What I got from God Chasers (Tommy Tenney)

• Know God not only about God.
• People are hungry for God but the church only focusses on entertaining them.
• Practically all humans allow the Spirit control up to a certain point. Over that point, we quench the Spirit.
• Do you really want God more in your life? Give that question a honest answer.
• Don't let goodly things replace Godly things.
  
• Strive for intimacy with Jesus at all times. This will anchor you in the storms of life.
• Religious spirits try to keep people where God was. This will prevent you from being where God is.
• Once we get honestly & seriously hungry for God, then God will get us holy.
• The omni-presence of God is different from the manifested presence of God.
  
• You can be God's child and still not have His favour. This is mainly due to disobedience, outright rebellion or lack of interest in knowing God better.
• The purpose of the anointing is not to make men like you but to make God like you. Always remember that.
• The anointing also helps us to make the transition from flesh to glory.
• If God can get enough Christians in an areato reject the dominion of satan, then God will evict the stronghold(s).
• Aim to be excited about your relationship with God.
• The depth of your repentance will determine the height of your revival.
• The more you crucify your flesh, the closer Jesus can come to you.
  
• Most christians seem more interested in having a distant respect for God than an intimate relationship with Him.
• Intimacy requires brokenness of spirit which willin turn bring purity/holiness.
• Miracles come to people who make room for them in their lives.
  
• Only "dead" men can see God's face.
• Don't allow the sacred things of God to become common. Remember that familiarity breeds contempt.
• People will instinctively know you aren't interested in God because enough of God's presence isn't seen in your life.
• Be careful lest you replace worshipping God with doing God's work.
• If you are a true spiritual worshipper of God, you can literally influence God to change His plans.
• You can't seek God's face while "saving face"
• Learn to pursue God for His own sake not for gifts.
• While it's good to have God go with you, it's even better when you go with God.
• If you are ever so hungry for God that you start chasing Him, He will do things for you that He won't do for anyone else.
  
• The effect of your prayers continue even after you die.
• The three R's of Reclamation of areas for Christ:

Repent of all our sins as a group.
Request God's kingdom to come.
Resist the enemies temptings/attacks.

• 
  

How to reach the Christian Youth

• Be willing to meet the youth on their home ground. Don't expect them to come to church to meet you.
  
• When you are speaking to them about Jesus, keep Him as the topic. Don't bring in religion. Jesus is more important.
  
• Find needs-based starting points to build relationships with the youth.
• Creatively translate the message of the cross in to language the youth will understand.
• Foster and nurture meaningful relationships with them.
• Attractively package the gospel. This can be done without diluting the message. Provide a social hook.
• Find a team which will allow you to multiply your efforts effectively.
• Fast and pray so that the Spirit may empower you as you claim souls for Christ.
• Don't work for the fame or the rewards as these may take YEARS to come about. Don't use youth ministry to feed your ego.
• Always follow through with each project.
• The closest some people may EVER come to Jesus this side of judgement is you. Make sure they get a positive message.

Other observations from my life

• If you are in the Will of God, He will provide the funding for the vision you have.
• Ensure you try to stay in the perfect Will of God. That way He is honour-bound to protect you.
• Look to God for provision but be prepared to work hard.
• Fight religion. This is man replacing the Spirit with rules. It's easier for the finite mind to deal with rules.
• Attack is a sign of respect. It means you have not defeated. Be honoured when you are attacked and praise God.
  
• Most christians lack the conviction to do what we are called to do by God.
• There is a difference between "spiritual" & "spirited". Aim to be spiritual as spirited is carnality.
  
• It is our duty as christians to stand in the gap for our church, young people, communities and our families.
  
• It takes just one person to change circumstances in life. Always be prepared in case God chooses to be that one.
  
• As you respond to the call of God, you will always face opposition. Expect it & bring it to God in prayer.
  
• As long as you are led by the Holy Spirit, ensure you obey Him and not men. Men's approval is fleeting & have no lasting value. God's approval is infinitely more important.
• Expect criticism, opposition, stereotyping as you get closer to God. Even from your closest friends as not everyone will see the vision. Be careful, ensure YOU are getting your vision from God and not some other "power".
• Remember that each christian is God's agent of change.
• Even when you are criticized by people, don't change to please them. The same people who criticize you will respect you for the anointing on your life.
• IF you are called of God and you try to backslide, you still won't fit in as the very people you backslid to join will probably send you back to church as they see the anointing over your life that you can't see.
• God has a habit of interrupting your plans & your overall life.
• Your life is not yours. Jesus died for it. So it's His to use for His pleasure. The only way you can regain your life is to die for it.

