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The gift of faithful friendships

“Don’t move around from home to home. Stay in one place, eating and drinking what they provide. Don’t hesitate to accept hospitality, because those who work deserve their pay.” - Luke‬ ‭10‬:‭7‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Learn to experience the generous love of God through the generous support of others. Provide spiritual enrichment to your donors (friendship, with-ness).

Rule of Life (John 15)
Trellis - support structure for growth to produce fruit
What is your plan to follow Jesus along the narrow way?

Nine Practices (Alliteration)
Stop - Silence - Show up to God – Surrender - Scripture – Sunday Service – Sacrifice – Service – Share Christ.

Start where you’re at, following Jesus means doing less not more, change is simply consistency over overtime.

Getting myself hyped up for the Winter Olympics 🥅

Herb Brooks, wasn’t coaching a dream team. He was coaching a team full of dreamers. There’s a big difference

Team USA was the David to the Soviets Goliath, and Coach Brooks always encouraged the boys to bring their slingshots. College vs Pro.

People remember where they were at for tragedies. USA’s 1980 upset is remembered for the hope it provided people.

Ulrich Zwingli - Verse by Verse - 1519
St. Basil the Great - Famous or Faithful? - 379
David Brainerd - Send me to the Rough - 1745
Hans Bret - The Tongue Screw - 1577

Here am I, send me; send me to the ends of the earth; send me to the rough, the savage pagans of the wilderness; send me from all that is called comfort on earth; send me even to death itself, if it be but in Thy service and to promote Thy kingdom.

8- Spiritual Rhythms in the Life of the Leader
• The bondage of busyness in Christian leadership. Rhythms of engagement and retreat. Times of retreat give us a chance to rest in God and wait on him to do what is needed. The more active leadership is required of us, the more silence we need.

9- Leadership as Intercession
• The battle is won on the basis of intercessory prayer for those God has given us to lead.

Chapter 4-The Practice of Paying Attention
Chapter 5-The Conundrum of Calling
Chapter 6-Guiding Others on the Spiritual Journey
Chapter 7-Living Within Limits

Mose’s was drawn into solitude & silence for 40 years. When Moses stopped & was attentive to God, he had an extraordinary encounter through a burning bush

Mose’s Leadership can be defined as humble dependence on the Lord. Renewed through God’s presence.

The Place of our own Conversion (Exodus 2:22)

Moses remained in solitude for 40 years. Hidden questions of identity were brought into the light. Our reactions are more connected to our past than to what is actually going on in the present situation. Solitude exposes what’s hidden in our soul & makes us confront our sin patterns/ crutches.

A leader needs to experience freedom before leading others to freedom.

When Leaders Lose Their Souls (Numbers 12:7-8)
• Ministry ≠ Relationship with God
• Are future leaders truly children of God who desire to dwell in God’s presence?
• Keep Seeking God no matter the cost

What Lies Beneath (Exodus 2:11-12, 15)
• Leaders must look in & acknowledge the dark parts of their souls. What lies beneath the surface matters!
• Silence & Solitude is where God does His best work

Week 1 of Advent
The Heart of God we see in Jesus is a heart of compassion & the largest demonstration of God’s heart is Jesus dying on the cross.

Week 2 of Advent
The love candle, reminds us that Jesus loved us and taught us how to love others, including our enemies.

This is Not what you Expected (Luke 2:7)

Week 1:
Sunday - The Hope Candle
The HOPE we have in Jesus today is an anchor for our soul. Hebrews 6:19a

Monday - What’s in a name?
Jesus = One Who Saves
Immanuel = God with us
Matthew 1:21

Tuesday - More Names for God’s Son
Isaiah gives us more names for Jesus.
Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

Christ + Mas = More of Christ🎄

If you had 6 months to live, what would you do, who would you see, where would you go, and what legacy would do you wanna leave?

The last lecture is a pile of stories & reflections on Randy Pausch’s life who was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer at age 41.

Biggest takeaway so far is how it’s not so much of the cards were dealt, but how we choose to play the hand.
What is our response to crisis, disease & death?

"And what do you benefit if you gain the whole world but lose your own soul? Is anything worth more than your soul?” Matthew 16:26 NLT

Jesus tells us that it’s possible to gain a “successful”ministry all the while losing sight of Him! The importance of seeking God in leadership

This book is an invitation to enter more deeply into the process of spiritual transformation and to choose to lead from that place.

How to be like Jesus

#1 Teaching
Information not always means Transformation
#2 The Practices
Matthew 7:35 - Spiritual Disciplines
#3 Community
People in community grow!
#4 The Holy Spirit
Christlikeness starts with God, not us.
#5 Overtime
Transformation is a lifetime not a tap
#6 Through suffering
James 1:2

We are not in control! The only way a caterpillar becomes a butterfly is the struggle of a cocoon.

Why becoming like Jesus is hard.

#1 - Sin
We are all impacted by sin. Whether it’s by us, to us, or around us. It’s hard to do good. (Romans 7v15)

The answer is not willpower, more Bible study, or spiritual high retreats. We cannot earn Christlikeness. The more we hide, the less we heal. (James 5v16)

#2 - You’ve Already been Formed (Romans 12v2)
Stories, Habits, Relationships all form us into someone.

Goal #2: Become like Him

Don’t waste your life on triviality. Keep death before your eyes. Hold eternity in your heart.

We are all being formed, either by the world or God. Formation is the process of being formed into people of love in Christ. (1 John 4:19) Love is the excellent test of spiritual formation. Am I becoming more loving?

JMC ?? - What is hindering spiritual development in Christians? Answers soon

Goal #1: Be with Jesus

Abide in me (John 15)
Turning God into a Habit (Colossians 3:2)
Train yourself to think of God when you wake up till you go to bed. It may require cutting of distractions.

The reward for following Jesus is Jesus, therefore find your secret place. The world will want to take that away. Cut out hurry & busyness. Without solitude, spiritual life is impossible.

Learn to love being loved!