Making a difference in the lives of millions of children around the world!

● In Jesus Christ God gives us our identity, our purpose and our meaning in this life and in the life to come.1 Peter1:1-12

● In Jesus Christ God gives us our identity, our purpose and our meaning in this life and in the life to come.1 Peter1:1-12

"For in him we live and move and have our being..." Acts 17:28


Just a few of my thoughts, reflections and questions:

What does it mean to be a "New Community"? 

What does it mean to be a Christian, live out our lives in complete commitment of everything to Jesus  and His Kingdom and live a life of love to our sisters and brothers?

What does it mean to be a gathered and dispersed community?

We are committed to the Gospel and each other.  Is that the Church and the "New Community"?


We are a gathered people on Sunday morning...called out of the world...dispersed to minister to the world. Is that what a "New Community" is?

The Church as "community"
The Faithful "community"
The Sharing "community"

Also our Eastbrook Church as "Community".

We should also be 
Discerning
Discipling

Also, we are all or most of us
Volunteers in ministry
Should be organized
Worshiping

Also, nonconforming to the world
Witnessing to the world

 1st Peter 2:9
 New Living Translation
But you are not like that, for you are a chosen people. You are royal priests, a holy nation, God's very own possession. As a result, you can show others the goodness of God, for he called you out of the darkness into his wonderful light.


So maybe we need a rebirth?

Bottom line:
What is God calling us to and for what purpose?

 A word from The Call by Os Guinness

"Calling is the truth that God calls us to himself so decisively that everything we are, everything we do, and everything we have is invested with a special devotion, dynamism, and direction lived out as a response to his summons and service" P. 29

So...what is God calling us to do?

More commentary on this later... 
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A good book on "Community" Found  this picture on my phone...can't find where I put the book!
 Check it out on Amazon

Good Prayer by Max Lucado

Which leads us to:

What do we do?

Why?

Where?

How?

__________________________________

  Picked up a new book at the library today...I always check out the "New Books" rack. Called for Life   How Loving Our Neighbor Led Us into the Heart of the Ebola Epidemic.

Life story of Kent and Amber Brantly. The doctor who served in Liberia with World Medical Missions during the Ebola Epidemic.


 The Last chapter in the book. "The Call Continues".

"Our calling is to be faithful wherever we are, to be good stewards of opportunities, to be responsible with what we have been given, to try to do good, and to serve those whose paths we cross."

  "For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain."

 Our belief is the same.
 
 Check out the book here.

 
 See my posts on Twitter
 Richard Dassow ‏@RichardDassow 

● In Jesus Christ God gives us our identity, our purpose and our meaning in this life and in the life to come …

Making the most of every opportunity the Lord exposes us to.

Making the most of every opportunity!

.

Seizing opportunities is directly tied to the spiritual gift of discernment. When we see what looks like an opportunity, we have to discern whether we are seeing a true opening or just our own wishful-thinking or a random idea. 

Just because an opportunity arises does not mean that we should take it. An opportunity is just a set of circumstances that makes it possible to do something. We still have the hard work of determining whether it is something WE SHOULD DO!

Opportunities are doorways that God opens. It is divine leading, even though we may not be able to predict what lies beyond. 

God also directs us with closed doors!  Don't be discouraged!

Ability to see with the eyes of God, think with the mind of Christ, and walk in the power of the Holy Spirit! 

A good prayer!

See my Latest TWEETS 

Our work and our calling

Sunday and Monday...any connection?

Our work: How important is it to us?

Are we worshiping our work and working at our worship? 

We are called to God first and then to our secondary calling…which may be our job, business or what we do in “retirement”.

 A word from The Call by Os Guinness

"Calling is the truth that God calls us to himself so decisively that everything we are, everything we do, and everything we have is invested with a special devotion, dynamism, and direction lived out as a response to his summons and service" P. 29

 Description of a class I facilitated awhile back at our church.

The Lord created each of us individually with different Spiritual Gifts, Passions, Abilities, Strengths and a unique Personality with different Experiences. When we know what they are and how they work together then we can be most effective in our families, church, community and the world.  When we serve according to our SHAPE, we leave a legacy that gives glory to the LORD so when we stand before Him one day, we will hear, "Well done, my good and faithful servant." 

Read a good book recently:

 Answering the Call: The Doctor Who Made Africa His Life.

From “The One-Talent People.” Christian Herald. Sept 1949. P. 64  

“Always keep your eyes open for the little task, because it is the little task that is important to Jesus Christ.  The future of the Kingdom of God does not depend on the enthusiasm of this or that powerful person; those great ones are necessary too, but it is equally necessary to have a great number of little people who will do a little thing in the service of Christ.” 

            “The great flowing rivers represent only a small part of all the water that is necessary to nourish and sustain the earth. Beside the flowing river there is the water in the earth-the subterranean water-and there are the little streams which continually enter the river and feed it and prevent it from sinking into the earth. Without these other waters-the silent hidden subterranean waters and the trickling streams-the great river could no longer flow. Thus it is with the little tasks to be fulfilled by us all.” 

Some excerpts from:  God’s Best for My Life by Lloyd John Ogilvie 

“What are we daring to attempt which could not be accomplished without His strength and intervention? So often we plan our lives around what we could do without Him on our own.  A sure sign that we are in communion with the Lord is that we are attempting what only He can do? Can you identify that in your life?”