Remember this guys

Faith -> Virtue -> Knowledge -> Temperance -> Patience -> Godliness -> Brotherly Kindness -> Love -> Fruitfulness in the knowledge of Jesus.

Facts about Teens

Most Christians come to Christ under 18. Therefore we need to focus a significant amount of our evangelistic efforts to them. Consider this:

• 3.1 billion people under 25
• This generation is the largest generation of Youth ever.
• This generation is the most unreached teens.
• This generation is the most reachable set of teens ever.
• This means that the Youth is our largest mission field.

The teenage global culture has defined teens significantly. Therefore most teens are :

• consumer - driven
• sex - saturated
• receives messages from music
• absorbed by computers
• experiencing weak family support
• obsessed with the "here & now"
• relationally disconnected
• easily provoked to anger
• losing their innocence/virginity early
• searching for significance to life
  

OBSCJ Overcomers Leaders' Retreat

It was great! It was powerful! It impacted my psyche! I loved it. Held at Moorlands, time was cold but I survived. Met some people who may impact the rest of my life. Really glad for what God did for me that weekend. More details later. Thanks to Sonia for carrying me. God bless you.

Church Bus

The church bus has arrived! The Rev. showcased it during our communion service this month. It's a late model Toyota Coaster that he says will be used for evangelistic purposes. Really glad about it even though I have my concerns about maintenance & initial cost. But God is sovereign & I'm proud of the church in acquiring the bus that they have been wanting for nearly 3 decades. Don't worry, Pictures will be posted soon. Later.

Interfest!

My church won INTERFEST! For those who don't know, It's the national arts competition among the Open Bible Churches. Once more, we triumphed against the prevailing tide. Despite the grumblings of nepotism, we prevailed. Great job everyone. It was held at our church and so we also enjoyed home advantage. Our pastor even passed through. He was impressed with our behaviour (is that a good thing?). I'm really glad though. More details another time. The next level will be March 18, 2006. Watch for it.

These are my BEAUTIFUL young ladies (who I spoiled rotten!)

The MAIN source of gray hairs (especially Jerdine). I love them very much. Will do almost anything for them though. I consider them my innocent babies. It's so difficult to get females to like each other so I am grateful they are not at each others throats. They are great when they work together though. Looking forward to knowing them 10 years from now. Want to see who wil get fat. (All have fat mothers except one)

These are my young men.

(l-r) Stephen, Maurice, Troy, Brian Adrian. Interesting young men. Grown together for a while. I hope they stay friends no matter what. God please let them take up their places of leadership in the church. Can't wait.

My class for 2005 (plus Stephen!).

(l-r) Maurice, Stephen, Janeze, Jerdine, Adrian, Ronica, Kimberly, Brian, Tanesha & Troy. I'll miss them all. They all taught me something about God's relationship with His people and I really hope that 5 - 10 years from now, I'll still see them growing in Christ. Thanks guys for EVERYTHING! God bless you all and may you stay in Christ. I love them so much. Each of them brought something refreshing to the class. They have their faults but honestly, I wouldn't trade this group for the world (heaven perhaps, but not the world). I am glad I met you guys. Thank you, Jesus for this experience.

Maurice & Janeze -Honorary Class leaders for the Year 2006.

They were voted in as leaders for this year but since the group is suspended, then they are free. Just impressed that the group sees them as leadership material. Congrats guys!

And the Most Outstanding Student for the Year 2005 is... (you guessed it!) Janeze!!!

This girl is simply amazing. Not the easiest to love in her peer group but she's genuine. Just needs to learn social skills. I love her very much and expect much from her. She's one of the shining lights in my mentoring career & I'm really glad she came along. God bless you, Janeze!!! You may not be liked but you will be respected. (Just like me, perhaps?). Oh, needs to improve her mode of dress. Modern times now Janeze. You need to dress more feminine. The tomboy look is out. Just a thought.

The class voted Janeze the Best Student of the class. Kudos!!!

She does it again! Janeze is the best student in the class according to the class. How does she do it? She definitely has something about her. You can't deal with it but you gotta love it. I'm proud of her and expect to see her growing in God also. She's my favourite student. VERY teachable but feisty. See you in 2006, Janeze.

Kimberly is the Most Improved student. And it showed.

I am so glad she won. She came close in 2004 and I'm so proud that she was considered again this year. She's been making progress. God bless her. I trust she will continue to grow yearly. I love you, Kimberly. Definitely a shining light. Will be losing her though & that's what hurts me. I am trying to deal with that from now. Keep growing, Kimmie!

