This phrase came to me this morning as I was praying. I was thinking about how I love to pray the prayer of Jabez, enlarge my territory, but hate to be reined in. I love unfettered freedom to pursue whatever activity I may desire, but chafe at discipline to go in a direction that the Lord may want me to go.
In the abstract, I always want to do God's will. In the particulars I find it hard to stay focused on His will.
I watched a leader who had several assistants who waited until he needed something and then were instantly there to carry out his directive. While, I'm not sure I like that leadership style, I wish I had the attitude of those assistants. I wish I was more interruptible to carry out the directives of my Lord. So, I pray today, “ Lord, rein me in and reign in me.”
I am convinced until I am willing to be reined in and under His control that He will never reign in me.
Tuesday, May 19, 2009
Monday, May 18, 2009
Changes at Stadia
A message from Marcus Bigelow
It was almost 3 years ago that I temporarily resumed the duties of Stadia West Director in addition to being President-at-Large of Stadia. At the time, it was very necessary to restore confidence and order to Stadia West. Over this period, mostly due to the efforts of our Church Planting Networks, Network Coaches and staff, Stadia West has been able to not only stabilize but to gain momentum.
In the face of the largest recession this country has faced in our lifetimes, we have a balanced budget and are scheduled to plant as many as 14 churches this year. We are also projecting a balanced budget for the 3rd year in a row.
During the past year, I have been compensated for 75% of my time as President at Large and 25% as Stadia West Director. During this time, David Limiero has moved from 25% time as an associate director of Stadia West to 80% as associate director. He has been doing on-the-job training leading to becoming Stadia West Director on January 1, 2010.
Recently the leadership of Stadia, including myself, felt that it was necessary to accelerate this process due to duties that I needed to assume in the National arena. I also felt that David would bring more to Stadia West as Director than I could currently give. So, a decision has been made to move David Limiero to Stadia West Director effective on May 15.
I will remain with Stadia as President at large. My duties will primarily revolve around leading Stadia church planting nationally, recruiting partners for networks, recruiting planters for both East and West, raising funds to move us forward to the next level, and assisting West, East and International departments as needed.
What does this mean?
1. Beginning on Friday, May 15, all things Stadia West that used to come to me will now go to David Limiero. He can be reached at dlimiero@stadia.cc or at (661) 735-4568.2. David will be 80% Stadia West and 20% Life Journey Christian Church in Bakersfield until a successor can be found for Life Journey. 3. The offices will remain in Rocklin. You can still reach the rest of our staff in the same way.4. I will still be maintaining an office in Rocklin as well and my contact info will remain the same.
I move to my new duties with confidence that Stadia West is as strong as it has ever been and will be stronger under David’s leadership than it has been before. David brings a skill set of both visionary and implementation skills that I do not possess. It is not often that one can choose and train his successor. As such I have complete confidence that David is the right person to lead Stadia West.
I am looking forward to this next chapter in my life. Even in the past week, new vistas have opened up that I had not imagined. It is still my dream that Stadia will plant thousands of new churches affecting the lives of millions of people. Over 90% of the churches in the US are still not actively involved in church planting . Imagine what would happen if 10% more became involved in the next decade.
So, please join me in welcoming and supporting David Limiero as he assumes the leadership of Stadia West.
A message from Marcus Bigelow
It was almost 3 years ago that I temporarily resumed the duties of Stadia West Director in addition to being President-at-Large of Stadia. At the time, it was very necessary to restore confidence and order to Stadia West. Over this period, mostly due to the efforts of our Church Planting Networks, Network Coaches and staff, Stadia West has been able to not only stabilize but to gain momentum.
In the face of the largest recession this country has faced in our lifetimes, we have a balanced budget and are scheduled to plant as many as 14 churches this year. We are also projecting a balanced budget for the 3rd year in a row.
During the past year, I have been compensated for 75% of my time as President at Large and 25% as Stadia West Director. During this time, David Limiero has moved from 25% time as an associate director of Stadia West to 80% as associate director. He has been doing on-the-job training leading to becoming Stadia West Director on January 1, 2010.
Recently the leadership of Stadia, including myself, felt that it was necessary to accelerate this process due to duties that I needed to assume in the National arena. I also felt that David would bring more to Stadia West as Director than I could currently give. So, a decision has been made to move David Limiero to Stadia West Director effective on May 15.
I will remain with Stadia as President at large. My duties will primarily revolve around leading Stadia church planting nationally, recruiting partners for networks, recruiting planters for both East and West, raising funds to move us forward to the next level, and assisting West, East and International departments as needed.
