Brainstorming meetings have the potential to create brand new programs, outreaches and systems that can cause your ministry to explode. Make sure you show up with the following in order to see the results you want:

1) Bring your faith-filled, wide-open imagination.
If you are not open, well rested and excited, why would your team be??

2) Bring at least 3-5 of your key leaders or students with them same kind of imagination.
TRUST ME!! The last thing you want in a brainstorming session is a negative or unimaginitive person

3) Bring a large tablet and 3-4 colorful markers to record all your ideas without prejudice.
It’s a “storm” no idea is bad.

4) Bring your most important ministry priorities for discussion and planning.
Creativity is a lot less spontaneous and random than we realize. Stay on task otherwise you’ll be wasting hours on stuff that is irrelevant and probably irreverant, as well. Experience is talking.

5) Bring a $20.00 bill as reward to the person with the “best idea of the day” to provoke participation.
High expectations should be matched with high rewards!!

6) Bring a notebook for each person to record their assignments at the end of the session for follow-up research.
What’s the point of the meeting if there is nothing to leave and do? What’s the point of the people in the room to create something they can’t go to work on, as well??

hope i helped,
pg

From a recent message.

I had kids go home an write these over the mirror in permsnent marker. That way they had to see who He says they are verses what they are looking at at that moment.
Hope it helps!!
pg

The Message (Matt. 10: 38-39)”If you don’t go all the way with me, through thick and thin, you don’t deserve me. If your first concern is to look after yourself, you’ll never find yourself. But if you forget about yourself and look to me, you’ll find both yourself and me.

