"Wow! I've really missed this!" "Being here I realize how much I need this." These comments are among the many we heard this morning after our 2nd Saturday prayer meeting. I had to miss last month because I was in traffic school...my second ticket in 49 years of driving...And it was so good to be back in corporate prayer with others who love it too. We had 5 churches represented and one person from Corona Del Mar and one from Laguna Beach and two regulars were sick with the flu. As I looked around the table I realized that God is really happy with us coming together with such diverse backgrounds to join Him in His throne room to ask for the Kingdom to come in Long Beach as it is in heaven. People come in rubbing sleep from their eyes, they come in hurting or sick, they come not knowing quite why they're there and sometimes wishing they weren't, and always go away refreshed and energized and "re-faithed." We can't be in His presence and not be changed and there's just something about corporate prayer that is different than private prayer - maybe it's His pleasure in His kids being together!!??? We prayed, we repented, we invited His Holy Spirit, we worshiped His holiness, we prayed for churches and organizations in the City, and in particular the church going out to hand out Valentines with words of encouragement to people on the street. We laughed and we cried, we joked and we sought our Father's face on behalf of His people. So many different ways of praying, some louder, some quiet, some vocal, some with tears and all in love with the same Jesus...what a wonderful way to begin a week-end. As you can tell, I'm excited and can't wait until our next second Saturday meeting...who knows, you might like it too!
xoxox...judy
Saturday, February 14, 2009
Friday, February 13, 2009
The world of policy governance and boards
They say that one way to not get old is to keep learning new languages. I became an official senior citizen in November, 2008 and I'm learning a new language that's as foreign to me as Japanese! It's called "Policy Governance" and "Board Formation". My previous 65 years have been spent studiously avoiding mysterious and unnecessary rules and regulations and I perceive them to be hampering, binding and stifling. Enter Brad Fieldhouse into my world and Kingdom Causes. As KC has grown and our visibility has increased and people want to connect with us, we have realized we didn't have the capacity to receive them in any kind of structured way. (that may not be quite the accurate word) We began to work with a consultant and develop a document that embodied our heart and gave structure and language in places we didn't have any. While much of it is still a mystery to me, it has been so valuable and opened my mind in a way I never even wanted it opened! It has provided our cities and our staff with guidelines for growth and daily business that we really need - and I'm learning how to do "monitoring reports". I'm the one who wants to talk with you and pray and invite God to come - not do reports!...and in seeing their value, my resistance is dwindling, thankfully. God at work, His wonders to perform!
As I began to look at the New Testament from a Jewish viewpoint, I discovered that our word for the old testament is law, and from theirs it's guardian. Big difference in how we relate to the same words. Same thing here. I'm seeing that policy governance isn't a bunch of rules and regulations to snuff the life out of Kingdom Causes, rather, it's a guideline for helping us to "achieve appropriate results for appropriate persons at an appropriate cost and avoids unacceptable actions and situations."
On to the world of boards...Brad has gathered such a wonderful group of people to serve on our Long Beach KC board. Seeing God at work in and through these people who love Him and our city makes my heart happy. We had our first official board meeting the first week of the month and hearing from each of them just is such a total faith builder in God's sovereignty. We have people in ministry, business, the pastorate, prayer and even a lawyer and all of them have joined us to help us best serve the City of Long Beach. Most of my life has been spent in prayer rooms and in local congregations and seeing this broader picture is causing me to stretch my heart and mind to receive more of Him and His body.
My mantra for this year of 2009 is "God is good, God is sovereign and I am grateful for whatever is in my life as His good provision." - even policy governance!!!!
Blessings to you all...judy
As I began to look at the New Testament from a Jewish viewpoint, I discovered that our word for the old testament is law, and from theirs it's guardian. Big difference in how we relate to the same words. Same thing here. I'm seeing that policy governance isn't a bunch of rules and regulations to snuff the life out of Kingdom Causes, rather, it's a guideline for helping us to "achieve appropriate results for appropriate persons at an appropriate cost and avoids unacceptable actions and situations."
On to the world of boards...Brad has gathered such a wonderful group of people to serve on our Long Beach KC board. Seeing God at work in and through these people who love Him and our city makes my heart happy. We had our first official board meeting the first week of the month and hearing from each of them just is such a total faith builder in God's sovereignty. We have people in ministry, business, the pastorate, prayer and even a lawyer and all of them have joined us to help us best serve the City of Long Beach. Most of my life has been spent in prayer rooms and in local congregations and seeing this broader picture is causing me to stretch my heart and mind to receive more of Him and His body.
My mantra for this year of 2009 is "God is good, God is sovereign and I am grateful for whatever is in my life as His good provision." - even policy governance!!!!
Blessings to you all...judy
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