Bold for Change!

Thank you to everyone for bringing energy, enthusiasm, and open hearts and minds to our first retreat that we dared to name "Bold for Change"!  Sort of a scary thought, "Bold for Change",  isn't it?   But as leaders sometimes we are called to be bold, to take initiative, to strike out on a new path to live out God's mission.  Inevitably, that new path means a change in the status quo, venturing outside of our comfort zone and into uncharted territory.  Indeed in lots of ways our context today is all about uncharted territory; technology, culture and society are changing at such a rapid pace that it's difficult to find any fixed point of reference.  What is taken for granted today may be obsolete tomorrow.  But,  as Christians, we are not left without  a map.  We do  a "fixed" point of reference...in Christ, we find our center, strength, and mission.
Pr. Hughes shared this text during closing worship:

^4-5 Celebrate God all day, every day. I mean, revel in him! Make it as clear as you can to all you meet that you’re on their side, working with them and not against them. Help them see that the Master is about to arrive. He could show up any minute!
^6-7 Don’t fret or worry. Instead of worrying, pray. Let petitions and praises shape your worries into prayers, letting God know your concerns. Before you know it, a sense of God’s wholeness, everything coming together for good, will come and settle you down. It’s wonderful what happens when Christ displaces worry at the center of your life.
^8-9 Summing it all up, friends, I’d say you’ll do best by filling your minds and meditating on things true, noble, reputable, authentic, compelling, gracious—the best, not the worst; the beautiful, not the ugly; things to praise, not things to curse. Put into practice what you learned from me, what you heard and saw and realized. Do that, and God, who makes everything work together, will work you into his most excellent harmonies. Philippians 4:4-9 (MSG)

Amen!  Let's move forward... bold for change!

If you would like to re-create some of the experiences we shared at the retreat with your congregation,
here is a link to our notes for activities and discussion questions:
Bold for Change- Retreat Notes

 Seth Godin's "This is Broken"
"This is Broken" on Vimeo

Seth Godin's SHIPIT
SHIPIT Booklet Audio
Shipit Journal for Congregations