Christmas (joy and pain)

Dec 25, 2009 by

Merry Christmas! We hope you have a great Christmas this year. We know that some celebrate this time of year while others are grieving. There were 2 deaths this past week that have really impacted me. My grandmother went to be with the Lord. She was 87 and had lived a wonderful life. She was a great influence on my life and was always an encouragement to me. She had been in pain for a few years and so even though there was great emotion we are at peace that she is with Christ. On another note, a friend of mine from elementary school lost his 1 year old in a horrific tragedy. In these moments we do not have words to express the grief or words that comfort. If you have ever been the minister or personally been in that situation you know that presence is crucial not so much the word that are said. These 2 deaths, the week of Christmas, just make me reflect on the hope that we have in Christ. I do not understand why one lives to 87 and another has only 1 year of life. What I do know this Christmas season is that we serve a good God that provides our only hope in this life and in the life to come. My prayer is that each of you will reflect on the hope we have in Christ and remember that he truly is our reason for living. We also know that in the midst of this season we can rejoice in our great king who understands our joys and our immense pains.

God Bless

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Two More INTERSECT Retreat Giveaway Winners!

Dec 23, 2009 by


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INTERSECT Retreat Giveaway winner #6!

Dec 21, 2009 by


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Leadership Basics: Part 4 – Strategy (by Nate Stewart)

Dec 15, 2009 by

The next lens built into our leadership binoculars is Strategy – or Planning.  Once we determine that our Values lie within the scope of God’s Values (via His Word), and thus God’s mission (to make disciples in His world through His church), we pray earnestly for a specific Vision – or Picture – of how this massive Mission is carried out in our own local church cultural context.  God’s Vision for your urban church might be radically different than God’s vision for my suburban or rural church.  So far, so good?

 

The Strategy, or Plan, is the link between Vision and Mission.  I’m a horrible cook, but if I had a basket of apples and my mission was to make applesauce, I would need to figure how to best do that.  In other words, what is the best recipe for what I would envision as great applesauce?  This aspect of leadership can be the most challenging and also the most fun.  I would submit that the best types of applesauce are not all made the same way, but all involve apples and some sort of intentional process.  This process is what separates applesauce from great applesauce and it also prevents me from unintentionally producing apple pudding.   

 


Do you have clearly defined strategies – or specific plans – for successfully fulfilling every component of your holistic ministry Vision? 

 


When ministries simply fail to strategically plan, they are strategically planning to fail…


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A word for the ladies (INTERSECT Retreat)

Dec 14, 2009 by

This note was written from Merritt Johnston who will be leading a session for the ladies at INTERSECT. Merritt has a wonderful ministry focusing on reaching and training up girls to be leaders and women of God. Hear a word from Merritt.


Family, school, work, ministry...struggling to find the balance? Join us for an incredible time with just the girls as we move beyond the world’s version of “liberation” to a God-centered approach to free and abundant living. Until we meet face to face, check out some resources from SAGE at our online home: sageministries.org


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