To Quote

Some quotes that provoke my thinking from my recent reading: Regarding Church growth as a focus: "The seduction is in believing that God is as impressed with crowds as people are" - Richard and Henry Blackaby, Spiritual Leadership, p. 126. It is amazing how we make the goal of growing the church large in size the idol we must all pursue. "When individuals tie their identity to a program they've created, they lose the objectivity that is necessary to evaluate its effectiveness" - Stanley, Joiner, Jones, 7 Practices of Effective Ministry, p. 104. What a danger to the church when we, as leaders, become enamored with our own creations! "The thrusts of our verbal sword cut deep and have the power to kill reputations, destroy ministries, and sever friendships." - Dan Allender, Bold Love, p. 100. Great reminder that I must be careful with my words ... not only words that might be intended as cutting, but also gossip and words spoken in a "knowing whisper" can destroy.