I was listening to the bible CD on my way to work and in James 2:23, he is talking about Abraham and refers to Gen 15:6 "the friend of God" and it goes on to say that faith without works is dead. As I was listing to this I was reminded of a acronym John Maxwell used in his book Developing the leaders Around You and I thought I would share that with you today.
I have on several occasions written about adding value to those around you. It is about doing everything you can to bring out the best in someone through your actions. John Maxwell used the word BEST to create this acronym.
Believe in them
Encourage them
Share with them
Trust them
The Lord asked Abraham to do something that many of us would probably have a very hard time doing. In Genesis 22 God asked Abraham to sacrifice is on son as a burnt offering and without complaint or question Abraham did as the Lord asked of him. For Abraham's faith and obedience, a ram was provided for him to offer instead and his son was spared. Because of this faith God blessed his family and his descendants.
Abraham believed in the Lord and trusted him with all that he had; even his son and for this God blessed him and his family. Do we believe in Jesus Christ with the same measure of faith and trust?
You will hear many times that you should be willing to pay the same price you asked your followers to pay. Well, God did just that, He sent his son Jesus to pay the price for our sins. He will never asked us to pay for our sins again, instead he is asking that you bring out the Best in your family, small group, employees and everyone you meet. He will never ask you to sacrifice your son or daughter as a burnt offering, but he is asking you to lead them in the way, they truth, and the light; that they will willing give their own lives to Christ Jesus.
Our goal should be to feed and guide those around us, give of yourselves, invest our lives in theirs and they will see Christ light through our lives. They will feel secure and their faith will grow.
A strong foundational relationship is built on trust and nurturing. If we can use this tools to bring out the best in those around us, we will be able to raise up new leaders that will surpass our own vision and dreams.
God bless
Tuesday, March 11, 2008
Tuesday, February 26, 2008
Do you hear it? Do you see it? Do you feel it?
Are you a intuitive Leader? Do you have the spiritual gift of discernment? Today more then any other time before us, we need to have a clear understanding of what going on around us.
If we are going to continue to reach out to a lost and dying world, we need to understand the cultural impact of the population and the places we live. We need to be better prepared to "move" when the time is right. We need to have a strategy in place if we are going to succeed.
Are you really in tune with your surrounds? Do you know the culture of your area. Do you know what to look for? Do you know what they are looking for? What is your audience? Is it local, is multi-cultural, is it remote (web, tv, radio), is it diverse? Can you reach all of them with you game plan? Do you truly understand the trends and the resonance of the times? Can you sense the shifts and adapt appropriately?
Not all of us are equipped for discernment, but those of you that can should stand and be counted among those willing to serve GOD, by serving their community. By enlisting your talents and gifts into Gods service you can help fill the gap between God and those still searching for something to fill the void in their life.
The time is here to serve, its time to follow Gods call in your life. Can you hear Gods words? Can you see Gods truth? Can you feel Gods love?
SHARE IT.....
GOD BLESS
If we are going to continue to reach out to a lost and dying world, we need to understand the cultural impact of the population and the places we live. We need to be better prepared to "move" when the time is right. We need to have a strategy in place if we are going to succeed.
Are you really in tune with your surrounds? Do you know the culture of your area. Do you know what to look for? Do you know what they are looking for? What is your audience? Is it local, is multi-cultural, is it remote (web, tv, radio), is it diverse? Can you reach all of them with you game plan? Do you truly understand the trends and the resonance of the times? Can you sense the shifts and adapt appropriately?
Not all of us are equipped for discernment, but those of you that can should stand and be counted among those willing to serve GOD, by serving their community. By enlisting your talents and gifts into Gods service you can help fill the gap between God and those still searching for something to fill the void in their life.
The time is here to serve, its time to follow Gods call in your life. Can you hear Gods words? Can you see Gods truth? Can you feel Gods love?
SHARE IT.....
GOD BLESS
Monday, February 25, 2008
We can't grow without changing
Wow, Politics conversations are everywhere you go, I just can't seem to get away from all this talk about CHANGE. So, since I can't escape it I am going to embrace it.
I am sure that just about everyone has said at one pint or another in their life that they need to make a change, whether it is physical, emotionally or spiritually. Isn't that what New Years resolutions are all about? I wrote my thoughts on that subject earlier in the year if you are interested click here.
What is CHANGE, by definition it is: To alter; to make different; to cause to pass from one state to another; as, to change the position, character, or appearance of a thing; to change the countenance.
So how do we go about making a change in our lives, we must learn from our mistakes and others mistakes. Take the lessons life gives us and use the for the betterment of our selfs. We must always be willing to learn, without continuous knowledge increase you begin to loss what you have already learned. This goes for both emotional and spiritual growth. Always make time to learn something new, always be open minded in your pursuit of knowledge.
Choose who you are going to allow to influence your life, Who you hang around with dictates you who will be in the short term and can have a life time impact on you. Remember that this road goes both ways and your influence on them will have the same effect.
So, about today's politics, We have a choice to make, we need to pick the right person to lead our country. They are all talking change, but can one person have enough of an impact in 4/8 years to really make a difference? Can one person be the catalyst?
