7 Ways to Battle Leadership LONELINESS

by Ron Edmondson

If you are in leadership long enough, there will be days when you simply feel you are all alone and no one understands.

If you are in leadership long enough, there will be days when you simply feel you are all alone and no one understands.
You may feel overwhelmed. Unappreciated. Misunderstood. And alone in all of it.
Christian leader, don’t think of yourself as “less spiritual” on those days. Think of yourself as human. Remind yourself that Elijah felt that way at times. So did the Apostle Paul. Jesus sweated drops of blood in his humanity.
Lonely days in leadership will come. I wrote about them HERE. I also addressed this issue for pastors HERE.
Most likely, those are emotional responses to your circumstances and not based on truth, but they are real. But, what do you do in those days?
Here are seven suggestions:

1. Talk to God.

Be honest with your loneliness. That’s what Elijah did. Better yet, listen to God. Hear His perspective. It trumps yours.

2. Rest.

These days tend to come more often when we are tired. On a recent day like this, I stopped and took a short nap. I was energized when I returned.
On more severe times, you may need to get away for a longer period. Schedule a night at home and go to bed early.
I also find that sometimes it isn’t rest, but exercise I need. When I am not rested or as healthy as I could be it makes me feel more easily tired and more quickly overwhelmed with life.

3. Phone a friend.

I have a few friends I can always count on to encourage me. Granted, you have to be that kind of friend to have one, and the time to build those friendships is before you need them, but, “That’s what friends are for.” (Now you’re singing that song aren’t you?)
Allow your friend to help you see a proper perspective on your day. It’s probably better than you are currently feeling.

If you are in leadership long enough, there will be days when you simply feel you are all alone and no one understands.

4. Plan some time away.

Put it on your calendar now to get away later. It could be for an afternoon, a day or a week, depending on what you can do or need to fully restore yourself emotionally.
The realization that you are actually going to have some down time often fuels you for the present. Plus, you’ll need the rest then even more.

5. Dream a little.

I like to stop what I’m doing and dream about some new venture, some change of pace, something crazy I’d love to see God do in or through me. Dreaming stretches the imagination and fuels your energy and excitement. Plus, you’ll never dream bigger than God can do.

6. Evaluate.

How often do these feelings occur and how long do they generally last? Are there areas of your life that are leading to feelings of loneliness? Are you isolating yourself from others? Do you agree to do more than you can physically do? Do you have a problem saying no?
Do you need to get better at delegating and sharing leadership? Are there really more people around you than your feelings indicate? Are things as bad as your emotions tell you they are? (They usually aren’t.)
Depending on your honest answers, you can evaluate how deep these feelings are and whether or not you need to seek more immediate or long-term help. (There is nothing shameful in a leader seeking counseling or coaching, whichever is needed most.)

7. Look at the big picture.

Again, things probably aren’t as bad as they appear. There are probably people around you who care and are willing to help. You are likely doing better than you feel you are right now.
But, regardless, leaders have to be the ones primarily thinking beyond today. You have to get beyond these emotions to where you are leading people who are looking to you for leadership.
What’s the vision you are trying to accomplish? You may not be where you want to be, but is it still a worthy vision? Has God called you to attempt it? Remember, it’s a marathon not a sprint in accomplishing the best things in life. Find the help you need. Re-energize. Grow through the experience. Move forward.
It’s easy to produce mediocrity. It takes patience, endurance and weathering the periods of loneliness in leadership to produce excellence. Which are you striving to achieve with your leadership?
If you’re a lonely leader today, I’m praying for you. Send me an email if you want me to pray for you by name.
What do you do on the days you’re lonely in leadership?   

Do You Make This Mistake When Sharing Your Faith?

