Skip to main content

Deep Influence

Just a few days ago our little congregation had a big meeting.  It was a business session to decide how to go about spreading the influence of our group in 2013.  Much of what was said included ideas that I had been mulling over since reading the book Going Deep by Gordon MacDonald.  It's the latest book I received from the people at BookSneeze.

The book is written in a fictional story format but for me held so much good practical information on how to go about extending the reach of any church group.  The fictional pastor of the book leaves his normal job description to begin working in a more personal and effectual manner with a select group of church members.  I was not only inspired by this book but given the ideas I felt I needed to look into the future of our own work here in Brazil.

In 2013 I plan to concentrate more on the individuals in our congregation through mentoring and discipleship. Plans are already under way to change the workup of our Sunday School program and to introduce more persons into teacher training.  Plans are also in the works for a change in our nursery concept moving towards more of a children's church hour.  I hope to use this time to actually train young ladies as they help each week to be the teachers of the future.

I enjoyed the book and found it easy reading - Easy reading of deep concepts!  Thank you, BookSneeze, for another great book!

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

My Promise Verse

Job 23:10 But he knoweth the way that I take:  when he hath tried me, I shall come forth as gold. This verse has been a favorite of mine since I was a teenager. When I was a high school senior at a Christian school in Virginia, Job 23:10 was chosen as our class theme verse. At our graduation commencement, the valedictorian and saludatorian in their addresses that day divided the verse in its two natural parts as a basis for the core of each one's address. I was the salutatorian of my senior class that year.  I chose to speak of how God would one day reward our faithfulness and thus, we should always strive to remain true. For many years though, the first part of the verse haunted me in a way. As a missionary especially when times were lonely or difficult, I assumed it was my "trial" or "test," and as such must be accepted in all humility. As I have grown older, I have begun to look more toward the pearly gates and have reconsidered the thr...

The Sun is Not Yet Set

  Byron, the guy in the white helmet, turns 61 today.  That's our son, Byron the Third in the black helmet.  He'll be 30 on his next birthday at the end of the year.   My husband and I were close to thirty ourselves when we had our first son. Lately it seems that every other day or so someone wants to know "When we are going to retire?" Sometimes it feels more like, "When are you going to leave" is the real question, but that's a story for another post sometime. Has the sunset on our work and ministry in Brazil?  Is it time to hang our hats and pack it all up.  Are we too old? Too old for what?  Too old to tell others about the love of God?  Too old to preach and teach?  Too old to ride a motorcycle on dirt roads? Okay, you may have us on that last one!  It took a few days to recover from our 8 days of motorcycle travel with our oldest and his wife last month.  It took a few weeks to recover from all the bumps and aches of our ...

Old Film, Same Message

A missionary colleague recently uploaded some old films made about the work in Brazil by Baptist Mid-Missions many years ago in the 1950's. Yesterday I was able to watch the first of the series.  All I can say is "Wow!  Things haven't changed much in Brazil.  And things haven't changed too much with the work of missions in Brazil either!" There are still donkey carts in the street.  They have better wheels nowadays! There are still people who live in grass huts and high apartment buildings, too. Bicycles are still many people's only means of transportation, if they are that lucky! Many roads in the interior towns are still paved with cobblestones, if they are paved at all. And yes, chickens are everywhere, even in big cities. Brazil still needs missionaries! That's right, Brazil is not evangelized and in no need of foreign missionaries today.  It still needs workers to spread the Good News of the Gospel and the Risen Saviour!  Sadly that part of t...