finding Hope
Personal transparency is something we are often engaged in - and we mostly keep this to ourselves, right? When contemplating our strengths and weaknesses we are dealing with some of the most personal attributes of who we are. Burnadette and Dave dig into this and discuss the personally helpful reality of being transparent with our Father Creator. Most of us don't want to be arrogant, or conversely, succumb to self criticism which buries the part of us that is our soul. How do we celebrate our strengths with humility, or embrace our weaknesses honestly to help us live where we know our...
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Establishing, Nurturing, and Guiding My Home
Fourthstream - Finding Hope
This chapter of God's Man/God's Woman gives a very personal inside look into how both Brent and Dave's families feel about home life. Even a modest numbered family has many moving parts and a complexity of relationships. Husband to wife. Wife to husband. Dad to daughter. Mom to son. Dad to son. Mom to daughter. Brother to sister. You get the idea. Add to this other immediate family and our close social networks, let alone the influence of school, the internet, and certain invasive structures, and guiding a home can be a real challenge, right? Brent and Dave believe that our children and...
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Finding and Cultivating Solid Relationships
Fourthstream - Finding Hope
The book is now available on Amazon in both printed and Kindle formats. We are awaiting final approval on the audio version as well. Exciting! Brent and Dave's purpose for this book is to clearly and succinctly help encourage your success in the core links to building an effective bridge between your God-life and your people life. In this episode Dave and Burnadette review cultivating solid relationships and what it looks like to build strong. It would be great if all our people interactions went perfectly, but we all know this is not realistic. But by applying God's principles to...
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What Is It I Want?
Fourthstream - Finding Hope
In chapter three Brent and Dave discuss personal vision and target acquisition. To know where you are heading and to be able to take steps to hit the mark. This is a big deal when it comes to being satisfied not only with where your life goes, but how you get there. Brent's insights here are awesome and his analogy of river travel is extremely helpful as you chart an effective course of action to succeed: heart and soul. We outline three specific targets which can help you focus your efforts, and explore why the how matters. This is great outline for personal vision - one you can adapt...
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Leveraging the Mind, Heart, Soul, and Conscience
Fourthstream - Finding Hope
We now spend a little time talking about leveraging our mind, body, heart and conscience for our personal success. Because we are made in the image of our Creator, we have vast capacities as well as remarkable uniquenesses. While God gets credit for our design, we have the privilege of deciding what we are going to do with it. Seriously. Brent and Dave begin conversations about the strengths and vulnerabilities of these capacities. Each area allows us to go more deeply into what makes life count. We have chosen five areas of thoughts for this leveraging chapter, with the hope we all will...
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What Are the Good Questions?
Fourthstream - Finding Hope
The best questions take us deeper. Seriously. Life is supposed to be fun and satisfying, but it should also be filled with substance and meaning. Relationships. Work. Accomplishments. Personal growth. Being at peace. This podcast episode investigates the good questions that will get us where we want to go. Brent outlines three very central queries which will help us succeed. √ Can I say I am good with who I am and how I am living? √ Are you and I good - are things right between us? √ And most importantly, am I good with God? When we take an honest look at...
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New Book Coming: God’s Man/God’s Woman
Fourthstream - Finding Hope
Every Jesus follower wants to see God's Kingdom grow. Deeper conversation, personal meditation, Jesus discipleship, and sheltering others are all a part of making our lives count. Brent Harris and Dave Nadler combine their gifts and experiences to bring clarity to how your life can build organic spirituality, as we follow the true Leader of all human souls. Brent's careers in the military, law enforcement, and business bring leadership insights that will focus your road to spiritual success. Dave has worked to bring about Kingdom outreach to our city and beyond. Together with Brent's wife...