Jo Saxton shares the number one mistake most people make when sharing their faith… and what to do about it.
When it comes to sharing their faith, most people aren’t strategic. Jesus, however, was very strategic in how he modeled evangelism and sharing the Gospel. In fact, He gave us a template for sharing our faith – and yet most people don’t know what that template is.
What Jesus sends the disciples to do is look for the person of peace…and that method is a reproducible strategy. We see it in Luke 9 when Jesus sends out the 12. We see it in the book of Acts with Peter and Cornelius, Paul and Lidia, Phillip and the Ethiopian eunuch looking for these people who are people of peace.
http://youtu.be/XiFO-LQokuc

6 Marks of a Person of Peace

And what we see in scripture is the person of peace is the one who welcomes you, who will receive who you are, who is open to you, open to what you have to say about Jesus, open to the life you live because of Jesus.
But they’re also someone who serves you. So often when we’re seeking to minister we want to do everything for somebody else, but the person of peace often wants to make a contribution in some way.
So, a person of peace will be one who

1. welcomes you
2. receives you
3. is open to you
4. will be open to what you have to say about Jesus
5. is open to the life you live because of Jesus
6. serves you

A person of peace could be a passing relationship. Sometimes a person of peace is a permanent relationship. But the real question is, “Who are your people of peace?”
Who are the people of peace who are open to you, who welcome you, who serve you, and then you will see that the Kingdom of God is nearby.

3 Little Known Secrets To Effective Evangelism

Titus 2:14 reminds us that Jesus gave Himself as the payment to redeem a people from the marketplace of sin, and to purify these people for Himself. This new society has been redeemed by Jesus, for Jesus and through Jesus’ sacrifice, so He is the fulfillment of God’s promises to be our God, and we a people for His own possession.
Because this relationship has been initiated by God and made possible by Jesus, it stands to reason the purpose for this new community will be consistent with God’s revealed purpose in Scripture. Verse 12 says the grace of God is training us to renounce all that is contrary to the purposes of God in our lives and to live in anticipation of the future restoration of all things, brought about by Jesus’ return.
This truth is what discipleship is all about: learning to live in light of the good news that redeemed us, until we think, act, speak and live like Jesus (Romans 8:29). And this is why evangelism must seen as a part of our continual discipleship rather than a one time event that precedes discipleship.
At best, we run the risk of communicating that repentance is needed to enter the Kingdom, but better spiritual formation methods are needed once inside. At worst, we may be communicating that it is possible to come to Jesus for salvation without having any intention of being His disciples.
Here are 3 ways this truth shapes evangelism and discipleship at Soma:

1) Repentance is not an initial decision to come to Jesus, it is a lifestyle.

In order to follow Jesus in a way where I become like Him, I need to confront areas of unbelief in my life every single day. In order for an unbeliever to come to Jesus, they also must allow the same gospel to confront areas of unbelief in their life. In this way, mature believers realize they never move past their need for the Gospel, and unbelievers realize they cannot move forward in a relationship with God without the Gospel.

2) When discipleship becomes the focus of our life in Christ, evangelism becomes normative.

Rather than looking to create evangelistic conversations, the people of God realize that every conversation is an opportunity to remember how Jesus is the fulfillment of everything that we all want from life. When a friend is sharing about their desire for a higher paying job, we know that Jesus is the only true security. When a young lady is sharing about her relationship struggles, we know that no boyfriend can make her any more complete than she is in Christ. When a parent is grieving the loss of a child, we know that God also lost a son, and in so doing, has redeemed suffering.
When the gospel becomes our curriculum for discipleship, these conversations with non Christians happen all the time, because we have been preaching the same gospel to ourselves and other Christians every day. The only difference is one has never believed this truth, and another needs to be reminded.

3) Our public gatherings become a weekly celebration of this truth. 

When the church gathers, we publicly acknowledge our worship of, belief in and need for Jesus. The same gospel that initially saved us is now continually maturing us, and will forever be our only righteousness before the Lord. Because the truth that saves also sanctifies, every unbeliever at a public gathering of the church will know the need to repent of an initial and ongoing desire to usurp God’s throne with our own, every nominal Christian will have a bigger picture of who God is and what He has done, and every disciple already in love with Jesus will have an opportunity to worship the God who is making them holy and blameless before Him.
Mike helps lead one of our Los Angeles churches, Soma Burbank. They are part of our Soma Family of Churches.

