I've Been Thinking About This…

Margaret Thineburg:

Searching for the meaning behind metaphors in the Bible by interviewing people who have those jobs today – vine growers, shepherds, etc..

Where God has planted you – in a bulk vinyard like Fresno or a small one like Napa – celebrate where you’ve been planted.

Pete Wilson:
The Crisis of transformation
People are attending church, but they’re not changing very much – not becoming more Christlike. What’s the difference.
As church leaders we have reduced church to numbers. We need to save people not just ‘from’ something but ‘for’ something.
Not going to mention what happened at the pool…

Vision – We’re drawn toward God’s vision for our lives – or we try to change God’s vision for us.
Intention – People must own their own spiritual lives.
Method – teach people to abide in Christ.

Walter August, Jr:

What we do in minstry in church:

1. Commit to God’s word above everything else – even when we become unpopular.
2. Must continue to pray – in the plural – so that everybody can be impacted. God has to move. Go to Him in prayer first.
3. Commit to each other.
4. Worship together without focusing on self
5. Go out into the world in that spirit – it’s our witness.

Jon Tyson:

• As pastors we are spiritual leaders – we need spiritual stamina and strength.
• We need power, not just techniques.
• It’s possible to empty the Cross of its power.
• The spiritual leader who spends time in prayer resonates with the Holy Spirit. Following someone else we become an echo which has little power.

Larry Osborne:
Most of the problems we suffer today have a response in the NT only because they had parallels in those days.

We can neither be people who say the sky is falling, nor people who bury heads in the sand.

We need to be encouraged – we know how the game ends.

Matt Carter:
“Letting God go” is about a religion reporter who stops believing in God, because the only difference between Christians and non-Christians is that non-Christians are more open.
Confession of sin to God results in forgivness.
Confession of sin to one another results in healing.

Is there an unseen sin in your life? If so, it will destroy your ministry.

Scott Williams:
talking about “Church diversity sucks” (but it doesn’t have to).
church worship is the most segregated time of the week.

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Craig Groeschel:
3 things that God has been working on at LifeChurch.tv:

1. Working hard to let people become spiritual inovators. Values are constant, but culture must evolve.
2. Recruiting volunteers. Tend to delegate tasks and developing followers. Want to delegate authority to develop leaders.
3. Want to ensure that ministry is done by overflow rather than pass-thru. Done by seeking God more intently.

Leonard Sweet:

Sept 8, 1504 – Michelangelo unveiled David. Gave David a bigger head than normal – how do you deal with you big head?

David’s confrontation with God via Nathan listed in Psalm 51.

The “Jesus spirit” – confidence (we can do this – no limits) and humility (only with you). All things through Christ.

Teresa McBean:

Challenge your assumptions if you want to reach others for Christ

You can only be a transformer if you tell yourself the truth. Many church leaders do not run the race well – are we allowing God to speak into our lives with the truth? How can we tell addicts to trust God to transform them if we won’t trust Him ourselves?

Gregg Surratt:

Innovation grows out of desperation.

When something broken or it’s a barrier, how do you get around it? You have to innovate:

1. You get discouraged.
2. Trust God. Ask the barrier-breaking questions… He can break through barriers.
3. Brainstorming: green-light thinking – there are no bad ideas.
4. Every idea fits into the matrix: Easy vs Hard; big-win vs small win
5. Every new idea has an expiration date. Somebody shepherds it for a time. Every idea dies when it is given up on.
6. If we do not quit, God will bring the harvest.

Rick Rusaw:

Shift in the question we’re asking in church: from “How can we be the best church in the coummunity?” to ‘How can we be the best church for the community?”

Holy shoddy is still shoddy.

When we didn’t like the public schools or politics, we started our own – but it disengaged us from culture.

We’ve got to re-engaged. Get back into the stream that goes by the front door.

David Swanson:

John 10:10 – I came that they might have life, and have it to the full.

So many ministry leaders and pastors today who are dropping out. We can be our own worst enemies.

As communicators, we can manipulate people to give us the strokes. We get followed, so we think we’re great. We love how people look at us, but we don’t want them to find out who we are, so we isolate ourselves and fail to build into our lives the structures we should have for authenticity.

We hurt the Church.

Eph 5:27 – so that he might present the church to himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish.

We should protect the Bride in every thing we do.

Public persona and who you are in private must draw together. The closer these are, the more authentic you are.

