By Pastor Scott Thomas
After 46 years, Penn State football’s head coach Joe Paterno was suddenly fired. The once great reign of the NCAA Division I football’s winningest coach had come to an abrupt and tragic end. 83-year-old Joe Paterno (endearingly known as “JoePa”) achieved 409 wins, five undefeated seasons and two national championships. But suddenly, none of that mattered anymore. In one week, after the arrest of a former assistant coach on child sexual abuse charges, everybody's favorite grandpa was removed from the sidelines for the first time since the Lyndon Johnson Administration.
The Apostle Paul said, "I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith" (2 Tim. 4:7). Finishing with honor for the glory of God is the goal. ...
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by Scott Thomas, President of Acts 29
Spiritual and church leadership is tough for even the best of leaders. Behind closed doors, every leader will admit being tired, frustrated, angry, depressed, confused and attacked. The Apostle Paul's protégé, Timothy was about to take up his work he needed to be a leader filled with grace. Paul told Timothy, "You therefore, my son, be strengthened by the grace that is in Christ Jesus" (2 Timothy 2:2). We are only able to lead effectively after grace strengthens us.
"We are only able to lead effectivelyafter grace strengthens us."
Be strengthened by grace, not by your natural talents. Timothy may have certainly been very winsome naturally. He may have been able to articulate naturally. He may have been a fairly good public ...
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Spiritual, Physical and Mental Health of the Planter and Family
Planting a church places a heavy burden on planters and their families. Most planters indicate that planting is one of the hardest things they've ever done. Those who survive are quick to highlight how discouraging and lonely it can be. The result is a fragile foundation for dealing with the discouragement and loneliness of church planting.
Unresolved relationships and weaknesses in the marriage will often surface in the church-planting season. Simmering problems in marriage and family began to boil with the added pressure and stress of planting a church. A planter’s faith and commitment is challenged. God often uses the challenges for good to grow the planter and his family or Satan can use to bring them ...
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Posted in: Spiritual Vitality, Marriage and Family, Emotional Health
Tags: church planting, pastor, health, mental, physical, spiritual, vitality, top issues, planter's health, church-planting journey, coaching, burnout
Dr. Sam Storms wrote a lengthy article on Forgiveness. Here are his five “myths” and “truths” of forgiveness:
Five Myths about Forgiveness:
Contrary to what many have been led to believe, forgiveness is not forgetting.
Forgiving someone does not mean you no longer feel the pain of their offense.
Forgiving someone who has sinned against you doesn’t mean you cease longing for justice.
Forgiveness does not mean you are to make it easy for the offender to hurt you again.
Forgiveness is rarely a one-time, climactic event. It is most often a life-long process.
Five Truths about Forgiveness:
God in Christ forgave us by absorbing in himself the destructive and painful consequences of our sin against him.
God forgave us in Christ by ...
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"How can I lead my church to be more prayerful?"
It’s a simple question. It’s one that an Acts 29 pastor asked Terry Virgo at our Northwest Regional meeting in March.
It’s a simple question. It’s also a great question.
Terry gave a simple but great answer:
The pastor has to model what it means to be a man of prayer.
Not to impress people, but simply to show them what it means to be prayerful.
Earlier that day, Terry taught a group of pastors what it means to be men of prayer. I went to the regional meeting out of obligation—it’s my job to be there. I drove home thanking God for my job and that it allowed me to be there. Virgo’s talk on prayer was helpful and convicting. It’s the best stuff I’ve heard on prayer in a long ...
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Posted in: Spiritual Vitality
Tags: terry virgo, prayer, prayerfulness, how to help your church become more prayerful, pastor, how a pastor should pray, church planter, praying, need for prayer, modeling prayer, model prayer, model prayerfulness, congregation, showing others how to pray, leading your church