Simple Ways To Share Your Faith – Ying Kai & Rick Warren

Rick Warren interviews Ying Kai, the founder of one of the most prolific gospel movements in the world today, about simple ways to share your faith. Ying Kai started a disciplemaking movement built on the principles of simplicity and reproducibility that has led to millions of people coming to Christ, and over 150,000 new churches started in the last 20 years.
http://youtu.be/hM8S69Tg-I8

 *Ying Kai’s image has been intentionally distorted to protect his identity.

An extraordinary life with world evangelist, Luis Palau

An extraordinary life with world evangelist, Luis Palau

By Dan Wooding
Founder of ASSIST Ministries

NASHVILLE, TN (ANS) -- I had just moved to Southern California in 1982 with my family to start a new life here in the Golden State, when a Christian businessman, Duane Logsdon, with whom I had just co-authored a book called "The Million Dollar Promise," invited me to join him and his wife, Carole, on a return trip to the UK to report on a crusade that Argentine-born evangelist, Luis Palau was to hold in the Yorkshire city of Leeds.

Carole and Duane Logson who invited Dan Wooding to join them for the eventful Leeds crusade

Duane was, at the time, chairman of the board for the Luis Palau Association, and I was excited to be able to be back in the land in which I was raised by my missionary parents, Alf and Anne Wooding. (I was born in Nigeria in 1940, but moved to England during World War II two years later.)

It turned out to be a rather strange affair for Luis as he was constantly heckled by some anarchists in the crowded tent where his outreach was being held, but one good thing came out of the Leeds trip, and that was I began a long friendship with David Jones, who is now VP of Corporate Affairs at the Luis Palau Association in Portland, Oregon.

I caught up with David earlier this year at NRB 2013 in Nashville, Tennessee, and was able to interview him for my Front Page Radio program, and we began our chat reliving that bizarre time together in Leeds.

"Well yeah that was back in 1982, and Luis had just come from Guatemala where he had an amazing outreach event attended by 700,000 people on the closing Sunday," he said. "It was phenomenal when you see the aerial photos of it. From Guatemala, we went straight to Leeds, England, where we went from a crowd of 700,000 to maybe a couple thousand people in a tent and people asking us, 'What are you doing in Leeds in a tent?'

"The reason is that Luis just has an amazing affection and love for the British Isles and the people of Great Britain. It was British missionaries that introduced Luis' parents and his family to Jesus Christ. So he feels an amazing indebtedness to Britain for their passion in the old days for sending missionaries all over the world especially to his homeland Argentina."

Luis Palau spoke to overflow crowds every night during his ten-day 1982 Leeds, England Crusade. Despite nightly attempts by anarchists to disrupt the meetings, and threats to burn down the tent, some 35,000 attended the mission

I reminded David that on the first night in that rather dilapidated tent that had holes in the roof where the rain would come in, Luis was about to begin his message when a blonde young woman slowly walked down the aisle, got on the platform, and began shouting, "Luis Palau is a fraud, and the Messiah is living in Clapham." She repeated this several times until the sound engineer was able to "cut off" her microphone and security escorted her out of the tent.

A huge smile enveloped David Jones's face as he remembered the incident, and he said, "Luis was absolutely in shock and he wasn't too sure what was going on because in all his years of preaching and ministry nothing had ever happened like that. You know, of course, it would happen in the British Isles because you Brits are crazy (laughs). But, yes, that was a wild night because once they removed her from the microphone and Luis resumed his message and it came time for the invitation for people to receive Jesus Christ, we then discovered that there were a group of anarchists throughout the audience who had been coached to jump up and down and disrupt the meeting. I recall we had some overzealous Christian police volunteers who I think were with an organization called the Christian Police Association who were very effective at removing the anarchists from the meeting.