1. What’s your time with the Lord like? Are you disciplining yourself?
2. What accountability do you have? Who can get into your business and into your face?
3. Who do you have that mentors you?
4. What are you doing to protect your marriage?
5. What are you doing to build into the lives of your children? Are they priorities?
6. What are you doing in secret that needs to be brought to light?

One of the great gifts you give to the Lord is a boundless life in Christ.

Bill Cornelius:

Talking about the “power of mentoring”.

Ex 33 – Joshua being mentored by Moses.

1. Getting and keeping a mentor. Make sure input comes from experience, not academics.
2. Going to conferences – don’t assume the big ones are the right ones.
3. Coaching – more expensive, but worth it. Meet with leaders on the rung you’re going for.
4. Have lunch with leaders, even if you have to travel. Then do the things they say you need to before you meet with them again.
5. Pray for your mentors.

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Dino Rizzo:

Phil 3:10 -that I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death,…

1. To know Christ – privately, in marriage, for your children, at work. Lift Him higher.
2. To know the people that you serve, and the hurts they’re suffering.
3. To know your partnerships. Churches can link up with other groups that develop their reach into the communites.
4. Know the poor in your community. Hungry, widowed, those with health issues. Small acts of kindness can go a long way in someone’s life.

Keld Dahlmann (Denmark):

History of Finland – 3 principles  from WW II the Winter War USSR vs Finland:

1. Determination – the Finns had to win the war – know your ‘must win’ battles.
2. Know your context: too often the world knows the context better.
3. Travel light; guerrilla model of warfare: look for lightweight ministry – sustainable; doesn’t demand overwhelming support.

Jorge Acevedo:

“Lord, send us the people that no one else wants”

How often do we commit spiritual malpractice? We tell people that Jesus can change lives, but we fail to provide adequate “places, spaces, people and processes “?

Are we lowering the crime rate in our city? If we went away, would the crime rate go back up? Real life change is bone-deep.

Sometimes we can get the inside cleaned up, but the outside – health, education, jobs – don’t get supported. A whole person is someone transformed inside and out.

Nanacy Beach:

What happens when you serve in the support circle of someone who, as you get closer to them, displays less of Christ, not more?

Above all else, guard your heart:

1. Prov 4:23 – guard your heart with all vigilance, for from it flow the springs of life.
2. Do you have safe relationships?
3. People who will speak truth without condemnation. Are you growing?

Stephen Furtick:

I want to inspire and raise the level of your faith to the audacious level.

1 Kings 17  - And after a while the brook dried up, because there was no rain in the land.

Elijah did exactly what the Lord told him to do, but the brook has dried up. It wasn’t because Elijah disobeyed or was forgotten, but so that God could move him to a new level of power and service.

Reggie McNeal:

People of God, partnering with God

1. People of God. Church is a ‘who’ not a ‘what’. Nowhere in the NT is a church referenced as being smaller than a city – it is a ‘who’.
2. Partnering with God. We don’t own the mission – it’s God’s. It started in the Garden of Eden – to bless the world. Try praying to bless 3 people each day. It’s not “God so loved the church” – it’s “God so loved the world“.

Noel Heikkenin:

The story about the moth coming out of the cocoon.

• God wants to squeeze our egos out of the ministry
• Pastoring is something that elders do
• Pastors should be able to spread the load across the elders and lead with them in unity – it’s the NT model
• It’s painful, but it’s the way God set up the church.

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Perry Noble:

A movement of God cannot be planned, but it must be prepared for.

We try to plan it, but we can’t dictate to the Holy Spirit, and we can’t duplicate what happened in another church.

Acts 1:6-8 – you get to be sent by me (not you or your church).

Get on your face and pray. What are you doing to prepare for God’s movement in your church?

Skye Jethani:

Do we lack the strategy or motivation to grow the church.

The ‘daisy cutter doctrine’ – the larger the impact of our ministry, the greater the impact for the Gospel. This inhibits our ability to speak for the Lord. We look for success in terms of numbers. But Jesus’ ministry by that definition was a failure.

Numbers 20 – Moses disobeys God but the miracle happens regardless. So we conclude that tangible outcome must mean legitimate ministry. This would be wrong.

How different would we be if we rooted our identities in being children of a loving Father? We are called to abandon our outcomes to God.

We are called to deeply commune with Him, then obey without regard to the outcome.

