It was another extraordinary day at Saddleback today. The day opened with more of Rick Warren sharing his pearls of wisdom. Let me just say that I was a Rick Warren fan before I got here, and now I'm just blown away by the guy. Seriously, he's light-years beyond anyone I've ever heard before.
Today I had the pleasure of going one on one with Bethany Johnson, coordinator of small groups for Saddleback's Junior High ministry, Kurt Johnston, Pastor of Saddleback's Junior High Ministry, and Rick Warren, himself. Needless to say, my brain is on overload right now. I got so much good information today that it will take me weeks to really sort through it. That being said, here are some of the great quotes of the day:
"The family is the most important small group of the church."
"When I make decisions, I use the brains that I've got and all of the brains I can gather."
"Most Christians are already educated past the point of obedience."
"I strive to make my ministry fast, flexible, and fluid."
"If your church were a ship, your pulpit would be the rutter."
"Vision is not the ability to see into the future. Vision is the ability to see opportunity in the moment and jump on it."
"If God's gonna make you like His Son, then He's gotta put you through the kind of stuff that Jesus went through."
"Before God can work through you, He has to work in you."
"If you love Christ, you must feed His sheep." (referencing John 21:15)
"The challenge of teaching God's Word is presenting unchanging truths to an ever-changing culture."
"Preachers are bridge builders between an ancient text and a contemporary audience."
"The problem with many churches is that there are so many believers and so few doers."
"Never before has the Gospel had so many in-roads into people's lives yet made so little difference in the way they actually live."
"The Word of God was not given to us to teach us to be nice, eloquent, or tame. It was given to reform our lives."
****Also, I learned that Saddleback's Student Ministry staff is required to spend their first hour in the office every day in personal quiet time. They meet at 9am for staff prayer time, and they spend the rest of the hour at their desks in the Word. It's required during that time that their computer be turned off and their phones be forwarded to voicemail. Kurt Johnston said, "It's incredibly important to me and Doug (Fields) that our staff is growing in the Word. This is our way of making sure that happens." VERY COOL!!!
Grace and Peace to you.
1 comment:
I am so excited for you to be able to have this experience. Charter Oak Church is soooo blessed to have you. I love the quotes regarding your wife and family. At my age I have known many "Pastor's kids" who carry major burdens from growing up with so many church people who were so judgemental. You must be there for your children and wife. You are and will continue to do great things for the Kingdom - remember the quote about being "YOU" in your ministry. That was great. Keeping you covered in prayer.
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