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May 2, 2008 by Pastor Jon.
Mark 1: 32-38 That evening after sunset the people brought to Jesus all the sick and demon possessed. The whole town gathered at the door, and Jesus healed many who had various diseases. He also drove out many demons, but he would not let them speak because they knew who he was. Very early in the morning while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed. Simon and his companions went to look for him, and when they found him, they exclaimed; “Everyone is looking for you! Jesus replied, “Let us go somewhere else to the near by villages so I can preach there also. That is why I have come. (NIV) (Emphasis mine)
There is a lot we can learn from these few verses. It says that the whole town gathered, but Jesus healed many not all. Later when the town was looking for Him again, he moved on to the next town because that is what he was called to do. Jesus stayed focused on his calling. It would have been a “good” thing to stay in the same town, but there was a greater call. Because he had spent the solitary time with the Father, He was not swayed by the apparent need of the current town, but he knew when it was time to say “no,” and move on to the next.
People tend to live very busy lives. We often take on more than we should. This can just as easily happen in business, ministry and even our families. We do a lot of good things, but none of them become great. And these things are often unfulfilling and leave us feeling that we have not accomplished anything.
Chapter 5 in the book Good to Great by Jim Collins, he talks about the “Hedgehog Concept.” He defines it this way: foxes live a very complex and scattered life. Hedgehogs on the other hand do one thing and do it well. “[They] simplify a complex world into a single organizing idea, a basic principle or concept that unifies and guides everything.” p. 91
So has God called us to do a lot of good things, or has he called us to do a few great things. I tend to believe that it is the latter. We get caught up in the doing, and forget the purpose. Satan gets us distracted by doing “good” We get so busy we forget to spend time with the Father, with our families, we neglect our own health. God’s call is specific and sure. We must be able to identify that call, and then use that as the standard to judge the responsibilities and activities we take on
My goal is to try and live a life of focus. I want to live a life that goes beyond just doing. To do this I have to learn that is ok to say no. I have not found it yet, but I am looking for my “hedgehog concept.” What are those basic God given principles that unify and guide everything I do?
To live a life that is focused, we must define the essentials, and at the same time the non-essentials. First and foremost, we must be sure we have a strong habit of spending that solitary time with the Father. Without that we will never be focused on the right thing. I truly believe that our first focus should be on our relationship with the Father. Once that becomes our primary focus, ministry then becomes a fruit. We often get caught up and focus on the ministry but that only leads to us doing a lot of little things and then eventually burnout and discouragement.
Below are the examples from Good to Great. They were written for business, but I have tried to personalize them so that they can be applied on a personal level. Remember, before answering the following questions, we must be sure and seek guidance of the Holy Spirit. And also remember this is just a starting point.
Ø What are your natural and spiritual gifts and talents?
Ø What is your past experience?
Ø Do you feel like you were born to do this?
Ø What has God called you to do? Where do you fit in His plan?
Note: What you can be best at may not be what you are currently doing? p. 95
Ø What motivates you?
Ø What gives you energy to keep going?
Ø What will you do no matter what, even if you are not paid?
3. What are you deeply passionate about?
Ø Where do your dreams take you?
Ø What activities do you engage in that lead toward that passion?
I am sure this is a gross oversimplification, but it could provide a great starting point. The idea is to identify the activities of our lives that fulfill all three areas. These activities then become our focus. Yes there will always be times when we have to do other things that must be done. But do not let them become your priority. Spend time in the word and with the Father and he will keep you in focus on the right path. Hopefully with the help of the Spirit we can discover the guiding principals that will bring focus and clarity to our lives. These are the things that we should focus on.
In Isaiah 48:17 God says that he will teach us to profit and lead us by the way we should go. Listen and He will keep you focused.
Now the hard part is to do it.
You can learn more about Good to Great by visiting www.jimcollins.com/
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April 18, 2008 by Pastor Jon.
Our meeting last Sunday (4/13) went well. We had over 13 people in attendance.
