by Clarence E. Stowers | Dec 6, 2011 | regular
The mark of a great leader is how many great people will join his or her team. King David’s team was comprised of “mighty men.” Because David attempted mighty things, only the mighty could keep up with him. Those who could not keep pace could not join the team.
Don Bennett was the first amputee to climb Mt. Rainier. His testimony is simple – if you try such a feat with only one leg, “you can’t do it alone.” However, Bennett understood that not just anyone could help. Bennett did not recruit his helpers in a nursing home. He built a team of people who WANTED to climb a 14,410-foot peak and who COULD climb a 14,410-foot peak. One who attempts mighty feats had better be capable of recruiting a mighty team.
David did just that.
His was one of the most celebrated teams in the entire Old Testament. This group was the all-star team of his battle-hardened warriors. Several things stand out as we consider how David pulled his team together.
First, he spent time with them in battle. These men were welded to David by the hot fires of battle. His inner circle consisted of those men who had fought alongside him. He knew their capabilities, because he had seen what they could do with their own eyes.
Second, he sacrificed for them. When three of his mighty men risked their lives to obtain drinking water for him during a battle, David refused to drink it, choosing instead to pour it out onto the ground (vv. 13-17). That act of sacrifice communicated a depth of devotion and love that had to have impressed those warriors.
Third, they enjoyed victory together. Time and time again David and his mighty men faced seemingly insurmountable odds and saw God deliver them.
Finally, David honored them. These men were well known throughout the land as “David’s Mighty Men.” That phrase served as a banner that set them as extraordinary. As you read this account, one thing becomes clear: David knew he couldn’t do it alone.
by Clarence E. Stowers | Dec 5, 2011 | regular
I grew up in an era when radio stations would open their request lines (usually late night) for listeners to call in and hear their favorite songs. Listeners would share what’s on their hearts or dedicate special songs to their loved ones. Lately I’ve noticed how many cable stations such as BET, MTV, & VH1 allow their viewers to do the same.
Well, since it works for radio and Cable TV stations, I thought it would be a great to hear from YOU! Each year in December our team breaks away for our annual teaching calendar planning retreat where we lay out a general idea of where we sense God wants to take us over this next year in terms of teaching and subject matter. For two weeks, we will spend the next several hours focusing on praying, planning, and brainstorming. So please pray for us!
But here’s my BIG question for all of you….
What topics/subjects would YOU like to hear teaching on?
I’d love to hear your ideas! So please leave a comment!
Maybe your feedback will spark a great idea for Mars Hill or even others over this next year!
FYI…YOU DON’T HAVE TO ATTEND OUR CHURCH TO RESPOND!
by Clarence E. Stowers | Dec 4, 2011 | photo
When it’s all said & done…I’m still the King here…the place where it matters most! I love my family!
by Clarence E. Stowers | Dec 2, 2011 | regular
It’s been said “when a man enters his 40’s he carries with him the experiences from the past and the anticipations of tomorrow.” Thus, I decided to create an organic…ongoing list called “Now that I’m 45.
Now that I’m a year older & a year wiser:
- God will remain the center of my existence. Without Him I’m nothing…All to Him I owe and all to Him I FREELY give.
- I will work extra hard/smarter to learn how to be a better husband, father, brother, son, and pastor. I’ll practice “kaizen” – the art of continuous improvement.
- I’ll use teachable moments life presents to teach my sons how to be a better man than me AND model true manhood to my daughter.
- I’ll spend additional quality time with people who “refresh me” rather than “drain me.” Life’s too short to be miserable, frustrated, and stressful.
- I’m stepping up my dress code. My wife says I’m already a sharp dresser, but I want to maintain a sense of distinction whether formal or casual. It’s true: “You never get a 2nd chance to make a great 1st impression.”
- I’m simplifying my life in order to spend more time with people I love and doing things that bring me joy. Therefore I set limits on what I do. For example, check email just twice a day. Write emails of only 5 sentences or less. Only check Facebook, Linkedin, and Twitter twice a day.
- I’m committing to one (1) goal at a time. Often the problem is that we try to take on too many goals at once. We have a list of things we want to accomplish, spanning the spectrum from gardening to to getting in shape. It can be overwhelming, and because of that we never start.
- I’m done with multi-tasking. I’m focusing on single-tasking. Why is it life-changing? A couple powerful reasons: (1) You’ll be more effective with your tasks and get more done. It’s hard to achieve important things if you’re constantly switching tasks and distracted by other “urgent” things. (2) You’ll be less stressed overall and (in my experience) happier throughout your day.
- I’ll practice more kindness. Yes, kindness is a habit and it can be cultivated. Focus on it every day for a month and you’ll see profound changes in your life. You’ll feel better about yourself as a person. You’ll see people react to you differently and treat you better, over the long run.
- I’m writing a book. There’s a book on the inside of me waiting to be birthed. I’ll stop at nothing to get it out.
- I still refuse to smoke or eat chitterlings (Chitllins”) no matter what. PERIOD!
Well, that’s about it for now. What about you? Do you have a list? Will you create one?
by Clarence E. Stowers | Dec 1, 2011 | regular
Honestly, I do not understand why most pastors and church leaders do not leverage technology for the Glory of God. Pastors, church leaders, and faithful church attendees who see social networking sites like Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn as evil are missing a great opportunity to reach people far from God.
Are you sitting?
Here’s something that’ll blow your mind…
Christianity was, in a very real sense, the first technologically driven religion.
Intrigued? Angry? Frustrated?
Galilee, Bethlehem, and the rest of Palestine were part of a Roman world whose technological underpinnings had reached a level by Jesus’ day that was not to be surpassed until the 19th Century. Those roads that The Apostle Paul and his associates traveled to spread the faith were unprecedented marvels of engineering. Without the ingeniously constructed roads that led from the streets where Jesus had walked to the cities of Syria and Greece, Christianity might have remained another obscure Judean sect-like those that fill the pages in accounts by the Jewish historian Josephus.
The roads were technological marvels – the ORIGINAL information super-highway!
What’s The Point?
If Jesus, His Disciples, or The Apostle Paul were here today, they’d all use Facebook, Twitter, and other social media sites to reach people for God! I can imagine The Apostle Paul with his MacBook Air updating his Facebook status with these words:
19 Though I am free and belong to no one, I have made myself a slave to everyone, to win as many as possible. 20 To the Jews I became like a Jew, to win the Jews. To those under the law I became like one under the law (though I myself am not under the law), so as to win those under the law. 21 To those not having the law I became like one not having the law (though I am not free from God’s law but am under Christ’s law), so as to win those not having the law. 22 To the weak I became weak, to win the weak. I have become all things to all people so that by all possible means I might save some. 23 I do all this for the sake of the gospel, that I may share in its blessings. (NIV)
Pastors & church leaders, if you’re not using Facebook, Twitter, or any other form of social media, you’re missing a God-sized & ordained opportunity reach people for God.
