I C N U?
This week I was challenged with four simple letters: I C N U.
The challenge was this: who in your circle of influence are you taking the time to tell “I C N U” (I see in you) the potential of what God wants to do or accomplish? We each should be intentionally looking at those that God sends into our lives and be willing to tap on their shoulder and say “I see in you” your kingdom potential and want to help you take a step toward that. “I see in you” the gifts that God has blessed you with and want to help you put those gifts into practice. “I see in you” what God has placed in you and want to see you fully exercise your gifts for His glory and the advancement of His kingdom.
Four simple letters: I C N U. Who in your life needs to hear this from you today?
This concept is actually something I’ve been reflecting upon for the past few weeks. The weekend of February 18th, I had the privilege of preaching at the Fort Scott First Church of God in Fort Scott, KS. I’ve been to the Fort Scott Church before for a Western Region Conference meeting, but I had not had the opportunity to worship with our brothers and sisters there before this last month.
One of the discoveries I made during my weekend trip to Fort Scott was the fact that the Fort Scott congregation had produced several sons who had played an important role in my own life and ministry. They have produced three sons who had spoken those important words, I see in you, to me at different times in my own journey.
Randy Jenkins, David Beerbower, and Clarence Thornton all are sons of the Fort Scott First Church of God and all three of these dear brothers have spoken into my life over the years. Randy was probably the first pastors to tap me on the shoulder as a teenager and offer the idea that perhaps there was something that God wanted me to do in His kingdom. He gave me opportunities to serve and lead and invested in me. David graciously gave me the opportunity to give my first sermon under his ministry at the Mt. Pleasant Church of God outside of Assumption, IL. David has been a consistent encourager to me over the past twenty-five years and been a tremendous prayer support to me as well. Clarence was the interim pastor at my home congregation, East Harrison Street Church of God in Charleston, IL. During his brief ministry there, he called me into his office and explained that he understood I was headed to seminary and that he wanted to encourage me and my ministry. He took the time to share how he developed his messages and gave me the opportunity to speak at a service soon after that. He invested in me and encouraged me, even when I was young and inexperienced.
Each of these dear brothers, in one way or another, said those four letters over my life: I C N U. I see in you. I see what God is doing, the potential that He’s placed upon your life and I want to encourage you and help you respond in obedience. I’m so grateful for these men who took the time to encourage me, challenge me and give me opportunities to serve and develop as a very immature and inexperienced young man. Their willingness to encourage me helped me to respond to what God was stirring in my life. They helped me follow in obedience.
I’ve thought a lot about these brothers this week as I was challenged with the letters: I C N U. I’m so grateful for how they served me, encouraged me and spoke into my life.
Who will we encourage to today? Who will we give the opportunity to lead or serve even if they’re not fully ready for the challenge? To whom do we need to say “I see the Lord at work in you and I want to affirm and encourage that work?” Are you watching how God is at work in those around you and are you willing to acknowledge and encourage that work by four simple letters: I C N U?
Christ’s Peace,
Lance
The challenge was this: who in your circle of influence are you taking the time to tell “I C N U” (I see in you) the potential of what God wants to do or accomplish? We each should be intentionally looking at those that God sends into our lives and be willing to tap on their shoulder and say “I see in you” your kingdom potential and want to help you take a step toward that. “I see in you” the gifts that God has blessed you with and want to help you put those gifts into practice. “I see in you” what God has placed in you and want to see you fully exercise your gifts for His glory and the advancement of His kingdom.
Four simple letters: I C N U. Who in your life needs to hear this from you today?
This concept is actually something I’ve been reflecting upon for the past few weeks. The weekend of February 18th, I had the privilege of preaching at the Fort Scott First Church of God in Fort Scott, KS. I’ve been to the Fort Scott Church before for a Western Region Conference meeting, but I had not had the opportunity to worship with our brothers and sisters there before this last month.
One of the discoveries I made during my weekend trip to Fort Scott was the fact that the Fort Scott congregation had produced several sons who had played an important role in my own life and ministry. They have produced three sons who had spoken those important words, I see in you, to me at different times in my own journey.