Janeze is the Most Spiritual in the class. Good going, Jan!

She is indeed the strongest one spiritually. She is going through a lot due to this but God is able to keep her. She is also the deliverance expert & a great person to have by your side in spiritual battles. Not the most liked, but seems to be the most respected. Hope that her people skills improves soon though.

Maurice has shown the Best Leadership Qualities for the year.

Don't let the pose fool you completely, he's actually getting serious about God now. Proud of him! He has the best leadership qualities when he's there!

Ronica has the Best Physical Features (so they say)

Ronica is reputedly the best looking girl in the group according to observers but I'm still not sure. She won the award though so majority rules in this case. I think she's very pretty though - especially when she's in a good mood. Be warned: VERY EMOTIONAL. Good going.

Adrian convinces the class he's the most disciplined one.

Is Adrian REALLY the most disciplined one? Not sure. But they are all teens so who to tell as all of them give trouble & have short attention spans. Kudos to you Adrian. Image is indeed everything. Keep shining.

The Most Outstanding Caregiver is...Janeze!

This surprised me (and her mother!) as Janeze is VIOLENT!!! But she cares about people. Honestly, she deserves the award and I'm glad she got it. Just needs to stop hitting people! Congrats on being voted the most caring.

Adrian is the most Intellectual student

I guess you can see the intellect dripping off this pose, huh? Well Adrian is bright but sometimes seems to be overly optimistic/clueless. Working with this guy is a trip. I enjoy his company and he's been instrumental in helping this group stay together. Just need some rubbing down though. He still takes me for a fool but I won't bother to call his bluff. Let him stay.

Troy was the funniest guy for the year 2005

Well, most humourous as Jamaican men HATE being called "funny". Troy has the ability and can do more than he's doing spiritually. He's teachable though and I am praying for a turnaround soon before God does something DRASTIC to bring him back. He's fun & cares about people deeply. Loves girls a bit too much though but it could be worse. Troy, GET YOUR ACT TOGETHER!

Maurice is most Congenial

Maurice is fun to be around. He's a great friend ( right, Kimberly?) and knows his spiritual duty. Doesn't mean he does it all the time but he knows it. He's one of the guys who should be taking the church to the next level. Expecting a lot from him and Janeze.

Tanesha is the Most Unique Personality

Tanesha is the most fun person in the class - bar none! I love her. When she's around, she makes the class lighter. I really enjoy her company. Wish she would be more assertive though but can't complain overall. Keep shining, Tanesha!

Ronica got Best Smile

She does have a great smile. I love it. Ronica is a shining light but needs to stop hiding it undera basket. Looking forward to great things from her when she starts walking in step with the Spirit. I love her though. One of the people I would want to have around for times to come.

Jerdine receives the award for the longest serving student.

Jerdine! I love this girl so much but she can't accept it or believe it so I guess I'll just wait until she understands herself. To be honest, I've tried to take her out of the group because of her behaviour but God always seems to ensure she stays (Adrian, I bet you are so happy!). She has a lot to offer God's kingdom and I hope that she settles down spiritually. She is one of my favourites ever but such is life. The first girl I placed in my cell group & still here. Hope the experience with me will help her in some way . All the best Jerdine.

Brian receives award (Most Promising New Student)

Brian has proven to be a treasure. He's not the sanest but he's the most decent guy I have. He thinks a lot and he seems to be interested in moving up in God. I'll work with that. He shows the most promise especially as he is the newest guy in my group. Looking to see him grow this year.

My 3 top performers for the year (merit-wise)

So these are my top performers. Ronica, Janeze & Tanesha. Looking to see their grades soon just to see if they apply themselves to schoolwork too. Congrats, ladies.

Janeze winning 1st place in merit standings

Janeze is my all-round star performer in the class. She's competitive and loves to win so I guess that explains why she made sure she got the merits.

Ronica winning second prize in merit standings

Ronica applies herself but I fear it's more to do with gaining the merits than for experiencing the church stuff. Oh well. God is in control. Bright girl but tends to be forgetful.

Tanesha winning 3rd place in merit standings

She did well over the year but she could've come second if she was more proactive. Something to pray about. Very disciplined & committed when it comes to classes.

Advice to my proteges (hope my readers appreciate the advice too.)

