Jason Stonehouse

I am learning that one of the keys to life is consistency. A lot of people can be brilliant once, a lot of people can show up big time in some area at a few points in their lives, but it’s those who are consistent that see real forward movement and progress. And here’s the kicker — it’s often those who consistently take little steps in the right direction who end up further than those who take a few big steps. That being said, consistency is hard. We tend to highlight the big steps, the major life decisions and the extraordinary actions. Yet it’s the consistent movement that tends to be the most sustained life change and impact. Think about the mentoring relationship that through time makes a big impact on our lives. Sure the one time inspirational discussion with that person can be helpful, but it’s the people who know us over time that tend to influence us to a much higher degree.

Yesterday I spoke on the topic of pain. Since I decided to preach with few notes, each service was slightly different. It’s a challenging thing to speak on pain, because you want to be honest and you also want to give hope. Unfortunately “pain” has not been handled well by some churches and teachers. I’ve seen shifts from doom and gloom to the other extreme of saying that if you’re a Christian you won’t suffer. So as a teacher you want to make sure you walk the fine line that is truly accurate theologically.