The last couple days I have been at a pastor’s meeting in Atlanta. It is one I have attended before, and it is awesome to soak up learning and to spend time with people who do what I do in life. None of us have arrived. We all need to grow, and this is a place that helps me, challenges me and brings me a lot of joy.
So, I’d like to share some of the things that stood out for me. May some of these encourage you as they have me.
From Pastor Johnny Hunt -
Everything rises and falls on leadership.
- Your calling determines your staying power
- God has called you to teach you something
- If you don't have a vision, you are not a leader.
- The Christian never has the luxury to be unkind. (quoting Jerry Vines)
- None of us are who we are without the people who poured into us.
Every now and then God gets you alone so he can get something out of you.
From seminary president Dr. Danny Akin -
- The hardest work we will ever do is marriage.
- Love is not an emotion but a choice
- Reflect on the Cross to see how to love your wife. Love Her well even when it's a bad day.
- Does my loving my wife help her grow more like Jesus?
- The men in your church will learn to love their wives by watching you.
- Be careful not to wound the heart of your mate.
- Wrong person plus the wrong place plus the wrong time leads to a wrong action.
- Dialogue daily. Date weekly. Divert quarterly (get away)
From Pastor Jimmy Scroggins -
- Number one qualification is “does he want the job?”
- Family life is at the center of the target and is important.
- Marriage and Parenting is the anvil on which your ministry is forged.
- Be an example. Be transport and accessible.
- Make your church the kind of church the kind your kids need to raise their kids in.
- Don’t see you marriage and parenting as competition to your ministry
- You are not supposed to be the perfect model.
From Pastor Nathan Lino -
- The filling of God in me was amazing. Joy. Freedom. Peace. Brought me to want more of him. Been awakened by the truth of prayer.
- Through trial and error we figure it out.
- pray with the ultimate goal - to sit with God, learn from him - focus on God and with him.. Be filled with his Spirit
- Jesus wanted to be full of the heavenly father.
- Ask God, do you have anything to say to me? Then be silent
- talk to your heavenly father about what is on his heart before you talk to him about what is on yours.
- Martha was concerned about the details for God. Mary just found Jesus and just sat at his feet. Martha was troubled. Mary was not troubled. Being at Jesus feet we will not be troubled
- Be the prodigal dad. Be on the porch waiting on their return. Let them know you are expecting them and they are welcome home when they are ready.
From Pastor Stephen Rummage -
- We have 20/20 Vision when it comes to some one else's idols, but we are blind when it comes to our own idols.
- Man’s nature, so to speak, is a perpetual factory of idols. (quoting John Calvin) Calvin said the Idols are often these…. World. Belly. Self. Influential people. Self righteousness. Church. Gifts from God. Easy life. Escapism. Experts or best practices. Put these under the influence of Christ!
- When you think uncleanness is no big deal, you have a problem.
- Be satisfied in him alone. That is when you know God is your first.
- God will use our struggles to keep us close to him every day!
From Pastor Duane (don’t know his last name) -
- No man preaches well to others if he does not first preach it to his on heart. (a quote)
- Don’t neglect what God put in you and don't neglect your pursuit of God.
- Quoting Charles H. Spurgeon… If the pastor has not been called to holiness, he certainly has not been called to ministry. .... A holy minister is an awful weapon head of God.
- Sanctification is a Joyful and painful process.
- Reason why some pastors fail is that they, or we, don't have the some economy as God (we don’t treasure what God does)
- The life of the preacher ought to be a magnet to draw people to Christ and not what pushes people away from Christ
- Make sure all you do is for the glory of God and for the sake of the gospel.
- Quoting Spurgeon…. Do that which will most glorify God.
From Pastor Gevan Spinney -
- Having a daily quiet time is absolutely essential to My life.
- It is amazing what we try to do when we have not spent time with God or fake it to our church.
- Apart from Christ we can not bear fruit.
- It’s time in his word that God reveals the hard things
- We are empty when we don't abide in Christ.
- Don’t miss what God is saying to you. Become disciplined in this time with God.
There are many big ideas, great thoughts and some sobering truths in this. Some are hard to understand. Please ask if something doesn’t make sense, and May God do great things in and through you and me!
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