1. Keep your commitments to your commitments.

2. Have unreasonable dreams.

3. Don’t reject ideas without consulting God first.

4. It’s better to aim high and miss than to aim low and hit.

5. It’s not what you don’t have but what you think you need that stops your dreams from fruition.

6. Feed your faith and your fears will starve to death.

7. Try not to know what you cannot do.

8. The type of friends you keep affects your future scope for wealth. You’ll be like the 5 closest friends you have.

· Evaluate your friends: Am I a better person from knowing this person?

· Can I count on them in an emergency? (Hint: If they say “what time is it?” or “I’ll try” they are more than likely not good friends.)

· Are the conversations mostly edifying and helpful in my life?

9. Always be willing to take risks as you cannot get out of life alive. (Get it?)

10. Life is not safe and it isn’t fair. Stop lamenting.

11. Refuse to die an unlived life.

12. “I’ll try.” is the language of losers.

13. If you are the brightest & most visionary person in your friendship circle, change your circle. Quick!

14. The best thing you can do for poor people is not to be one!

15. Have fun, enjoy yourself.

16. Sow an act, reap a habit. Sow a habit, reap a character. Sow a character, reap a destiny. Be careful concerning how you think.

17. Keep your angels employed. (If you don’t understand this one, contact me.)

18. There is no shortage of money, just a shortage of ideas on how to get it.

19. Strive to be debt-free but realize sometimes it’s smart to owe money for a short period.

20. Learn to be a reliable team-member. Your inter-personal skills matter more to people than your technical skills or your educational ability.

Hope you guys will think on these thoughts. Like the ones I sent to Carl, these have been lived out in my life or applied through reading them & prayerful meditation. I wish you guys all the best as you leave my care. I will miss you but not the gray hairs. God bless you all. I love you.

A guide to getting anointed by God for His service ( for young christians )

· Go to an anointed church and ensure that God is staying in it.

· Be honest to God in your prayer life.

· Endeavour to be filled with the Holy Spirit daily.

· Repent of your sins daily.

· Learn to yield to the Holy Spirit’s Guidance.

· Make time to spend with the Holy Spirit.

· Be consistent in your spiritual walk.

· Develop & nurture a hunger for the anointing of God.

· Ask God for His anointing.

· Walk in the anointing.

· Fast & pray regularly.

I wrote this to my spiritual father. May prove useful to you too.

Some things to meditate on.

These are some pieces of advice I've read, absorbed, been inspired by,
have inserted into my spirit by the Spirit or some other means. Hope
you appreciate it. Even though this email is primarily for Carl
Beckford (my spiritual godfather), I trust anyone else who reads it
will be edified. Who knows? If you follow them, they may actually make
you richer than you are right now. God bless you all.

