Comments on: Working With God’s Seasons

By: Craig Groeschel

Craig Groeschel — Fri, 27 Mar 2009 01:52:34 +0000

Shogun, Great question. They definitely in different seasons for different campuses. There are similarities and major differences.

By: Shogun of D South

Shogun of D South — Fri, 27 Mar 2009 00:14:48 +0000

Craig
With 14 campuses, is it your expectation that all are and or should be in the same season and how to you manage to maximize the harvest in each locality…..or do you consider campus independence at all?

By: Marty Sloan

Marty Sloan — Thu, 26 Mar 2009 11:38:17 +0000

Craig! Love all your blogs, ironically, I am speaking this Sunday on seasons in a preaching series called “Moving Forward” - to move forward you need to know what season you are in! Your insight is great! I want to seize my seasons in life! Blessings to you!

By: Here’s what I did on 2009-03-24 | Jonathan Hopson

Here’s what I did on 2009-03-24 | Jonathan Hopson — Wed, 25 Mar 2009 06:08:04 +0000

[...] Shared a link on Google Reader. Working With God’s Seasons [...]

By: Pete Wilson

Pete Wilson — Wed, 25 Mar 2009 02:48:23 +0000

Great post Craig! Thanks for sharing.

By: Andrew Choy

Andrew Choy — Wed, 25 Mar 2009 02:21:06 +0000

I’m now 8 years in full-time ministry in my home church where I came to know Christ some 14 years ago. By the way, I’m mid-30s. I’ve finally started to “see” God’s work in the church, not my or our leaders’ work. This is really eyes-opening for me to witness first-hand. It seems that God continues His work in building the root deep in my spiritual life, and is preparing me for cross-cultural missions work in the near future.

By: Lori Biddle

Lori Biddle — Tue, 24 Mar 2009 23:07:18 +0000

Oh my goodness, I just told my husband yesterday that I LOVE being 50! I feel so free to pursue whatever God leads me toward, and that changes daily because I love to create new things constantly!

God is opening doors I never dreamed of or asked for. I feel totally inadequate to walk through these doors but wiling to give it my best shot with God’s help! I just got asked to review a very well known Pastor’s new book coming out, what in the world!!! Makes no sense, but I cannot wait!!

I am embracing this season and I am making changes to our praise teams and tech areas to make sure the next generation feels that our arms are wide open! And we are not holding tightly to “the way we’ve always done it!!”

By: Janne

Janne — Tue, 24 Mar 2009 23:06:12 +0000

Derrick, I like your point there. I come from a totally different backround since I live in Finland, and we really have all the 4 seasons here (-30C+snow in winter / +30C in summer!). But there really isn’t anything I can do about the season than to wait patiently for it to change, and embrace the season by doing things that season most enables you to do.

It would be stupid to try skiing in the summer here, but in winter it’s great.

By: Drew Clark

Drew Clark — Tue, 24 Mar 2009 23:02:19 +0000

Man, this is timely. I have wanted to say some of the same things during this “season of ministry” the church finds her self in but felt that since I am only a young buck starting out with everything seemingly in front of me, wisdom would have someone else speak. Great word!

By: Derrick Scott III

Derrick Scott III — Tue, 24 Mar 2009 19:48:43 +0000

I am praying for clarity on the whole ’seasons’ conversation. I live in Florida where you always feel like you are in different parts of the summer. For a while, I had issues with everything and everybody…I feel that most twenty-something leaders can relate. My thoughts and convictions have not changed, but my strategies have…some call it maturity, others call it settling…I call it patience. God will do what He said He would do. So to answer the question…I am praying for violent and catalytic patience. Regardless of my season (again, I am not really sure which one I am in), God will complete the work He started and bring the harvest (and the laborers too!) I wish my generation could be marked and known for our patience…

By: Derek

Derek — Tue, 24 Mar 2009 17:40:53 +0000

This last weekend Matt Chandler had some great thoughts on “Waiting on the Lord”. I think sometimes we can glamorize this phrase. But this very well may be one of the most difficult seasons I’ve gone through. Waiting on God to show me what season is next. So difficult.