"These protests went on every night of the meetings in Leeds. It was wild. We even had several bomb scares and threats to burn down the tent."

He went on to say, "I don't think Americans realize that that this part of England has had a lot of satanic influence with a long history of occult activity and black magic. It's one part of England where historically it's been a very demonic area so to go in there and share the love of Jesus Christ was special to us in a bid to try to dispel that darkness.

David Jones, Luis Palau's colleague for 35 years

"But an amazing thing happened during the Leeds crusade. We've been laughing about it now, but there was just a great harvest at that event. Luis and I and other team members have run into people the last 35 years all over England who say they came to know Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior when they attended the tent meetings in Leeds. So something good came out of it.

"But not just in England. We were over in China a few years ago where Luis has had an open door to do ministry there, and he was privileged to speak at one of the leading universities in China, probably considered equal to Harvard, and he was asked to speak on 'Is Jesus Christ Relevant?' The interesting thing is when he was in Leeds he spoke at the University there on the very same topic. So Luis is addressing professors, students at this prestigious university in China, and afterwards two professors came up to him and whispered in his ear. One of them said, 'We were students at Leeds University back in 1982 when you came and spoke and we gave our lives to Jesus Christ that day.'

"This just shows the importance of befriending and reaching out to international students. It's a very important ministry.

"But back to his visits to the UK, it's amazing how many events we've had where for whatever reason the anarchists want to come out and try to disrupt the meetings. But you know what they meant for evil the Lord has effectively turn for good and we've been blessed to work with our brothers and sisters in England, Scotland and Wales through the years and we've just seen many people trust Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior.

"Two of the reasons Luis loves going back to the British Isles are because he wants to show his gratitude for the number of missionaries Great Britain has sent throughout the world, and it gives him an opportunity to meet so many men and women who came to know the Lord at one of his meetings, many of whom have gone into the pastorate or fulltime ministry. By the way, Matt Redmond, the well-known worship song-writer, at age 12 made his decision to follow Jesus Christ at a Luis Palau crusade in London at old Queens Park Rangers stadium."

David then told me that Luis Palau has preached now in over 75 countries, often with great danger to himself.

Luis preaching in 2011 at his Arizona Festival in Phoenix

"I know the Shining Path Guerillas put a contract out on Luis's life. They said, 'Leave the country now or you're going to die like a dog.' Luis didn't know what that meant, but it didn't sound very good. So his security team had to take him to a different hotel every night so hardly anyone knew where he was. Obviously at the stadium the security was very high and fortunately he didn't 'die like a dog' -- he's still alive and preaching.

"He's 78 years old and is the most healthy and fit 78 year old I know. He's got a fifteen year plan. I mean how many 78 year old men have a fifteen year plan for their life?"

I then asked David to give an outline of Luis Palau's background, and he replied, "Luis is from Argentina and was born into a very affluent family. His dad was a very successful contractor, but sadly when he father was in his mid-thirties and Luis was only 12 years old, his dad died of pneumonia leaving behind Luis and his five younger sisters. His mother was not a business woman and within a couple of years she lost the business to some relatives.

"So the family went from wealth and affluence to extreme poverty and, during those teenage years, Luis thought he'd become a lawyer so he could defend all the widows and orphans in South America, but the Lord got a hold of him and helped him realize that he could do a lot more good for the world by proclaiming God's Good News and introducing people to his Son, Jesus Christ.