1. Start off your dreams by making the first move. Stop planning and implement.
2. Be generous with money. It will come back to you.
3. Learn to be non-attached. Try your best to get what you want but if
you can't get it after you tried your best, release it and move on.
Less stress that way.
4. Be passionate but not too aggressive in pursuing what you want.
(I'm still learning this)
5. Meditate on your life often. Involve Jesus in this meditation.
6. Pay yourself before you pay the bills.
7. You can make excuses & you can make money but not at the same time.
Make your choice early.
8. Don't attack the problem, transcend it. Look for the root cause and fix it.
9. Don't make your moods dictate how you feel about money and vice versa.
10. If it sounds too good to be true, it usually is.
11. Recruit people more competent than you to work with/for you.
12. Don't worry about the state of the stock market at the time you
invest. Just do it. Stocks will increase over time.
13. React less, Respond more. Less stress.
14. Know your stuff. Don't just believe it. Belief is temporary while
knowledge is permanent.
15. Today is the first day of the rest of your life. Don't be
imprisoned by your past.
16. Surround yourself with experts.
17. Know what you don't know and what you are not good at.
18. Have a passion for life and your work.
19. Do what you love, money will follow.
20. Always be prepared to walk away from a negotiation. You can usually go back.
21. Be willing to change and accept it. If you do what you've always
done, you'll always get the same result.
22. Spend most of your time on the important stuff.
23. Show gratitude towards others.
24. Leave a great impression on others around you.
25. Wait on the Holy Spirit.
26. Reflect on your day. Learn from it.
27. Laugh at yourself and your mistakes. Less likely you repeat them.
28. Ask for exactly what you want.
29. Control your temper.
30. Eliminate your most self-defeating beliefs.
31. Circumstances don't make a person, they reveal the person.
32. From winning, successful partnerships. Choose partners carefully.
33. Let go of fearful thoughts.
34. Think BIG!
35. Make important decisions using long-term information instead of
short-term information.
36. Know when to bet, when to hold, and when to fold.
37. Change what you can and accept what you cannot.
38. Develop relationships with people BEFORE you want something from them.
39. Be aware of your unique workload limit. Do not exceed it!
40. Do not panic!
41. Envision things before they materialize.
42. Banish your doubt.
43. Know the secret of silence.
44. Save two years of living expenses. This will give you leverage at work.
45. Focus on getting rid of your fear of disapproval.
46. Know where the REALLY cheap bargain places are in Jamaica.
47. Don't rely on too much data to make a decision.
48. Have mentor/mentors for each aspect of your life. (Carl, you are
mine spiritually. Have fun influencing my mind)
49. Delight in the success of others.
50. Think of the possible consequences of your decisions before you make them.
51. Remember Jesus' golden rule. (If you don't know the rule, that
says a lot about your spiritual life.)
52. Don't be afraid to ask for referrals.
53. "Opportunity only knocks once" is a myth.
54. Try to share expenses with trusted people.
55. Encourage creativity in your people/subordinates and have faith in
them until PROVEN wrong.
56. Don't give away your power/authority to others just because they
are "experts".
57. Charge what you are worth when you are doing a job unless you
doing voluntary service. (You can always give a discount!)
58. Make the effort to really listen to others.
59. Cultivate a sense of humour and learn to smile when you are
conversing with people.
60. Develop a sense of trustworthiness and reliability so that others
will believe your words and trust your actions. This does wonders for
your reputation. Let your word represent you. (This is one of my
favourite sayings. Hope I am doing it well overall.)
61. Be willing to take advice. Don't throw out the message just
because you don't like the messenger. ( I think this is a church
problem though).
62. When confronted with a problem, ask yourself how you contributed
to the problem.
63. Remember that intelligence is more important than intellect. (This
is also one of my major mental stratagems.)
64. Remove the words, "It's not my job." from your vocabulary. Do what
you see needs to be done. Especially if you are a part of a team.
(This is my major problem. I am single-minded. Help Carl!)
65. More is not always better. Don't let being busy in church get in
the way of being useful to God.
66. Think "outside of the box" when trying to find solutions.
67. Don't dwell on past mistakes. Don't intentionally repeat them either.
68. Help others succeed in life.
69. Persevere in your pursuits. Things do not normally work out overnight.
70. Consider the wisdom of optimism. (Carl, definitely your
strongpoint. Definitely NOT mine.)
71. Hold on tightly but if you have to, let go lightly.
72. Be willing to apologize.
73. Lighten up your face. Don't embrace and feed your stress. STOP
WORRYING! It insults Jesus and is actually a sin! (Another major
mental focus for me.)
74. Remember that everything is "used" (and thus loses value) the day
after you buy it "new".
75. Cheaper is not always better.
76. Remember that life is not your enemy but your attitude/mindset can
be your worst enemy.
77. Resist the temptation to constantly raise your standard of living
just because you get a raise in income.
78. Have a plan.
79. Don't get lost in your plan.
80. Don't commiserate. It's just a cute way to complain.
81. Work at your goals. Also, create the environment for your success.
82. Don't forget to have fun in life. Jesus ordained it. He died for it too.
83. Don't sweat the small stuff. It's not worth the strife.
84. Remember your marriage is your primary witness. Have it as a
priority. A lot of marriages in Glad Tidings don't SEEM happy. Make
sure yours represents Christ and the church.
85. Children are also a witness. If you claim to be a spiritual leader
and your children mock God in their actions, it undermines your
ministry. Bear that in mind as you plan for any future
"eventualities". (wink).
86. Seek Godly wisdom, knowledge and understanding. It has done
wonders for Melville Lumley's attitude on life. It may do the same for
you.
87. God bless you. Be loyal to your friends. My loyalty & respect is
earned. They aren't cheap either. Congrats on earning it, Carl
Beckford. Have a good day. Don't shift your focus from God to the
church. That is religion. Guard against it. Hope you have a support
network of competent Christians.
88. Did I say God bless you? God bless you. (In case I didn't say God bless you)

Portia!!!

Why people pressuring the lady so? Like the debate? Sow hat if she not there? THe delegates are the ones who voting so who gives a rat if the public likes her? If the delegates don't vote for her, then she won't get a chance to face the electorate! I think it's a conspiracy. She's not one of the "old boys club" and so she's a threat. Portia, you are not perfect (by any means) but I think you are the best option for Jamaica. I hope you win. The rest of them are basically the same thing. Sorry Bruce but JLP seems to be set for opposition for life status if Portia wins. You have a better chance if Peter Phillips wins as he won't change a thing. Look at his supporters. Tony Welsh? Campaign Exec? And you aresecurity minister? No wonder murders won't cease! Omar Davies? Prime Minister? He's trumpeting stability while stealing money from NHF and approving expenditure outside of prescribed protocols. Cute! Dr. Blythe is a good man but he's the first man (since Jesus) who doesn't indulge in sin. That's why he'll be crucified soon. Hope he'll ressurect too! So all 4 are not angels but honestly, who is better for the COUNTRY than Portia? Think about it.