What does this mean?
1. Beginning on Friday, May 15, all things Stadia West that used to come to me will now go to David Limiero. He can be reached at dlimiero@stadia.cc or at (661) 735-4568.2. David will be 80% Stadia West and 20% Life Journey Christian Church in Bakersfield until a successor can be found for Life Journey. 3. The offices will remain in Rocklin. You can still reach the rest of our staff in the same way.4. I will still be maintaining an office in Rocklin as well and my contact info will remain the same.
I move to my new duties with confidence that Stadia West is as strong as it has ever been and will be stronger under David’s leadership than it has been before. David brings a skill set of both visionary and implementation skills that I do not possess. It is not often that one can choose and train his successor. As such I have complete confidence that David is the right person to lead Stadia West.
I am looking forward to this next chapter in my life. Even in the past week, new vistas have opened up that I had not imagined. It is still my dream that Stadia will plant thousands of new churches affecting the lives of millions of people. Over 90% of the churches in the US are still not actively involved in church planting . Imagine what would happen if 10% more became involved in the next decade.
So, please join me in welcoming and supporting David Limiero as he assumes the leadership of Stadia West.
It was almost 3 years ago that I temporarily resumed the duties of Stadia West Director in addition to being President-at-Large of Stadia. At the time, it was very necessary to restore confidence and order to Stadia West. Over this period, mostly due to the efforts of our Church Planting Networks, Network Coaches and staff, Stadia West has been able to not only stabilize but to gain momentum.
In the face of the largest recession this country has faced in our lifetimes, we have a balanced budget and are scheduled to plant as many as 14 churches this year. We are also projecting a balanced budget for the 3rd year in a row.
During the past year, I have been compensated for 75% of my time as President at Large and 25% as Stadia West Director. During this time, David Limiero has moved from 25% time as an associate director of Stadia West to 80% as associate director. He has been doing on-the-job training leading to becoming Stadia West Director on January 1, 2010.
Recently the leadership of Stadia, including myself, felt that it was necessary to accelerate this process due to duties that I needed to assume in the National arena. I also felt that David would bring more to Stadia West as Director than I could currently give. So, a decision has been made to move David Limiero to Stadia West Director effective on May 15.
I will remain with Stadia as President at large. My duties will primarily revolve around leading Stadia church planting nationally, recruiting partners for networks, recruiting planters for both East and West, raising funds to move us forward to the next level, and assisting West, East and International departments as needed.
What does this mean?
1. Beginning on Friday, May 15, all things Stadia West that used to come to me will now go to David Limiero. He can be reached at dlimiero@stadia.cc or at (661) 735-4568.2. David will be 80% Stadia West and 20% Life Journey Christian Church in Bakersfield until a successor can be found for Life Journey. 3. The offices will remain in Rocklin. You can still reach the rest of our staff in the same way.4. I will still be maintaining an office in Rocklin as well and my contact info will remain the same.
I move to my new duties with confidence that Stadia West is as strong as it has ever been and will be stronger under David’s leadership than it has been before. David brings a skill set of both visionary and implementation skills that I do not possess. It is not often that one can choose and train his successor. As such I have complete confidence that David is the right person to lead Stadia West.
I am looking forward to this next chapter in my life. Even in the past week, new vistas have opened up that I had not imagined. It is still my dream that Stadia will plant thousands of new churches affecting the lives of millions of people. Over 90% of the churches in the US are still not actively involved in church planting . Imagine what would happen if 10% more became involved in the next decade.
So, please join me in welcoming and supporting David Limiero as he assumes the leadership of Stadia West.
A message from Marcus Bigelow
It was almost 3 years ago that I temporarily resumed the duties of Stadia West Director in addition to being President-at-Large of Stadia. At the time, it was very necessary to restore confidence and order to Stadia West. Over this period, mostly due to the efforts of our Church Planting Networks, Network Coaches and staff, Stadia West has been able to not only stabilize but to gain momentum.
In the face of the largest recession this country has faced in our lifetimes, we have a balanced budget and are scheduled to plant as many as 14 churches this year. We are also projecting a balanced budget for the 3rd year in a row.
During the past year, I have been compensated for 75% of my time as President at Large and 25% as Stadia West Director. During this time, David Limiero has moved from 25% time as an associate director of Stadia West to 80% as associate director. He has been doing on-the-job training leading to becoming Stadia West Director on January 1, 2010.
