Quote from "Christy" by Catherine Marshall

"David suspected that he did not yet know how to preach or what to preach so that people's hearts would be ignited and changed. I wonder how many preachers did know. And in that case, what could they do except fall back on building programs, creating more church organizations, appointing more committees, calling more meetings, plunging into (what as the new term?) social service work, - all of the busy busy church activities for which Alice had a delightful tag: "digging worms instead of fishing."

Things to Remember from Leadershift, by Don Cousins

Chapter 1:
pgs 17-18, 2 great stories about leading and following
pg 20:Leadership is not the most important or most needed gift
pg 21: What gift does the Apostle Paul call us to seek? Prophesy! (I Cor 14)
pg 33: Ephesians 4:11... this was a good explanation of the 5 'leadership effect' gifts. (What do I have? Teacher, pastor?)
pg 35: "A true leader is not someone who can do the work of ten people, but someone who can organize, [equip & motivate] ten people to do the work." Dale Galloway. (Good for COCUSA site directors) If you hold a leadership position but are not equipping the saints for the work of service than you are not a leader. Biblically, Leading = Equipping.
pg 37: The Holy Spirit has distributed gifts so that there are the exact number of Eph 4:11 people and Eph 4:12 people.
Pg 39: Those in leadership positions must focus their ministry on equipping others for the work of service. That is what God designed them to do.

Chapter 2:
pg 46: God allows circumstances that will press us to search him. Jeremiah 29:11-13.
pg 48: It's time to leave COCUSA when "there's a better job for me than what I'm doing and a better person for my job than me."
pg 52: Don't be afraid to pray: "If your yoke is easy, then what's this I'm yoked to? If your burden is light, whose burden am I carrying?"
pg 53-55: Sad, scary stats for pastors. How can I encourage those that I'm around?
pg 56: "Good news: God is in the business of healing broken people. Bad news: Participation in God's work i sproducing broken people. How Ironic. We can onlyi conclude that we're not doing God's work in God's way- "

Chapter 3: Success Heresy
pg 62: Do I just notice the numbers, or am I focused on them?
pg 63: A focus on numbers alone will never leave you satisfied
pg 66: Don't get lost while trying to reach the lost... What if Jesus focused on numbers?
pg 67: Are you building your 'little k' kindom or God's 'Big K' Kingdom?
pg 68: We know nothing of the numbers for most New Testament churches
Pg 70: We must know how GOD defines success. 4?s for every believer (not just someone in ministry or churches)
1) Are you being faithful? (parable of the talents- the success is based on faithfulness, not on numbers. pg 73: God has given: talents, material resources, education, spiritual gifts. Use what you've been given and that is success! If you're doing that, numbers don't matter!
pg 74: 2) Are you bearing fruit? Not #s, but who you are! Does your life ahve fruit? What is your percentage of Galatians 5:22-23? (And then the external fruit of lives being changed.. not just bodies in a building)
Einstein: "Not all that counts can be counted, and not all that can be counted counts."
3) Are you fulfilled? Joy! (Luke 10:17, John 15:11)
4) Are you making God famous? Less focus on me. Be anonymous. God's name.
In God's kingdom one person can be successful!

Chapter 4: Serving Heresy
The motive: WHY we serve in the kingdom is important.
Heresies: Reasons we do NOT serve: 1) God needs our help. 2) God wants a payback- we can't work long enough or hard enough to say 'thanks' 3) Serving is doing something for God. (correct- we serve one another)
Biblical Truth: 1) Our participation in the work of His kingdom brings his blessings to and through our lives. (God is STILL giving to us!)
2) God displays himself through his blessings to us, thereby bringing glory to his name (see success chapter

Chapter 5: Credit Heresy
pg 103: babysitter instructions (long) vs Jesus instructions (one line) in Acts 1
pg 104: waiting = praying in Acts 1. Everything was dependent on (waiting for) the Holy Spirit.
120 + Holy Spirit = 3000. (Bet on Bible Math!)
p 108-109: Jesus gets Holy Spirit at the start of his ministry (Luke 3:21-22) resists devil (Luke 4:1-2) helps teaching (v14-15)
pg 110: Paul and Zechariah speak of waiting for the Holy Spirit. "Wait, then cooperate"
Pg 112-117: A crash-course on how Willow Creek started... a must read for anyone who bashes them for being a Mega-Church.
pg 118: "By crediting human factors as the cause behind spiritual responsiveness, I'd be overlooking the one true key. While true, I'd actually be guilty of something far more significant: I would be robbing God of His deserved glory. To point to human factors as the explanation for what God accomplishes is heresy. To assign credit to man that rightfully belongs to God is a form of blasphemy."
-- but we hold up ministries that are 'cutting edge' and leaders that are gifted... forgetting it is God behind them.
pg 120: "Formulating strategy apart from the move of the Spirit is a waste of time. Copying other ministries' strategy because they saw fruit as they cooperated with the Spirit is an even bigger waste of time."