Memory Verse Galatians 4:6-7, And because you are sons, God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into your hearts, crying out Abba Father! Therefore you are no longer a slave, but a son, and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ.
We reviewed chapters 4 and 5 in the Divine Mentor.
Our next meeting will be on 4/27 and we will review chapters 6 and 7
We started off with this quote from chapter 4
“By the time you graduate from high school, statistics say you will have watched more then sixteen thousand hours of TV. Fourteen thousand hours in an educational institution. And if you if you go to church for just two hours a week, you will have spent just under two thousand hours getting spiritual help. So, to draw on when it comes to make a decision, you’ll have eight times as much TV and seven times as much “world culture education” as you will have church” p59
When trying to implement a change you need to start small and build it over time. The same goes with a discipline approach to spending more time with God. Time spent with God will deposit wisdom that will help you navigate the issues that may arise in the future. The Holy Spirit knows what lays ahead when we do not. On page 57 the Wayne Corderio wrote that satan most often attacks your relationship with God as apposed to your fruit. If he can weaken our relationship he can make us vulnerable to getting off track.
In Chapter 5 Wayne wrote “We must understand, and make the fact a core principal that the source for the Christian, that which fuels, ignites, guides, sustains, empowers absolutely everything is our time with the master.” p. 68
For you and for Redeemer’s Way to achieve success to be productive to feel satisfied and fulfilled to become an important part of the solution rather than a significant part of the problem, we must practice daily time spent with God. We must do this day in and day out. Neglecting this causes spiritual weakness, and leaves us vulnerable to making rash decisions and choices. p.70
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April 3, 2008 by Pastor Jon.
We had another great team meeting this past Sunday. Counting the Stallings family we had 7 adults and 5 children for a total of 12 people.
Janice spent time relating Redeemer’s Way’s vision to Joshua. We feel strongly that Joshua chapters 3-5 describe where we are now (west side of the Jordan) and where we are quickly heading (east side of the Jordan). God gave them the land but the Children of Israel had to go in and possess it.
We then spent time discussing the first three chapters of The Divine Mentor by Wayne Cordeiro. Click here to learn more about the book
From chapter 1 “Sacred Enclosures” we learned about guarding your heart and protecting your root system. We must watch out for distractions that will keep us from spending time with the Father. We talked about Martha and Mary in Luke 10:38-42. Through this we learned that even ministry can become a distraction.
In chapter 2, “You Do not Have What it Takes,” we learned about the two teachers, Consequences and Wisdom. Consequences we learn from after the fact. It also causes regret. From wisdom we learn upfront, but it requires discipline, obedience, consistency and above all time. The people and events are recorded in the Bible so we can learn from their wisdom. We learn from the good, and from the consequences of the bad. Our investment upfront will pay huge dividends in wisdom.
In chapter 3 “The Self-feeding Program” we learned that we are responsible for our spiritual health. As Pastor Scott has taught us, if the only word we get is on Sunday and/or Wednesday we are not getting enough.
In Joshua 5:12 the manna stopped flowing and the children of Israel had to seek out the fruit of the land.
There is not a magic bullet to solve it all. We can not depend on others to feed us. Pastors and teachers are critical but our success is up to us as individuals.
Our next meeting will be on 4/13
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September 16, 2007 by Pastor Jon.
In the second section of Joy Dawson’s book Forever Ruined for the Ordinary: The Adventures of Hearing and Obeying God’s Voice, she begins to describe the conditions we must fulfill to hear from God. We must position ourselves to hear.
1. Humility – “He guides the humble in what is right and teaches them His way.” (Psalm 25:9 NIV)
We become proud and foolish when we try to live “independently” from God.
Even Jesus while living on the earth, did nothing without hearing from the Father. (John 5:19) pp. 17, 18
On page 20 Joy quotes one of my favorite scriptures. “Thus says the Lord, your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel: ‘I am the Lord your God, who teaches you to profit, who leads you by the way you should go.’” (Isaiah 48:17). It is important to see that God says He will “teach” us to profit (not make us) and “lead” us the way. If God did it all it would not require much faith. We must have the faith to hear His word, and then the faith to act upon it.