Luis and Pat Palau

"When Luis was in his early twenties he came to the United States to further his theological studies at Multnomah Biblical Seminary in Portland, Oregon where he met his wife Patricia. People often ask us why our headquarters are in that Portland, Oregon, and the reason is it's the hometown of Mrs. Palau which would be a good enough reason, but Portland is also a nice place to live. "In the early sixties, Luis and Pat were missionaries with Overseas Crusades, which became OC International. Luis eventually became president of the mission and then in 1978 he stepped down as president to form his own evangelistic team headquartered in Portland. Since 1978 Luis has done scores and scores of outreach events around the world, some of the largest evangelistic events in the history.
"He's had the privilege of introducing millions of people to Jesus Christ and the Lord has really blessed his ministry. Being originally from Argentina, Luis speaks Spanish fluently but he is also fluent in English. Luis has three daily radio programs, one in English and two in Spanish. He's been broadcasting in Spanish for over fifty years. Luis has no idea how old he is because he's got the same amount of energy that he had when I first met him thirty-five years ago."

China has been a place where Luis Palau has had some amazing experiences, said Jones.

"Luis has had a love for China since he was a boy," he went on to say. "His mom helped him develop a love for all people, but especially the people of China. As a boy Luis prayed for countries especially China and he dreamed of the day when he might be able to share Jesus Christ with the Chinese people.

"Then the Lord miraculously opened up that door some thirteen years ago. We went in through the front door, not the back door, befriended national leaders both in political and religious circles. It took a lot of time and patience. Luis just won favor with the People's Republic of China and they've allowed him to do quite a number of outreach events. I don't know of anyone else who's been allowed to do these things.

"In the process, Luis befriended Zhao Qizheng, the minister of information and former Mayor of Shanghai, and they became very good friends. Dr. Zhao then suggested to Luis, 'Let's do a televised debate on Christianity and atheism.' So they did this national televised debate that was also carried on the radio. They called it "A Friendly Dialogue Between an Atheist and a Christian.' The marvelous thing about it was that Dr. Zhao presented his case, but the Chinese authorities also allowed Luis to explain what he believes, why he believes it, why he's a Christian and why he's a follower of Jesus.
"And the most fascinating thing is that they took the audio of the televised debate, had it transcribed and then Dr. Zhao and Luis were given editorial license to edit the transcript and make it into a book. The Chinese government printing press published it and it became a best seller."

David then explained why the Palau Association has, in recent years, expanded his outreaches into festivals.

"What happened was we shamelessly copied the Billy Graham model for years feeling why not copy the best. Luis and our ministry have the greatest respect and admiration for Dr. Graham and the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association," he said. "In the early days, they were so gracious and generous to help us get going. Actually it was a gift from the Graham Association that enabled Luis to start his ministry.

Luis with two of his sons -- Kevin, left and Andrew right

"But around the end of the nineties the crusade model wasn't working for us anymore for a lot of reasons. But we did notice on youth night, the crowds were bigger and we had more unchurched people show up. Luis's sons -- he's got four boys -- were just having a conversation one weekend saying that we need to come up with a model that will be attractive to young people. "Andrew Palau, one of Luis's sons who was at one time sort of the black sheep of the family [and who has written a book about his rebellion called 'The Secret Life of a Fool'] and had just come to Christ, said, 'Dad, we need to come up with a model that's attractive to my old frat buddies from the University of Oregon because they're not going to come to a football stadium and listen to a choir and a preacher.' So we totally discarded the model we'd been using and we came up with these outdoor festivals where there's music and food courts and sometimes a petting zoo as well as a children's area with inflatables, a skate park and BMX motorcycles.
"At first I think Luis thought this was going to destroy his ministry and I know he was wondering what in the world are the pastors going to think of this model. And when we did the first festival in '99 in Portland, Oregon, some reporter asked Luis, 'Well, how many people do you think will come?' Luis replied, 'I'll be happy if 5,000 people show up and then I'll be giddy if 10,000 people show up, but you know if 5,000 show up we'll be happy.'

"We had 93,000 people show up for the event and the impact on the city of Portland was absolutely fantastic. It was the beginning of what's being called 'The Portland Story,' a model for sustainable community service and evangelism. There's just something very special happening in Portland, Oregon and it started with a prayer movement and that '99 festival."

What does festival consist of?