Randy Jenkins, David Beerbower, and Clarence Thornton all are sons of the Fort Scott First Church of God and all three of these dear brothers have spoken into my life over the years. Randy was probably the first pastors to tap me on the shoulder as a teenager and offer the idea that perhaps there was something that God wanted me to do in His kingdom. He gave me opportunities to serve and lead and invested in me. David graciously gave me the opportunity to give my first sermon under his ministry at the Mt. Pleasant Church of God outside of Assumption, IL. David has been a consistent encourager to me over the past twenty-five years and been a tremendous prayer support to me as well. Clarence was the interim pastor at my home congregation, East Harrison Street Church of God in Charleston, IL. During his brief ministry there, he called me into his office and explained that he understood I was headed to seminary and that he wanted to encourage me and my ministry. He took the time to share how he developed his messages and gave me the opportunity to speak at a service soon after that. He invested in me and encouraged me, even when I was young and inexperienced.
Each of these dear brothers, in one way or another, said those four letters over my life: I C N U. I see in you. I see what God is doing, the potential that He’s placed upon your life and I want to encourage you and help you respond in obedience. I’m so grateful for these men who took the time to encourage me, challenge me and give me opportunities to serve and develop as a very immature and inexperienced young man. Their willingness to encourage me helped me to respond to what God was stirring in my life. They helped me follow in obedience.
I’ve thought a lot about these brothers this week as I was challenged with the letters: I C N U. I’m so grateful for how they served me, encouraged me and spoke into my life.
Who will we encourage to today? Who will we give the opportunity to lead or serve even if they’re not fully ready for the challenge? To whom do we need to say “I see the Lord at work in you and I want to affirm and encourage that work?” Are you watching how God is at work in those around you and are you willing to acknowledge and encourage that work by four simple letters: I C N U?
Christ’s Peace,
Lance
Happy New Year faithful E-News readers. I hope you all had a wonderful holiday and are looking forward to all that 2018 might bring as we work together to obey Jesus and seek His kingdom.
This edition of E-News will be a bit different in that it’s going to require you to do some extra homework. This week I came across three different pieces online that I found thought provoking and insightful. I’m sharing the links below and hope that you’ll do the same.
I think more and more of us are waking up to the reality that we’re living in a time of great upheaval and change within our North American context. For those of us in the United States, we’re living through an enormous shift and entering a post-Christian era. We don’t need to live in fear! Jesus’ Church is going to be just fine, His kingdom is going to continue to advance, and we don’t need to play “Chicken Little” as if the sky is falling or the last Christian has exited the building.
But, we do need to come to grips with the fact that our world is rapidly changing and that these changes have enormous implications for the Church in North America. Rather than fear this moment or pine away for the good old days, I’m hopeful that God is at work to redeem this moment and bring His people to repentance and a greater effectiveness in His redemptive plan in our world.
Below I’m sharing three different articles that deal with the Church in 2018 and beyond. I encourage you to take a few moments and read them (and for those of you who pass this E-News along to others in printed form – please print out the 3 articles and pass those along too). My hope would be that these are the kinds of things leadership teams, church councils and elder boards are wrestling with as they look to the future and prepare for how God wants to use them in His redemptive work.
I certainly don’t agree with everything here, but much of what is shared resonates with me and what I’m observing across the CGGC and our larger culture. How do we position ourselves for faithful and fruitful ministry for the world we live in now and the future that is unfolding and emerging?
I’m really interested in your take on these three articles:
What resonates with you?
What are you seeing that isn’t on the lists?
How is your church leaning into the future and addressing some of the issues each of these authors raise as they look at trends and forces facing the church in 2018 and beyond?
Here are the three articles and links to them. I look forward to hearing your thoughts and reactions.
Recalibrate: 10 Steps Every Church Must Take This Year, Or Be Dead In A Decade
Everything but Jesus and the Bible must be on the table by Karl Vaters
http://www.christianitytoday.com/karl-vaters/2018/january/recalibrate-10-steps-church-this-year-dead-decade.html?paging=off.
If you haven’t discovered Karl Vaters, I would encourage you to become familiar with him in 2018 (the ARC hosted him for a day of learning this past fall). Karl is pastor of Cornerstone Christian Fellowship in Fountain Valley, California. He writes about the value and needs of small churches at Pivot and is the founder of NewSmallChurch.com, a blog encourages, connects, and equips innovative small church pastors. He is also the author of The Grasshopper Myth.
Ten Trends that Will Shape the Church in 2018 by Thom Rainer
http://visionroom.com/ten-trends-will-shape-church-2018/. Thom Rainer is the president and CEO of LifeWay Christian Resources. His latest book, Autopsy of a Deceased Church, was released in 2014 by B&H Publishing Group.
