Busy Season

I realize that when asked, I tend to refer to the weeks following Christmas as sort of a down-time. I think I have told a number of people that it is a time to refresh and regroup after the busy Christmas season. I realize that there is actually very little truth to that. January is always busy.

The first few weeks of the year are actually some of the most important weeks in the life of a large church like Grace. Now is the time when we set the momentum for the whole year. If, in January, we fail to make plans and help others embrace those plans, the momentum of the year just catches up with us and we have trouble making new things happen

It is not that there is anything wrong with the old things. It is just that there is always more to do. There are always opportunities for people to train and inspire others to start new ministries, or hand off current ministries to new hands so that we can start new ones.

Our next big emphasis at Grace, starting in just a couple of weeks will be a focus on getting every member of the church involved in ministry. I say it over and over, Christianity is not a spectator sport. However, as a pastor, I never do a good enough job of helping people get connected to ministries that connect their gifts and passions to true human needs. When that connection gets made, ministry happens. I hope you can get connected, or reconnected this year!

Personally, I am taking seriously a challenge from one of my colleagues. He reminded me the other day to lead from my strengths. One of my greatest strengths is in the area of teaching, so starting in February, I am offering a four week course called, "The Bible from Scratch - The New Testament for Beginners." This is one of my favorite short-courses to teach because it is specifically designed for people who haven't done adult Bible study before. Watch this space and the church's newsletter for the details.

I am really excited about this new year and all the ministry possibilities at Grace. I hope you will be too!

peace,

will