One of the mothers of our church has published some of her wonderful writings in this new book described here. You can click the link below to purchase your copy.

by Evelyn S. Benton
This is a collection of extraordinary spirit-filled poems that are full of wisdom and insight that can only come from living a rich, Christ-centered life.
In 2004 at the age of 71, Evelyn S. Benton dedicated her life to Christ and was baptized. It was then that the Holy Spirit began to give her inspirational poetry.
“Each day I realize more and more that nothing really matters in this world except love — the love we receive from others and the love we give in return.” ~Evelyn S. Benton
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
A native of North Carolina, Evelyn S. Benton has been married to her husband, Albert, for 55 years. She is the mother of 7 children, who have produced 11 grandchildren and 4 great-grandchildren. She enjoys gardening and writing poetry.
(2007, paperback, 48 pages)

Source: Treasures of Mine

On the journey of balance in church growth, I have taken the first step; that step is recognition. Recognition of the value of both aspects of church growth, the human and godly side. I believe that Paul was chosen by God to be an Apostle, not because he was the single greatest persecutor of the church, (which would be a significant benefit) but, because of his previous training and experience. Paul was a Renaissance man of his day. That doesn't make him better than anyone else, it just gave him an advantage of being able to relate to the culture of his day.

My friend Mark Batterson likes to quote Jesus as He spoke to the disciples about "relevant" ministry: "Be wise as serpents and harmless as doves" Matt 10:16. This is the challenge of balance. We are to carry the powerful love of God to our communities and do it as shrewdly as top marketing executives. If you are developing an existing work or in the process of launching a new church, I highly recommend that you find a copy of "Church Marketing 101" by Richard L. Reising. It is a great resource for getting off to a great start or taking it to the next level.  

Multitasking! The word invokes awe and wonder from certain generations (of which I am a part). In a perfect world everyone has their specialty and everyone's specialty is in demand. The motto is: "Find one thing and do it well", sounds like sage advice, until you come to the reality that even something that looks like "one" thing as an end product is the result of numerous processes carried out successfully. I've recently been in the process of "growing myself" as a means to grow a healthy church. Wow, the number of books I have to read and retain, the volume of material seems enormous! Combine that with the general oversight of a growing church, with all the processes that involves and it get's pretty exciting! The result is I've gained a great appreciation for what seems to be this generation's (Buster/Millennial) innate ability to "Multitask".

The fact is that: Strategic Planning, Church Marketing, Effective use of technology, Outreach, Skillfully Leading Change, Entrepreneurial Acumen, Cultural Relevance etc. ad nauseam, are all needed to actually bring about real growth of the local church. It then becomes increasingly obvious that the essential element is not really "Multitasking" but, prayer that enables you to tap into that ultimate church growth element "the will and wisdom of God". The early church leaders didn't have knowledge of any of the previously mentioned disciplines but, they did see tremendous growth of the church from 120 to over 3,000 on at the opening service and within the year they had grown to over 8,000. There is a balance that must be struck between the wisdom that we can gain from modern church growth principles and the wisdom of God to bring about phenomenal growth. During the remaining months of this year, I plan to discover that balance and I'll be sharing that discovery with you who are in the same process of becoming the best God would have you to be.

Persistent Love

This morning in my devotional time I read the book Jonah. It's a great story you ought to check it out sometime. As I read, I was reminded again of Our Father's "Persistent Love". It's so amazing when we realize the extent to which God went to save us from destruction. We can be so committed to our own demise and naive or unaware of the very things that cause the judgment of God to come upon our lives. We so vigorously resist the incredible love God offers us in Christ. That's why this mornings Bible reading was such a blessing, because it reminded me of God's persistent love.

"Father, I thank you for your "Persistent Love". While we were like the people of Nineveh, oblivious to our plight, having no clue how we can escape the impending destruction in our lives. You were insistent that someone would be our "Prophet" and tell us how we could escape Your wrath.

Though we were rebellious and seemed bent on wickedness, You steadfastly loved us. Though we were worthless You would not give up on us. You Father, not willing to see us perish, refused to forsake us!

You refused to leave us to our destruction. You absolutely refused to forsake us! Thank You for Your "Persistent Love"

Larry

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7 Basic Steps to Successful Fasting and Prayer
God is calling us to seek his face for the first 7 days of 2007. Here is a brief instruction on fasting, read it and commit to join us in this time of seeking God's face. If you need direction for the upcoming year, an increase of God's presence, or maybe 2006 was a rough year for you; this is your opportunity to start strong for 2007.

Short Talk on Leadership

What is leadership: John Maxwell "Leadership is Influence."

What influences us or how can we have influence?

• Confidence – A confident person exudes trust-worthiness.

   

• Integrity – Ultimately a persons Character will influence people to follow them

   

• Expertise – Skill and preparation. Knowledge is significant for leadership

   

• Passion – Vision with fire is a great draw of people to get involved.

Leadership is not manipulation, it is influence.

Leadership is not position or power, it is service.

Ultimately, leadership has a subjective element. What we individually perceive to be leadership becomes what leadership is for you.

What is your idea of effective leadership? What qualities must a leader have in your opinion?