THIS IS HOPE...
THIS IS HOPE
Good morning, it’s Rob! The temperature is dropping and soon the snow will be falling!
To be clear, this is not a political statement. This message is actually more for the Christian Church regarding the current state of our moral decline as a country beginning in our highest ranking offices of national leadership, both in the Church and in the government.
Whether it is due to a lack of doctrinal authority or simply because the Church desires relevance to their peers above holiness to their God we are gravitating towards a message of non-absolutes where truth is relative and morality is negotiable.
Doing this the Church goes from being a beacon of Peace and a standard of Truth, to being diluted and ineffective in fulfilling their God given mandate to present the message of the Gospel, the only Hope for the redemption of the human race.
The Church of Jesus Christ must never allow popular opinion, social media, the current crisis or any world power to dictate the message that flows from the pulpit. The Church body and function are holy ground. The Church does not belong to the world, but is assigned to be the Light in the world. Any agreement the Church makes to partner with any ideology that is counter to the Church’s mandate will find themselves on the wrong side of eternity.
Scripture is very clear to warn us that engaging in friendship with the world’s system is declaring our opposition of God.
Encourage the congregation of family & friends entrusted to you to stand strong, remain bold in their faith, cling to Christ, and humbly respond in the defense of the Gospel to any form of power that threatens to overtake lordship of the Church and mute its message.
Most of all trust in the Lord to direct your ability to lead as you discern that which is reasonable regarding appropriate steps in dealing with any crisis versus blindly succumbing to those who are exercising overreaching attempts to mandate our submission to the current narrative and cripple the Church’s ability to fulfill our Mission.
As followers of Christ we must always remember our assigned priority. JESUS reminds us that in the end, regardless of the world climate, the current crisis or popular narrative, our response is to always ensure we are continually sharing the Gospel message of God’s Kingdom so that everyone will hear it. Matthew 24:14
This is Hope, this is God’s love, this is JESUS!
So let us tell of the Lord’s greatness and exalt his name together.
Psalms 34:3
God bless you and your precious families and have a wonderful day!
Rob :^)
https://youtu.be/HoOtuc0voaM
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Why First Friday’s Fort Wayne?
Why First Friday’s Fort Wayne?
Hey everybody it’s Rob. I was asked to answer a couple questions to give you a little feedback in regards to First Friday’s.
How did I get involved in First Friday’s?
- Actually I was invited invited by a couple of people after I arrived here in Fort Wayne three years ago. I ended up going to my first one at the Indiana Wesleyan University Fort Wayne Ed Center. I was looking for a place where we could just come and be real, not worrying about having to practice our elevator speeches or impressing anyone with our specialized niche or area of skill we practice, but just being real with other. When I walked in that day my experience was exactly what I was hoping it would be. Since then I have had the privilege and awesome opportunity to work with some incredible people. Jim and Jere Johnson, the founders of First Friday’s, and of course all of the beautiful and wonderful board members of First Friday’s that make me a better person just being strong them. I am very thankful for that!
What leadership book would you recommend?
- As everybody knows there are a ton of leadership books out there so I’m just going to get real real basic here. Of course anyone who knows me knows that I’m going to say the Bible is number one! But something else to keep on your shelf that I really recommend is a very simple series of books, and they’re actually more like booklets. It’s called the Leadership 101 Series by John Maxwell. Each little booklet has a different topic that deals with certain leadership issues. I recommend it for the new leader who is just getting into the venue of leading and learning how to lead well. I also recommend that a seasoned leader keeps a series of these on their shelf, sometimes we can lead for so long we actually forget the basics of leadership and it is always important to go back and revisit once and awhile.
What is the best advice that I was given in regards to leadership?
- As the youngest person to be promoted into a supervisory role in the multimillion dollar pipeline company I was employed by, needless to say overwhelm came quickly. I remember walking into my new office and conducting my first act of duty in my new role. I sat down in my office chair, put my head on my desk and cried. As I did I asked my first question, “Lord, what have you done? I am now the supervisor over these guys who are my twenty-year seniors; these are the guys who trained me. What do I know to be able to teach them? I shouldn’t be in this position.” Immediately the Lord spoke to my spirit, “ I didn’t put you here because you know everything, I put you here because you’re humble enough to draw from those who do...” Hearing this changed my world, it changed my life and my perspective in regards to what real leadership is all about. Birthed out of that God gave me three quick and simple points that I have held close for years.
1. Always be humble
2. Always be teachable
3. Always be ready to lead
Write these down on post-it notes and place them everywhere you might need that encouraging reminder.
God bless you all! I pray you have had a wonderful CHRISTmas and are anticipating the great opportunities God will provide in the New Year!
Rob :^)
You Tube Link:
https://youtu.be/CkzyjmZ6ENo
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