1. your legitimacy comes from God
2. stop judging legitimacy by outcome of ministry
3. if we are truly rooted in Christ, then we will find the power & strength to defy surrounding culture.

Steve Robinson:

talking about “Leading in times of pressure”

What comes out of you when you’re under pressure? The Bible is filled with examples of men & women under intense pressure. Ex 14:13 – “Fear not. Stand firm.” Fear seeks to paralyze you – one of Satan’s greatest weapons.

‘Worry is temporary atheism.’

In times of pressure, step out.

1. fear not
2. stand firm
3. step out
4. hold your peace

Stacy Spencer:

Don’t give up on folks when they fall.

There are a lot of people in ministry that get stuck in a pit – and we walk away. Pits because of unpopular preaching or moral failings. Jeremiah would have died in the well without help - Jer 38:10

Don’t look down on someone unless you’re looking down to help them up.

1. help those who can’t help themselves.
2. do what you’d want them to do for you
3. use church resources to help people who are stuck

Ebed-Melech was spared after the city was captured because he helped Jeremiah

Scott Wilson:

Talking about “Raising the level of leadership at church”

Churches can’t grow past its leadership.

Eph 4:11 – He gave some to be apostles …

Leaders need to equip people of God to do the ministry, not to do it myself.

We can lead only the number we’re currently leading. To grow, you need to become leaders of leaders.

1. year 1: model: we should be reading (35 books in the year – 100 leadership CDs)
2. year 2: mentor: (20 books & 50 CDs) – plus discipling other people – being equippers.
3. year 3: multiply: get the followers to mentor.

Do you have a system in place to grow?

Amy Hanson:

talking about “ministry to middle & old-aged”

We need to develop ministries for active older folks who don’t want to be marginalized.

1. They represent a huge network of resources in time and wisdom. They may have an entreprenurial spirit; they could mentor younger people.
2. Many don’t have a relationship with Christ. They are often in crisis – loss of loved ones, loss of jobs – and they may be open to salvation.
3. This is a chanceto rewrite church culture for this age group.

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Imagine compressing the most important things you wanted to say to anyone into 9 minutes. If you were a skilled communicator, it would be a powerful message, wouldn’t it?

Now imagine sitting down with some of the best leaders in today’s church and hear what their “9 minutes” were. That’s the idea behind THE NINES. THE NINES is a free one-day conference that will take place totally on-line. It is designed for all current and potential pastors, church staff members and ministry leaders who want to be motivated and stretched in their leadership.

Over 6 dozen of the country’s best evangelical Christian leaders and communicators have each been given the opportunity to speak for a maximum of 9 minutes. At 9 minutes, you know each talk will be both intense and very specific.

THE NINES is an internet broadcast to be held on 9/9/09 at 9:09 Central (that’s 10:09am Eastern). These messages will help you and your church navigate into the future; each one will last a maximum of 9 minutes. Find out more at their web site here, and see their list of over 70 speakers – there’s the names of some impressive people whose books, blogs and tweets I read:

• Alan Hirsch (Forge Mission Training Network)
• Anne Jackson (FlowerDust.net)
• Dan Kimball (Vintage Faith Church)
• Dave Ferguson (Community Christian Church)
• Dino Rizzo (Healing Place Church)
• Ed Stetzer (Lifeway Research)
• Eric Bryant (Mosaic)
• Geoff Surratt (Seacoast Church)
• Greg Surratt (Seacoast Church)
• John Ortberg (Menlo Park Presbyterian)
• Larry Osborne (North Coast Church)
• Mark Batterson (National Community Church)
• Mark Driscoll (Mars Hill Church)
• Neil Cole (Church Multiplication Associates)
• Perry Noble (NewSpring Church)
• Pete Wilson (Cross Point Church)
• Scott Hodge (Orchard Valley Church)
• Scott Williams (LifeChurch.tv)
• Steven Furtick (Elevation Church)
• Troy Gramling (Flamingo Road Church)
  … along with 54 others that I’m looking forward to finding out about for the first time.

Praise Christian Fellowship is hosting THE NINES at 52 New Hartford Road, Barkhamsted, via internet feed. We’ll bring in lunch (bring a $5 donation to help cover costs) since the conference goes straight though the day. We’ve only just heard about this a few days ago, so unfortunately it’s pretty short notice. If you’d like to attend, please let us know in the comments .

Thanks – hope you can join us!

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