I have only recently started following Jarrett Stevens closely, but I am instantly inspired by his vision. Jarrett has a pedigree resume, having served in key roles at Willow Creek Church and North Point Church. He is the author of The Deity Formerly Known as God. The part of his story that inspires me the most is his current venture. Jarrett and his wife Jeanne are leaving the comfort of the mega church to launch Soul City Church in Chicago. It is one of the most publicized and talked about starts of a church of which I have been aware.
Distrust and caution are the parents of security. 1733 Univ of Penn.
Whenever I talk about forgiveness grudges, hurt and past pains seem to surface in people’s lives. I will get emails, Facebook and Twitter direct messages confessing to scars and wounds being opened. In fact, the reaction to the topic of forgiveness is so tender for many, that it draws me back to the issue frequently.
Personally speaking, the older I get the more I am concentrating on my weaknesses.
I know my strengths. I need to know what’s holding me back from being all God wants me to be. I like to surround myself with people that stretch me.
Tim is an amazing leader. His strategic thinking and rational approach to ministry has no doubt made a huge Kingdom impact at Granger and through his well-read blog. Tim probably barely remembers it, but when we were a very young church Tim helped me think through some issues in leadership I was dealing with at the time. It was invaluable. Recently I had the chance to sit with Tim in a strategic meeting and saw firsthand the excellence with which he leads.
Sarah lived 127 years. That’s all. Period. End of the writing of her story on earth. Her memory would live on and we are still reading and talking about her today, but as far as altering her story she only had 127 years of days in which to write it.
I’m older now than I used to be. I have aches I didn’t once have. My hair is more gray. Recently my youngest son said, “Hey Pops, you are starting to look old.” He doesn’t realize how much I’m starting to feel it also. It isn’t completely bad though. As I have entered what may be considered my “middle ages”, I am realizing some benefits from being the age that I am today.
Part of growing an organization is delegating, or getting more people involved in the process of accomplishing the overall goals and objectives of the organization. It cannot be overemphasized that if you want to grow the organization, you must learn to delegate. The part of delegation, however, that many leaders have the hardest time doing is letting go of his or her right to control the work being delegated.
We are not a very formal organization at Grace Community Church. As our church and staff have grown, however, we have recognized the need for more structure. I try to keep an open door policy of leadership and frequently ask for input and try to provide feedback. I realize, however, that communication is one of the areas I continually need to improve upon, especially as our church grows larger.
None of us probably enjoys worrying, yet even Jesus must have recognized our tendency to worry, because He made it a point to challenge us not to worry. The simple truth is that living worry-free is very simple in theory, but it’s the practice of doing what we know to do that is hard for us. Still, in spite of the difficulty, are you up for a challenge? Let me encourage you to follow these steps to a worry-free 2010.