Real Faith…Real Obedience

February 2, politicians, cultural influencers and the like (some 4000), gathered in Washington DC, to participate in the National Prayer Breakfast.  I am not usually one to pay attention to such occasions, but I was drawn into this event when I heard who was to be the main speaker for the morning.  Eric Metaxas, the celebrated biographer of William Wilberforce and, most recently, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, was asked to address this distinguished group.  As I listened to his words, I was blessed and challenged by his wit and courage.  Then I wondered about this quote from Tom Marshall, “The great question today is whether there exists in the Christian church a sufficient reservoir of spiritual strength with the capacity to raise up leaders of the right caliber to meet the challenge of the present leadership vacuum.” I wonder if the church has the kind of capacity to raise up the next Bonhoeffer or Wilberforce.  Maybe we need more Ed Tuttles, apprentices of Jesus who have the courage to disciple and mentor people like Eric Metaxas.

Check out the video.  I wonder what you find yourself thinking?

Eric Metaxas 2012 National Prayer Breakfast

 

Discipleship: The Critical Need in Leadership Development Today

Today BrianSteenhoek and I facilitated a webinar called, “Discipleship:  The Critical Need in Leadership Development Today.”  It seemed to scratch an itch from the responses of those who attended.  We thought we would offer you a condensed version of some of our notes here.   Continue reading

Helping People Discover

The slogan we use around VP3 is, “Helping You Discover.”  It reminds us that we develop processes to help people discover answers to three of life’s most important questions, ‘Who is God?’, ‘Who am I?’, and ‘What does God desire to do through me?’  We believe we have developed some of the best resources available to help people pursue the answers to these questions through a biblical framework.  However, we also know it is the good people who take our material–the ministry leaders, facilitators, and pastors, combined with the Holy Spirit, who make personal discovery and life transformation possible.  And it is always fun to hear how churches and ministry leaders have taken our resources and creatively applied them in their context.  Let me tell you a couple of recent examples. Continue reading

Saints in the Making

      A walloping great congregation is fine and fun, but what most communities really need is a couple of saints.  The tragedy is that they may well be there in embryo, waiting to be discovered, waiting for sound training, waiting to be emancipated from the cult of the mediocre.

–Martin Thorton

This week is the third of four weeks in January, filled with “Block B” Facilitator Training Retreats.  Randy and I will have the privilege of being with a group of facilitators at Faith Church in Dyer, Indiana, Monday and Tuesday.

In an effort to both prepare and support in the implementation of The Emerging Journey or The Equipping Experience, this facilitator preparation process is structured in two retreats: Retreat Block A (usually in June) and Retreat Block B (usually the following January).  It is 4.5 days of training that seeks to do at least 4 things for those who participate: Continue reading

Invitations To Die

To be honest, a theme I’ve noticed in my own walk lately has been dying.  Now, although it sounds silly, I must confess that even letting you in on this will make me wonder if I’ve just entered my final days…a peculiar sort of superstition.  But I have heard stories of people who said, “I’m ready to die!”  And then two days later actually die.  So, to set the record straight, although I love Jesus and look forward to meeting him I sure hope I don’t die two days from now.

What I have been wondering about is what it means for aspects of my life to die in order to bear more and better fruit.  Jesus did say, and even with a verily, “Very truly, I tell you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains just a single grain;  but if it dies, it bears much fruit” (John 12:24).  Lately, three “deaths” have caused me to wonder what sort of fruit I am being invited to bear… Continue reading

Moving Faithfully into 2012

2012.  A new year.  Resolutions.  Decisions.  Choices to be made.

It helps to have a plan.  And equally important, it helps to have guiding statements that inform that plan.

Whether you are making resolutions, new decisions, or reexamining your ministry, a clear understanding of who you are, who God is, and what God desires to do through you, is fundamental to making the kinds of decisions and plans that match your temperament, passion and values in service to God. Continue reading

A Gift

We recently had a VP3 staff team day, complete with Christmas party.  One of the things we did was share stories about the people we have encountered this past year through the ministry of VP3…people who have been gifts to us.  They have given to us the gift of knowing a little more of their story of change toward becoming the person God has intended them to be…a person with new hope to live more incarnationally…becoming a gift to others in Jesus’ name.

Sometimes we sit back in amazement at how the Lord has used what seems like our “two-fish-and-five-loaves” to help deepen and empower so many good people in various communities across North America. Continue reading

It’s a Wonderful Life

In the classic movie, It’s a Wonderful Life, George Bailey spends his entire life giving up his ‘big dreams’ for the good of his town, Bedford Falls.

But on Christmas Eve, he is broken and suicidal over the misplacing of an $8000 loan and the scheming of the evil millionaire, Mr. Potter. His guardian angel, Clarence, falls to Earth, literally, and shows him how his town, family, and friends would turn out if he had never been born.  George realizes that he has touched many people in a positive way and that his life has truly been a wonderful one. Continue reading

Managing vs. Receiving (Guest Contributor-Pamela Edwards)

This past Friday one of our board members Dr. Pamela Edwards opened our VP3 Board Conference call with a short Advent devotional on Mary. It set the tone so well for us as a staff that we wanted to share it with you.

Pam is on staff at Cedar Valley Community Church in Waterloo, Iowa where she serves in the areas of spiritual formation and adult ministries. We hope you find this as helpful as we have around the office. She writes,

My favorite bible character is Mary, the Mother of Jesus.  Though she has many admirable qualities, the one that I find myself thinking about the most these days for those of us in ministry leadership is the way that this ordinary, Jewish woman RECEIVED the angel Gabriel’s news that she was going to be the mother of the Messiah.

She was initially confused and disturbed and asked some good questions about how this was all going to work out for her, which I appreciate.  However, she RECEIVED her call and without knowing all the answers, she said, “I am the Lord’s servant, and I’m willing to do what you want.” Continue reading