Convictions

I have been thinking about what my convictions are. Not my values but those things that I am prepared to fight for or walk away from other opportunities to keep.
What are those things that I hold most dear. They are generally unwritten and unspoken but definitely seen in my life. They are the things that define my actions. They require some indpeth thinking on how I react in certain situations then looking at the 'why' behind the 'what'.
I am sure that as I explore my own convictions I am going to find some that I will need to change. There will also be some that I think are my convictions but in reality are not because they don't really define my actions. They are not deeply held convictions, more wishful thinking.
The question I need to ask myself is how do I then move from wishful thinking to deeply held convictions. Any thoughts or comments?

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

The SUDDENLY increase

Well the news is out, we are now one church in two locations- Tyneside and Teesside. What started as a "What if..." conversation nearly two months ago has now become a reality. Now that the announcement has been made the hard work actually begins. The euphoria will die away fairly soon and the practicalities will settle in. We are adopting a child into our church family. How will the older child react when it doesn't have it's parents' full attention anymore? How will the new child react to the new structure, new name and new parents? Sometimes it is not even the big changes that can cause the most discomfort, it can be the little things that we hold on to the most dearly. I love the quote by Catherine Booth that states "There is no improving the future without disturbing the present".

We want to take people on this incredible journey with us and will do our best to help people but the journey is going to happen and some people may choose another journey or settling place for themselves. I still struggle with people doing that, but am learning that if my heart really is to build people then sometimes we are not the ones that are best suited to do it for them. We can get so distracted by people leaving when it maybe the best thing for them to help their lives grow.

I can tell you honestly that we, as the new parents, are trusting God because we definitely don't feel confident in our own strength. So far, as a church and as pastors, we have kept steady and fairly constant growth. So we have been able to increase our capacity as leaders to accommodate what God has brought our way. Suddenly we have added about another 90 people to our care. That is responsibility from God and it scares me. I'm so glad I don't have to do it in my strength. I am learning more & more to trust God as He places me out of my depth.