HOPE DEALER In Amishland

Below are some of the links that I referenced in my talk. It is obviously not possible to avoid the worst ministry experience of your life, but learning to ask good questions going in is just as important as praying about taking that step. A few keys that have helped me to hang tough during difficult ministry seasons: Positive- Always keep a positive Spirit. God works everything together for our good. Promises- Remember the promises of God because He is faithful. Passion- Always keep the flame of God's Spirit burning in your heart. Nothing great is ever accomplished without passion. Preparation- Your current season is always preparation for the next, so be a lifelong learner. Perspective- The Creator of the universe is for you and not against you. He can turn the tide in a moment so make sure that your thoughts are His thoughts. See life from God's perspective, not simply the temporary problems of the day. Prep for ministry job interviews Questions That You Need

CLARITY PREPARES YOU TO BECOME A LEADER 1 wrong thought caused an entire generation to miss the promised land. (Numbers 13:25, Joshua 2:8) Clarity enables you to see what God sees. To lead people in the Kingdom of God, you must know God & be able to discern His thoughts. The Bible is a revelation of God's thoughts. (ROMANS 12, 2 Cor. 10:4-5, Isaiah 55, Jeremiah 29:11) Key thought-To be a leader worth following, you’ve got to know who you are. All great leaders know their strengths and their weaknesses. We’re a bundle of both. Leadership is not ignoring one in favor of the other. It’s being honest about them. Good leaders don’t try to be something they are not. They are self-aware. Jesus defines himself 18 times by saying, “I am…” He didn’t let other people define him. He defined himself. If you’re going to be a leader, you must know who you are. COURAGE ESTABLISHES LEADERSHIP KEY THOUGHT - As a leader, you have no idea what hangs in the balance of your decision to act courag

Relevance- using what is cultural to say what is timeless. For those with no biblical reference point, the beginning point is often that of relevance. They are asking, "Does this have anything to do with my life?" Or "Is it relevant?" Since we know it is true and we know it is relevant, we have to help them see that it is both. After you have done the most important part of working through the Scriptures to understand and convey them accurately, then help your hearers understand why they should pay attention. So, we would encourage you to start like this: 1. Why is this important and how does it relate to me? 2. What does the Bible say about it? 3. What am I going to do with what the Bible says about it? Instead of: 1. The Bible says this. 2. It is important. 3. You should do it. *Paul demonstrated this when he was invited to speak to a completely Jewish audience in Acts 13:16-20. *When communicating to the less educated at Lystra (Acts 14), he used examples of na

"From the tribe of Issachar, there were 200 leaders of the tribe with their relatives. All these men understood the signs of the times and knew the best course for Israel to take." 1 Chronicles 12:31-32 Statistics showing the decline of the influence of Christianity in our culture. *4 out of 5 young people say that Christianity is anti-homosexual; half describe it as judgmental, too involved in politics, hypocritical, and confusing; 1/3 believe their faith is old fashioned & out of touch with reality; & 1/4 of young people believe it is boring and insensitive to others.” (pg. 33) For more stats, click here *Christianity is no longer the default religion of Americans. click here *Christianity is no longer keeping up with the population growth. click here *State by state analysis regarding the influence/importance of Christianity. click here Church attendance statistics for the United States, click here 1. Can the church impact culture? The answer is yes.

VIDEO #1 This video is from a speaker that I enjoy and learn from explaining what happens when we are regenerated (changed by Christ). VIDEO #2 This video is a great reminder of why you shouldn't do drugs. Pretty hilarious!

RELATIONAL GIFTS- Evangelism: The God-given ability to engage unbelievers with the truth of the gospel in a way that often moves them along in their spiritual journey. Mercy: The spiritual ability to offer compassion, empathy, and care to those who are suffering or are in need. Encouragement: The divine ability to use God’s truth to bring courage to those who are physically, spiritually, or emotionally struggling. SERVING GIFTS - Serving: The God-given desire to meet practical needs as they arise. People with the gift of serving have a strong passion to be helpful in meeting specific needs in the lives of individuals or in the overall ministry of the church. Giving: The God-given ability to give away your time, talent & treasure in order to help others and to further the work of the Kingdom of God. Helps: The God-given ability to see needs and the spiritual inclination to meet those needs in a way that serves others and furthers the work of the ministry. Hospitality:

