Thursday, September 17, 2009

mark batterson strikes again.

Sometimes people just speak right to your heart. Or communicate your heart for you without even realizing they're doing that. Read another blog by Mark Batterson that is SO important -- to discipleship, to leadership, to believers in general.

Spiritual Hunger
How hungry are you?

Spiritual hunger is the key to spiritual maturity. When you lose that spiritual hunger you stop seeking, asking, and knocking. You stop growing.

As leaders, this isn't something we can "give" to people. But we need to salt the oats so to speak. And we need to set the example. You know what you owe God and owe your congregation as a pastor? A deep spiritual hunger to know God more!

I remember when I first starting seeking the Lord. It was between my freshman and sophomore year of college. I would stay up late reading my Bible. I'd get up early to pray. I went to sleep and woke up thinking about God. I was hungry. And I'm still hungry. I know it waxes and wanes, but how hungry are you?

If I could pray for one thing for you it'd be this: an insatiable hunger to know God more. There is no substitute for spiritual hunger.

Deuteronomy 4:29: "Seek the Lord and you will find him, if you search for Him with all of your heart and all of your soul."

God reveals Himself the most to those who want to know Him the most.

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posted by sarah @ 4:49 PM 0 Comments Links to this post

Friday, September 11, 2009

calling out their gifts

On Operation Barnabas, our high school students get to experience a wide variety of ministries. Children, youth, adult, senior citizen, homeless, local church, manual labor, dramatic arts, music, preaching/teaching... the list goes on.

One of my favorite things is to see a student come alive in one of those ministries. You know what I mean? Like, they are in a situation where they are using their gifts ad their strengths and they are flourishing. And, they are probably loving it.

What's shocking to me is that so many of these kids don't even recognize their strengths, their gifts. They have no idea they are leaders, encouragers, administrators, servants, teachers, preachers....

Why? Because no one has ever affirmed them. No one has pointed out their gift, and then helped them find ways to use it and to continue refine it.

Mark Batterson wrote about that this morning:
We need to speak prophetically into each other's lives. We need tocall things out--gifts, passions, goals, dreams, desires. Isn't that what Jesus was so good at? He saw the martyr in a denier named Peter. He called it out by calling him "the Rock."

Prophets call things out of the people. It's also called leadership. I'm thinking of this today because I read a manuscript an aspiring author sent to me and he definitely has the gift. I emailed him back and called it out. I want to call the best out of others the way Jesus did. That's leadership. That's discipleship.


Who do you have the opportunity to call out? Do it. Today.

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posted by sarah @ 9:29 AM 0 Comments Links to this post