The Power of the Word

Dennis McCallum

1 Peter 1:22-2:3

It is the Word of God that empowers us to love fervently from the heart. It is the imperishable, life germinating seed that endures forever. The Word of God is a source of wisdom, victorious prayer, effective ministry, and character transformation. God works through his Word creating faith, nurturing growth and empowering ministry.

The One Thing

Mike Sullivan

Psalms 27

From where did David's courage come? It came from being near to God. The one thing he was passionate about was to be near to God all the days of his life. Because David saw God in nature, in the things He had made, and in his Word, he was able to draw courage even in times of great difficulty and ongoing crisis. Because David could see the goodness of God in the land of the living, he could pour out his heart to God and recount what he knew of God and be at peace as he waited on the Lord.

Taking Refuge in God

Gary DeLashmutt

Psalms 3

In Psalm 3 David takes refuge in God by pouring out his troubles to God in a raw, unvarnished, child-like way, affirming to Him what he knows about Him that counteracts his current adversity and finally, making his request for God to work through this adversity somehow to benefit him and others.

United for a Purpose

Kate Mizelle

1 Timothy 1:5

Do we recognize that the biblical call to evangelism is not just an individual call, but a corporate call? To fully embrace what God intended, we must understand the unique witness that the body has to a lost world and why our best experience of community comes from when we are focused together on those outside of it. In this workshop we will also brainstorm some practical ideas on how to utilize community in evangelism.

The Practice of Neighboring

Jay Pathak

1 Timothy 1:5

The practice of neighboring is engaging your neighborhood in a meaningful way by building genuine relationships right out your front door. In our culture we have under-valued the power of hospitality with our neighbors. We can reclaim the ability to influence our neighbors for Christ by moving from acquaintances to relationships by sharing meals, remembering people's names and opening up our homes to the people living in our neighborhoods.

Leading through Uncertainty: Lessons from Nehemiah

Shane Coulter

Nehemiah 8:1-17

Times of crisis, fear, and uncertainty present unique challenges and opportunities for servant leaders. Nehemiah offers us an example of how we too can be bold, faithful and loving in the midst of overwhelming and uncertain times. The effective servant leader will cling to prayer, be bold in the face of opportunities, be creative in the face of setbacks, and will see opportunity in upheaval.

Mind Over Mood

James Rochford

Philippians 4:4-9

Paul contends that we can experience joy even in the midst of suffering. We do this by presenting all our anxious thoughts to God in prayer with thanksgiving. Gratitude affects our prayers by helping us appreciate the goodness of God, makes us bolder and heals our emotional life. By focusing on positive truths, we are not denying the negatives in the world but we are countering our innate negative bias. But, prayer with gratitude is only effective if one actually puts it into practice.

How to Become Spiritually Stable

Chris Hearty

Philippians 4:1-9

\r\nPaul describes to the Philippians how to stand firm in the Lord. Experiencing the peace of God is one way of knowing that you are in the will of God. He lists seven ways we can become spiritually stable. Have unity and humility in relationships. Cultivate a heart of joy. Become a person that is easy to please. Live with expectancy that Jesus is returning soon. Replace anxiety with prayer. Think about the positive things listed in verse 8. The facts in our heads should become truth in our hearts and lead to action in our lives.

Growing with God

Jim Leffel

Colossians 1:9-12

Paul prays for the Colossians that as they grow in their knowledge of God, they will learn to honor God. As they honor God, they will bear fruit and they will grow even more in their knowledge of God. This cycle of knowing God and bearing fruit leads to experiencing God in deeper ways as we learn to trust in the life-changing power of his love.