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 Indoors or out, no one relaxes In March, that month of wind and taxes, The wind will presently disappear, The taxes last us all the year. ~Ogden Nash
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Three Reasons Your 'Net Is Empty-and a solution
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That's what you really want, but it's not happening.
This isn't how it was supposed to be.
Remember back when you started the website? People talked about "fishing on the 'Net." You had visions of a vibrant and engaged online community. You knew that this was a great way to reach out to people and fulfill The Great Commission.
But here you are today, and that vision hasn't materialized. Hardly anyone visits your site-not even your members, and you certainly haven't seen anyone coming to church because they found you on the web.
What happened?
After all, research shows that at least 174 million people in North America will use the Internet for faith-related reasons this year. Why aren't at least some of them coming to your site?
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| 7 DAYS OF MIRACLES |
By Shawn Boonstra
It is a matter of days now until Seven Days of Miracles launches. Many of your church members know that God has called them to do something - but what? How can they take their place in God's work? How can they - at their own comfort level, and fighting in their own armor - help fulfill the gospel commission? Seven Days of Miracles gives every member a chance to participate in the work of outreach, in their own way. It's simple and non-threatening, so that absolutely everybody can participate. It's also designed to help you as their pastor demonstrate your role as coach and mentor, helping your congregation realize that the work of ministry belongs to all, and helping individual church members act by faith. The project has the potential to tap into the creativity of every church member. What if every member in the Division was intentional about outreach at the same time? What if every member realized that God has a place for them in ministry? You can download Elder Jackson's video here and play it for your church. You'll find all the tools you'll need to participate at www.sevendaysofmiracles.com |
| THE ONE PROJECT |
By Dave Gemmell
I just returned from the One Project, a gathering of about 800 in an upscale Chicago suburban hotel to worship and uplift Jesus. This is my second time to "The One" and the format of short presentations and table discussions is growing on me. Instead of two days filled with information overload the more relaxed format allowed me to digest and unpack the presentations with seven new friends at my table. But more important than the format the content allowed me to I leave Chicago with some heartfelt questions. Even though my occupation puts me in the thick of keeping the machine of Jesus in operation, am I seduced into putting my energy into the machine rather than the Person of the machine? How about you? Are you able to make Jesus the continual center of your life? If so how? Tell me on Facebook. |
| JUDGES, SEMINARY DEANS & DEACONS |
By Arin Gencer
The Bible, at first glance, appears to record a history of spiritual leadership dominated by men. However upon deeper examination, examples of female leadership often appear in scripture. From Sarah, Miriam and Esther to Mary Magdalene and the Samaritan woman at the well, scripture abounds with examples of strong women exercising significant, leading roles within and outside the temple and church. In fact in the creation of humanity recorded in Genesis 1:26,27 God says 'let us make man in our image and let them have dominion'. Jo Ann Davidson is quick to point out that God did not say " let Adam have dominion but let them have dominion. So Davidson believes that before the fall there was absolute equality. As the creation story expands God takes the rib from Adam's side, which symbolizes that Eve is not to be a head over him or like the foot to be trampled under him, but to stand at his side as and equal. Professor of Old Testament Theology Richard Davidson explains it like this: "Then, in the language of the sanctuary, when God gives Adam and Eve their work, He tells them to till and to tend the garden. These are the same Hebrew words shamar and ahvad, that are used later for the priests in the sanctuary--so God is really ordaining, appointing two priests, Adam and Eve, in the garden". Read More |
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TO THE POINT: SPRING
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In the spring, at the end of the day, you should smell like dirt. - Margaret Atwood In the spring I have counted one hundred and thirty-six different kinds of weather inside of four and twenty hours.
~ Mark TwainYou can cut all the flowers but you cannot keep Spring from coming. - Pablo Neruda When spring came, even the false spring, there were no problems except where to be happiest. The only thing that could spoil a day was people and if you could keep from making engagements, each day had no limits. People were always the limiters of happiness except for the very few that were as good as spring itself. - Ernest Hemingway I enjoy the spring more than the autumn now. One does, I think, as one gets older. - Virginia Woolf Those who labor in the earth are the chosen people of God.
- Thomas Jefferson
It is a very beautiful day. The woman looks around and thinks: 'there cannot ever have been a spring more beautiful than this. I did not know until now that clouds could be like this. I did not know that the sky is the sea and that clouds are the souls of happy ships, sunk long ago. I did not know that the wind could be tender, like hands as they caress - what did I know - until now? - Unica Zürn Never cut a tree down in the wintertime. Never make a negative decision in the low time. Never make your most important decisions when you are in your worst moods. Wait. Be patient. The storm will pass. The spring will come. - Robert H. Schuller It's spring fever. That is what the name of it is. And when you've got it, you want - oh, you don't quite know what it is you do want, but it just fairly makes your heart ache, you want it so!
~Mark Twain |
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IDEAS, EVENTS, RESOURCES, ANNOUNCEMENTS
| From Ryan Bell, Pastor of the Hollywood Adventist Church: "We are about to relaunch the Adventist Peace Fellowship under the leadership of Ron Osborn. We are expanding our work to cover five portfolios:
- Peacemaking & Reconciliation
- Sabbath Economics (economic justice)
- Racial & Gender Justice
- Creation Care (environmental justice)
- Health & Human Rights
Previous resource links: |
Best Practices for Adventist Ministry is published by NAD Ministerial. Publisher: Ivan Williams; Managing Editor: Dave Gemmell. Copyright 2012 North American Division Corporation of Seventh-day Adventists. v(301) 680-6418
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