What a fun, crazy, exciting month! We knew as we headed into the month of April that our schedules seemed a bit overwhelming; however, the intensity of schedules does not seem to be changing anytime soon BUT the effectiveness of our team in working together in the midst continues to grow and develop into an asset we continually give thanks for.
In 2013, Rance and I had the privilege of working alongside of a church in Zionsville, Indiana with Eternal Truth Ministries for the summer and it was during that time that we gained an entirely new perspective on what it means to be a team. Over the last couple of years, this perspective has continued shifting and growing as we personally experience the team concept being fleshed out day by day in the ministry we are called to.
The book of Ephesians is very clear that you cannot become the fullness of Christ while living all alone. Each individual within the Body of Christ is given unique gifts and abilities. Noone receives ALL of God's gifts - why? God wants us to be dependent upon one another, as we are each using our individual gifts, so that we can experience all the fullness of God, TOGETHER.
It really is fascinating how different each individual is on our ETM team. We come from very different backgrounds, with a variety of personality types, with all sorts of spiritual gifts & talents. We have some extroverts, some introverts, some very serious, others that are always lighthearted and fun, some planned and organized, others that are more prone to 'fly by the seat of our pants.' Are any of these characteristics wrong? Can you imagine if ALL were serious or ALL were the 'fly by the seat of our pants' type? How in the world do all parts fit and function together well? While we all may be very different, we all have one purpose/one goal we are aiming for in this life ~ to hit the mark of the glory of God! We are not competing against one another! No person is better than the other! All parts (each individual) are extremely important as we work together to make each other maximally effective!
This past month I have become even more aware of the beauty of each part functioning well to make our team effective as a whole. Rance may not know the first thing about construction but he can joyfully work under Ben's leadership (who has such talent in this area) each week and help make Ben maximally effective which is all for ONE PURPOSE - the glory of God! Colin is learning to delegate the responsibilities he has taken care of for 20+ years according to the individual gifts and talents on our team. Jess and I have spent many hours working together to complete the tax work for the ministry and we have had a blast doing so. It's not the taxes that are fun but having a teammate that has your back and that you know is 'in it' with you until the end. David has the wonderful gift of administration. If it wasn't for him, we would lack organization and timeliness but we are constantly wowed by his ability to plan well! I could elaborate for days on the importance and uniqueness of each individual on our team, but Ephesians 4:16 expresses the beauty of each part doing its share:
"from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love"
So while the month of April has felt crazy, our team continues to be learners of grace, working together well for one purpose and growing in care for one another in the process.
In 2013, Rance and I had the privilege of working alongside of a church in Zionsville, Indiana with Eternal Truth Ministries for the summer and it was during that time that we gained an entirely new perspective on what it means to be a team. Over the last couple of years, this perspective has continued shifting and growing as we personally experience the team concept being fleshed out day by day in the ministry we are called to.
The book of Ephesians is very clear that you cannot become the fullness of Christ while living all alone. Each individual within the Body of Christ is given unique gifts and abilities. Noone receives ALL of God's gifts - why? God wants us to be dependent upon one another, as we are each using our individual gifts, so that we can experience all the fullness of God, TOGETHER.
It really is fascinating how different each individual is on our ETM team. We come from very different backgrounds, with a variety of personality types, with all sorts of spiritual gifts & talents. We have some extroverts, some introverts, some very serious, others that are always lighthearted and fun, some planned and organized, others that are more prone to 'fly by the seat of our pants.' Are any of these characteristics wrong? Can you imagine if ALL were serious or ALL were the 'fly by the seat of our pants' type? How in the world do all parts fit and function together well? While we all may be very different, we all have one purpose/one goal we are aiming for in this life ~ to hit the mark of the glory of God! We are not competing against one another! No person is better than the other! All parts (each individual) are extremely important as we work together to make each other maximally effective!
This past month I have become even more aware of the beauty of each part functioning well to make our team effective as a whole. Rance may not know the first thing about construction but he can joyfully work under Ben's leadership (who has such talent in this area) each week and help make Ben maximally effective which is all for ONE PURPOSE - the glory of God! Colin is learning to delegate the responsibilities he has taken care of for 20+ years according to the individual gifts and talents on our team. Jess and I have spent many hours working together to complete the tax work for the ministry and we have had a blast doing so. It's not the taxes that are fun but having a teammate that has your back and that you know is 'in it' with you until the end. David has the wonderful gift of administration. If it wasn't for him, we would lack organization and timeliness but we are constantly wowed by his ability to plan well! I could elaborate for days on the importance and uniqueness of each individual on our team, but Ephesians 4:16 expresses the beauty of each part doing its share:
"from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love"
So while the month of April has felt crazy, our team continues to be learners of grace, working together well for one purpose and growing in care for one another in the process.
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