Recently the leadership of Stadia, including myself, felt that it was necessary to accelerate this process due to duties that I needed to assume in the National arena. I also felt that David would bring more to Stadia West as Director than I could currently give. So, a decision has been made to move David Limiero to Stadia West Director effective on May 15.
I will remain with Stadia as President at large. My duties will primarily revolve around leading Stadia church planting nationally, recruiting partners for networks, recruiting planters for both East and West, raising funds to move us forward to the next level, and assisting West, East and International departments as needed.
What does this mean?
1. Beginning on Friday, May 15, all things Stadia West that used to come to me will now go to David Limiero. He can be reached at dlimiero@stadia.cc or at (661) 735-4568.2. David will be 80% Stadia West and 20% Life Journey Christian Church in Bakersfield until a successor can be found for Life Journey. 3. The offices will remain in Rocklin. You can still reach the rest of our staff in the same way.4. I will still be maintaining an office in Rocklin as well and my contact info will remain the same.
I move to my new duties with confidence that Stadia West is as strong as it has ever been and will be stronger under David’s leadership than it has been before. David brings a skill set of both visionary and implementation skills that I do not possess. It is not often that one can choose and train his successor. As such I have complete confidence that David is the right person to lead Stadia West.
I am looking forward to this next chapter in my life. Even in the past week, new vistas have opened up that I had not imagined. It is still my dream that Stadia will plant thousands of new churches affecting the lives of millions of people. Over 90% of the churches in the US are still not actively involved in church planting . Imagine what would happen if 10% more became involved in the next decade.
So, please join me in welcoming and supporting David Limiero as he assumes the leadership of Stadia West.
Tuesday, April 14, 2009
Forgiveness
I've been reading 1 and 2 Chronicles this past couple of weeks and a verse jumped out at me.
2 Chron 30:18 Although most of the many people who came from Ephraim, Manasseh, Issachar and Zebulun had not purified themselves, yet they ate the Passover, contrary to what was written. But Hezekiah prayed for them, saying, "May the Lord, who is good, pardon everyone 19 who sets his heart on seeking God — the Lord, the God of his fathers — even if he is not clean according to the rules of the sanctuary." 20 And the Lord heard Hezekiah and healed the people. NIV
What really struck me was the phrase, "May the Lord, who is good, pardon everyone who sets his heart on seeking God." And the Lord heard Hezekiah!
These people had broken the rules-- they ate the Passover without purifying themselves in an eagerness to seek God. Instead of saying, "You're not doing it right", Hezekiah seeks grace from the face of God.
Too many stand as gatekeepers to the fellowship of the saints saying, "You're doing it wrong" rather than praying for the grace of God to be shed on the eager believers.
2 Chron 30:18 Although most of the many people who came from Ephraim, Manasseh, Issachar and Zebulun had not purified themselves, yet they ate the Passover, contrary to what was written. But Hezekiah prayed for them, saying, "May the Lord, who is good, pardon everyone 19 who sets his heart on seeking God — the Lord, the God of his fathers — even if he is not clean according to the rules of the sanctuary." 20 And the Lord heard Hezekiah and healed the people. NIV
What really struck me was the phrase, "May the Lord, who is good, pardon everyone who sets his heart on seeking God." And the Lord heard Hezekiah!
These people had broken the rules-- they ate the Passover without purifying themselves in an eagerness to seek God. Instead of saying, "You're not doing it right", Hezekiah seeks grace from the face of God.
Too many stand as gatekeepers to the fellowship of the saints saying, "You're doing it wrong" rather than praying for the grace of God to be shed on the eager believers.
Thursday, April 9, 2009
Suffering and Jesus
This is from the Joel International Newsletter.
It's often in the midst of suffering that people find God, and sometimes God even uses terrorists for the good. This week in our regular edition we published the stories of two people who were kidnapped by notorious FARC terrorists in Colombia. They spent six years in the jungle under humiliating circumstances. But Jesus met them right there.
American Marc Gonsalves recalls that he didn't expect to survive captivity until he felt God's presence in the midst of a life-threatening bomb attack by Colombian military jets. "I was physically shaking, and I just called out to God to protect us," he said. "The next morning I woke up and I felt different." A Colombian hostage gave him a Bible, which he often read and discussed with fellow hostage French-Colombian Ingrid Betancourt. After her release last year Betancourt said: "Without Jesus at my side I would never have managed to survive the pain. Being a hostage places you in a situation of constant humiliation... faced with this you can either allow yourself to become ugly and bitter, filled with hate and vindictiveness, or you follow the other path, that is shown by Jesus, who said 'bless your enemies'." Both captives consider their release a miracle.
