ministry Archives - NoSuperHeroes

Stay the Course

March 12, 2014

A few days ago, I finished riding in another Cape Argus Cycle Tour, a 110 km ride with 30,000 other riders over the breathtaking scenery of Cape Town.

This year we were thrown a curve ball with 40 kph (20 mph) headwinds on the “easier part” of the course.

You had to work much, much harder to achieve the same result.

About 65km in my legs were screaming and mentally I was wondering if I would make it. My goal was not to stop at all in hopes of breaking my personal best time.

I saw myself fading and made a decision to make an adjustment to plans, pulling into a rest stop for a quick banana and beverage break. I was back on my bike in 6 minutes.

The last part of the race included the two most difficult climbs. In a weakened state, I knew I needed to stay the course and keep my legs churning. Read more... (429 words, 1 image, estimated 1:43 mins reading time)

In Bible Bible, christian growth, Christianity, endurance, growth, marriage, ministry, missions

Misunderstood Unity

February 23, 2014

I work in an organization which sends many short-term teams as well as develops working groups around projects.

I hear a repeated statement coming out of their meeting times.

“Give us unity….”

I prayed this with my teams for many, many years….until I realized what it meant.

Now, when I hear teams pray this, I cringe.

You have no idea what you are asking for.

Misunderstood unity believes the following:

“If we are unified, we will never fight.”
“Unity means we will agree and have similar views on the decision we face.”
“Unity is standing in a circle holding hands singing “Bind us Together.”

Wrong.

By: Tim Green

That view of commonality is not unity, it is cultic.

Group think is dangerous.

In Scripture, the most common analogy given for unity is the body, with many members working together. The members and their talents they bring are not the same, but the goal is. Read more... (505 words, 1 image, estimated 2:01 mins reading time)

In Bible, Leadership argument, Bible, christian growth, conflict, forgiveness, leadership, management, marriage, ministry, misunderstanding, resolution, team, team building, team dynamics, Youth With A Mission, YWAM

Keeping Ministry Attractive to your Children

October 24, 2012

As part of celebrating my first Blog-i-versary, I am re-posting some of my favorite posts which capture the heart of NoSuperHeroes. This post is one I enjoy because it captures the tension of missions and family. In the stage of life our family is, this is just as real today as when I wrote it. Check back all week for more great posts and giveaways.

“When I grow up, I want to be just like Daddy!”

There is nothing better as a Dad than to hear your kids say they want to do a job similar to yours. Both my sons have recently expressed a desire to be either Bible teachers or missionaries, just like good ol’ Dad. Read more... (748 words, 1 image, estimated 3:0 mins reading time)

In Missions & Cross-Cultural, Parenting Andy Stanley, Bible, Billy Graham, boundaries, children, God, Jesus, kids, ministry, missions

Which Came First? Work or Sin

June 26, 2012

Did work happen before or after the Fall of man? Is it a result of sin?

God placed Adam and Eve in the Garden and gave them dominion over all that He had created (Gen. 1:26).

To have dominion indicates rulership and stewardship, or the ability to make things better. Genesis 2:5 tells us that before the Creation of man, there was no one to work the ground. God placed them in the Garden to work and keep it, to even make it better! (2:15)

All this happened before sin!

Work was a part of the perfect world prior to sin and death. When Adam and Eve sinned, work became more difficult. Sin corrupted every aspect of life, including work.

God values work so much that He includes it in the Ten Commandments. Exodus 20:8 tells us “to remember the Sabbath Day…six days you shall labor”. Read more... (426 words, 2 images, estimated 1:42 mins reading time)

In Bible Bible, employment, God, is work a result of sin?, job, ministry, money, perfection, secular, sin, toil, wages, work, work ethic, work in heaven, work is god's idea

Get the Right People on the Bus

June 4, 2012

Jim Collins, in his bestselling book Good to Great, is famous for saying “get the right people on the bus.”

This is so true. Having good people has been one of the biggest reasons for our success in South Africa. But at times, we have to think differently in order to make this a reality. Here are three elements to help you build the right team:

1. Look for the Mold Breakers
A tendency when building a team is to think everyone should be like you. This was not a good strategy when choosing a partner for marriage, nor is it in building a team.

Good teams comprise of many talents, cultures(ethnic and denominationally), and include diversity in their composition(male/female) and personality (introvert /extrovert).

True unity does not come from conformity, but through diversity. Scripture articulates this with all the “one body, many members” illustrations (Romans 12, 1 Corinthians 12) Read more... (514 words, 2 images, estimated 2:03 mins reading time)