We don’t always have a ’talk’ at our prayer meetings, but Nick Holovaty gave this one and I was ready to take some notes. Look at some of the stuff in here in light of the recent Osteen quotes floating around the internets.
WCAGLS14: Bryan Loritts, Sacrificial Leadership
So I must have gotten stuck from Susan Cain, because I had some trouble listening through this one too. BUT this guy brought all kinds of scripture and had some awesome connections, especially at the very end. I’m not sure if he was trying to show his authority by quoting so many people or if he wanted us to look all of those people up, but in my ADHD every time he mentioned an author’s name I veered from whatever point he was trying to make. It was kind of like listening to footnotes interrupt while listening to an audio book.
His story about giving up his diamond class ticket so that he could sit with his wife was awesome. He didn’t change his status, he just gave up the comforts of his seat so that he could be with his wife. Then he pointed to Phil 2 where Jesus gave up all of his honor so that He could be with us. Totally awesome stuff.
WCAGLS14: Bill Hybels’ Opening Talk
Here are my notes from the opening session at the Willow Creek Association Global Leadership Summit.
It was Bill Hybels and it was a good talk. 
After this my word of the day was QUEEN-FREAKIN-MARY although I was convinced that I was going to slip at some point.
WCAGLS Session 13: Gary Schwammlein
Session 13: Gary Schwammlein and Bill Hybels
"The local church is the hope of the world, when it's working right. I went to the local church, they don't even have enough hope to share with the people that go there on a weekend, much less the world!"
He said that too many people just quote the first half of Bill's quote, but that is just wrong. "you need the whole quote!"
In Calcutta India, there is a church that feeds 10,000 people a day. There are 250 churches among 20,000,000 people, in a population that is less than 1% christian.
When there is a passionless church operating, they are wrong. They need to shut down and sell their building to somebody that will do what God wants them to do!
Strengthening the leadership gifts strengthens every other gift in a church.
"If you want your leadership to matter, lead in the things that matter to God." [that goes for everything!]
This guy was in Vietnam, praying in a hotel room, and the words to an old German hymn came to mind. He found it on youtube and played it on repeat for 2 hours while he prayed! Praise God for YouTube!
"If you're not dead, you're not done!"
Poverty the Blessing & the Prosperity Curse
Psalm 17:13-14
NASB Deliver my soul from the wicked with Your sword, From men with Your hand, O LORD, From men of the world, whose portion is in this life,
And whose belly You fill with Your treasure;
NET Use your sword to rescue me from the wicked man! Lord, use your power to deliver me from these murderers, from the murderers of this world!
They enjoy prosperity; you overwhelm them with the riches they desire.
If you never read it anywhere else, you can read it here. Prosperity and the riches of this world are a curse, not a blessing.
Some of that sounds good: to have your belly full of treasure, to have all of the riches you desire, but the context is worldly men or murderers, not the blessed.
This fits along with 1 Timothy 6:9
Those who long to be rich, however, stumble into temptation and a trap and many senseless and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction.
It is so crazy how we are ripped off every day to the point that we think it is totally normal to constantly covet and wish for stuff!
Jesus was right on when He said
“No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and wealth. (Matthew 6:24 NASB)
Even in christendom we make jokes about being afraid God will send us to Kookamunga. More and more I’m thinking that more of us would be better off if He did! How pure and attractive our devotion to God would be if it were coupled with poverty!
Ooh Ooh! What if the goal of all of this Christian financial money management stuff was to train and equip yourself to live in poverty in spite of your income! Wow. May God help me with this stuff.
<<Written on my dual core i7 MacBook Pro>>
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