What I'm Learning on Sabbatical.

The church will exist and thrive and go on without me. Because of previous, it doesn't mean I'm not needed, wanted or of value to the church. It just means others are taking ownership and God is still showing up.
It's hard to slow down for me and enjoy the moment(s), but I'm learning.
Tell the family when I'm emptying holding tanks, not to run or flush anything!
I still can't shut off the little engine in my head after 4 weeks.
I miss the church.
We live in amazing country with amazing people.
There are things I've neglected to teach my two boys.
I can drive an RV like a champion.
Filling up at gas stations, you often have to re-swipe your debit card multiple times to fill a 100 gallon tank.
Put on auto reponder for email, before you leave.
45mph curves mean 45 in an RV.
Going to the bathroom in an RV is equivalent of going to the bathroom in airplane.
I didn't realize how tired I was.
Construction cones and cans will fall down when you hit them with a 17,000 pound object,
Instinct is sometimes better than trusting gps navigation.
God is in this trip and we see His work everyday. We are blessed by His goodness, care and hand of providence!

Location:County Road 31,Cooperstown,United States

Top things I''m learning on Sabbatical.

The church will exist and thrive and go on without me.

Because of previous, it doesn't mean I'm not needed, wanted or of value to the church. It just means others are taking ownership and God is still showing up.

It's hard to slow down for me and enjoy the moment(s), but I'm learning.

Tell the family when I'm emptying holding tanks, not to run or flush anything!

I still can't shut off the little engine in my head after 4 weeks.

I miss the church.

We live in amazing country with amazing people.

There are things I've neglected to teach my two boys.

I can drive an RV like a champion.

Filling up at gas stations, you often have to re-swipe your debit card multiple times to fill a 100 gallon tank.

Put on auto reponder for email, before you leave.

45mph curves mean 45 in an RV.

Going to the bathroom in an RV is equivalent of going to the bathroom in airplane.

I didn't realize how tired I was.

Construction cones and cans will fall down when you hit them with a 17,000 pound object,

God is in this trip and we see His work everyday. We are blessed by His goodness, care and hand of providence!

God Showing Off!

p125.mov Watch on Posterous

On our sabbatical tour, as we like to call it, we've been trying to teach and show Isaac how real God is and how much he cares for the little things about us.

On our drives through Yellowstone, we kept encountering bison. Isaac so much wanted one to stop right in front of us so he could get a good picture. But no matter how much we saw them, it always seemed to be the car ahead of us that got the privilege. So, we tries once more on our last go around the park, no luck

We got back to our RV camp sight, disappointed we had not had a close encounter, we began hooking up our portable home for the night. As Isaac and I hooked everything up, we hears a loud commotion behind us. All I can say is Go is great, He has a great sense of humor and He stink'n knows how to show off! Check out his video(sorry for the sideways angle but I got excited!)

Our view at Glacier National Park.

This is only our second day, but man am I tired. We decided to stay two days here. God's creativity and beauty amaze me. We are actually going on a hike this morning!

Pocket Jesus watching over "us" as we begin our journey!

What Does the Bible Have to Say About Effective Leadership (Part 4)

In the fourth installment we are going to look at " An Effective Leader Provides Direction." We are just getting ready to launch another year of NW Passage. This has been one of the most beneficial things we've done for Whipple Creek and for the individuals. The 9 month process has helped each person learn more of who God is, who they are and what God wants to do in and through them. 

We challenge with questions and statements. One of the things we look at is Christian leadership in the Church. Here is our fourth statement. Do you agree?

The Effective Leader Provides Direction

The effective leader is the sort of person who, guided by faith, uses goals and strategies to chart a course of action. Effective leaders help their people find methods to accomplish the vision, which they believe God has given to them. Jethro illustrated this principle in Exodus 18:14-23 when he advised his son-in-law, Moses to delegate some of his authority to others and focus on the sorts of issues that only he could address (and boy am I learning this one!). 

Jethro recognized the need and then outlined a strategy that would allow Moses to be faithful to his God-given responsibilities. The capacity to offer this sort of guidance is a skill that must be developed. If wise action is to be linked to good vision, then strategy must be developed.

NEXT UP: Part 5: The Effective Leader Confronts with Authority.

For more information, check out NW Passage or VantagePoint3 or send me an email.

 

In His Grip,

 

Brett

What Does the Bible Have to Say About Effective Leadership (Part 3)

Each year our leadership team leads a group of emerging leaders/influencers through a real cool 9 month process called Northwest Passage. I'm proud to say, leaders have emerged from that process who are now leading other leaders through the same process (duplication, I love it!)

One of the things we always address is "What does the Bible say about leadership?" So, here is the 3rd thing (out of 10) the Bible says about effective leadership (that is a leaders who leads Christianly) that comes from what we are studying and reading (thanks VantagePoint3).

Do you agree?

The effective Christian leader proclaims truth.

Effective leaders are the sort of people who communicate biblical truth in such a way that the hearer's head (the mind), the heart (the emotions, the seat of will), and hand (actions) are all challenged to a deeper conformity to Christ.

Paul exhorted Timothy in 2 Timothy 4:1-2 with these words:

"In the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead, and in view of his appearing and his kingdom, I solemnly urge you: proclaim the message; be persistent whether the time is favorable or unfavorable: convince, rebuke, and encourage, with the utmost patience in teaching."

Why would Paul make such a strong statement? Perhaps Timothy was having some doubts about how his teaching was being received by his congregation. He may have been getting some criticism. He may have been feeling a little insecure about things. Whatever the reason, Paul took this opportunity to remind him that one of his primary tasks as a leader was to communicate truth persistently (the Greek word has the sense of being busy at one's job, like fisherman who takes to the sea every day regardless of the weather), whether it seemed popular that particular day or not.

In this regard, St. Francis Assisi urged, "Preach the gospel at all times. If necessary, use words." When we express biblical truth faithfully day in and day out, we point the way to that consistent Word and Work all of us need to keep in sight if we are to continue drawing closer and closer to God in Jesus.

NEXT: The Effective Leader Provides Direction