A Few Thoughts

Okay, so I'm not really sitting in a plastic chair at the edge of the lake and I'm not a man either (that's a man in the picture, right?), but I am in a contemplative mood.

It's night number three of our four days of training at the mother ship here at Harvest. My wet hair is in a pony tail, wet from sitting in the hot tub after a grueling day of meetings, my glasses and pj's are on, the White Sox are finally winning a game against Minnesota (for the love!), Dave is clicking on his computer next to me filling out a questionnaire for Portable Churches, and I'm under the comforter with a computer on my lap.

How's that for drawing a picture?

It's been a great week and without going into great detail (core team - you'll hear most of this on Sunday night), I want to jot down my observations from this week. So here goes...

What I learned from my 3 days at Harvest Training Week:

1. The men who work for Harvest Fellowship are somehow cloned and as a whole, they are the most kind-hearted, soft-spoken, ministry-minded men I have ever met.

2. The women who work for Harvest Fellowship are not only beautiful, they are quick to help, patient, soft-spoken as well, and servant-hearted.

3. The wives of the men who work at Harvest Fellowship are hands down gorgeous, and their beauty is over shadowed by their gentle and quiet spirits.

(Okay, does it sound a bit like I am visiting Stepford, or what?)

4. Clarity/Simplicity/Urgency - this is the foundation of most of our meetings. Nothing is done to complicate or confuse - when you understand the system, the pieces fit like a puzzle and the whole thing makes sense.

5. The cost of discipleship is very high indeed. To commit to disciple-making is an "all-in" type of commitment. "Half-in" will never work.

6. We have an incredible staff for Harvest Bible Chapel Spring Lake. Though incredibly in-bred (me, my husband, my son, his wife, her brother and his wife - yeah, think about it), we communicate easily, understand what is expected of each other as well as what we expect of ourselves, know each other's strengths and weaknesses like the back of our hands, respect each other's critiques and opinions, and make decisions easily.

7. There is no room for pride in ministry. It eats you up and spits you out. Disciple-making is not about positioning or branding, but all about Jesus.

8. I can talk ministry 24/7. Dave can talk ministry about 8/5. He gets tired when I don't shut up during the Sox games, except they have been playing so poorly this week, that my chattering has been somewhat of a distraction. Still, the Lord is teaching me to tone it down.

9. At the heart of the Harvest Franchise is a true desire to glorify Jesus Christ and raise Him high. I can get a bit cynical about "Harvest World" but when you immerse yourself for a few days, you find that they all put their pants on one leg at a time and are really just fleshing out Worship/Walk/Work for their congregation.

10. And finally...my husband is a rock star. This week I have gotten to know men who my husband has known for years through the Fellowship and the mother ship, and I cannot begin to share with you their excitement for Dave stepping into the pastorate. They love him - not more than I do, but close, and they are supportive, in word and in prayers, and are enthusiastic to help him in any way they can.

Okay...I'll leave you all alone and start bothering Dave again...thanks for letting me share my enthusiasm!