It's often in the midst of suffering that people find God, and sometimes God even uses terrorists for the good. This week in our regular edition we published the stories of two people who were kidnapped by notorious FARC terrorists in Colombia. They spent six years in the jungle under humiliating circumstances. But Jesus met them right there.
American Marc Gonsalves recalls that he didn't expect to survive captivity until he felt God's presence in the midst of a life-threatening bomb attack by Colombian military jets. "I was physically shaking, and I just called out to God to protect us," he said. "The next morning I woke up and I felt different." A Colombian hostage gave him a Bible, which he often read and discussed with fellow hostage French-Colombian Ingrid Betancourt. After her release last year Betancourt said: "Without Jesus at my side I would never have managed to survive the pain. Being a hostage places you in a situation of constant humiliation... faced with this you can either allow yourself to become ugly and bitter, filled with hate and vindictiveness, or you follow the other path, that is shown by Jesus, who said 'bless your enemies'." Both captives consider their release a miracle.
Newsweek, Revival and 2 Chronicles
I'm reading 2 Chronicles this week. I've also read the Newsweek article on America not being a Christian nation. Here's some thoughts.
1.Nations fall away and repent and fall away and repent. Israel with more rapidity than the US. They could repent and by the end of a king's reign have fallen away again.
2. It has happened several times in American history. If Strauch and Howe, Generations, are to be trusted, and I think they are, this is not the worst time in American history. There are at least 4 other times when we were less godly than now.
3. James Orr in his history of revivals in America documents: "Take the liberal arts colleges at that time. A poll taken at Harvard had discovered not one believer in the whole student body. They took a poll at Princeton, a much more evangelical place, where they discovered only two believers in the student body, and only five that did not belong to the filthy speech movement of that day. Students rioted. They held a mock communion at Williams College, and they put on anti-christian plays at Dartmouth. They burned down the Nassau Hall at Princeton. They forced the resignation of the president of Harvard. They took a Bible out of a local Presbyterian church in New Jersey, and they burnt it in a public bonfire. Christians were so few on campus in the 1790's that they met in secret, like a communist cell, and kept their minutes in code so that no one would know.
4. Out of moral decay and despair comes revival. When the only place to turn is to God, we eventually wake up.
5. Even if America goes away from God, God is still on his throne and will save.
1.Nations fall away and repent and fall away and repent. Israel with more rapidity than the US. They could repent and by the end of a king's reign have fallen away again.
2. It has happened several times in American history. If Strauch and Howe, Generations, are to be trusted, and I think they are, this is not the worst time in American history. There are at least 4 other times when we were less godly than now.
3. James Orr in his history of revivals in America documents: "Take the liberal arts colleges at that time. A poll taken at Harvard had discovered not one believer in the whole student body. They took a poll at Princeton, a much more evangelical place, where they discovered only two believers in the student body, and only five that did not belong to the filthy speech movement of that day. Students rioted. They held a mock communion at Williams College, and they put on anti-christian plays at Dartmouth. They burned down the Nassau Hall at Princeton. They forced the resignation of the president of Harvard. They took a Bible out of a local Presbyterian church in New Jersey, and they burnt it in a public bonfire. Christians were so few on campus in the 1790's that they met in secret, like a communist cell, and kept their minutes in code so that no one would know.
4. Out of moral decay and despair comes revival. When the only place to turn is to God, we eventually wake up.
5. Even if America goes away from God, God is still on his throne and will save.
Wednesday, January 28, 2009
Nancy Ortburg
"If the ceiling on the gospel in your church is you, we might as well all go home." We to recruit others better than ourselves to lead with us from in front of us when we can find them.
Monday, January 19, 2009
Where is God when I'm Scared
I'm having my quiet time with Larry the Cucumber and Bob the Tomato and two of my grandsons. They (Bob and Larry) have a tremendous video out (if you don't have kids or grandkids you may not be familiar with Veggie Tales) that deals with fear management. It's called "Where is God when I'm Scared".
The lead song is "God is bigger than the boogeyman and he's watching out for you and me."
When it comes to fear managment and walking by faith, that just about says it all. "Out of the mouth of babes . . ."
What is the boogeyman that you need to turn over to God today?
The lead song is "God is bigger than the boogeyman and he's watching out for you and me."
When it comes to fear managment and walking by faith, that just about says it all. "Out of the mouth of babes . . ."
What is the boogeyman that you need to turn over to God today?
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