By: Vicky

Vicky — Tue, 24 Mar 2009 17:02:01 +0000

For JE’s question: I think the answer is both. God works globally in the sense that He entered human history in order to save the world (John 3:16). At the same time God is working with individual people and nations. Ultimately the goal is “Salvation” because Jesus came into the world for that very purpose. An evangelist once said, “Jesus didn’t come to make bad men good, He came to make dead men live.” This is, I believe, the crux of the matter. God cares about “life” and since God is eternal, He cares about eternal life. It is up to each one of us as individuals to choose - (whosoever believes in Him). For example, in Revelation 2:21 we see that God gave Jezebel, an individual, a season to change her heart and turn away from sin. However, God’s Word tells us that she did not want to change…She would not repent. God also works with individual nations and specifically chose Israel as His own. So we see in God’s Word that we find God doing something special globally, nationally, and individually and sometimes at the same time. We see examples at different times/seasons with Noah, Abraham, Moses, The Apostle Paul, etc. We see God doing something special in their personal lives while moving in them toward a purpose that will affect their individual lives as well as, the world.

By: Craig Groeschel

Craig Groeschel — Tue, 24 Mar 2009 14:32:05 +0000

Bill, Missed you yesterday! You are in an awesome season. I know God is using you in a powerful way.

JE, Good question. Maybe some of the others can jump in and respond.

Jimmy, Wow…

Kevin, Thanks for your encouraging words!

Dominic, Praying for you this morning.

By: Dominic

Dominic — Tue, 24 Mar 2009 14:19:48 +0000

I am in a tough spot in my church. I don’t agree with a lot of things that happen in our Church and with my pastor. There is hardly any accountability if at all.

I was at C3 this year and heard your talk on IT, and also Steven Furtick talking about the difference between Honor and Respect.

I have been trying to embrace this season that I am in by allowing God to show me why I am needing to endure all these things. I want to use this time, not to complain about how bad things are, but to let God show me and teach me what I need to know out of this situation.

By: Kevin

Kevin — Tue, 24 Mar 2009 14:02:54 +0000

Craig. I have watched from the margins (that sounds sort of stalker-ish, sorry about that) as you have shared your influence with a friend of mine. He is a tremendous leader, but you are enabling him to achieve a whole new level. I don’t know many leaders who would do what you are doing, espcially with someone right outside their back door. It is quite impressive to see someone in your position and with your level of influence actually WALK-THE-WALK. You cannot do that with everyone, but the fact that you do it with anyone is really admirable. Thanks for being such a servant-leader. This has nothing to do with seasons, but I just wanted to send it your way.

By: Jimmy K

Jimmy K — Tue, 24 Mar 2009 13:19:09 +0000

How interesting that 5 years ago today I sat in my Sr. Pastors office and told him I thought God was calling us into a new season of ministry with a church in Texas. Today a phase of this ministry in Texas is complete and I sense with great anticipation the beginning of a new season. My thoughts today as a 56 year old guy who embraces the fact that I no longer have to try and be cool are that the seasons never end and the mercies of God are new every morning.

By: Janne E

Janne E — Tue, 24 Mar 2009 13:17:39 +0000

And I don’t mean that there wouldn’t be any relation (of course there is), but my point is to ask if there’s a higher perspective trough which we could look at the seasons God is taking us trough?

It is encouraging to see that you’re not the only one facing a certain season, and it would be even more encouraging to really see my own season as a part of something bigger that God is doing in His people.

As we can embrace each other as an important part of the Body, maybe we can also embrace our season in te same way, knowing that God has a bigger plan to which our season relates to. And to trust that He knows what He’s doing.

By: Benshoun.com » Blog Archive » Seasons

Benshoun.com » Blog Archive » Seasons — Tue, 24 Mar 2009 13:12:01 +0000

[...] I’ve been thinking a lot lately about seasons. Both personally and as a church (or business), focuses and direction are different in different times. We go wrong when we are blind to it. This is a great post for church leaders in thinking along those lines: [...]

By: Terry Foester

Terry Foester — Tue, 24 Mar 2009 13:07:29 +0000

I just read this statement from Mark Batterson on his blog yesterday:

“It’s adventure that helps us appreciate routine and it’s routine that helps us appreciate adventure.”

Mark went on to explain that we was just getting back from an adventure and he was excited to get back to his routine.

Along with the seasons of ministry, we need to have both aspects of adventure and routine.

Right now I’m looking forward to getting out of my routine and I’m ready for a new adventure.

By: JE

JE — Tue, 24 Mar 2009 12:54:02 +0000

Sorry this is slightly off-topic.. but do you guys think the (global) Church has a common season going on? Is there something special that God seems to be doing everywhere, or is it just that all of us have different seasons at different times with no relation to one another?