Chicago baby!! Yea!!
Knackered… think it is about 3.20am at home, and I’ve been up since 6.30am the day before… it’s 9.20pm local time here in Chicago. Very tired. Wee Angus bless him is fast asleep. Which is where I should be right now!! Love you all… James, are ya jealous yet??
One last post before we head off… getting a train at 7.35am to kick off the journey! Posted our itinerary below so you can track with us. I should have plenty of net access Stateside anyway so will most likely blog a few times when we are away. Off we go!!
Tues 1st Aug: Travel out
Wed 2nd Aug: 1st Baptist Church Sycamore
Thurs 3rd Aug: Willow Creek Community Church
Fri 4th Aug: Orchard Valley Community Church
Sat 5ht Aug: Harvest Bible Chapel (& Evening service)
Sun 6th Aug: 1st Baptist Church Sycamore (& Extreme Connections)
Mon 7th Aug: Jesus People USA
Tues 8th Aug: Rest Day
Wed 9th Aug: Move to Willow’s Global Hospitality
Thurs 10th Aug: Leadership Summit
Fri 11th Aug: Leadership Summit
Sat 12th Aug: Leadership Summit
Sun 13th Aug: Service at Willow & travel back to Sycamore
Mon 14th Aug: Leave for home
Tues 15th Aug: Arrive home
Where?
* 1st Baptist Church Sycamore
* Harvest Bible Chapel
* Willow Creek Community Church
* Orchard Valley Community Church
* Jesus People USA
* Willow Creek Leadership Summit
Why?
The Ex-tend course is designed to multiply disciplers, to invest in those who want to build God’s Kingdom (2 Tim 2:2). The team members are: Trevor and Emma Loughridge (team leaders), Paula-Jean (PJ) Thompson, Alan Lynch, Emma Boyd, Georgine McMichael and Audrey Martin.
The team have met for four residentials before spending two weeks in Chicago on a ministry tour. The tour is designed to be an investment in member which in turn will result in an investment in others as team members return and minister to people. The team will visit ministries who are impacting their local community for God. From youth initiatives to financial planning to home groups to social issues, members will experience the different ways that church is acted out. The final weekend will be at Willow Creek Leadership summit.
It would be great if you would pray for us!!
* Our desire is to see how God’s purpose for His church is worked out withing different communities and age groups so that we would be able to be inspired and bring ideas back to our own church/ministry situations.
* For safety as we travel (Trev’s driving!!)
* Great contacts
* That the individuals on the team will be future disciplers who impact many.
I’ve been reading through some of the stories in Luke’s gospel lately, and there’s this phrase that keeps sticking out at me… extravagant living. Jesus lived extravagently. To be extravagant means to lack restraint… what a comment to have said about how you life, how you love, how you give… That kind of love and giving always returns in greater measure – Jesus said we never give anything that isn’t given back to us a hunderd-fold. I want to practice extravagant living…
So, I thought I should maybe expand upon that last post. About communicating. It’s true, you know.
On my last Exodus weekend (few weekends ago), we were talking about the problems/barriers we face when working with people around our ages, specifically discipling people.One of those barriers was the growth of ICT. Yes, it has brought many benefits. But strange as it seems to say it, it can also be a barrier to communication.
I haven’t been able to get that thought out of my head. It’s so true, even just looking at my own life I can see it. I’m not very good at talking about important things. It’s so much easier just to send a text/email/blog/instant messanger than actually to talk face to face. That can’t be good for us? To not be able to communicate wel, especially about the most important things. So what can we do to overcome it?
I’m working on that one…
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