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Joining Other Kingdom Allies
Fourthstream - Finding Hope
What if you could be taught by Jesus Himself AND Grow deeper roots - at your own pace - with a clear plan? 1000 KINGDOM ALLIES at fourthstream.com In our lifetime it is possible to deeply impact hundreds of souls. If we understand and embrace Jesus' example and invite Him to be the guide and power of our lives, this can definitely happen through us. Different than mere attendance participation, this is personal, spiritual engagement with other hearts and souls. It is what Jesus did. For instance, Burnadette and I disciple about a dozen people at any one time. These are those who choose to...
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Kingdom Pursuit Conversations
Fourthstream - Finding Hope
In times past one common form of art was the weaving of tapestries. Usually these were artistic "rugs" hung on walls, and only the rich had access to such extravagance. The visual side was always of beautiful colors and often told a story. Recently we were visiting the Biltmore estate in Ashville, NC (huge - pretty amazing 19th century monstrous tech!). The reverse side of a woven tapestry (vs modern printing process) was a series of disconnected colors and threads, and was not useful for indicating what was on the flip side. The God Story is like this. Yet if you follow the threads of the...
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Finding And Building My Kingdom Tribe
Fourthstream - Finding Hope
One of the truly rewarding things in life is to invest in meaningful relationships. When people speak of our "tribes" we are talking about those with whom we find and keep connection. We were not meant to live and build alone. Even though relationships have risk and rewards, for most people they are preferable to existing isolated or alone. Jesus’ 12 disciples were surrounded by others who formed His community. Mary and Martha and Lazarus, Jesus’ Mom, and Peter, James, and John and a few others were at the center of this relational discipleship network. It included His Father as well....
info_outlineSince the Jesus explosion in the Gospels and Acts, the church in history has done much good. Often a civilizing factor in many decades and centuries, she has stepped up to present Her King to many. Like all human institutions, however, she has often been co-opted by her own opportunistic leaders. Wherever any historical opportunity or success exists, mankind often thinks he or she can manage things better than the Holy Spirit. And so, instead of speaking accurately for God, we often convolute the meaning of King, Kingdom, and Church. This is why the credibility of so-called "holy ones" of the church can be compromised, and why testimony to the King may suffer.
So - She experiences Her successes and failures - as do all human groupings and institutions, and will be held to the Word of God concerning Her dedication to truth and effectiveness of mission - as will all human institutions. From God’s Word we have concluded that the Spirit’s unfolding power and protection for Jesus followers is King first, then, Kingdom, then church.
So, to discover the principles and power of the Kingdom Church, we must turn to the King of the earth to understand what it means to honor and follow God. Everyone has his or her idea of what church is and what it should look like. We will do it this way. We will do it better. We will build the church. Consider however:
She is a spiritual house being prepared for Heaven, called out of darkness into God’s Light. If we do not shine the Light, where will people find their way?
“So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints, and are of God’s household, having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus Himself being the corner stone, in whom the whole building, being fitted together, is growing into a holy temple in the Lord, in whom you also are being built together into a dwelling of God in the Spirit.” - Ephesians 2:19-22
She is to be the Pillar and Support of the Truth. In what ways does our Kingdom community bring foundations to truth?
“...but in case I am delayed, I write so that you will know how one ought to conduct himself in the household of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and support of the truth.” - 1 Timothy 3:15
The Church is the Bride of Jesus. We are being washed whiter than snow, and will be presented to Him spotless.
“Let us rejoice and be glad and give the glory to Him, for the marriage of the Lamb has come and His bride has made herself ready.” - Revelation 19:7
√ In order to understand the Kingdom Church, we must consult the words and teachings of our King. Remember, He is the One Who is building His Church (Matthew 16:18)!
√ The church is only as effective as Her connection to Her King. Kingdom Christ followers always place connection with Jesus first.
√ Church is not merely a place we GO, it is Who we are.
And they sang a new song, saying, “Worthy are You to take the book and to break its seals; for You were slain, and purchased for God with Your blood men from every tribe and tongue and people and nation. You have made them to be a kingdom and priests to our God; and they will reign upon the earth.” - Revelation 5:9,10
First King, then Kingdom, then Church - this belongs to all of us!
Dave and Burnadette