The power of “WHAT IF…?”

WHAT IF… we taught disciples, local church leaders, boards, churches, organizations, institutions to dream again by asking and answering the “WHAT IF…” questions? What might God do through our ministries if we were open to the possibilities?

The Emotionally Healthy Church

Many sincere followers of Christ who are passionate for God and his work are unaware of the crucial link between emotional health and spiritual maturity. They present themselves as spiritually mature but are stuck at a level of immaturity that current models of discipleship have not addressed. Discipleship that really transforms a church must integrate emotional health with spiritual maturity.

 The Emotionally Healthy Church, winner of the Gold Medallion Book Award, offers a strategy for discipleship that accomplishes healthy living and actually changes lives.

From the Back Cover:

True Discipleship Integrates Emotional and Spiritual Health

New Life Fellowship in Queens, New York, had it all: powerful teaching, dynamic ministries, an impressive growth rate, and a vision to do great works for God. Things looked good—but beneath the surface, circumstances were more than just brewing. They were about to boil over, forcing Peter Scazzero to confront needs in his church and himself that went deeper than he’d ever imagined. What he learned about the vital link between emotional health, relational depth, and spiritual maturity can shed new light on painful problems in your own church. Here are refreshing new insights, and a different and challenging slant on what it takes to lead your congregation to wholeness and maturity in Christ.

Our churches are in trouble, says Scazzero. They are filled with people who are unsure how to biblically integrate anger, sadness, and other emotions defensive, incapable of revealing their weaknesses threatened by or intolerant of different viewpoints zealous about ministering at church but blind to their spouses’ loneliness at home so involved in "serving" that they fail to take care of themselves prone to withdraw from conflict rather than resolve it

Sharing from New Life Fellowship’s painful but liberating journey, Scazzero reveals exactly how the truth can and does make people free—not just superficially, but deep down. After offering a new vision of discipleship and a revealing, guided self-assessment of your own spiritual and emotional maturity, The Emotionally Healthy Church takes you through six principles that can make a profound difference in your church. You’ll acquire knowledge and tools that can help you and others look beneath the surface of problems · break the power of past wounds, failures, sins, and circumstances · live a life of brokenness and vulnerability recognize and honor personal limitations and boundaries embrace grief and loss · make incarnation your model to love others.

Written in a personal and passionate style, The Emotionally Healthy Church includes hands-on tools, discussion questions, spotlights on key points, and story after story of people at New Life whose lives have been changed by the concepts in this book. Open these pages, and find out how your church can turn a new corner on the road to spiritual maturity.

Francis Chan explores the idea that THINKING BIBLICALLY isn't weird! Just the opposite, in fact.

GEORGIA GROWN says Bye-Bye!

November 21, 2010 concludes postings to the GEORGIA GROWN blog.

This blog will remain on the web so that the archives can be accessed. However, the blog will be inactive to new posts.

GEORGIA GROWN was birthed in 2007 as a medium for providing leadership tools, insights, and resources to clergy and church lay-leaders. Future postings pertaining to clergy/church leadership, health, and growth will simply be folded into my Facebook page. You can join me on Facebook by clicking HERE.

Blessings,

~Harold Cunningham

WHERE GOOD IDEAS COME FROM

What insights does Steve Johnson share that might help us understand the evolution of ideas that lead us to the processes of change we want to implement?

Click here to check out his presentation.

Two EXCELLENT audio books. FREE!!!

Compliments of http://christianaudio.com/ :

Martin Luther: In His Own Words

Most all Christians know the name Martin Luther. Less familiar, however, are his words. This compilation of many of Luther's most important writings serves as an excellent introduction to those new to Luther. It also provides a fresh medium for people familiar with his writing. This compilation of many of Luther's most important writings serves as an excellent introduction to those new to Luther. It also provides a fresh medium for people familiar with his writing. Included in this volume is: The 95 Theses, On Faith and Coming to Christ, On Confession and the Lord's Supper, Of the Office of Preaching, Excerpt from Luther's Tower Experience, The Last Written Words of Luther, and more. DOWNLOAD

Love is a Verb

Dr. Gary Chapman has spent his life helping people communicate love more effectively and in turn build more satisfying and lasting relationships. His book "The Five Love Languages" is a regular on the "New York Times Best Sellers" list - even after being in print for fifteen years - and has made the term 'love language' a part of everyday speech. "Love Is a Verb" takes his teaching to the next level. Rather than a typical marriage self-help book filled with lengthy explanations of principles and techniques, it is a compilation of true stories displaying love in action. These stories - written by everyday people - go straight to the hearts of readers, who often say that illustrations are the most effective parts of a book. Gary Chapman adds a 'Love Lesson' to each story, showing readers how they can apply the same principles to their own relationships. Download.

FREE E-book: Healthy Systems, Healthy Church

Nelson Searcy's brand new Church Systems E-Book has been completely revised and updated to include diagnostic questions for you to determine the current health of your church's systems and to give you even more practical help to lead your church to greater health and effectiveness.

Click here to download your FREE Healthy Systems, Healthy Church E-Book.

5 Attributes of a Church in Decline

Tony Morgan had a very interesting list on his blog consisting of 5 attributes of a declining church. Read Tony’s entire post, here.

HOW THE MIGHTY FALL: A Primer on the Warning Signs

Decline can be avoided.

Decline can be detected.

Decline can be reversed.

Amidst the desolate landscape of fallen great companies, Jim Collins began to wonder: How do the mighty fall? Can decline be detected early and avoided? How far can a company fall before the path toward doom becomes inevitable and unshakable? How can companies reverse course?

In HOW THE MIGHTY ARE FALLEN, Collins confronts these questions, offering leaders the well-founded hope that they can learn how to stave off decline and, if they find themselves falling, reverse their course.

Collins (the author of Good to Great) shares how to spot the subtle signs that a successful company or organization is actually on course to sputter—and how to reverse the slide before it's too late.

How might the insights from this work be useful to churches, church institutions, and church leaders, and clergy?

DON’T WASTE YOUR LIFE

This video speaks to me at a deeper level every time I go back to it.

You, too?