Making the right decision can be tough!

I recently read an article that recounted some of the seemingly minor decisions that various people made on September 11, 2001. Those small choices kept them away from their desks or work stations inside the "Twin Towers."

If the so-called minor decisions we make can have such a profound impact on our lives, how much greater are the big decisions? Especially the ones we know are big when we make them. These are the decisions that we stress over. We put them off. We delay deciding in hope that more time would bring greater clarity and therefore a more certain outcome.

But what if you have a major, life changing choice to make and you don't have the time to think it through. To carefully and meticulously weigh out the pros and cons. What if you have to make the decision fast and NOW?!

Gayle Haggard, the wife of a successful pastor and president of the National Association of Evangelicals found out that her loving husband, and wonderful father to their children, had an improper sexual relationship with another man. They were in bed together. He reached out to touch her. Fear, anger, and revulsion surged through her mind and heart. Would she allow the touch? She had to decide and decide NOW in that moment. What would your advice be to her?

Monday, 4/4/2011, we host Gayle Haggard on "PEACETALK" and will give her the opportunity to share her story of heartbreak, confusion, pain, anger, and her decision to move forward with her husband. "PEACETALK" is LIVE today at 12:30pm Eastern on Christian Talk 660 and 92.9FM and also streamed at http://peacetalk.com.

PEACETALK is your place to find hope, get help, and discover peace!

If you have a question or a comment for Gayle Haggard, please share at our Facebook Fan Page or send Larry an email: larry@peacetalk.com. We'll be responding during/after the program.

Give Water. Give Life.

They say that ¾ of the Earth’s surface is water. We ski on it, drink it, water our crops with it. We even take a bath in it, at least once a week, whether we need it or not. :)

All jokes aside, water just might be the most plentiful and most useful substance on the planet.

Recently, we saw water at its worst when the earthquake tide swept over the coast of Japan dealing death and destruction everywhere it surged. A tsunami, a wall of water, is one of the most destructive forces in nature. But there is another, more subtle and destructive, kind of water in the word today – dirty water. Every day, dirty drinking water takes the life of untold thousands and compromises the health of countless others. Can anything be done? The answer is emphatically, yes!

Join Larry Wood as he welcomes Roland Bergeron, Founder/CEO of Water of Life, to PEACETALK this Monday. Roland will be sharing with us how clean water is bringing hope, help, and peace to thousands around the world. You will also be intrigued by his story of how the gospel, presented with a cup of water in Jesus’ name, is changing the lives of so many around the world.

PEACETALK is LIVE every Monday from 12:30-1:00pm on Christian Talk 660 & 92.9FM and is also streamed online at http://PEACETALK.com. Plus, if you miss the LIVE version, please visit our website for the archived broadcast.

Encourage your pastor!

"Tired out!"

"Worn out!"

"Burned out!"

These are a few the comments I hear from pastors and ministry leaders on a regular basis. But, I bet you’re no different. I bet there are times you hit the wall and experience burn out as well, don’t you?!

Ever wish you could take a day off and do something you wouldn’t normally do? Something fun and refreshing, like going on a hike or water skiing. How about taking some time to just relax at a cabin and read, meditate, or even write? I would like to do this. I know my pastor would like to do this to and I bet yours would as well!

Unfortunately, the demands of the modern church ministry just don’t leave much time for margin. The expectations on the congregation and sometimes even the self-imposed expectations are so unrelenting, so demanding, that the only alternative is melt-down or the slow burn of dreams gone by. Desires repress and joy is replaced by despair.

There is a solution. There is a way to take some time and getting your pastor plugged in is as simple as asking. Energize Day Retreats is one way that you can help your pastor experience encouragement, refreshment, and recreation. But picking up the telephone and calling your pastor and letting them know how much you appreciate them is the best place to start. If you want to know more about Andy Bowersox and the ministry of Energize Day Retreats, click here or call (828) 898-3093.

We’d love to know your thoughts about this week’s topic, guest, and broadcast. Share here at our Facebook Fan Page.

Thanks for listening to “PEACETALK with Larry Wood!”

