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Why Building Deep Must Precede Building High

When we build upward without building deeply, cracks form and churches lean dangerously. Manhattan consists almost entirely of bare granite, a very hard and strong type of rock. To carry the weight of a 75 or 100 story skyscraper, foundations known as “piles” are used. These are concrete or steel columns hammered into the ground with a massive crane until they penetrate solid rock. Some pilings go twenty-five stories under the ground. The heavy weight of the skyscraper is then distributed through each of the deep “piles” in the ground below. Together they are capable of supporting the structure’s enormous weight. If the pilings are drilled in poorly, cracks eventually appear in the structure. Entire buildings may lean. Then they must be torn down or lifted completely so the piles can be reset – a costly and time-consuming process. Why don’t we drill deeply into our own life in Christ, and into the lives. Read more.

Lead Out of Your Singleness

For the first 1500 years of the church, singleness was considered the preferred state; it was considered the best way to serve Christ if you were a leader. Singles sat in the front of the church. Marrieds were sent to the back. After the Reformation in 1517 AD, single people were sent to the back and marrieds moved to the front – at least among Protestants. Yet the New Testament describes, and deeply affirms, two types of Christian singles. The first is a vowed celibacy, for those who “renounce marriage because of the kingdom of heaven.” They freely choose not to marry but to set themselves apart in a total, exclusive and lifelong gift to Christ and His church. A very few are invited to receive this grace and gift from him (Matt. 19:11-12). The vast majority of Christian single leaders fall into the category of dedicated celibates. This term encompasses a broad range. Read more.

Leading Out of Your Singleness

In this month’s podcast, Pete and Rich offer a unique, historical, and theological perspective on the critically important issue of singleness and leadership. Enjoy this challenging podcast on one of the most important topics for the global church today. (A previous podcast treats the theme “Leading Out of Your Marriage“).    

WHY EMBED THE EHS COURSE IN YOUR CHURCH?

Have you committed to embedding the Emotionally Healthy Spirituality Course into your Church or do you need help convincing your leadership to integrate the course? Here are 8 great reasons that you should embed the EHS Course into your Church: 1) Offers long-term sustainability for EHS in a church so it is not dependent on the senior pastor. 2) Provides regular testimonies of life-change. 3) Enables leadership to maintain the quality/DNA to newcomers and members to the church. 4) Raises up new leaders and “water carriers” of EHS throughout the church. 5) Serves as a call to deep, beneath the surface, radical discipleship in the church. 6) Cements members in the core values of the church. 7) Moves people from being “consumers” to servants/leaders. 8) Provides a bridge for people into the larger EHS vision found in “Characteristics of Churches Transformed by EHS“.  

Seven Ways to Measure Transformation in Your Church

We measure our attendance and our giving in our churches. Sadly, we don’t measure people’s transformation in Christ. (This is much more difficult). Genuine transformation takes place when people: Intentionally develop their own relationship with Jesus and do not live off the spirituality of others. Seek to discern and follow God’s will in all areas of life. Cultivate a deliberate rhythm and sustainable pace of life that enables them to be consistently attentive to Jesus. Grow in their ability to love well, evidenced by humility, vulnerability, approachability, and an increasing capacity to forgive. Live in community for the sake of their own formation and others. Bear witness to Jesus Christ in their workplaces and homes out of their own on-going transformation. Serve and give to others out of the overflow of their life in Christ. This is my short list. What other markers might you add?  

Comment on Why Transformation Takes So Long! by Peter Keady

I picked up EHS because I was looking for a particular quote about sabbath and the demonic. Little did I know that 1. I wouldn’t find the quote and 2. I would fall in love with EHS. I moved very quickly through steps 1-4 very quickly. What has happened now is that as I”ve shifted my schedule and energy, others aren’t so happy with it! I wrote a blog about this called, “New Wine, New Skins” on my site. I will be rereading EHS and hope to implement a course group after some training. EHS came at the exact perfect time – just after a 3-month sabbatical (that’s an entirely different story – if you take a sabbatical PLEASE prep those around you about proper Launch and Re-Entry. Mine Re-Entry nearly killed me because no one understood what a sabbatical was for and everyone expected me to ramp up to warp speed on my. Read more.