Kevin Palau, president of the Luis Palau Association, speaking at the 2008 Portland Festival

"It looks sort of like a normal festival you'd see in any city," said Jones. "It's a safe event to invite your friends because it looks like other festivals in the city with music, food and corporate sponsors. During the day, in different parts of the park, the gospel is being shared on multiple stages. There might be different kinds of entertainment and performances and music, but often as many as 12 times during the day somebody is sharing the Good News and giving people an opportunity to receive Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior and people are standing by to pray with them and counsel with them.

"In the evenings there will be several headlining bands and obviously that's very attractional for people. And then Luis will do what he's been doing for five decades -- he'll give the Good News. He might be wearing khakis and a polo shirt as opposed to a suit and tie, but the message hasn't changed, just the packaging. And we always save the best band for last because we realize that if Luis were last on the agenda a lot of unchurched kids might leave the park after the final band. We purposely leave the last band till the end of the evening.

Luis' son Andrew preaching at the San Diego Festival in 2010

"We've actually had some events where we've even had fireworks. The festivals are slightly different in every city. The music's a little different depending on what the churches inviting us might want in terms of local music tastes. There's lots of room for creativity. But we want it to look like a normal event, a normal festival that's held in every city. There are festivals going on all the time in America. "The big difference is no alcohol (laughs). It is a Christian event organized by the Palau Association and the hundreds of churches that invited us. But it's a fun, free family-friendly event where it's easy to invite an unchurched person to come have a day of fun with the family, but it's also an opportunity for them to hear the claims of Jesus Christ in a very relevant and practical way."

I concluded the interview by asking David what was the biggest lesson he had learned from Luis Palau over his many years of working him.

"I think one of the lessons was something that happened when I left the business world 35 years ago to join Luis," he said. "A very wise man, Dr. Jim Williams, pulled me aside and he said, 'The most important thing you need to know when you go into ministry is some things aren't wrong; they're just different.' And that's something that those of us who are followers of Jesus Christ forget at times. I think a lot of times we want to attach a moral value to things that are just a matter of taste and they're not really right or wrong, they're just different."

And Luis Palau is definitely different, but what a legacy he has given to the world.

To learn more about the ministry, please go www.palau.org and to hear the entire interview with David Jones, please go to: http://www.assist-ministries.com/FrontPageRadio/FPR7.21.13DavidJonesMono.mp3 

Note: I would like to thank Robin Frost for transcribing this interview.

   

Stories from the Field: Nigeria

Stories from the Field: Nigeria

My name is Emily and I am a staff member at Open Doors USA. This past September, I had the opportunity to go to Nigeria to meet with some of our persecuted brothers and sisters. Nigeria is ranked as the 13th most difficult place to be a Christian on the Open Doors World Watch List and last year, more than 800 Christians died as a result of persecution.

In the months leading up to this trip, God began to place the Christians of Nigeria on my heart. It seemed like almost every weekend, I had read about another attack on a Nigerian church in the news. I remember reading one story in particular.

"Two victims died in the most recent church attack in Nigeria," I said to my husband.

Comparatively, that really was amazing (especially since many of the other attacks had taken the lives of up to 60 people in a single incident). There were more than 600 people in attendance that day and a suicide bomber had driven up to the front of the church to set off a bomb in his car. I was truly amazed that there were not more causalities and was thankful that so many had survived, despite being saddened by the loss of two lives.

Little did I know that less than two months later, I would actually meet some of the survivors of this very attack and others like it.

Below are the stories of Hannatu, Usman and Grace, three Christians I met while I was in Nigeria. Would you take a moment to read each of their stories, to learn more about persecution in Nigeria and how you can be praying for our suffering brothers and sisters there?