Steps in becoming a more effective soldier for Christ

• Rebuke fear daily.
• Pray for protection over your mind when you learning/teaching God's Word.
• Intercede regularly for people/situations
• Do not accept the fact that you are going to die at a particular moment unless God tells you to.
• Do not give blood to anyone without first praying. Blood seems to give satanists claim over you. Do your research in case you think I am psychotic. I don't mind.
• Don't trust everything you hear/get at youth camps/activities. Test their doctrines and their leaders.
  
• Remember that even some pastors are satanists/freemasons or related tot hem in mindset and activities.
• Humans cannot control demons. Demons just play along (for now) with the satanists who are fooled into believing they control them. Don't believe there is a difference between "white" (good) magic & "black" (evil) magic. Once it's not of God, it's evil. Remember that always.
• Not everything good is Godly! Remember that always. Even satan can portray himself as an angel of light.
• Anoint your possessions and habitations regularly in order to limit demonic trespass.
• Ask for spiritual armor daily to protect your spirit in battle in the spiritual realm.
• Ask God for discernment of spirits.
• Remove all items of satanic significance from your house & life.

To the non-christian (and a lot of christians), this may sound like hogwash or bullcrap. In that case, please ignore. To the spiritual christians though, make note of these tips and feel free to add to them. God bless you.

Steps for the new Christian (in Glad Tidings)

1. Ensure that you get saved. It looks bad if you come to church for a long time and STILL go to hell. Also, You need to be a christian to get involved in MOST church activities (Membership is separate. Will discuss that later.). You can check if you are saved by reading Romans 10:9-10. It tells you how you can be saved.
2. Get baptized. You don't need baptism to go to heaven but it shows your confidence in your God by going public with it. Have a little speech prepared as you get time to address the congregation before. Also, personally, I suggest you go as soon as possible in order to enjoy cleaner water. (Sorry, I have Monk-ish issues.)
   
3. Establish devotional time with Jesus. Form the habit early as when you get older it gets more difficult. Don't fall into the trap of replacing the God of the church with the church of your God.
4. Spend time with Jesus. Need I say more?
5. Make christian friends. There are many wolves in sheep's clothing (especially for the females. Be very careful!) but trust in Jesus and seek Godly counsel and you should be ok. Make sure they show Christ in their lives and their speech.
   
6. Get involved in a church ministry. You need to do this in order to put your faith into practice. Also, this helps to keep you in church. Hope you find one soon.
7. Know about the Sunday School and Overcomers' Departments. They will be important to your growth later.
   

This is my advice to young christians coming to my church for the first time. Hope it makes sense to you. God bless you in your christian walk.

In case you wondering...

I still write my own posts but if I find a post that has the same idea as mine and seems better written, I will use it instead. Of course, I will give the appropriate acknowledgements to prevent plagiarism charges and also seek to alert the writer of my use of his material. So don't think I'm lazy (much!). I am just being efficient in my delivery of thoughts for your mind. God bless you. Hope you still enjoy the blog. If you want me to give only my posts, let me know. Your feedback is appreciated.

Is this true for your church? (Got this from New Life)

Changing Paradigms in the Local Church

by James W. Moss, Sr.

The following changes are offered as neither right nor wrong. Some of them are good and some not so good. We might not even agree on which is which. But the following changes will impact ministry.

1. For many churches, September has the lowest average attendance of any month.

2. Fewer people can play the keyboard.

3. The sermon is shorter.

4. Contemporary music and worship are in vogue.

5. Dress codes for worship have changed.

6. The role of women in clergy and laity has increased.

7. The trouble between the parsonage family and the church is caused increasingly by the spouse.

8. The amount of people required in worship to pay a full-time salary, benevolence, and reasonable program has increased from 75 in 1980 to 100 in 1988 to 125 in 1995.

9. Clergy must become equippers for ministry and not just deliverers of service.

10. There is an intense and growing interest in spiritual gifts.

11. Coupled with this is a desire to match personality types to ministry tasks.

12. Congregational expectations of clergy are increasing as the percentage of expenditures required to pay salary and benefits rises.

