Lead Well

When Junior Bible Quiz (JBQ) season ended earlier this year at my church, I wasn't sure if it would be able to continue. With only one confirmed member returning, starting the new season in August seemed near impossible. But with God all things are possible. The ministry coordinators and I started to pray for God to send 3 new families into the ministry so we could continue this important ministry where kids learn God's Word like nowhere else. When August rolled around, God came through. Fast forward to this weekend and we have a bigger team than we've had in years, and to top it all off we went undefeated in our division.  Something we also haven't done in years. Thank you to the families and volunteers who dedicate their time to teaching these kids about God and the Bible. It's all working toward training our kids in the way they should go so that when they grow old they will not turn from it. This is just one example of God coming through and answ

Recently, I was given the opportunity to preach to the adult congregation.  I spoke on the five ways God helps your faith grow and how my church makes them happen. They are: Practical teaching - Hearing the Word and doing the Word are two very different things.  It is essential to our spiritual growth to learn how to apply what we learn about God and His ways to our lives. Private disciplines  - Prayer, studying the Bible, serving, sharing the Gospel.  These are all disciplines that every christian should have in their lives and the more they practice them, they stronger their faith grows. Personal ministry  - Paul said in 1 Corinthians 12:2 that we are the Body of Christ.  Everyone has a place to serve in the gifts and abilities that God has given us.  Therefore a follower should be actively serving or looking for a place to serve. Providential relationships  - In each followers faith journey they can point to one person who set them on their current path.  God places people

I love the beginning of the year.  It's a great time to look back at the previous year and look forward to the next.  Every year, I make a list of books I want to read and work off of that list.  Sometimes I add books and take others off, but I always try to meet my goal. I read 13 books in 2015, which is significantly less than last year. However I'm learning that it's not the quantity of books read throughout the year, but the quality.  It doesn't do me any good to finish reading a book and not be able to apply what I've read. I plan to read even fewer in 2016, but I think I will get more out of them than I did in the past two years. Here's what I read in 2015: Courageous Leadership by Bill Hybels The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership by John Maxwell Lead Small Culture by Reggie Joiner, Sue Miller and Kristin Ivy Good Leaders ask Great Questions by John Maxwell Three Signs of a Miserable Job by Patrick Lencioni Not Normal by Sue Miller and Ad