NOTE FROM LUMINEX: This is the seventh entry in an 8-week series on Priorities. Today’s focus is Church Strengthening. Enjoy! Acts 2 provides a vivid picture of the intersection between faith-based leadership and the work of the Holy Spirit. This combination gave birth to the early church, and has fueled thriving churches ever since. Lesson 1: The Holy Spirit shows …
What Child is This?
What child is this? “The babe, the son of Mary.” “She gave birth to a firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no guest room available for them.” (Luke 2:7) Far too many people think of the Christmas story as a quaint, cerebral affair – angels with fluttering wings, animals …
Standing Firm in the Gospel
The Gospel must be central to all that we do, say, and think. The truth of the Gospel – God’s unfathomable love (John 3:16, Romans 5:8), our inherent sin (Romans 3:23, 5:12), salvation by and through Jesus Christ (Romans 6:23, John 1:12) – is the Good News that we are called to live out and carry to the very ends …
Where is Your Mountaintop?
NOTE: The Following is an excerpt from Faith-Based: A Biblical, Practical Guide to Strategic Planning in the Church, by Michael Gafa. Confidence and assurance for what lies ahead is rooted in understanding and appreciating what has already taken place. The whole of scripture reveals the breathtaking dimensions of God’s unfolding plan of redemption and restoration, which is assured in Christ. …
Praying Through
Several years ago, the church I was a part of held a multi-day prayer summit with a guest facilitator named Gerhard Du Toit. One phrase that Gerhard used repeatedly throughout the summit was, “Praying through.” In general, what Gerhard was conveying is that the more deeply we live for the cause of Christ, the more we can expect resistance – …
An Out of the Box Partnership: Luminex and Lanio
Over the past few years, as we (Luminex) have worked to more effectively realize our mission to Develop Leaders to Start and Strengthen Churches, one of the questions we are often asked is, “How did a middle judicatory in the Reformed Church in America become a recognized thought leader for leadership development, and for starting and strengthening churches, in the RCA …
Healthy Churches: Leading through Apathy
A Note from Luminex: This morning’s blog post is the eighth in an 11-week series on “Healthy Churches.” Each week, one of our stable of leaders/bloggers will share thoughts on a significant aspect of healthy churches. Enjoy! Even the most healthy and vibrant churches experience pockets of congregational apathy. While apathy can emerge for a variety of reasons, it is always …
Christ-Centered Leadership
A Note from Luminex: This morning’s blog post is the eleventh – and final – entry in our series on leadership. Enjoy! There are seven “I am” statements from Jesus sprinkled throughout the Gospel of John. Each one points in some way to Jesus’ divinity, and to the exclusivity of Jesus as the way – the only way – to escape …
Accountable Leadership
A Note from Luminex: This morning’s blog post is the eighth in a 10-week series on leadership. Enjoy! Several years ago, as I was preparing a sermon on forgiveness, it dawned on me that Peter and Judas were really not all that different. Both were deeply flawed – Judas was self-centered and dishonest, Peter was temperamental and impetuous; both had wronged …
Four Ways to Encourage Your Church Staff
The following is an excerpt from Faith-Based: A Biblical, Practical Guide to Strategic Planning in the Church, by Michael Gafa: Ministry is not for the faint of heart! While there are numerous blessings that come from serving the Lord and His people, so too are there numerous challenges – many of which are very, very messy. In the absence of …