Who I Am In Christ

I AM GOD’S…

· possession Genesis 17:8/ 1Cor 6:20

· child John 1:12

· workmanship Ephesians 2:10

· friend James 2:23

· temple 1 Cor 3:16/ 6:16

· vessel 2 Timothy 2:2

· co-laborer 1 Timothy 5:18

· witness Acts 1:8

· soldier 2 Timothy 2:3

· ambassador 2 Cor 5:20

· building 1 Cor 3:9

· husbandry 1 Cor 3:9

· minister/instrument Acts 26:16 / 1 Tim 4:6

· chosen Ephesians 1:4

· beloved Romans 1:7/ 2 Thess 2:13

· precious jewel Malachi 3:17

· heritage 1 Peter 5:3

I HAVE BEEN…

· redeemed by the blood Rev 5:9

· set free from sin /condemnation Rom 8:1-2

· set free from Satan’s control Col 1:13

· set free from Satan’s kingdom Eph 2

· chosen before foundation of world Eph 1:4

· predestined to be like Jesus Ephesians 1:11

· forgiven of all my trespasses Col 2:13

· washed in the blood of the Lamb Rev 1:5

· given a sound mind 2 Timothy 1:7

· given the Holy Spirit 2 Cor 1:22

· adopted into God’s family Romans 8:15

· justified freely by his grace Romans 3:24

· given all things pertaining to life 2 Pet 1:3

· given great and precious promises 2 Pet 1:4

· given ministry of reconciliation 2 Cor 1:22

· authority over the power of enemy Lk 10:19

· access to God Ephesians 3:12

· been given wisdom Ephesians 1:8

I AM…

· complete in him Colossians 2:10

· free forever from sin’s power Romans 6:14

· sanctified 1 Cor 6:11

· meet for the Master’s use 2 Timothy 2:21

· loved eternally 1 Peter 1:5 /

· eternally kept in the palm of his hand Jn 10:29

· kept from falling Jude 1:24

· kept by the power of God 1 Peter 1:5

· not condemned Romans 8:1-2

· one with the Lord 1 Cor 6:17

· on my way to heaven John 14:6

· quickened by his mighty power Eph 2:1

· seated in heavenly places Eph 1:3

· the head and not the tail Deut 28:13

· light in the darkness Matthew 5:14

· candle in a dark place Matthew 5:15

· city set on a hill Matthew 5:14

· salt of the earth Matthew 5:13

· his sheep Ps 23 / Psalms 100:3/ John 10:14

· a citizen of heaven 1 Peter 2:11

· hidden with Christ in God Psalms 32:7

· protected from the evil one 1 John 5:18

· kept by the power of God 1 Peter 1:5

· secure in Christ Jn 10:28-29

· set on a Rock Psalms 40:2

· more-than-a-conqueror Romans 8:37

· born again 1 Peter 1:23

· a victor 1 John 5:4

· healed by his strips Is 53:6

· covered by blood of Jesus Rev 12:11, 1 Pet 1:19

· sheltered under his wing Psalms 91:4

· hidden in secret place of the Almighty Ps 91:1

I HAVE…

· access to the Father Romans 5:2

· a home in heaven waiting for me Jn 14:1-2

· all things in Christ 2 Cor 5:17

· a living hope 1 Peter 1:3

· an anchor to my soul Hebrews 6:19

· a hope that is sure and steadfast Heb 6:19

· authority to tread on serpents Luke 10:19

· power to witness Acts 1:8

· the tongue of the learned Isaiah 50:4

· the mind of Christ 1 Cor 2:16

· boldness and access Hebrews 10:19

· peace with God Romans 5:1

· faith as a grain of mustard seed Luke 17:6

I CAN…

· do all things through Christ Philp 4:13

· find mercy and grace to help Heb 4:16

· come boldly to the throne of grace Heb 4:16

· quench all the firey darts Eph 6:16

· tread on the serpent Luke 10:19

· declare liberty to captives Isaiah 61:1

· pray always and everywhere Luke 21:36

· chase a thousand Joshua 23:10

· defeat (overcome) the enemy Rev 12:11

· tread Satan under foot Rom 16:20

I CANNOT…

· be separated from God’s love Rom 8:35-39

· be perish or be lost John 10:28, John 3:16

· be moved Psalms 16:8

· be taken out of my Father’s hand John 10:29

· be charged or accused Romans 8:33

· be condemned 1 Cor 11:32

Romans 8 is emphatic when it says, “Who shall lay anything to the charge of God’s elect? It is God that justifies. Who is he that condemns? It is Christ who died, rose again, and sits at the right hand of God making intercession for us.”

Too often I believe the lies and accusations of the enemy. I either am ignorant of what God has said or I willingly disbelieve it based on my “feelings.” I do not need to “feel” anything! God’s truth is God’s truth. “Let God be true and every man a liar.” (Romans 3:4 )

I am learning who I am in Christ and I am confessing the same out loud.

I am what God says I am regardless of how I feel about myself. My feelings cannot change the absolute truth of God’s word. I must see myself in the light of God’s word.

Once I have heard and seen God’s truth I am to RECKON it to be so.

“Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord.” – Romans 6:11.

The word reckon is “logizomai” in Greek, which means to calculate, count it up, logically sum it up as so. I sum up what God says about me as truth and refuse to allow anything less than His words to get close enough to me to doubt who I truly am.

List all of your faults, failures, hurts, wounds, scars, etc and “reckon” them against eveything God says about you. God’s point of view wins everytime!!

Last month, I competed in my gym’s annual ironman competition. Now before you call me a liar or get impressed, they give us a month to complete the ironman verses the insane people who can achieve it in 1 day or less. If you don’t know what it takes to…

Here are 8 questions I ask myself about each sermon I speak before I hit the pulpit. It helps me stay focused on the immediate and trajectory of where I am taking my kids for the year. This is the template discussed at the leadership session at shabbac…

Last night, I did a message on wrapping your mind around the Trinity, as much as humanly possible. It is a very complex issue that can’t be watered down to a single analogy. However, scriptures make it abundantly clear there is 1 God in 3 distinct persons. I broke this message down into what I call, “3 Trinity Truths.” In order to “show” my students what I’m talking about, I used a simple, yet very effective illustration of the Trinity.

