The theme for the DCAT conference is “A new heart for a new season”. I’ve been telling people close to me that I believe God is bringing Palm Valley into a new season as a church; a season of life-change and growth like we’ve never seen before! I was excited to hear the theme of this conference, I believe God’s going to speak to me.
One thing I noticed about New Hope Church tonight is that they love the Lord, and they love each other. This is the huggin’est church I’ve ever seen :) Here’s a rundown of Pastor Wayne’s session tonight…
He began by talking about the suffering we will experience in ministry. It is inevitable that in ministry you will be injured and experience sufferinge. Pastor Wayne encouraged us to view suffering as a transition into a new season of God’s blessing. He used the story of Joseph, ending with Genesis 50:20 “what the evil one intended to harm you, God will use for good!”.
He had three main points to remember when we’re suffering…
1) Assess your situation - with honesty. Don’t over-inflate your value, nor under-estimate it. Remember that I’ve got a lot to learn.
2) Evaluate how much time you have left - the wealthiest place in the world is a graveyeard. So much untapped potential and dreams died when the person died. It’s imperative that we work with a sense of urgency for the calling God has given us.
3) Ask God to inspire your heart - this really hit me, because I’ve been praying this for months. 1 Samuel 30:6 reminds us that in the midst of suffering we need to “strengthen ourselves in the Lord”.
As we finished, I was just humbled that God has called me to be a part of building His Kingdom. I don’t deserve it, but He’s chosen me. I mess up so often, but He still lets me be a part of His work. I’m praying tonight that I will become the pastor that Palm Valley Church deserves. I love being on this journey with such an awesome group of Christ-followers. I DO believe that God is bringing us into a new season at PVC, our best season yet!
I’m looking forward to an awesome day tomorrow.
