2011 Ireland Missions Trip: Day 1
It’s an all video blog today. Enjoy!
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Blood from a Turnip
“You can’t squeeze blood from a turnip.”
I heard that phrase lots while I was growing up and, to be honest with you, I had no idea what it meant until well into adulthood (along with many other colloquialisms, I’m a slow learner).
The thing that really brought this alive to me was ministry, and dealing with such a variety of people. I remember praying for a young man one night at the tail end of a church service. He came asking for prayer because he was struggling with thoughts of violence. He claimed he would drive the streets at night looking for a fight to pick. He said he couldn’t help himself and really wanted God to intervene. Out of the blue (or by inspiration of the Holy Spirit) I asked him what kind of movies he liked to watch. He proceeded to give me a list of the most violent, agro-filled, angry films on the market. What surprised me was that he really didn’t know why he felt so violent all the time! He was clueless to the fact that all the garbage he was taking in was making its way out.
What we fill our souls with doesn’t end with our subconscious reactions to entertainment though. One lesson I’m constantly reminding myself of, as a minister, is that I can’t give away what I don’t have.
As leaders, we have a responsibility to be filling up. If we’re going to give others more than pithy sayings, trite answers, and fake smiles, then we MUST be filling ourselves up! We must be on our knees before Jesus, we must be filling up on His word, and we must be gleaning from the faith generals that have gone before us.
So many leaders are running on an empty tank and they’re useless. They’ve exchanged refueling for the sense of accomplishment they get from working ridiculous hours.
OK, I’m going down a rabbit trail so I’ll end.
You can’t squeeze blood from a turnip, you can’t get salt water from a fresh water stream, and you can’t get depth, wisdom, and anointing from a leader who isn’t deliberately being filled with the Spirit and wisdom of God.
Take time to be filled up. Read, pray, rest, and grow. The people you are leading need you to.
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Nostril Waxin’
My friend Kat Schaefer (@KatSchaefer13) opened her own salon recently. She’s been cutting my hair for a couple years now and I’m really excited that she’s stepping out to create her own space to use her talents and support her family. While my son and I were in for a haircut, I thought I’d have some fun and try something new, so I let Kat wax my ridiculously hairy nostrils. The olfactory has never been cleaner. Enjoy…
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Reaching the Lost Costs a Lot of Money!
You may have already heard that God has called my family and me to plant a new church, in the Quad Cities, called Mercy Vineyard Church. We believe that the greatest form of evangelism today is church planting and we’re excited to partner with God in bringing in a harvest in Northwest Moline/Northeast Rock Island. There, we will be reaching out to the working poor of our community to meet their spiritual and physical needs. We have a long way to go and a short time to get there and we are asking you to partner with us financially and through your prayers.
Our vision is to see a large, multicultural, multigenerational, multiplying church reaching, teaching, and releasing to make God famous and expand His Kingdom on the Illinois side of the Quad Cities. Our first Sunday morning service will be held on September 18th. Our goal is 300 in attendance and our launch team has been working hard to invite friends, coworkers, relatives, and neighbors. We believe many will come to know Jesus and we’ll do whatever it takes to introduce seekers to Him.
We have been blessed and sent out by The Vineyard Church of Davenport with their full support. The majority of our launch team is from there and we carry with us many of their values and their philosophy of ministry. It’s a wonderful culture of being the hands and feet of Jesus to our community.
To make this happen, we need to raise $72,000 as quickly as possible; $15, 650 for marketing, signage, and print materials, $12,000 for sound, lighting, and video equipment, $15,000 for facilities, and $30,000 for administration. We have so far raised $20,000 but still have $52,000 to go to make this happen in a way that speaks excellence, caring, and commitment to the community we are reaching out to. Would you please commit to a large, one time financial gift or a monthly gift to Mercy Vineyard Church for 18 months?
Giving can be done by mailing a check to Mercy Vineyard Church P.O. Box 1654 Moline, IL 61266 or online at www.findmercy.org/giving. Financial supporters will receive monthly newsletters to keep them up to date with what God is doing through our brand new church and inform them of urgent prayer needs.
If you wish to speak to me personally about the Mercy Vineyard Church and how you can be a part, please email me at contact@leebezotte.com and I would be honored to share, in greater detail, the strategy for launching this new work.
Running Hard After God,
Lee Bezotte
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My Personal Mission Statement
Mission statements are extremely important. Any business, church, or organization that’s moving forward has one and sticks to it.
A mission statement is like a compass. It keeps you heading in the right direction when distractions or hard times come. It keeps you focused on the main thing and urges you onward when passion wanes and feelings just aren’t there.
Since mission statements are so vital to organizations, I think they should be important to individuals as well. After all, a stated ideal and standard for living helps to keep us moving toward the life God has for us when circumstances are draining our focus and passion.
A few years ago, I developed a personal mission statement that I could hang on the wall as a reminder when the going gets tough. Needless to say, I reread it A LOT to keep me committed to what matters most.
Maybe it will inspire you to prayerfully write one. What do you think?
I commit to always strive to grow in The Lord until the end of my days here on earth. I commit to cultivating intimacy with God, communicating to Him through sincere prayer, passionate worship, and acts of service to Him and His people. I will not give begrudgingly or sparingly, but I will give all of myself in relationship to Him because He worthy of this and far more. I will read, listen, and run hard after Him with all of my soul, mind, and strength.
I commit to loving my wife with undying faithfulness, unrelenting commitment, and tender affection. I will strive to treat her with great understanding knowing that she is my equal partner and God’s gift of new life according to 1st Peter 3:7. I will raise my children in the way they should go and teach them to choose the right path according to Proverbs 22:6. I will love them, protect them, care for their needs, and be a godly father to them. I will be patient, gentle, nurturing, and honoring to my family. I will refuse to allow work, hobbies, relationships, ministry, or the cares of this world to come between my family and me.
I commit to God’s calling on my life to creatively communicate His love and hope, to invest and lead those He gives me the privilege to do so with, and to be a blessing to those around me and abroad. I will not forsake my calling because my calling will not forsake me according to Romans 11:29. I promise to give, love, pray, sing, build, work, serve, and go beyond my limits for the sake of the call because His love compels me and my love for Him is beyond words!
Always and Forever,
Lee
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