from good to great...

Chip Ingram preached at Southeast on Sunday and did a great job in outlining the connection between thoughts, emotions, behavior, and consequences-- whether negative or positive.

Since he was a guest-speaker, I'm not sure that the sermon will be available on line later this week. If so, you'll be able to find it by clicking here for about a week. Ingram's website has materials on the sermon and the book, Good to Great in God's Eyes (as a take-off from the popular and excellent business book by Jim Collins). And he has made some extra materials available-- at least for awhile on the website.

In a word, I would say the themes were quite similar to some prominent themes of Joel Osteen-- but with more explicit Scriptural backing in making and developing his case. (I don't mean that last sentence to be an insult to either Osteen or Ingram. Click here to see my review of Osteen's book, Your Best Life Now.)

The key passage was Philippians 4:8-9-- perhaps the classic verse on "good thinking". From there, he encouraged us to "think great thoughts about":

1.) God (Romans 11:33; he also cited two classics-- Packer's Knowing God and Tozer's In Pursuit of God)

2.) Ourselves (Zephaniah 3:17)

3.) Others (I Samuel 16:7)

4.) The meaning of life (Luke 9:23-25)

5.) Future worries (Jeremiah 29:11)

6.) Past failures (Philippians 3:13-14)

7.) Present challenges (James 1:2-4)

Ingram also had some practical suggestions, including a seven-day media fast, listening to great music, walks in nature, memorize and meditate on Scripture, and personalize the promises of Scripture and pput them on 3*5 cards.