Thank you for being One With Them,
Emily

Hannatu's Story

Usman's Story

Grace's Story

The Redemptive Power of Release #C4TK

Posted on 7/3/2013 by Tim Nations in the Learnings Blog

This past Sunday we wrapped up our first Code for the Kingdom hackathon (#c4tk) in San Francisco, in partnership with Carpenters and Menlo Park Presbyterian Church.  The event was a phenomenal success, bringing together dozens of developers, designers, entrepreneurs, pastors, and Kingdom investors to serve up real world challenges and allow talented and passionate technologists from across the country to form teams and develop solutions.  In the coming days we will give a more full report of some of the new technology that came out of the weekend.  For now I want to focus on a more personal story.
One of the phrases heard often leading up to, as well as during this weekend’s event went something like this: “I can’t believe the Church would be interested in doing something like this.”  For many Christian technologists, the path for connecting their talents and passions to something of eternal significance seldom runs through the local church.  Instead, they are left to try and launch out on their own or are forced to use their gifts only for marketplace purposes.  That shouldn’t be.
We want to change all that.  Why?
In order for the church to be successful in a digitally-centered world, its leaders must actively seek ways to leverage the untapped potential in their pews and outside their walls.  Leaders need to think beyond website management and sermon slides, allowing those with this critical skill set to be released in an environment of freedom and support.  We saw amazing things develop in just under 48 hours with limited resources, minimal planning, and very little sleep.  Imagine what could be done with plentiful resources, weeks of planning, and, well, at least a little more sleep.  Furthermore, God has gifted these men and women for the same reason He gave gifts of pastoral care, leadership, prayer and discernment: so that Christ’s body might be built up and matured as each does their part.  The gifts of Kingdom-minded technologists are needed by the Body!
But enough of the sermon; on to the story.
It was evident from the beginning this hackathon was about more than just technology.  What transpired in a quirky concrete space in downtown San Francisco was powerful and redemptive.  Its somewhat difficult to describe.  So instead, listen to this comment shared by one of the developers:

“It was truly a memorable event.  Twelve years ago, I would have never seen myself (who was then an atheist that adamantly denied God) using computer programming to help facilitate studying and understanding God’s word.  Truly I feel so blessed that God has even redeemed this skill which I thought could only serve the purposes of men.  A sincere thanks to the organizers of the event for finally giving me a reason (and excuse) to begin making my dream and vision, and for the team members who brought in their critical skills and talents (blessed by God, of course) to make that vision come to life.”

That’s one of the reasons we’ve called this the ‘Beyond Digital Initiative’.  Technology is a tool that, in the hands of Jesus, has the power to transform lives for all eternity.  But it isn’t about the technology.  Its about the people who create the technology and those that lay on the other side of the screen.  Its about affirming the men and women who can develop the tools to reach into places and impact lives in ways we currently can’t.  If you are a church leader reading this today, begin prayerfully considering how you can discover, connect with, develop and release technologists for Kingdom good.  Consider the development of digital tools as significant a mission effort as sending teams to the inner city or to the other side of the world.  Give them a platform to place their ‘loaves and fishes’ before Christ, and watch them multiplied so that all who hunger and thirst may be filled.
Are Tech Tools Central to Your Church's Strategy?
If you are investing in technology as a key strategy to reach, develop, and deploy people for the Kingdom, I'd love to learn more.  Leave a comment or send me an email.  I look forward to connecting.

By Tim Nations

Tim Nations serves as Director of InnovationLabs and the Director for Rapid Growing Churches, Group Four.

“Listening In” to Peoples’ Lives

Posted on 6/26/2013 by Reggie McNeal in the Learnings Blog

Frequently I get invitations from people to "speak into" their lives.  These might be clients I am coaching or even people who request a meeting with me when I am out speaking somewhere.  These are always people looking for advice and/or observations from my perspective.  I don't mind their request!  After all, I am a spiritual leader, and most of us spiritual leaders do this a lot!  Sometimes we "speak into" peoples' lives from pulpits, in publications, or in person in one-on-one encounters.  It's what people expect from us, and most of us are happy to oblige, since people need spiritual direction.

