Part of some peoples philosophy of leadership is to keep your friends close, and your enemies closer.
This is sometimes applied to Church Leadership. There is a sense that you need accountability built into leadership structures so the Pastor is kept accountable.

Firstly let me say I totally agree with the need for accountability. Leaders in churches are charged with serious responsibility, and need to be accountable.

But there is something flawed in our thinking if we apply the same sort of culture in Churches which we apply to our politicians, in other words, “keep the B… honest”.

Churches should be places built around trust, not mistrust.

The issue for some has been that sometimes churches are not acting missionally.
If a church is acting missionally, it is up against it, because evangelism and real church growth is hard work.
Maintaining the status quo is not hard.

If results, in a missional sense, real growth, is measured and leaders are kept accountable for that, then that is in my belief appropriate accountability.

All this to say, I love journeying with friends on this missional journey of church life. We are a busy and purposeful church. There is lots of discipleship, growth, evangelism….mission….happening. We are too focused and challenged as a church to have time for silly squabbles. There is a real sense we just need to get on with it. Travelling with friends is the way to go if your church is like this, because we have enough challenges from the outside, without worrying about ones from the inside.

This morning my wife prepared the most amazing food and our 15 strong leadership team came over for a gastronomical feast, a few laughs…and lots of thanksgiving. To God…and for each other, as we journey together as friends.

One of the methods I am using now to keep my preaching fresh is to use the gift I believe I have been given. What I mean is this.

Often I will read a passage of scripture, and as I am reading it, thoughts come into my mind of how I would preach it, what I would say.

It sometimes frustrates me when I sit in front of an empty screen and that same sense of ‘flow’ does not come.

So what I have done lately is print off the scripture (thankyou Biblegateway) and take that piece of paper into the Ministry Centre here and actually start preaching from it! No commentary, no internet, no computer. I will jot down my notes from that 10 or 15 minutes onto the printed out scripture page.

It has really helped me use the gift of preaching I believe I have into my preparation time.

Here is some media I have put together in the last year or two which you can download and use.
This first one is a nice loop I have just made.
Let me know if you find them helpful!

Download Here

This is a nice illustrative Clip

Download

Toughest one I have written. Needed to have some good music on as I dredged up stuff I would prefer to not think about, but the story needs to be told…at least I need to tell it.

There will always be at least one

I met Melinda when I was 19 and she was 15 and three quarters. That 3/4’s is pretty important as I tell this story…

We started going out shortly after that, and I took her out to a Chinese Restaurant for her 16th birthday. I don’t know what her mum was thinking, but I remember what she wore, and the fact she was a stunning redhead. Funny that, I always had a thing for redheads.

When I went off to Adelaide about 12 months later, I did not know what would happen, and the time over there was trying…very trying. I was in Adelaide for three years studying, But we did get engaged over that time.

Short story…we got married shortly after I got back from Adelaide, and although there are some things we regret about the wedding, some of the family things, and the ring she had, looking back now after 17 years, we are happy to be married.

It has not always been easy, we have had our fair share of fights. I struggle to be completely comfortable with couples who never fight, and are always talking in glowing terms about each other. It just smacks of a ‘show’ to me. I am more comfortable with people who are realistic about their marriage, but in love with each other.

I love Melinda, she loves me.

This year when I sold my old Vitara, by happy twist, we found a ring independently of each other, but the same ring! I bought it that day and have been keeping it until today, our 17th Wedding Anniversary.

Love my wife, and she loves me….

One reason is to have an online journal of my life.
I wanted to find an old post, and found this one instead.

Holidays

In it I talk about my holidays that year with the family. And there are some pictures uploaded. One of them is of Clem standing next to a lifesize model of Aaron Sandilands. Even taking into account he is standing next to the 211 cm Dockers Ruckman, he still looks short. Thats cause he has grown a lot the past few months.
Time with your children is so precious, and goes so quick.

‘God give me the strength and wisdom and grace and enablement to be the parent you want me to be, a loving father, a caring husband, a priest to the Edwards family”

Pretty Impressive eh? Try doing that on your android!
(Northpoint Church)