13. 80-85% of existing Protestant churches are either plateaued or declining.

14. There is little training in the marketplace for churches with a worship attendance under 100.

15. Large churches are weak and fragile and held together by tremendous pressure by staff and people. Small churches are very strong and will resist attempts to kill them.

16. Ministry for children will be more hands-on and activity based. It will be integrated into the Christian faith and life situation.

17. Parents need to be integrated into youth and children’s ministry. A total family approach will be appealing to many young families.

18. Home visitation can’t be the primary method of pastoral care now. (Though home visits need to be made.) Many more brief and less invasive contacts must be made.

19. Pastors and congregations are becoming much more aware of the significance and value of small groups.

20. The house church is reemerging. Frequently no paid clergy will be involved.

21. I believe that churches will be paying taxes on their real estate within the next decade.

22. The 20% of most faithful attenders are in attendance less than those same people a couple of decades ago.

23. Increasing numbers of young adults are saying, "I can be Christian and I don’t need the church."

24. It is increasingly difficult to explain servant leadership. It is tough to communicate that it is only what we give away that we will keep.

25. Building space must be used more than one hour a week to justify the cost.

26. A church should never borrow more than three times all its income for one year.

27. There has been a rebirth of emphasis on starting new churches.

28. The US has become the largest receiver of Christian missionaries as opposed to the largest sender of Christian missionaries.

29. Families with new babies will tend to be quite sporadic for the first year. They will have to be carefully nurtured or they will be lost to the church.

30. Former Roman Catholics are showing up in Protestant churches in droves.

31. The effort required to have visitors walk through the doors of your church has grown dramatically.

32. The pastor can’t assume Christian knowledge in the pew.

33. The people expect quick fixes for their problems from the pastor and the church.

34. A lot of adults retire from church when they retire from their secular work.

35. The normal attrition of a church is 10-15% of its worshipping congregation every single year.

36. Most communities have one church of choice. That is a prominent church that attracts sufficient people to cover normal attrition.

37. There is little denominational loyalty.

38. There will be increasing numbers of clergy who desire to be and are not placed.

39. There will be many fully trained clergy working in tent-making situations.

40. There will be a return to circuits to group together enough people to pay a living wage for clergy.

41. Very rural areas tend to be more unchurched than the national average.

42. The later a morning service is conducted, the more difficult the attendance may be to sustain.

Interfest

We did very well in Interfest. For those who don't know, Interfest is the arts (drama, dance, singing, speech, etc.) competition among the Open Bible Churches in the country. Most of our entrants finished in the top 2 of each event which is to be expected from a church with a strong tradition of doing well in artistic events. IT was fun. About 12 churches entered but I wasn't able to listen to everything as I had my PRO duties to perform. The results will be given in a later post. Bye.

Some things to meditate on. (Not Original!)

These are some pieces of advice I’ve read, absorbed, been inspired by, have inserted into my spirit by the Spirit or some other means. Hope you appreciate it. Even though this email is primarily for Carl Beckford (my spiritual godfather), I trust anyone else who reads it will be edified. God bless you all.

1. Start off your dreams by making the first move. Stop planning and implement.

2. Be generous with money. It will come back to you.

3. Learn to be non-attached. Try your best to get what you want but if you can’t get it after you tried your best, release it and move on. Less stress that way.