4. A Yielded Will – I must be willing to be obedient to God’s word. (See #2 the Faith section). Joy puts it like this, “Simply put, our levels of abandonment to God determine God’s levels of directions to us” p. 21. The great thing is that God in his grace can redeem us from the times in our past when we were not yielded. “God’s plans for your future are bigger than our past failures…” (Joy Dawson p. 28)
6. Recognize the Source of the Voice – How do we know it is God that is speaking? There are three sources that we can hear from. The 1st is from God himself, and second is from our own desires and reasoning. Reasoning is what we think the answer should be. p. 35. We must come to the place where we can ask “Is this just something I want?” Or, does it just seem logically correct? Once again we need to remember we walk by faith. One can not use their logical mind to understand a God who created the universe.
The other area is that satan has the ability (if we allow him) to influence our thoughts. Impressions from the enemy will often try and get us distracted from what God has spoken previously. “Our Shepherd, Jesus, leads. Satanic voices goads and prod.” (Dawson p. 38).
Here are some steps that Joy suggests.
a. Command satanic voices to be silent in the name of Jesus. (p. 39)
b. Quote the word of God in faith towards satan. (p. 39) She suggests Luke 4:1-12, Revelation 12:11 and 1 John 3:8.
Finally, Joy reminds us to always thank God that He is faithful to answer in His timing and His way. p. 40.
Forever Ruined for the Ordinary: The Adventure of Hearing and Obeying God’s Voice, by Joy Dawson: Thomas Nelson Publishers 2001
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September 10, 2007 by Pastor Jon.
I hated reading when I was younger, but as I grow older I have grown to love it. It may take me several weeks finish a book, so I have to press myself to read each day. (My wife Janice can polish off most books in a day or two.)
I recently finished Forever Ruined for the Ordinary: The Adventure of Hearing and Obeying God’s Voice, by Joy Dawson (I was supposed to finish this one a couple of years ago while going through the discipleship ministry Cleansing Stream, but I only read about 3/4ths at that time. So when I finally picked it back up, I started over) I am currently reading, 360 Degree Preaching : Hearing, Speaking, and Living the Word, by Michael J Quicke
I thought I would add insights I have learned to my blog. For this entry I will start with Joy Dawson’s book, Section 1.
To sum up the book in a nutshell, God desires to have such a close and intimate relationship with us that He can freely speak to us and we can freely hear. God is willing to speak to me regarding any matter. Joy gives examples of praying to find lost keys and finding the right directions while driving. It is great to know that we can have such an intimate relationship with God that he desires to give us insight about all matters.
Joy explains it like this “…as soon as I started to get still enough and quiet enough to listen, He started to speak to me specifically, personally, and conversationally in a whole new dimension.” p. 3
“The more we fulfill the Biblical conditions of hearing God’s voice—take the lid off the limitations we impose on the ways He speaks—we will prove Him to be anything but a big cosmic power hovering over the universe, disinterestedly detached from the details of the lives He brought into existence.” p. 4
She later quotes John 10:3-4 and John 10:27 where Jesus said my sheep hear and know my voice. p. 5
On page 6 she details why most of us get in trouble. We go out and do something, and then we ask God to bless it after the fact. “All this adds up to the fact that it is totally impossible to effectively function as a Christian without hearing God’s voice as a way of life.” pp. 6,7
“’The Lord will guide you continually’ (Isaiah 58:11) and ‘He will be our guide even to death’(Psalm 48:14)”
God desires to intimately speak to us, and we do have the ability to hear His voice. We must seek His direction and position ourselves to hear. As Christians we must take more time to seek His direction over the actions of our daily lives.
Forever Ruined for the Ordinary: The Adventure of Hearing and Obeying God’s Voice, by Joy Dawson: Thomas Nelson Publishers 2001
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