Illustration: The Father/The Son/The Holy Spirit
I brought 3 students, 1 stood in a “profile” stance, another in a “frontal face” stance and the last in a “bowed head” stance (to show the top of her head to the congregation.
1. The profile is representation of the Father.
the old testament only reveal “types” and “shadows” and profiles of who The Father really is. We can’t seem completely. He does not make himself fully know to us. So we have know knowledge of His depth and see him for who He is.
2. The Frontal represents the Son
We see Jesus for who he is in the writings of the New testament. It is revealed in his deeds and sayings. So we can picture Him head on, but to view His depth is next to impossible. I used the illustration of Tom and Jerry and the road runner. After they’ve been smashed they come out looking normal in the front. It’s only until they turn or bend, do you see how damaged they really are.
3. The top of the head represents the Holy Spirit.
This view reveals His depth. We see through the Holy Spirit just how this 1 God shows up in everyday living of His believers.

Another illustration I alluded too was the h2O analogy – Ice/Water/Steam – it’s in different states, but it’s all the same h2O

Another Illustration (came from Benny Hinn’s Book) – The Light turns on/off
The Father gives the command to turn ON the light
You go.
Jesus is the switch that combines your effort, with His command, and the Holy Spirit’s execution of that command.
The Holy Spirit is the POWER that brings the command into fulfillment

Below is scritpual references to validate each “Trinity Truth.”
I have been asked repeatedly for my notes, so here you go!!
Hope I helped,
PG

Trinity Truth #1: There is only 1 God

Isaiah 44:6 Romans 1:30 Duet. 4:35 1 John 5:20
Jeremiah 10:10 Duet. 4:39; 32:39 John 5:44 2 Chronicles 15:3
2 Samuel 22:32 John 17:3 Isaiah 37:20; 43:10; 44:6-8; 45:5,14, 21-22; 46
Romans 16:27 Galatians 3:20 Ephesians 4:6 1 Thessalonians 1:9
1 Corinthians 8: 4-6 1 Timothy 1:17; 2:5 James 2:19

Trinity Truth #2: There is a Plurality to God
Iow’s – The Father is God. The Son is god. The Holy Spirit is God.
In Hebrew the word “Elohim” (God) Is plural -Leviticus 19:3
Genesis 1:26 – Let US make man in OUR image
Genesis 3:22 – God said, “Behold, the man has become like one of us…”

a. The Father is God
2 Corinthians 1:3 Ephesians 1:3 Deut. 4:36,39 Psalm 100:3
Genesis 9:26; 24 Exodus 3:14-18; 4:5 2 Samuel 7:22, 25
John 17:3 1 Corinthians 8:6 1 Peter 1:3

b. The Son is God
John 1:1 John 20:28 2 Peter 1:1 Romans 10: 9, 13 Revelation 4:11 Acts 20:28 Zechariah 12:10
Philippians 2: 10-11 1 Peter 2:3 Isaiah 43:11 Revelation 1:7 Titus 2:13 Luke 2:11 John 4:42 Acts 13:23 Ephesians 2:23 Philemon 3:20 1 Timothy 1:1 2 Timothy 1:10 2 Peter 1: 1, 11; 2: 20; 3: 2, 18 Titus 1:4; 2:13; 3:6 1 John 4:14 Matthew 21: 1-11 Zechariah 9:9 John 1:3 1 Cor. 8:6 Colossians 1:16-17 Hebrews 1:2
John 16:30 Matt. 18:20; 28:20 Ephesians 1:23; 4:10 Colossians 3:11 Psalms 34:8

c. The Holy Spirit is God
     Psalm 139:7; 104:30 Genesis 1:2 Luke 1:35 Acts 5:3-4
    Matthew 1:18 Romans 8: 1-27 Hebrews 9:14 1 Cor. 2:10-11
    2 Corinthians 3:17-18

Trinity Truth #3: 3 Distinct Persons
     Matthew 28:19

Jesus is not the Father
     John 3:17, 35; 5:22-23, 31-32; 8:15-18
     Romans 1:7

Jesus is not the Holy Spirit
     John 15:26
     Matthew 28:29
     John 16:7 John 14:16

The Father is not the Holy Spirit
     Romans 8:26-27