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Tips for Effective Ministry through FaceBook
VideoI asked Miheret when I visited with him in Ethiopia to give us tips on how to have meaningful impact through FaceBook. He and his team has a track record of very successful FaceBook campaigns.
In this video, he shares a few simple yet effective tips on how to maximize your impact when using FaceBook for ministry. Enjoy.
Broken is Good
StandardI confess. ‘Broken’ is never one of my favorite words. I don’t like broken things, broken promises, broken lives… or be broken, or admit that I am… broken.
But the past few years, it’s the journey God has had me on. To discover, to get in touch, and to be ‘ok’ with my own brokenness. I’ve always wondered why ‘brokenness’ was such an prominent theme in my church. Now I understand. We cannot see or please God if we’re not fully broken before Him. But more about that next time.
As I lean harder into His grace, I become more acquainted with a God that not only understands brokenness, but is broken for us. (Isaiah 53:5)
The Christian faith is often a paradox, a mystery. Try as we might, our limited minds simply cannot wrap around godly ideas or concepts. Thankfully, God has it, and His plans are always good, like Good Friday (read ‘Why Good Friday is good‘). While we might reject it, ridicule it, God’s will stands. And He is still good.
Broken yet made whole. That’s what this 4-min short-film expertly illustrates. Desire to be healed? Acknowledge the One who can bring the ultimate and complete healing to this brokenness we ALL have in our lives.
Will you follow Him?
Will you give him your broken pieces, COME to the God who specializes in making GOOD the broken things?
He’s waiting for you…
Confessions is good for your soul…
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Confession is good for your soul…but not for your reputation
Too often we put a spotlight on the ‘highs’, the victories, the achievements… And we work hard to keep our mistakes, our faults, our failures hidden.
I’m no different. I struggle with the desire to have a good reputation. I want others to like me. But a good friend once told me leaders are meant to grow publicly. As much as I resist that, I know it’s where God grows me the most… when I live with nothing to prove, nothing to lose, nothing to hide.
By His grace, the Lord led us a team, recently, to come humbly before Him to confess our sins to one another. We followed it up with a blog post that I encourage you to read.
“Dear God, I confess that Your grace is all you need. Your power works best in weakness. So now I am glad to boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ can work through me” (2 Corinthians 12:9 NLT)
There’s a teenager in my house…
StandardWell, technically this teenager grew up in my house! =) In fact, I raised him. It just feels like in the blink of an eye, this once cute little ‘chubbee bunnee’ (yes, that’s what we used to call him) is no longer cute, nor chubby. But has instead grown tall, bony, and strong! A fine young man in the making. How did that happen? 13 years has whizzed by just like that. I often wish I could have done more, building the foundations in his life, but I also know he’s in God’s hands. I look forward to the teenage years, and the many more God-given opportunities to speak into his life.
I must admit that I miss those years when he was little, but I’m also very glad to see how my boy has grown… and (thankfully) his physical stature mirroring his growth in other areas of his life – his character, his love, care and respect for his friends and family, and most of all his sensitivity to God’s work in his life.
Josh, I know I’ve said this to you time and again… but I want you to know that you are SUCH a blessing to us, God’s wonderful gift to Mommy and me. We love you! Happy Birthday!
Our 1st mission trip as a family, to Japan (in 2001). Josh was about 5 months old then.
Hanging out together on our regular ‘dates’
My young man fixing breakfast for himself =)
Coaching well…
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I desire to be a coach that leads a person to be:
– Dependent on God
– Attentive to His voice
– Obedient to follow
– Effective in his service
– Faithful to press on
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Kennedy Nsom is from Cameroon, he’s the VLM leader for Francophone Africa (16 countries). Miheret Tilahun is from Ethiopia, he’s the VLM leader for Southern and Eastern Africa (19 countries). They both give leadership to digital strategies for their area. It’s a privilege to be given the opportunity to coach these two passionate and godly leaders.
Divine Appointment
StandardDivine Appointment
Last night, I had the opportunity to share Christ with Andrea & Sahra (two gals working at the guesthouse we’re staying at for the conference).
They are from Switzerland doing an internship here, and have been serving us breakfast everyday. We discovered that they had just started their time here, arriving just about the same time as us.
The past few days, God has been prompting me to pray for an opportunity to talk about Christ with one of them. They are usually busy, even in the nights. But yesterday night, I saw Andrea sitting quietly by herself at the lobby. It was her off day. I started talking with her, and trusted God to lead it to a spiritual conversation. Then when I ask if she was interested to find out about a personal relationship with God, and she said ‘Yes’. So I flipped out my iPhone, went to the Knowing God Personally app, and began using it to share with her. As I began, Sahra, her friend came out and also joined in.
Would you pray for them? They seem open, but uncertain if they really want to fully believe. I challenged them to read gospel of John with an open heart and mind, trusting God to speak to them where they are.
Pray for meaningful follow-up as we connect over FaceBook. =)
Just come…
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I saw this simple yet beautiful art piece in the prayer room at our office yesterday.
The little explanation below read: “The NIV version of Psalm 46:10 says: Be still and know that I am God. The Hebrew word for still is ‘Raphah’ which is a causative verb and means to cause yourself to get quiet, to mend by stitching…”
The artist went on to explain how she had initially mistakenly left out the ‘h’ and had to literally repair it by stitching it to the rest of the piece. She adds, ‘I come to God imperfectly, with my mistakes’
My part is simply to ‘Come, just as I am (even with all my mistakes) and be quiet before Him’.
His part is to mend, repair, make whole.
“Lord, I’m still before you…
whisper to me your words of wholeness in my life.
I’m broken… in desperate need of you.”
You too can come to God with all your imperfections, with all your failures, all your mistakes. He wants to ‘stitch’ you up, He wants to heal you, make you whole again.
Would you let him?
Blessed Christmas!
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We are so blessed to have the opportunity this Christmas to visit with good friends in Montreal. Even though it’s really cold here… (sub-zero temperatures!), we’re experiencing the warm hospitality of our friends, and the reminder of Christ’s unending love for us… that warms our hearts in Christ!
This Christmas season we pray you find true Rest in Him. Rest in what Jesus has accomplished… not on what we have done.
May the reminder of Christ’s coming bring true Peace, real Hope, and lasting Love to you and your family!
Asia Coaching Trip
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posing for quick pic at the Taiwan CCC office
I just returned from Asia where I spent a few short days with a number of our movement’s national leaders. Together with my colleague we’ve had the privilege to coach them in thinking through various digital engagements that could become strategic levers in influencing & impacting their cities & countries for Christ.
Our trip took us to Beijing, Taipei and Seoul all in the span of 5 days.
enjoying the famous ginseng soup with our Korean CCC leaders
I had the opportunity to further explain and ‘unpack’ our global VLM Vision Map, which outlines our overall priorities as we engage in this arena of ‘Virtually-led Movements’.
I’m thankful for your prayer partnership. We felt enabled by the Lord to listen well to these leaders’ journeys and what God has called them to, and to encourage them. We’re thankful for the wisdom & insight God gave us, and the courage to speak & lead them in consider various strategic digital engagements.
Together we serve Him.