102. Is your leadership characterised by mercy and peace?

Posted on January 7, 2019March 7, 2019 by stephe

Glory to God in the highest, And on earth peace, goodwill toward men! Luke 2:14 Have salt among yourselves and be at peace with each other.” Mark 9:50 Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. John 14:27 Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy. Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God. Mathew 5:7, 9 Have mercy on us, Son of David!” Read more about 102. Is your leadership characterised by mercy and peace?[…]

101. What’s been happening this year?

Posted on December 24, 2018March 7, 2019 by stephe

For many years now, going back as far as I can remember, we have had a custom of spending some time in debriefing at the end of each year. We have created or borrowed a different approach each year to keep it alive and interesting. We have also added times of contemplation and the use of pictures, symbols and art to help visualize what has taken place. So, I would like to present you with Read more about 101. What’s been happening this year?[…]

100. Are you looking after your body?

Posted on November 6, 2018March 7, 2019 by stephe

Are you looking after your body? Here’s a question for you: What do you enjoy most – eating, exercising or sleeping? We need all three of course but rarely go without eating, often go without exercising and sometimes burn the candle at both ends, struggle with insomnia and miss out on sleep. All three are integrated and one effects the other. To enjoy a healthy life, it’s important to be mindful of Read more about 100. Are you looking after your body?[…]

99.Do you weep with those that weep?

Posted on September 28, 2018March 8, 2019 by stephe

I don’t remember crying much in my early years – apart from when my brother would tease me, as most older brothers do. There is a classic picture of me when I am small, sitting on the edge of a bench not wanting to be in a family picture – of course they are all smiling at the other end of the bench. I, on the other hand, was grizzling – a lovely English term Read more about 99.Do you weep with those that weep?[…]

98. What could you stop doing?

Posted on August 27, 2018March 8, 2019 by stephe

Think back to when you started to learn to drive. There were so many things to learn and remember. Then as soon as you began to get the moves down, you started a bad habit like crossing your hands over the wheel and the instructor would say – no please don’t do that as you will fail the exam (at least in the UK). Sometimes we focus so much on things we should do, that Read more about 98. What could you stop doing?[…]

97. Why do people leave teams?

Posted on July 13, 2018March 8, 2019 by stephe

There have been a number of key studies into the reasons missionaries leave the field, and the answers are wide and varied. The world evangelical alliance came out with a key research project 20 years ago that found the number one reason was conflict with peers. Is that still the same today? Well, I don’t know but we are probably due for a new research study to find out. My intuition tells me that people Read more about 97. Why do people leave teams?[…]

96. Do you have a seat at the table?

Posted on June 13, 2018March 8, 2019 by stephe

As a young child, I was brought up to always eat my meals around the table and on Sundays and special occasions I would often help in setting the table. I have always enjoyed the aesthetics of a beautifully ordained table, almost as much as eating the flavourful food on it. But tables are more than just food servers, tables are all about expressing love. John Ortberg in his new book, ‘I’d like you more Read more about 96. Do you have a seat at the table?[…]

95. What’s your rule of life?

Posted on May 13, 2018March 8, 2019 by stephe

There is a rediscovery going on in recent times, where we have come to recognise that over the centuries there have been some very godly men and women who have had a lot of wonderful things to share. This revelation makes us realise that we are missing out on some gold nuggets of truth if we don’t pay attention. 1500 years ago St. Benedict wrote his ‘rule’. Friends of St. Benedict write – Although written Read more about 95. What’s your rule of life?[…]

94. Where are you going?

Posted on April 13, 2018March 11, 2019 by stephe

At the end of every year, we have an evaluation time as a couple. We look at what we have been doing, how effective it was, what fruit was produced, how fulfilling it has been and on the basis of these questions decide what needs to be changed. A couple of years ago, we were aware that we were being spread too thin and were getting tired. The challenge was that the ministry was being Read more about 94. Where are you going?[…]

93. Been pruned lately?

Posted on March 13, 2018March 11, 2019 by stephe

I came home after a two month trip away to find that the large carob tree in our prayer garden had been massacred by our gardeners. It looked so ugly with a pile of branches scattering the garden below. The gardeners called It pruning and said that now the tree could become healthy again. What I did notice was that our view was back! The tree had been growing higher and obscuring our view of Read more about 93. Been pruned lately?[…]