Brandon@Random

Quote: Andy Stanley on FEAR

"You're afraid?  So what.  Everybody's afraid. 

Fear is the common ground of humanity. 

The question you must wrestle to the ground is, 'Will I allow my fear to bind me to mediocrity?'"

From Andy Stanley's book, The Next Generation Leader

An Essential Element of Pastoral Ministry

Pastors.com has a great leadership article this month.  Check out this quote from its author, Kevin Harney.

"When Jesus was reviled, he did not retaliate. When he was mocked, he prayed for forgiveness. When the Savior was denied three times by Peter, he willingly died on the cross for his sins. Then he rose from the dead, and called Peter back to himself and a place of fruitful ministry.

As pastors, we will have plenty of opportunities to forgive people in our church, on our leadership team, and even our closest friends in the Church."

Donald Miller on Life Change

It is always the simple things that change our lives.

And these things never happen when you are looking for them to happen.

Life will reveal answers at the pace life wishes to do so.

You feel like running, but life is on a stroll. - Donald Miller, Blue Like Jazz, 217

Quote-Conan O'Brien on Taco Bell

"Taco Bell is going to start serving breakfast to compete with McDonalds and Dennys. Their signture item: 'Rooty Tooty Fresh & Oh No, it's Tearing Me Open!'"

Quote about Anger

Dallas Willard's definition of anger:

"It is a feeling that seizes us in our body and immediately impels us toward interfering with, and possibly even harming, those who have thwarted our will and interfered with our life."

Anger, Willard notes, is frequently used to make others around us change their course of action. In so doing, it thwarts their will, resulting in anger on their part. My anger feeds off your anger, and back again.

From Craige McMillan's article, http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=19319

Quote: From Jethani's Book

Aggregating an audience isn’t successful ministry. Fostering women, men, and children toward deep, internal, and unyielding communion with Christ that transforms their lives and produces the fruit of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control—that is ministry worth celebrating. To do this work we don’t need the self-centered methodologies of consumerism, but the counter-intuitive and foolish ways of God’s kingdom.

From Skye Jethani's book Divine Commodity

ht: Bob Hyatt

Psalm 67 (NLT)

Psalm 67

For the choir director: A song. A psalm, to be accompanied by stringed instruments.

 ¹ May God be merciful and bless us.
      May his face smile with favor on us.
                         Interlude

 ² May your ways be known throughout the earth,
      your saving power among people everywhere.
 ³ May the nations praise you, O God.
      Yes, may all the nations praise you.
 ⁴ Let the whole world sing for joy,
      because you govern the nations with justice
      and guide the people of the whole world.
                         Interlude

 ⁵ May the nations praise you, O God.
      Yes, may all the nations praise you.
 ⁶ Then the earth will yield its harvests,
      and God, our God, will richly bless us.
 ⁷ Yes, God will bless us,
      and people all over the world will fear him.

Quote by Anne Lamott

"You know you've created God in your own image when He hates all the same people you do."

from Bird by Bird

A good way to look at it...

"I have not failed. I've just found 10,000 ways that won't work."

- Thomas Edison

Evangelism Quote: From Manning's Book

"To evangelize a person is to say to him or her, 'You, too, are loved by God in the Lord Jesus.'  And not only to say it but to think it and relate it to the man or woman so they can sense it.  This is what it means to announce the Good News.  But that becomes possible only by offering the person your friendship--a friendship that is real, unselfish, without condescension, full of confidence, and profound esteem."  from Brennan Manning's Ragamuffin Gospel

ITRC