Challenged Pt. 2

15 05 2008

I feel a blog streak coming on. Read THIS before continuing. Today, as I was praying about this leadership stuff I REALLY sought God on some help in the area of leadership. As soon as I prayed it I was reminded of a conversation Adam and I had yesterday. Adam had just watched Evan Almighty (great flick) and was commenting on an awesome line from that movie. (I then heard Jen Thomas quote the same thing today) God (played by Morgan Freeman) told Evans wife “Let me ask you something. If someone prays for patience, you think God gives them patience? Or does he give them the opportunity to be patient? If he prayed for courage, does God give him courage, or does he give him opportunities to be courageous? If someone prayed for the family to be closer, do you think God zaps them with warm fuzzy feelings, or does he give them opportunities to love each other?” WOW! When I pray for leadership, does God just give it? Or does He give me opportunities to lead as He wants me too. HA! Now that’s crazy. I think so often we pray for something thinking He’ll just ZAP us with what we ask, when in reality He may just give us the opportunity to do what we prayed for. I tend to think that everything we need is already within us, it just needs to be awakened, or needs the opportunity to rise from within. If you are a believer, the SPIRIT OF THE LIVING GOD lives within you and HE holds ALL that we’ll ever need. Sure, there is divine cooperation where we must act, interact, and react with the Spirit. Sure, there are different personalities, different gifts, different purposes for different people. BUT, I KNOW that when God is moving on my heart to ask for something, he might just want me to act when the opportunity arises. Hmmm, a little something to ruminate on. lol

Challenged,

Jeff


Comments : Leave a Comment »

Categories : Discipleship, Element Church, Leadership, Personal

Challenged

15 05 2008

Ever go through stretches in life where you REALLY feel challenged? Not challenged like “Man, this is a challenge!” But challenged like “Man, something needs to change”. Not anything bad. Not something sinful, just change. For the better. Well, regardless whether you have, I’m going through that right now. I am feeling very, VERY challenged in my leadership skills. I want to be able to lead Element Church to wherever God wants to take it. I know that God is NOT limited in what He can do. However, I do believe that as the leader of one of His churches I can limit where He wants to take Element Church. That is convicting and challenging! I want to be the leader that God wants for this church. I don’t want to limit any direction, plan, vision or dream God has. That in mind, sure seems like in my daily prayer and Bible time God has REALLY been leading me this direction. It’s making me ask some SERIOUS questions about how I’m leading and how I want our team to lead. We’ve grown SO rapidly (not complaining) that I feel my leadership hasn’t caught up. And that is probably totally my fault. I don’t EVER want my pastoring or our ministry to go through the motions. I don’t EVER want us to take lightly the way we present the Gospel. The way we worship. The way we serve. I don’t EVER want to stop serving in incredibly creative and relevant ways. And I don’t EVER EVER EVER want to hold back my WICKED AWESOME team of staff, our volunteers or Element Church. I’ve been processing some things in my head about how I can make this next level of leadership. Adam and I are headed to a conference in D.C. next week and we’ve already planned on processing some of these issues. Anyway, that was heavy on my heart and mind and had to get it off. Unfortunately, you caught it! I LOVE Element Church! I LOVE serving in ministry! I LOVE leading my team. I just want to do it in the fullest extent of God’s dreaming, not mine. And God can dream big…look at the universe. lol

Challenged,

Jeff


Comments : Leave a Comment »

Categories : Element Church, Leadership, Personal

Blog Link

15 05 2008

Hey Element Church! I am so proud of our student ministry we have at Element Church and the leadership God has placed there. I’m SUPER pumped to see where Fusion goes now that Curtis and Andy can give more focused time to their respective groups (Varsity and JV). Fusion I believe is living out Paul’s charge to Timothy of “Don’t let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set forth an example…!” Every month Varsity Fusion does a RAK with the students. Here is a link to the latest RAK on the Fusion blog. GREAT JOB FUSION! If you have a child in 6th – 12th grade, let me implore you to get them involved in Elements student ministry. I can’t wait until my own kids are under the leadership and example of couples like Curtis and Heather and Andy and Aubrey!

Proud Leader,

Jeff


Comments : Leave a Comment »

Categories : Blog Link, Element Church, Updates


Follow

Get every new post delivered to your Inbox.

Join 124 other followers