Tag Archives: gifts

The second best gift

Will you embrace all of the gifts God has given you in the year ahead, including the ability to serve and represent Jesus in extending his love to those who are hurting? Continue reading

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Mental health inclusion…The importance of getting the right people around the table

If you’re seeking to start a mental health inclusion ministry initiative and your job title is something other that Senior Pastor, Job #1 is to get buy-in from the most senior leader in your church. Here’s why… Continue reading

Posted in Advocacy, Families, Inclusion, Key Ministry, Mental Health, Strategies | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

A Great Mother’s Day Gift

The pressures that kids are under in our community are incredible and unlike anything that my wife and I ever encountered growing up. It seems as if every thought, behavior and idea they encounter in school, online and with friends is at work to undermine the values we’ve sought to impart to them. I showed up for our ministry team on Wednesday in a sleep-deprived state after contemplating for much of the night whether we’d done enough to prepare them to make the right choices in the months and years ahead. As our girls have gotten older and become more private about some of the issues they deal with on a daily basis, I worry that I don’t have the relationship with them necessary to be a positive influence when they need to make difficult decisions. I also worry I haven’t done enough to promote relationships between them and other like-minded adults who can provide wisdom and reinforce our values when stuff comes up that they’re not comfortable discussing with my wife or myself. I do know that being a part of a church has helped my wife and myself to be a far more positive influence to our kids than we could have been without that experience.
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The Gifts I’d Like To Give…Opportunity

God never wastes a hurt. I’m sure there’s a reason for my discomfort. I’m pondering the steps I might take personally and the steps our ministry team might take to model the change we desire to see in the year ahead. I thought I’d finish out the year through a series of blog posts touching on gifts that our team can “pay forward” to the churches and leaders we serve, so they in turn can help the families they serve to have an experience of church similar to mine. The first gift I’d like to touch on is the gift of opportunity.
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