Can one person be so captivating, so energizing, so influential that a nation will stop and listen? Can this person cast a vision so well that a nation will follow? Will this person be able to pass the ownership of the vision to the entire nation empowering them to action? Will they be able to cross the lines of parties ensuring the success of the vision. Even after all of this, does the nation really want to change?
Our current leadership has said that we need to "STAY THE COURSE".
We need new leadership that is capable of turning a nation to a New course. A course that get us headed in the direction we started in.
A nation not looked at for it's natural resources and physical beauty but for it's high morals and values. A nation willing to give a neighbor a hand up not just give them a hand out. A nation built on Trust and Integrity. A nation willing to learn from its mistakes and be part of the "team" willing to build a better tomorrow for every nation, and stop presuming to be the de facto leader of the world. We need a leader who will represent who we want to be as a nation not who we are today.
So, the real question is, are we individually ready to except the change we need to make? Can we learn form past mistakes, can we learn new ways to do things. Are we willing to pay the price for change? Are you willing to be a leader, step out and live your life for Christ. We are not going to change a nation from the top, The vision can be cast there, but the action needs to happen right here in our community. Only WE have the power to effect change. Only you have the power through GOD to change you. Start influencing the people around you, live your life for Christ, use your gifts and skills to their fullest and never stop Growing.
God Bless
I am sure that just about everyone has said at one pint or another in their life that they need to make a change, whether it is physical, emotionally or spiritually. Isn't that what New Years resolutions are all about? I wrote my thoughts on that subject earlier in the year if you are interested click here.
What is CHANGE, by definition it is: To alter; to make different; to cause to pass from one state to another; as, to change the position, character, or appearance of a thing; to change the countenance.
So how do we go about making a change in our lives, we must learn from our mistakes and others mistakes. Take the lessons life gives us and use the for the betterment of our selfs. We must always be willing to learn, without continuous knowledge increase you begin to loss what you have already learned. This goes for both emotional and spiritual growth. Always make time to learn something new, always be open minded in your pursuit of knowledge.
Choose who you are going to allow to influence your life, Who you hang around with dictates you who will be in the short term and can have a life time impact on you. Remember that this road goes both ways and your influence on them will have the same effect.
So, about today's politics, We have a choice to make, we need to pick the right person to lead our country. They are all talking change, but can one person have enough of an impact in 4/8 years to really make a difference? Can one person be the catalyst?
Can one person be so captivating, so energizing, so influential that a nation will stop and listen? Can this person cast a vision so well that a nation will follow? Will this person be able to pass the ownership of the vision to the entire nation empowering them to action? Will they be able to cross the lines of parties ensuring the success of the vision. Even after all of this, does the nation really want to change?
Our current leadership has said that we need to "STAY THE COURSE".
We need new leadership that is capable of turning a nation to a New course. A course that get us headed in the direction we started in.
A nation not looked at for it's natural resources and physical beauty but for it's high morals and values. A nation willing to give a neighbor a hand up not just give them a hand out. A nation built on Trust and Integrity. A nation willing to learn from its mistakes and be part of the "team" willing to build a better tomorrow for every nation, and stop presuming to be the de facto leader of the world. We need a leader who will represent who we want to be as a nation not who we are today.
So, the real question is, are we individually ready to except the change we need to make? Can we learn form past mistakes, can we learn new ways to do things. Are we willing to pay the price for change? Are you willing to be a leader, step out and live your life for Christ. We are not going to change a nation from the top, The vision can be cast there, but the action needs to happen right here in our community. Only WE have the power to effect change. Only you have the power through GOD to change you. Start influencing the people around you, live your life for Christ, use your gifts and skills to their fullest and never stop Growing.
God Bless
Wednesday, January 30, 2008
Dreams
I am not going to try to add anything to this. Except click, watch, listen and share.
http://www.sonnyradio.com/lastlecture.html
Pass it on.
God bless
http://www.sonnyradio.com
Pass it on.
God bless
Thursday, January 24, 2008
Equipping for Ministry
Every Day I spend a few minutes reading a daily devotional on leadership and contemplating the words I read... A lot of my blogs come from these thoughts.
If I had to pin point the biggest task before the church today, I would say that it is effectively equipping our ministry leaders, small group leaders and volunteers with resources to reach lost souls for Christ. In Ephesians chapter 4 Paul is pointing out that it was Jesus Christ who equipped us for the task at hand.
Ephesians 4:11-13 (New International Version)
11It was he who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers, 12to prepare God's people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up 13until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.
In following Christ example, we must be willing to do the same for those around us. This is a very hard thing to do, we have to be able to:1.
Communicate effectively
Affirm regularly
Recognize continuously
Exemplify Christ like actions
2. Work on their weakness and work out of the strengths
3. Give of your time, energy and focus
4. Give them the ownership of their Ministry (freedom to succeed and recognize it, freedom to fail and be accountable for it and learn form it.)
5. Provide the resources they need to be successful
6. Clearly define expectations
7. Be willing to remove the burdens, walls and obstacles typically held in place by old processes.
8. Be great at catching them in the ACT of doing something good and reward them for it.
Our lives are an open book to the people around us, we have no choice in if we impact them, only how we impact them. As a leader you have the opportunity to influence and guide those around you. You don't have to be a flamboyant leader to lead someone to Christ, just be deliberate in your walk and aware of your potential influence and lead through your actions.
GOD BLESS
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