Category Archives: Church Growth

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Christmas Gifts

Its Christmas time and my mind turns immediately to gifts: the gifts I’ve yet to give (I still need one for my wife) and the gifts I’ve already received.

A Good Father
Last year I lost my Dad. This year I miss him greatly. I used to call him two and three times a week. I miss talking to him. I miss sharing. My father was the best man I’ve known but he was not God. My Heavenly Father is the God of the universe. I can share everything with Him.

A Wonderful Son.
My wife and I are richly blessed. Among our blessings are three wonderful children. Among our children is one wonderful son. As I prepare for Christmas I’m reminded of the Son of God, who became flesh and dwelt among us. He did it that we might know Him. At Christmas particularly, I want to know Him.

A Glorious Spirit.
At this time of year, we hear a lot about ‘the Christmas spirit’: the wonder, generosity and mystery of Christmas.  We can get caught up in it. It can carry us along. It can even transform us, if we let it. The Christmas story tells us that the true spirit of Christmas is the Holy Spirit. He lives within everyone who trusts Him. As I trust Him, He will make me more like Jesus.

What about you?
Do you miss your Father?
Do you appreciate your Son?
Would you benefit from more Christmas spirit?

I’m willing to share. 🙂
Drop me a line and we can talk. 
Praying that 2018 is your Christmas ever.

Dave Heasler

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Partnership for Pastors

Partnership for Pastors Facebook Page

Being a Pastor can be a lonely and overwhelming job.

Who is there for our Pastors when they are going through difficult times?

We believe that Pastors should not be alone, and should never feel like there is nowhere to turn! 

We believe that Pastors need community, support and rest to be able to do their jobs to the best of their abilities, and it is our goal

The word of God to Jeremiah was, ‘Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart‘ (Jeremiah 1:5)

It was true for Jeremiah.
Its true for you.

Will Mancini thinks its true for your church as well.
Check out his book ‘Church Unique’ and let me know what you think.

 

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Stop the Complainers

We’ve all had them…
People who grumble & complain about everything
People who are always ready for a fight
Who sit there with their arms crossed just waiting for you to do something wrong

So…  stop making mistakes!

Well that won’t work. 🙂
Man is born for trouble as the sparks fly upward. But some of have more than our share of it.

Don’t you wish you could just make it stop?... At least the complaining?

A number of years ago I discovered a principle that will at least limit it.

Stop complaining about your boss, about your board, about your team, about your coffee, even to God.

Well, in the case of the coffee maybe you should change your brand. But in every other case I’ve found it really helpful to stop complaining, even to God, and start affirming.

Ask God to help you, to…

Find something..
In the most difficult people
In the most difficult situations
Something good
you can talk about and…
talk about that.

The Bible says,
Whatever a man sows, he will also reap.

If a team has fallen into the trap of negativity, usually it’s leader has as well. The way to stop it is to stomp it out… in your own life.

If you’ve been guilty of complaining about your boss, your board, your team or anything else, even to God, ask Him to forgive you and stop.

Stop complaining
and start giving thanks.

If you’ve seen a team delivered from negative through thankfulness I’d love to hear about it. Post your comment below.

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The Call to Leadership

This blog is dedicated to those who have heard the call of God to leadership.

Whether through an audible voice, an inner impression or a outer compulsion most of those who begin to read this blog will have heard the call to leadership. You’ve wondered whether it was God. Sometimes you’ve hoped one way and other times another, but deep down you’ve believed that what you heard was God, and you’ve responded ‘Here, I am. Send me.’

Now, you wonder it you were wrong. Perhaps you’ve been struggling in areas you think you should find easy. Perhaps people you respect have questioned your call. Or perhaps you’ve been rejected by the very people you feel called to serve. In any case, you wonder, if you were wrong. You contemplate giving up, walking away, going a different way.

Perhaps you should. My pastor, a man I respected a great deal growing up and still do, said, ‘Don’t presume to lead unless you can do nothing else.’ On the other hand, he said, ‘If God calls you to preach the gospel, don’t step down to be a king.’

The call to leadership is like the call to faith. Sometimes you’re hanging on by a thread. And sometimes you’re not hanging on at all, something, someone, is hanging on to you. Sometimes to walk away would be to walk away from the one you’re called to serve. Sometimes letting go of the leadership, is all you can do to preserve the faith that under girds it.

John Maxwell says leadership is all about influence. Christian leadership is about influencing others in the direction of Christ: His will, pursued in His way. Before it can be about others it must be about Him, about us, coming under the influence of God, daily, basking in His presence, soaking in His strength, learning to live in the confidence and the humility that come from Him. Influencing others to do the same.

Today, like most days, I face challenges in leadership. I face challenges in life. Do I press ahead or walk away? Before either, I must ‘press in’, to Him.

Over the next days and weeks together we’ll talk about many aspects of Christian leadership. Today let’s concentrate on the basics.

How did you ‘get into’ leadership?

Looking back, where do you see God in ‘the call’ or in ‘the fall’?

Looking forward, what do you have to do, to ‘live’, daily, under the influence of Christ?