FIVE Minutes with Phil

It's one of those days I will never forget. Tuesday, September 11th, 2001, began with our weekly 5:30 AM elders meeting at the church I was pastoring in Calgary. When our meeting finished, I continued to work in my office, and I received a phone call from one of the elders: Turn on the TV in your office. An airplane has crashed into the World Trade Center in New York City.

There's a lot going on these days! Listen in today to find out more.

The only monarch I have ever has known has passed away at the age of 96. From all accounts, Queen Elizabeth II was a woman of faith who prayed often that the Lord Jesus would guide her in all her responsibilities, and give her strength. What I know for sure is that the Lord doesn't make mistakes when it comes to eternity, and I trust him.

With the Fall, to Eve, God said, "I will make your pains in childbearing very severe; with painful labor you will give birth to children. Your desire will be for your husband, and he will rule over you" ( Genesis 3:16 ). To Adam, God said, "No more hunting and gathering! You're going to have to work to provide food for your family! There will be thistles and thorns. By the sweat of your brow you w...

So man became a living being, but just as God is never alone, He knew that man should not be alone. And as good a friend as an animal can be, it wasn't good enough for mankind. So, as he had throughout the animal kingdom, God created a female to go with the male, to be not only his partner and helper, but to complete him, to be united with him, as the two would become one flesh.

Today's FIVE Minutes with Phil is different. It's a call to action to take your life and/or ministry to a higher level in these challenging days.

Leadership can be exhausting. It will take every ounce of strength you have, and more. It will take every morsel of brain power and wisdom and love. And it can leave you sapped, gasping for air, needing a transfusion, hot coffe, and wondering if you will survive the night. In my experience, many in leadership will give all they've got and more, and those who are cheering on from the sidelines will...

Bombshell. Paul's reason for women not being in authority over men, and not teach men in the church has three components: Adam was formed first, and      then Eve. It was Eve who was deceived,      and brought sin into the world. Women's salvation is in being      a mother. Wow. I think I'd better unpack each of those, and...

In case you didn't know, I love sports. I always have, and I expect I always will. Every sport is different - baseball, hockey, basketball, soccer, football - they are all played differently, and they all illustrate life in different ways. Speaking of a Gameplan… Today, I'm going to focus on how the gameplan works in football, because I think it best shows what a gameplan is all about.

Do you have an idea that's grabbed your heart, and you just know you have to accomplish it? Welcome to FIVE Minutes with Phil, where I'm laying out the steps, principles and ingredients for achieving that dream. Today, I'm going to talk about what it's going to cost.

Albert Einstein, arguably one of the most intelligent persons to ever live, said “ Compound interest is the eighth wonder of the world. He who understands it, earns it … he who doesn't … pays it.” $10,000 today? I remember being asked which I would prefer as a gift: $10,000, or 1 penny, doubling each day for 30 days. At the end of 30 days, $10,000 is still $10,000, while what began as $0.01 has be...

If you want to go fast, go alone; if you want to go far, travel with others. If you have something truly worthy of investing your blood, sweat and tears, do not attempt to make it alone. Find the right people, and travel with them. I have to wonder how many people have crashed and burned simply because they insisted on trying to do it themselves.

Paul writes, "I do not permit a woman to teach or to assume authority over a man; she must be quiet. " So many questions, so little time. I hardly know where to begin. So let's begin with the first word: I. Is this Paul speaking? I'm comfortable with that. Is it God speaking? To be honest, I'm a whole lot less comfortable with that, but I also know that "All scriptures are God-breathed" ( 2 Tim. 3...

Are you ready for some contentiousness? I think we'll find it. A few years back, I had a conversation with someone who said, "You can't believe anything that Paul says in the Bible. After all, he hated women." Ummm, I don't believe that at all. First, I don't believe Paul hated women, and second, we misunderstand some of Paul's writings because we don't understand the context in which they were wr...

Sooner or later, if you have an idea and a plan, it turns into work. So get to it! No more getting ready to get ready. No more starting to start. You decided that this was something you had to do - something you have to do - so, no more dilly-dallying. Get to it! And let's face it - for most of us, that's hard.

Happy Birthday to my big sister, Marion Weller! Today she turns #@%$&* years old! By the time I was born, Marion was almost a teenager. She graduated from high school about the same time as I began kindergarten. She got married and had her family and bought their first house by the time I was in grade 6. What I'm really saying is that we had very little in common until Elsie and I got married...

One of my grandsons, Jace, experienced a couple of truly momentous events in his life last week. He is 21 years old, lives in Duluth, Georgia, and has two semesters left until he graduates from Georgia Tech with a degree in computer science. I have no doubt he has an incredible future set out before him. I thank the Lord every day for him! I asked Jace to write today's "FIVE Minutes with Phil" so...

There are enough things in life that turn out to be drudgery. I know there are people who truly enjoy washing the dishes, but I've never understood why. Maybe that's why the dish detergent " Joy " was given its name. As you stand at the sink, with suds up to your embows, do you have "Dawn" or "Joy?" Joy is like taking happiness to a deeper level. It's the difference between a chuckle and a belly l...

Men - here is my desire - be holy. Get your anger under control, get your ego out of the way, and put your trust in God. Women - here is my desire - be modest, decent, and proper - certainly while at church, worshipping, but outside of church as well. And as I said in my last "Timothy, My Son" post, men should be included in this, too. Modesty, decency and properness aren't just for the women!

This past weekend, we entered the next phase of our lives: one of our grandsons asked his girlfriend to marry him. We have 21 year old grandsons in Duluth, GA. One (Bren) wrote a post for me a couple of months ago before heading to law school this fall, and his twin brother (Jace) will graduate from Georgia Tech in less than a year, and it was Jace who asked Hannah to be his wife.

In 1950 Dwight Eisenhower wrote a letter to a U.S. diplomat in which he said, "Peace-time plans are of no particular value, but peace-time planning is indispensable." He didn't claim it was original with him, but it is a quote worthy of remembering. It is so easy to spend your life getting ready to get ready! I know this is something I am prone to do. I love the planning process - as I've written...

Isn't it strange that asking the question, "Are men and women equal?" has become a politically charged conversation? I'm not interested in getting political here, but I want you to know that in the eyes of God, all are loved, all are valuable, and all are welcome. So in 1 Timothy 2, when Paul first write to men, and then to women, what's going on? Read my latest post at FIVE Minutes with Phil Rout...

So you've got this idea. It could be a life saver, for you, your ministry, your organization, or your community. You know why you want to do it - in fact, you believe you were called to do it. You know what life would look like when - not if - you succeed. You're going to do this. It's going to work, and it's going to make a difference. You even have a "To-Do" list of goals that need to be achieve...

There are dates that will stick in my mind for as long as I am alive. November 22, 1963 is one of them, as President Kennedy was assassinated that Friday in Dallas, Texas. I was 11. September 11, 2001 is another, as first one plane hits one of the World Trade Centre twin towers, and then a second hit the other. A third crashed into the Pentagon, and a fourth was taken down in Pennsylvania. The wor...

Paul writes, "Therefore" - what's the "Therefore" there for? That's always an important question to ask when you're reading the Bible. In the previous verse in 1 Timothy 2 , Paul says, here are four things that I am: A herald An apostle A true      teacher A faithful      teacher I am therefore giving you these instruction - first, to the men: "I w...