7 Disruptive Church Trends That Will Rule 2018 by Carey Nieuwhof
https://careynieuwhof.com/7-disruptive-church-trends-that-will-rule-2018/. Founding pastor of multi-site Connexus Community Church near Toronto, Carey Nieuwhof is a popular speaker on church leadership, change, and parenting, and the co-author of Parenting Beyond Your Capacity.
Have a great week and stay warm!
Christ’s Peace,
Lance
This edition of E-News will be a bit different in that it’s going to require you to do some extra homework. This week I came across three different pieces online that I found thought provoking and insightful. I’m sharing the links below and hope that you’ll do the same.
I think more and more of us are waking up to the reality that we’re living in a time of great upheaval and change within our North American context. For those of us in the United States, we’re living through an enormous shift and entering a post-Christian era. We don’t need to live in fear! Jesus’ Church is going to be just fine, His kingdom is going to continue to advance, and we don’t need to play “Chicken Little” as if the sky is falling or the last Christian has exited the building.
But, we do need to come to grips with the fact that our world is rapidly changing and that these changes have enormous implications for the Church in North America. Rather than fear this moment or pine away for the good old days, I’m hopeful that God is at work to redeem this moment and bring His people to repentance and a greater effectiveness in His redemptive plan in our world.
Below I’m sharing three different articles that deal with the Church in 2018 and beyond. I encourage you to take a few moments and read them (and for those of you who pass this E-News along to others in printed form – please print out the 3 articles and pass those along too). My hope would be that these are the kinds of things leadership teams, church councils and elder boards are wrestling with as they look to the future and prepare for how God wants to use them in His redemptive work.
I certainly don’t agree with everything here, but much of what is shared resonates with me and what I’m observing across the CGGC and our larger culture. How do we position ourselves for faithful and fruitful ministry for the world we live in now and the future that is unfolding and emerging?
I’m really interested in your take on these three articles:
What resonates with you?
What are you seeing that isn’t on the lists?
How is your church leaning into the future and addressing some of the issues each of these authors raise as they look at trends and forces facing the church in 2018 and beyond?
Here are the three articles and links to them. I look forward to hearing your thoughts and reactions.
Recalibrate: 10 Steps Every Church Must Take This Year, Or Be Dead In A Decade
Everything but Jesus and the Bible must be on the table by Karl Vaters
http://www.christianitytoday.com/karl-vaters/2018/january/recalibrate-10-steps-church-this-year-dead-decade.html?paging=off.
If you haven’t discovered Karl Vaters, I would encourage you to become familiar with him in 2018 (the ARC hosted him for a day of learning this past fall). Karl is pastor of Cornerstone Christian Fellowship in Fountain Valley, California. He writes about the value and needs of small churches at Pivot and is the founder of NewSmallChurch.com, a blog encourages, connects, and equips innovative small church pastors. He is also the author of The Grasshopper Myth.
Ten Trends that Will Shape the Church in 2018 by Thom Rainer
http://visionroom.com/ten-trends-will-shape-church-2018/. Thom Rainer is the president and CEO of LifeWay Christian Resources. His latest book, Autopsy of a Deceased Church, was released in 2014 by B&H Publishing Group.
7 Disruptive Church Trends That Will Rule 2018 by Carey Nieuwhof
https://careynieuwhof.com/7-disruptive-church-trends-that-will-rule-2018/. Founding pastor of multi-site Connexus Community Church near Toronto, Carey Nieuwhof is a popular speaker on church leadership, change, and parenting, and the co-author of Parenting Beyond Your Capacity.
Have a great week and stay warm!
Christ’s Peace,
Lance
The weekly eNews is provided by CGGC Executive Director Lance Finley
Listen and Obey 6/23/2017
The Finley family had the privilege of attending the Western Region Conference meetings last week in Richmond, Missouri. The Western Region really brings a sense of family togetherness to their bi-annual conference meeting as they have an obvious love for one another and it’s evident when they gather together. Grace Church Richmond, pastored by Justin and Laura Beth Meier, were wonderful hosts and added much to the time of fellowship, learning and business.
On Saturday morning pastor Heather Boss, from Firehouse Outreach Community in Moore, OK, led us in a community service project. The instructions were simple: 1) Divide into small groups of 4-5. 2) Pray that God would lead you to someone with whom you can share God’s love. 3) Leave the building and go love somebody. 4) Try to be back in the next ninety minutes.