But I think it's also important for us to "listen in" to peoples' lives as well.  Maybe even more than we are doing.  On more than one occasion I have found myself jumping in with my "sage advice" when I was not really up-to-speed with the information I needed for my advice to be helpful.  I watched this in a group dynamic just the other night when one person in attendance shared a personal prayer request that stirred up quite a bit of feedback from the group.  Not one person asked a follow-up question for clarification, which would have greatly informed their suggestions. Most of their advice was based on their own personal experience, which had little to do with the petitioner's personal dilemma!

We all know what it feels like to be part of a "conversation" where we did none of the talking and the other party did none of the listening.  I've met people who apparently think that I want to know more about them than I really do, and seem to believe that every encounter is a way for them to update me with more news--about them. I've probably been that person, so don't write back to remind me.

Through the years I have become marginally better at "listening in."  I usually do this by asking questions, trying not to interrupt, and being quiet. I think it has allowed me to be more helpful to people.

Just thought I'd "speak into" your life so you can "listen in" more with others.

Thanks for listening!

IT'S TIME TO WAKE UP - FRANKLIN GRAHAM

Wake-Up Call
by Franklin Graham



Christian organizations are under relentless pressure to retreat from biblical standards. It’s high time for America to wake up, get down on our knees, and beg God for forgiveness, wisdom and moral backbone.

Otherwise, far too many Americans face the same judgment that Paul warned the Romans about: “For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth. For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse” (Romans 1:18-20, ESV).

At Gettysburg 150 years ago, President Abraham Lincoln declared “that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom.”

Lincoln was talking about the end of slavery, but his words could also apply to the moral quagmire we face today. As Americans celebrate our independence, what we need most of all is true freedom from the enslavement of sin—salvation through the new birth made possible in Jesus Christ.

Wake up!      Share

THE ETERNAL PURPOSE OF GOD - TIME OUT MINISTRIES

A few years ago I had a conversation with the heavenly Father which was
so real that I did not question the reality of it. It was a coversation that
was to have profound implications and one that was to change the emphasis of
my ministry from that moment on.

I was reflecting on the oddity of God in choosing the Jews from all other
nations as His chosen people…As the saying goes....'How odd of God to
choose the Jews’.  I realise of course that God did not chose the Jews
from all the nations that already existed but created or formed them from the
seed of Abraham.

I asked Him that question and He responded by asking me the same question
myself.

I replied by given the answer I had gleaned from university, the Christian
books I had read and sermons I had heard.

“Because You are a God of love. Love has to be expressed and so must
have an object for its love. There has to be both a Lover and a Beloved. You
needed to create the Jews as your people so that you could lavish your love
upon them.” His response was devastating!
“How dare you! ……I
need nothing! The relationship of love between Myself, My Son and the Holy
Spirit is perfect. We need nothing else. We are complete! No! Nothing I do is
out of need but is out of GRACE!

There are three things that have always been at the centre of My eternal
purpose.

Firstly, I have always wanted to live with my creation. I have always
wanted a home, a home on planet earth.

Secondly, I have always desired a family. In fact I created the Jews so
that they and the adopted Gentiles whom I call, would be formed into a
family, my family. I have always wanted a family who would love Me and whom I
could love and express that love so very deeply.

Then, thirdly and most importantly, out of this company of people of every
tribe and every race, My son the second Adam, would birth a Church, which
would be His Body on earth. And I, the Eternal Father, would bring forth a
woman, a second Eve, out of His rib when on the cross that spear pierced His
side.

This would be My greatest gift of all. It has always been my desire to
give a love gift of a Bride to My Son. She is the ultimate purpose of all my
creation. In that sense She is the central theme of all scripture and the
culmination of all natural history”

Yes my friends, WE ARE THAT CORPORATE BRIDE and He the Lord Jesus, is our
Bridegroom King.

Let us love Him, adore Him, wait for Him and prepare ourselves to be
worthy of Him at His coming.

Come Lord Jesus. Come!

-----------------------------------------------

Go to
www.timeoutmission.org [1] for the latest news and articles from Time Out 
Mission
International