      Just a few questions you may want to ask yourself:

What is God calling me to do?  Have I asked Him?
How am I doing at "work" on Monday?

What is my passion?  My Spouse’s

Where do the world’s needs and my passion intersect?

Have I taken the Strengthsfinder 2.0 Assessment to see what my “strengths” are?

http://amzn.to/1GolKdD

My BLOG on "Strengths"  
Read More 

Is asking "Why" a good question to put into our daily planning?

A good plan for beginning each day:  Pray, Plan and Prioritize. Then Delegate...if you have someone to delegate to!

Finished a good book recently: WHO  by Geoff Smart and Randy Street.

"The most important decisions that businesspeople make are not what decisions but who decisions." -Jim Collins, Author of Good To Great.

That also goes for non profit organizations!
 Good book: Good to Great in the Social Sector. by Jim Collins

WHO
WHAT
HOW

It's relatively easy to figure out What to do and also How to do something.

Maybe a more important decision is WHY we do what we do.
Then the rest becomes easy.

A good book for figuring that out is " Start With Why by Simon Sinek.

If you don't know WHY, You can't know HOW.

"All great leaders have clarity of WHY; an undying belief in a purpose or cause bigger than themselves. It's not Bill Gates's passion for computers that inspires us, it's his undying optimism that even the most complicated problems can be solved. He believes we can find ways to remove obstacles to ensure that everyone can live and worked to their greatest potential. It is his optimism to which we are drawn." P. 134

“If the leader of the organization can’t clearly articulate WHY the organization exists in terms beyond its products or services, then how does he expect the employees to know WHY to come to work?”
― Simon Sinek, Start With Why: How Great Leaders Inspire Everyone To Take Action

War Room: Latest Christian movie: Power of prayer...wives praying for their husbands!

If you haven't seen the movie War Room, do it while it is still showing.
Great film. I'm sure countless marriages have been and will be healed through this film. Women need to be praying for their husbands!
What's wrong with that?

https://youtu.be/cpootB7Yink

Believe it or not, there seems to be criticism of the movie.
I think critics are missing the point of this and similar movies. The film shows that it is in a relationship with Jesus Christ that good comes. Probably most critics are reading too much into it. Have they actually viewed the film? It is through the power of the Holy Spirit and the power of prayer that healing begins. If the critics would do some background on the Kendrick brothers who did this film and similar others, they will see that they seek God’s face and have pure motives. . Just because everything in the film doesn't match up with our particular denominational doctrine or our particular interpretation of proof texts...doesn't make it heresy or false teaching.

It's great that Christians have gotten back into film making.
It's going to make a real positive difference in the advancement of the Kingdom!
Praise the LORD!

Reflections of Respect Seminar: Dr. Tina Brookes

Dr. Tina Brookes has another great seminar!
We have attended several of her seminars over the past 4 years.You will be sitting on the edge of your seats!

Dr. Tina was also the Keynote Speaker last October at the Red Cross Disaster Conference.

Reflections of Respect Seminar Understanding the Culture of Law Enforcement & Military With Dr. Tina S. Brookes, Ed.D, LCSW Bedynamik@gmail.com, 828-438-7295 Seminar Location - Blowing Rock, NC Who Should Attend: CISM Team Members, Chaplains, and Mental Health Who Support Law Enforcement and Military Populations Two 2015 Dates to Choose From: 1. Friday, Aug. 28, 2015 9:00am-4:00pm 2. Friday, Nov. 20, 2015  9:00am-4:00pm Class Size Limited to 15 FEE: $150.00 Check payable to Dr. Tina Brookes Mail to Dr. Tina Brookes, 5100 Blue Sky Dr. Connelly Springs, NC 28612 Please RSVP immediately to Dr. Tina Brookes at bedynamik@gmail.com Payment in Full Due Two Weeks Prior to Class~Non-Refundable NOTE: Checks will be Deposited After the Class Hotel: Comfort Inn, 970 Blowing Rock Blvd, Lenoir, NC 28645. (828) 754-2090 The Reflections of Respect Seminar provides: An Overview of the Responsibilities of Law Enforcement/Military Discussion of Lawful Use of Force Explanation of the Human Stress Response Impact on the Brain and Body Exposure to the Reflective Response Training and Conditioning Experience Opportunity to Discuss & Experience a Shoot/No-Shoot Scenario Opportunity to Experience and Participate in a realistic Deadly Force Scenario Discuss how the "Reflections of Respect Seminar" Enhances Critical Incident Stress Management (CISM) Support to Law Enforcement & Military NOTE: The CISM and Human Stress Response sections will be taught by Dr. Tina Brookes. The Law Enforcement and Firearms sections will be instructed and supervised by Mike Longo, Troysgate VP. NOTE: On Class Day Please Meet at the Comfort Inn, 970 Blowing Rock Blvd, Lenoir, NC 28645 at 8:30am sharp! You will be escorted to the range. NOTE: There is a $25.00 Equipment Rental Fee if you choose to not bring your own weapon and ammunition.

Sincerely,

Dr.Tina Brookes

The Academy - NICRT

theacademy.nicrt@gmail.com

828-438-7295

Dr. Tina Brookes at The 2014 Red Cross Disaster Conference.
Speaking on Pyschological First Aid.