4. Be passionate but not too aggressive in pursuing what you want. (I’m still learning this)

5. Meditate on your life often. Involve Jesus in this meditation.

6. Pay yourself before you pay the bills.

7. You can make excuses & you can make money but not at the same time. Make your choice early.

8. Don’t attack the problem, transcend it. Look for the root cause and fix it.

9. Don’t make your moods dictate how you feel about money and vice versa.

10. If it sounds too good to be true, it usually is.

11. Recruit people more competent than you to work with/for you.

12. Don’t worry about the state of the stock market at the time you invest. Just do it. Stocks will increase over time.

13. React less, Respond more. Less stress.

14. Know your stuff. Don’t just believe it. Belief is temporary while knowledge is permanent.

15. Today is the first day of the rest of your life. Don’t be imprisoned by your past.

16. Surround yourself with experts.

17. Know what you don’t know and what you are not good at.

18. Have a passion for life and your work.

19. Do what you love, money will follow.

20. Always be prepared to walk away from a negotiation. You can usually go back.

21. Be willing to change and accept it. If you do what you’ve always done, you’ll always get the same result.

22. Spend most of your time on the important stuff.

23. Show gratitude towards others.

24. Leave a great impression on others around you.

25. Wait on the Holy Spirit.

26. Reflect on your day. Learn from it.

27. Laugh at yourself and your mistakes. Less likely you repeat them.

28. Ask for exactly what you want.

29. Control your temper.

30. Eliminate your most self-defeating beliefs.

31. Circumstances don’t make a person, they reveal the person.

32. From winning, successful partnerships. Choose partners carefully.

33. Let go of fearful thoughts.

34. Think BIG!

35. Make important decisions using long-term information instead of short-term information.

36. Know when to bet, when to hold, and when to fold.

37. Change what you can and accept what you cannot.

38. Develop relationships with people BEFORE you want something from them.

39. Be aware of your unique workload limit. Do not exceed it!

40. Do not panic!

41. Envision things before they materialize.

42. Banish your doubt.

43. Know the secret of silence.

44. Save two years of living expenses. This will give you leverage at work.

45. Focus on getting rid of your fear of disapproval.

46. Know where the REALLY cheap bargain places are in Jamaica.

47. Don’t rely on too much data to make a decision.

48. Have mentor/mentors for each aspect of your life. (Carl, you are mine spiritually. Have fun influencing my mind)

49. Delight in the success of others.

50. Think of the possible consequences of your decisions before you make them.

51. Remember Jesus’ golden rule. (If you don’t know the rule, that says a lot about your spiritual life.)

52. Don’t be afraid to ask for referrals.

53. “Opportunity only knocks once” is a myth.

54. Try to share expenses with trusted people.

55. Encourage creativity in your people/subordinates and have faith in them until PROVEN wrong.

56. Don’t give away your power/authority to others just because they are “experts”.

57. Charge what you are worth when you are doing a job unless you doing voluntary service. (You can always give a discount!)

58. Make the effort to really listen to others.

59. Cultivate a sense of humour and learn to smile when you are conversing with people.

60. Develop a sense of trustworthiness and reliability so that others will believe your words and trust your actions. This does wonders for your reputation. Let your word represent you. (This is one of my favourite sayings. Hope I am doing it well overall.)

61. Be willing to take advice. Don’t throw out the message just because you don’t like the messenger. ( I think this is a church problem though).

62. When confronted with a problem, ask yourself how you contributed to the problem.

63. Remember that intelligence is more important than intellect. (This is also one of my major mental stratagems.)

64. Remove the words, “It’s not my job.” from your vocabulary. Do what you see needs to be done. Especially if you are a part of a team. (This is my major problem. I am single-minded. Help Carl!)

65. More is not always better. Don’t let being busy in church get in the way of being useful to God.

66. Think “outside of the box” when trying to find solutions.

67. Don’t dwell on past mistakes. Don’t intentionally repeat them either.

68. Help others succeed in life.

69. Persevere in your pursuits. Things do not normally work out overnight.

70. Consider the wisdom of optimism. (Carl, definitely your strongpoint. Definitely NOT mine.)

71. Hold on tightly but if you have to, let go lightly.

72. Be willing to apologize.

73. Lighten up your face. Don’t embrace and feed your stress. STOP WORRYING! It insults Jesus and is actually a sin! (Another major mental focus for me.)

74. Remember that everything is “used” (and thus loses value) the day after you buy it “new”.

75. Cheaper is not always better.

76. Remember that life is not your enemy but your attitude/mindset can be your worst enemy.

77. Resist the temptation to constantly raise your standard of living just because you get a raise in income.

78. Have a plan.

79. Don’t get lost in your plan.

80. Don’t commiserate. It’s just a cute way to complain.

81. Work at your goals. Also, create the environment for your success.

82. Don’t forget to have fun in life. Jesus ordained it. He died for it too.

83. Don’t sweat the small stuff. It’s not worth the strife.

84. Remember your marriage is your primary witness. Have it as a priority. A lot of marriages in Glad Tidings don’t SEEM happy. Make sure yours represents Christ and the church.

85. Children are also a witness. If you claim to be a spiritual leader and your children mock God in their actions, it undermines your ministry. Bear that in mind as you plan for any future “eventualities”. (wink).

86. Seek Godly wisdom, knowledge and understanding. It has done wonders for Melville Lumley’s attitude on life. It may do the same for you.

87. God bless you. Be loyal to your friends. My loyalty & respect is earned. They aren’t cheap either. Congrats on earning it, Carl Beckford. Have a good day. Don’t shift your focus from God to the church. That is religion. Guard against it. Hope you have a support network of competent Christians.

88. Did I say God bless you? God bless you. (In case I didn’t say God bless you)