...and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded...

So here's an important question: (the effective pursuit of Christ's mandate [Matthew 28]depends on our answer)

If you had a relationship with someone who had recently confessed Jesus as their Savior, do you know what you would do to maximize the chances of this new Christian maturing in their relationship with Jesus?

If you take time to think it through,

Outline your strategy.
List the content of what you would discuss.
How would you approach the content?
What would you want this friend to experience in the process?

Breaking the Mold

A friend said to me recently, "Jeff, some people are meant to break the mold. I suspect you are one of those."

That comment has had an interesting impact on me. On the one hand, I am filled with hopeful anticipation to join God in what He will do. There is also an elevated sense that I will need courage to "break the mold." On the other hand, I am feeling a certain amount of tension and internal conflict as I wrestle with my training and my experience. What I have known and how I have been trained to provide leadership may not "work" in the time and setting where I live. And, therefore, will the structure that I am embedded in allow me the freedom to discover and experiment? Will there be blessing and encouragement to "break the mold?"



I am looking for new ways to give expression to what God is stirring up within me. And I long for a supportive community that encourages me to actually be who God made me to be.



Yesterday I was reading Ephesians 4:11; and 1 Corinthians 12:28. What is significant about these lists? What is similar? One thing I noticed was that the first role or gift that is listed is that of an "apostle." An apostle initiates new works in order to connect people to life in Jesus. An apostle is a 'fire-starter," a catalyst that unleashes all the other gifts on the list. Apostles want the body to use their gifts in unity of purpose. An apostle is looking to empower a team to do the work of ministry. And, in fact, if the church is going to be healthy and productive, the church today needs apostles to do their work so that everyone else can do theirs. Does God give gifts to His people? Or, does He give all the gifts to the pastor? What do you think?



Have you ever been discontented with "business as usual" faith and longed for something that really has impact on your life and on God's world? Maybe, you, too, were meant to break the mold!

Discover Your Church Unique!

I just recently completed a book that I want to share with you. The title? "Church Unique"

It's written by Will Mancini who also formed a company called Auxano. They help churches and ministries discover and live out their unique place in God's Kingdom work. This book, along with Andy Stanley's, "Visioneering," need to be on every ministry leader's shelf! And not only on the shelf, but lived out in their ministry. One of Will Mancini's partners, Jim Randall will be joining us at Christ Memorial on April 29th and 30th. Jim will continue to navigate us through the process outlined in "Church Unique."

Here's a couple of quotes that made an emotional connection with me:

"Vision is still the most talked about and least understood term in the leadership lexicon." pg. 167

"A vision should never be designed to be read." pg. 170

"Vision that does not engage the heart and touch the emotions is nothing more than flowery words on paper." pg. 171

Will Mancini defines vision as a breathtaking snapshot of God's intermediate future. Now, unpack that definition!

What do you think?