MADE, WEEK 3- Non-Refundable Gifts Memory verse- “Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God’s grace in its various forms.” 1 Peter 4:10 (NIV) Five Categories of Spiritual Gifts (Scriptural reference- 1 Corinthians 12; Romans 12:3-8; Ephesians 4:7-12; 1 Peter 4:10-11). 1 Cor. 12:1, 4-7 (NIV): “Now about spiritual gifts, brothers, I do not want you to be ignorant…There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit. There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord. There are different kinds of working, but the same God works all of them in all men. Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good.” 1. Relational Gifts 2. Serving Gifts 3. Up-front Gifts 4. Support Gifts 5. Power Gifts What Does God Want Me To Do With My Gift? 1. DISCOVER it. “Eagerly desire spiritual gifts...” (1 Cor. 14:1) Free online spiritual gift assessment- www.teamministry.com 2. DEVELOP it. “Do not neg

I shared the devotional below with our staff today. Just like we train our children to speak the right things as they grow, we need to train ourselves as we grow spiritually. This is a great reminder that we need to not only guard what we say, but we need to intentionally speak the right things (prophesy) over our lives. What I mean by that is that we need to speak God's Word over our lives and our circumstances. Are you facing difficulties this week? Start confessing and speaking God's Word! Are you in need of a healing? Start speaking and declaring God's Word. Most of the time we just don't feel like doing that, which is why we need to 'say so!' Say So Today's Scripture "Let the redeemed of the Lord say so, whom He has delivered from the hand of the adversary" (Psalm 107:2, AMP). Today's Word from Joel and Victoria Notice this verse doesn't say "Let the redeemed of the Lord think so. Let the redeemed believe so." Of cour

Registration begins this week for our first ever "Manly Man Conference," this March 6-7th. This is going to be an incredible weekend for the Men of our church as we connect with one another, with God's Word and our Creator! Registration begins this weekend and I hope that you can make it! Here are the details. Location : Freedom Life Time: Friday night dinner (low country boil) @ 5:30 p.m., Session #1 @ 7, Session #2 @ 8 (over at 9:30 p.m.) Saturday morning breakfast @ 8:00 a.m., Session #3 @ 9, Session #4 @ 10 (over at 11:30 a.m.) Cost: $25 (includes great speakers, great meals & manly resources)

Yesterday we looked at how to request guidance from God. Today's post is all about receiving that guidance from our Heavenly Father. I want to encourage you to be a man or woman of faith and go beyond requesting something from God, but to position yourself to receive. This blog post has been adapted from Rick Warren's message, "Learning to Hear God's Voice" "I will climb my watchtower and wait to see what the Lord will tell me to say and what answer He will give to my complaint. The Lord gave me this answer: `Write down clearly on tablets what I reveal to you, so that it can be read at a glance.'" Habakkuk 2:1-2 (TEV) How To Receive Guidance From God 1. WITHDRAW: Get alone in a quiet place "I will climb my watchtower..." Habakkuk 2:1 (TEV) "But Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed." Luke 5:16 (NIV) 2. WAIT: Calm your thoughts and emotions ". . . and wait to see what the Lord will tell me. . ." Hab.

We live in difficult days where answers to tough questions seem hard to come by. Many of us are looking for guidance in very important areas of our lives. Since God created us and has watched over our lives, it would be wise to seek His guidance. So how do you do that? Today and tomorrow, I will be answering that very question! This blog post has been adapted from Rick Warren's message, "Learning to Hear God's Voice" "I will climb my watchtower and wait to see what the Lord will tell me to say and what answer He will give to my complaint. The Lord gave me this answer: `Write down clearly on tablets what I reveal to you, so that it can be read at a glance.'" Habakkuk 2:1-2 (TEV) HOW TO REQUEST GUIDANCE 1. Believe God Cares About The Details Of Your Life. "So do not worry, saying, `What shall we eat. . . or drink. . . or wear?' . . . your heavenly Father knows that you need them." Mat. 6:31-32 (NIV) 2. Ask God Specifically for Guida

Yesterday I talked about the fact that when we live our lives according to God's Word (the Bible), it turns our world upside down and we live differently. If we want to have lives of meaning and become great, we must become humble servants that love! Week 2- Memory Verse- “Whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant.” Mark 10:43 (NIV) 1. What's Yours is Mine, I'll Take It. Luke 10:30 -33 (NIV): “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, when he fell into the hands of robbers. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him and went away, leaving him half dead. A priest happened to be going down the same road, and when he saw the man, he passed by on the other side. So too, a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. But a Samaritan, as he traveled, came where the man was; and when he saw him, he took pity on him... Which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers? The exper