St. Patrick...The Missionary

Happy St. Patrick's Day! Did you know that St. Patrick was a missionary from Britain? Although he is often referred to as the "Irish Saint", he was neither Catholic nor Irish! I read a story a few years ago on the Urbana website that enlightened me about this great missionary. St. Patrick had an incredible impact by leading many in Ireland to a faith in Jesus Christ. He used the simple three-leafed shamrock to illustrate to the king the nature of the Blessed Trinity - Three Persons in One God. Pretty creative dude, don't you think?!?

Another creative venue is Christian radio. What is interesting to me is that according to KLOVE radio there are no Christian radio stations in Ireland. KLOVE is promoting the Ireland project that plans on establishing the first Christian radio station...awesome!

Hope your day is a great one...and especially blessed by the presence of God.

Spiritual Renewal

I went to a Small Groups Conference at Saddleback a few weeks ago and was able to hear Rick Warren speak on renewal. He was scheduled to speak on P.E.A.C.E. but not unusual for Rick...he veered from the schedule and spoke from his heart. Since the audience was made up of pastors, church leaders and small group leaders...he spoke to us! It really was powerful what he had to share so much so that we from Clovis Hills felt that the Spirit was speaking through him...what a concept. Anyway, I will attempt to summarize so as to offer you an opportunity to do some self-reflection with regards to your role in the ministry. As for me, it emphasized and reminded me of the importance of some simple steps that have a direct impact on the ministry.

As I understand the steps to renewal are:

1. Personal Renewal - Ask yourself: What is the condition and health of my personal relationship with God?
2. Relational Renewal - Ask yourself: Do I have any fractured relationships with family, friends or coworkers that need mending?
3. Missional Renewal - Ask yourself: What is my purpose in this world and am I striving to fulfill that calling?
4. Structual Renewal - Ask yourself: What structures and/or programs am I involved with to accomplish the work of the Kingdom?
5. Cultural Renewal - Ask yourself: Am I a part of the cultural change that is needed for the expansion of the Kingdom of God?

My understanding is that we are to review each of these areas and proceed accordingly once an area is "renewed". In other words, if my personal relationship is not solid or lacking in any way, shape or form then I must work on that first before proceeding to the next step. Now, in reality, we will regularly have to evaluate our lives because we are on a journey with Jesus and hopefully we are growing and changing. Therefore, if we find that an area needs some renewal...we are to look at the previous areas as well and adjust accordingly. These are my words, not Rick's...it's just my take on the message but it makes sense...don't you think?? Anyway, I hope I've given you something to think about and I welcome your feedback!

Blessings!