Author Archives: Carl Simmons

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About Carl Simmons

See the About Me page on my site, if you want to know more about ME. Otherwise, hopefully you'll know more about Jesus and some of his followers by reading here. And thanks for stopping by.

Lay Down Your Gifts

Posted on January 27, 2016 by Carl Simmons

Let’s start today by revisiting Jesus’ commissioning of the seventy-two from a few weeks ago. The seventy-two certainly had something to rejoice in when they used the gifts they had received: “Lord, even the demons submit to us in your name” … Continue reading →

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Lay Down Your Blessings

Posted on January 20, 2016 by Carl Simmons

Our new lives in Christ are just beginning. We are changed; but we are eternally far from finished. “Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect, but I press on to make it my own, because Christ … Continue reading →

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Lay Down the Law (and Leave It There): a small group session

Posted on January 13, 2016 by Carl Simmons

For this session, you’ll need…. the ability to darken your room a whiteboard or blackboard Laying Down Your Day (15 minutes) Give everyone a chance to settle in before starting your session. Once everyone’s relaxed and comfortable, turn off the … Continue reading →

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Lay Down Like a Lion

Posted on January 6, 2016 by Carl Simmons

“He crouched, he lay down like a lion and like a lioness; who will rouse him up? Blessed are those who bless you, and cursed are those who curse you” (Numbers 24:9). As I first pulled together the ideas for … Continue reading →

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Lay Down in Peace

Posted on December 30, 2015 by Carl Simmons

We can get so worked up whenever someone criticizes God or Christians. We want to run to God’s defense—or honestly, much of the time, our own—and say just the right thing that will shut that other person up (in love, … Continue reading →

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Lay Down in Safety

Posted on December 23, 2015 by Carl Simmons

As we walk according to the Spirit, we do not fully know where we he is taking us. But we do know that the Spirit is in front of us, leading us, and ready to guide and protect us as … Continue reading →

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Lay Down in Silence

Posted on December 16, 2015 by Carl Simmons

As we examined last week, we’re often slaves to our own agendas without even realizing it. We can become so paralyzed by self-analysis and self-inflicted hurry that we forget how to simply be obedient in the things God’s already called … Continue reading →

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Rediscovering Our Reverence

Posted on December 11, 2015 by Carl Simmons

“In spite of the amazing advances that we have seen in the church, one great overwhelming loss troubles me greatly. The gains are wonderful, but they do not offset the one devastating loss, and that is the loss of a … Continue reading →

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Lay Down Your Agenda

Posted on December 9, 2015 by Carl Simmons

We’ve had to lay down a lot so far. Some of it has no doubt been difficult; maybe it’s even felt unnecessarily negative to some. But we have a much longer journey ahead, and we need to travel light—especially since … Continue reading →

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Lay Down Your Future: a small-group session

Posted on December 2, 2015 by Carl Simmons

For this session, you’ll need…. beanbags, stress balls, or other soft items that can be tossed around—two for every group of four or five   Laying Down Your Day (10+ minutes) Have everyone get into subgroups of four to five. … Continue reading →

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