I’ll be honest, I probably didn’t have the best mindset when this experience started. I was tired. It was hot. It was the very end of the conference and I was ready to get on the road to our next destination. I’m a firm believer in experiential learning and discipleship opportunities like this, but there was also fear: what if God doesn’t lead us to anyone over the course of the next hour?
My children were energized by this new opportunity (probably something about childlike faith) and I didn’t want to lose face in front of my kids, so we prayed and went. There had been a big storm in Richmond the night before and lots of people were doing clean up around town. I fully expected to find a resident near the church and help with storm cleanup but that’s not where we landed. We end up at the local Walmart, walking around, praying that God might send us someone to love and serve.
After a few laps around Walmart, no one had emerged. I was getting anxious and frustrated. Internally, I was probably getting whiny: “God, please show up and lead us to someone, please. Please let us get this over with.” We circled up and talked for a minute. We’ve been here for a while, has anyone sensed God leading us to a particular person here? My wife Brenda is typically much more sensitive to the Spirit’s voice and to people in general. She noted that there was a Walmart employee sitting out on one of the benches in front of the store enjoying a smoke break, perhaps that’s who God wants us to serve? The kids agreed and thought a gift card to Subway might be the best way to demonstrate God’s love to this lady.
I purchased the gift card and we proceeded out the doors to the bench and found the woman enjoying her break. We approached her and explained that we sensed that God had wanted us to bless her with the gift card because He wanted her to know that He loved her and cared for her. The lady received it with gratitude and shared that she would probably give it to her sons who both had lost vehicles in the storm the night before. We asked her if it would be okay to pray for her and her sons and she welcomed our prayer. After we prayed with her she thanked us and we were on our way.
A couple of takeaways as I’ve reflected on the experience this week:
- I need more practice listening for God’s voice and acting on what I hear. This following Jesus business isn’t rocket science, but it does take practice. It’s like any other skill, the more you practice it, the more adept you become. It requires intentionality to ask God to tune my ears and heart to His heart and to help me hear His voice clearly. Each time I put my faith into action after hearing His voice, I build my “faith muscles” and become more able to respond in obedience in the future. I need to practice listening and obeying.
- I’m grateful for the gifting of the body of Christ and what each person brings to the table. Left on my own, this experience would have looked much different. I’m grateful for Brenda’s sensitive heart in both noticing the lady on the bench and sensing that God was wanting us to bless her. I’m grateful for my children’s zeal and creativity in finding a small way to bless someone else, their faith encouraged me to exercise my faith. There’s a reason why God gives us apostles, prophets, evangelists, shepherds and teachers – no single gifting is able to do all the work God has for His church. We’re at our best when everyone is bringing their unique gifting to the table. As North Americans, we tend to interpret our faith through an individualistic lens rather than a community lens. We need each other in order to experience the fullness of what God wants to do in and through us.
- I often miss the opportunities that are before me every day. This was my main takeaway. The experience in Richmond was good, but it’s an artificial experiment: it’s in a place 13 hours from where I live, it’s only an hour and I’m not likely to have an opportunity to meet or bless this person again. Here’s what the Lord brought to me pretty strongly as I reflected upon my experience in Richmond; it was my missed opportunity from a couple of days before. We were in a hotel and I was having breakfast in the self-serve dining area when I witnessed another patron berating one of the hotel employees who was taking care of the breakfast items. I felt a gentle nudge to respond, to speak an encouraging word, to show my appreciation and thanks for her good work and service to so many. I sensed I should do something to bless this lady who had been treated so poorly and unjustly. I knew I should bless her, but I didn’t. Why? I don’t know. Fear? Being in a rush and wanting to get on to the next thing in my day? Maybe it was the lack of confidence—did I just hear from the Lord or was that the biscuits and gravy messing with me?
I missed the opportunity. I failed to bless this woman who was having a difficult day. I could have offered an encouraging word. I could have thanked her of doing such a good job of providing a meal for me and the other patrons of the hotel. I could have offered prayer. I missed my opportunity. I’m prone to miss opportunities like this every day.
Our patient Father was reminding me that He’s more than willing to speak and offer opportunities to put His love on display, but too often I miss them. It was as if He was saying open your eyes and ears Lance, I’m working ahead of you all the time and inviting you to join me more often than you seem to notice.
Listening and obeying. Hearing and putting faith into action. This is what it means to be a disciple of Jesus. I’m asking for His grace and power to both hear His voice and respond with obedient action.
What is God saying to you today? What opportunities are before you? How will you respond?
Christ’s Peace,
Lance