Are you "acting your faith?"

“Act your age!” Who hasn’t heard this from an exasperated parent or teacher? Of course, if your Dave Ramsey you say “Act your wage!” Either way, both expressions indicate there should be more consistency between one’s age and one’s actions.

The Bible talks about ‘acting our faith.’ Of course, those aren’t the exact words used. In Ephesians, the expression is “walk worthy.” In other words, act like a Christian–a Christ follower.

Why do we have to be told? You’d think it would come naturally, wouldn’t you?

Are the people around us seeing our testimony lived out as Christ lives in and through us…in our actions, our attitudes, our character, etc.?

Let’s talk about it. Jeff Rosenau, author of When Christians Act Like Christians, will help us in this thought process some more on “PEACETALK” – this Monday at 12:30pm on Christian Talk 660 and 92.9FM. You can also hear the broadcast LIVE at http://peacetalk.com. Tell a friend!

Find hope, get help, and discover peace with PEACETALK!

(For more information on Jeff and his book, click here.)

Thirty-million: now that’s a lot!

Thirty-million is one tenth of the population of the United States. It’s also twelve million more than the population of New York City (2005 estimate 17,700.00). Even more astounding, thirty-million is also the number of Christians that didn’t show up for church last Sunday because they have been hurt in the church.

Where were you last Sunday? Doing virtual church in front of the TV or computer screen? Are you one of the missing in action?

If the Jesus Christ, depicted as the ‘Good Shepherd,’ would leave the flock and go after one wounded lamb, don’t you think he would leave the flock for 30 million such sheep?

There is a way back for you. It’s on the shoulder of the Shepherd…all thirty-million of you one at a time.

Will you come back?

Share your thoughts at our Facebook Fan Page. You can also email larry (at) peacetalk.com or call with your comments and/or questions at 1-888-660-9535 for Monday 2/28's episode of "PEACETALK" with Larry Wood heard LIVE from 12:30-1:00pm Eastern at http://peacetalk.com.

Hey Sheep, Tend To Your Shepherd!

Have you ever thought that among all of the bruised, hurt, and needy people in a church you would find your pastor? Of course not. After all, he has been to seminary. He has studied the Bible. He knows how to counsel. He has helped others. He has it altogether. The pastor can’t possibly be hurting!

No so. The pastor of a church is just like you and me. He or she suffers the problems of marriage, parenting, economic burdens, personal failures, and the weight of others expectations. The burden of all this can be numbing. The emotional weight can be crushing.

We may not ever think about this because we just don’t think about it or maybe because pastors don’t let on to how deeply they hurt, how insecure they really are, or how bruised and battered they might be by life–how just like the rest of us they really are. Can anything be done to help them? Can the sheep rescue the shepherd?

When the wheels are falling off is there hope? Is there help available and can the pastor and the church find peace? Lots of questions…lets talk answers!

The PEACETALK conversation continues on Facebook. Click here to share your thoughts.

Power Failure

Ever lose your power? It happens often, particularly in storms. It usually only lasts for a few minutes or maybe an hour or so and there is no great harm. But a few years ago, we lost our power for the better part of a week. When the power doesn’t come back on right away you soon discover how dependent you are. You experience weakness. Sometimes even hopelessness.

There are even power failures in the Bible. Samson was known as man of great physical strength. Then one day, while making “sport” of his strength, the Bible says “he went out as before, not knowing the Spirit, his power, had left him”. He experienced a power failure and the consequences were terrible.

One day Jesus sent out the disciples to minister and they came back confused and defeated. They couldn’t cast out some demons. Didn’t Jesus send them out to do this? Didn’t he promise His power? But the power wasn’t there. They had a power failure.

Like the Apostle Paul, do you know what you should do, but just don’t have the power to do it? Do you know what you should not to do, but can’t stop doing it anyway? Do these “power failure” moments seem to be the “norm” of your life? Do you ever see God working in someone else and long for His power to be evident in your life? Are you tired of defeat, discouragement, and your other power failures?

We'd love to hear your response. Share your thoughts at our Facebook Fan Page. Click here.