Enjoying IT with Others
I've been very slack on my write ups on the book IT over the last few weeks. I guess I've been pretty slack with blogger period. I really need this vacation... which starts on Friday!!! I so can't wait to get away with my lovely wife and just spend a fantastic week together.
I'm going to skip chapter 4 and 5 and jump right in to chapter 6. Why? Because out of all the chapters in this book, this is probably the one that hits me the most. This chapter focuses on camaraderie which is found in churches with it.
I'm a relationship kind of guy. In fact, I pretty much base the success of every area of my life on the relationships that I have in these areas. For example, I know my marriage is going well by my relationship with my wife. I know I'm a good dad by looking at my relationship with my kids. I know I'm following Jesus closely by the relationships I have with people within and outside the church. Good or bad, I really do measure my success based on my relationships. If the relationship isn't going well then it's very obvious to me that I'm missing it in that area of my life. Relationships are so key to me that I even stayed in a company for many years... not because I liked the company or its policies or way of working... but because I respected my boss and enjoyed my relationship with him. If it wasn't for that relationship I probably would have quit that company YEARS before that. Relationships are what ground me and connect me to a place.
Some of my most meaningful and deep relationships are not necessarily with those who I've known the longest... but with those I've been in the trenches of ministry with. A love and passion for Jesus and a desire to do the work that he calls us to do in his name is probably the greatest relationship builder I've ever experienced in my life. But one thing that has always been incredibly surprising to me, is just how few of those relationships seem to happen in the church.
I've been on ministry teams where it really just felt like we were all doing a job and there was absolutely no relationship outside of the work being done. In fact, on some of these teams I couldn't even tell you what the other team members did for a living or if they were married. Pretty sad!
This was the main reason why I wanted to have all the Small Group leaders to come to my house for a BBQ this summer. I firmly believe that our relationship is key for ensuring that our Small Group ministry will always have it! I think without that relationship we'll just go through the motions and never experience the life transformation that I believe God wants to do in that ministry here at our church.
For me... it cannot be found in a church program or in a position in the church. It can only come from a close relationship to Jesus and the other leaders.
What about you? How has your ministry experience been different based on your relationships?
I'm going to skip chapter 4 and 5 and jump right in to chapter 6. Why? Because out of all the chapters in this book, this is probably the one that hits me the most. This chapter focuses on camaraderie which is found in churches with it.
I'm a relationship kind of guy. In fact, I pretty much base the success of every area of my life on the relationships that I have in these areas. For example, I know my marriage is going well by my relationship with my wife. I know I'm a good dad by looking at my relationship with my kids. I know I'm following Jesus closely by the relationships I have with people within and outside the church. Good or bad, I really do measure my success based on my relationships. If the relationship isn't going well then it's very obvious to me that I'm missing it in that area of my life. Relationships are so key to me that I even stayed in a company for many years... not because I liked the company or its policies or way of working... but because I respected my boss and enjoyed my relationship with him. If it wasn't for that relationship I probably would have quit that company YEARS before that. Relationships are what ground me and connect me to a place.
Some of my most meaningful and deep relationships are not necessarily with those who I've known the longest... but with those I've been in the trenches of ministry with. A love and passion for Jesus and a desire to do the work that he calls us to do in his name is probably the greatest relationship builder I've ever experienced in my life. But one thing that has always been incredibly surprising to me, is just how few of those relationships seem to happen in the church.
I've been on ministry teams where it really just felt like we were all doing a job and there was absolutely no relationship outside of the work being done. In fact, on some of these teams I couldn't even tell you what the other team members did for a living or if they were married. Pretty sad!
This was the main reason why I wanted to have all the Small Group leaders to come to my house for a BBQ this summer. I firmly believe that our relationship is key for ensuring that our Small Group ministry will always have it! I think without that relationship we'll just go through the motions and never experience the life transformation that I believe God wants to do in that ministry here at our church.
For me... it cannot be found in a church program or in a position in the church. It can only come from a close relationship to Jesus and the other leaders.
What about you? How has your ministry experience been different based on your relationships?
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