Posts tagged ‘Sifted’

17 February, 2012

New podcast with Wayne Cordeiro and Dave Ferguson on being “sifted”

by Andrew Rogers

What is like to be “sifted” as a ministry leader? Sifted in the Luke 22:31-32 sense of the word? Dave Ferguson interviews Wayne Cordeiro on this podcast and asks that question among many others about leadership trials.

It’s facinating to hear Wayne’s story of building New Hope Oahu in Honalulu. Not because the ultimate goal of ministry is to build a big church, but because Wayne admits that church planting scared him to death. He talks about the spiritual warfare he’s faced, struggling with depression, and other hardships of ministry. Some of what he’s faced has been so intense it’s affected him physically as well as spiritually.

I also appreciated what Wayne says about the result of being sifted. He says that God will “never let go of your hand” and also that you’ll understand the pain of others so much better. He says ”crisis is a terrible thing to waste” because it helps you make changes that God wants you to make.

For a complete list of podcasts by Exponential see this list on iTunes.

7 February, 2012

Stories of Sifted: New Devos just for Ministry Leaders

by Andrew Rogers

I blogged recently on the upcoming Exponential Conference. The theme for this conference is “Sifted.” It’s taken from the verses found in Luke 22:31-32:

31 “Simon, Simon, Satan has asked to sift all of you as wheat. 32 But I have prayed for you, Simon, that your faith may not fail. And when you have turned back, strengthen your brothers.” (NIV)

Stories of Sifted logoIn preparation for the conference the folks at Exponential have put together a series of 20 devotionals written for ministry leaders, by ministry leaders. They are calling it “20 Leaders in 20 days” and it can be found on their “Stories of Sifted” web page. The full list of contributors can be found here. The list includes Hugh Halter, Geoff Surratt, Michelle Wegner, and a number of other recognizable names and new names.

I’ve read two stories so far: Peter’s (as in, the apostle Peter); and Alex Absalom’s (church planter from the UK).

30 January, 2012

Francis Chan on being “Sifted”

by Andrew Rogers

Have you been to the annual Exponential Conference? It’s held every April in Orlando, Fl. I’ve attended in 2009 and 2011 and am gearing up for going again this year. The theme of the 2012 conference is “Sifted” as it is used by the Lord in Luke 22:31-31:

“Simon, Simon, Satan has asked to sift all of you as wheat. But I have prayed for you, Simon, that your faith may not fail. And when you have turned back, strengthen your brothers.”

The idea is that God allows sifting to take place in the lives of his ministry leaders. Some say he doesn’t just allow it, he intentionally sifts his leaders. Here’s a video from Francis Chan explaining the concept in more detail.

One quote in this video has got me thinking. It’s near the beginning. Chan says, “it really is over the years that God humbles you, he uh, sometimes even humiliates you. But it’s all for a good cause. It’s all about building you up.”

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