Chapter Six: The Organizational Heresy
2 organizational models presented:
pg 121- (the bad one): Institutional.. A)Board Led, B) Staff Run (p 126), C) Congregation Served (like a health club, p 127, members needs determine the staff, services, and programs), D) World Ignored p128.
If this stat is true it is mind boggling: 50% of American churches failed to add one person by conversion last year. WHOA!
p130: "In many communities the unsaved population doesn't even see the church as a relevant option for addressing the challenges they face in life."
p131 (the good model): Biblical- A)Board Protected (elders protect against false teaching and sin, in times of trial and work .. scripture reference in book for each..) Elders help represent God to the people, not people in a democracy.
p139 B) Staff Led- Not just paid staff. There are good ?s for the effectiveness of each group here.
C) Congregation Serving "The Biblical church is a serving army. D) World Served... the key to evangelism- "find a need and meet it." (What are needs in my social circles?)

Chapter 9: The Zone of God's anointing. How do we get into 'the zone'? It will lead to fruit!
p 217 Ask others so you are not WRONG about your gifts.
p 218 Put down your own EGO
p 221 "We don't shape people to fit jobs, we shape jobs to fit people."
Institutionalism defined: putting the organization ahead of other factors. (see Lighthouse video)

Chapter 10: (Worth re-reading and noting more extensively)
Every believer serving: is that the flagship of your church? How can you make it so?
#1) Every believer is a priest!
#2) Leaders must equip (good questions about this on pg 235)
#3) Believers must 'get' gifts- Story of people's passions, pg 238-240
#4) The opportunity to experience success. (Biblical success! See chapter 3) "Equipped saints will ultimately do the work of service to far greater degrees and with much more (Biblical) success than used saints ever will."
I can't NOT do this (pg 241)

Quote about ending

In the academy award-winning classic Cocktail, Coughlin tells young Flanagan, "Everything ends badly, otherwise it wouldn't end."

Albert Einstein quote

"I never think of the future. It comes soon enough."

Thanks to Dave Getz for finding this quote

quote on progress

If Pro is the opposite of Con

What's the opposite of progress?

(Seen on Unland Companies sign in Pekin Illinois)

quote on teamwork

at Washington Intermediate school in Pekin

Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful committee people can change the
world. Indeed it is the only thing that ever has.

quote on money

P. J. O'Rourke - "You can't get rid of poverty by giving people money."

George S Patton Quote

George S. Patton - "If everyone is thinking alike, then somebody isn't thinking."

Notes from Mentoring Men in the Local Church seminar

(c) men with a purpose

Where are our leaders? Families, churches and communities are crying for an answer to this question.

We believe that the "one-to-one" discipleship relationship (mentoring) will help you answer that vital question. Although there are many fine books and seminars on leadership development, there is still no substitute for personal time invested in another man's life. Mentoring is not a new leadership strategy: Jesus spent time with each of His disciples, and the Bible is filled with godly men developing other men from Enoch to John.

"Mentoring is a relational experience in which one person empowers another by sharing God-given resources." ("Connecting" by Stanley & Clinton, p 38). The goal of the mentoring strategy is to provide a developmental relationship where men will grow personally to become servant leaders to their families, church, and communities. The result of the mentoring strategy will be to multiply leaders who will impact others for Jesus Christ. (Matthew 28:19-20, II Tim 2:2)

Would you rather win 500 men a year to Christ or 2 men a year to Christ who pass it on?

We know that one on one instruction is best in the sports world, why not in life?
Jesus::Disciples, Eli::Samuel, Aaron::sons, Paul::Timothy

Strategy for growth: Find someone who has what you want and attach yourself to him.

Biblical strategy: Intentionally look for teachable men, and initiate a mentoring relationship with them. (jesus/Paul, etc)

Anonymous quote on dreaming

Dreaming permits each and every one of us to be quietly and safely insane every night of our lives.

quote on magnet on Aunt Barb's fridge

"We're not gossiping, we're networking."

What is your communication really like?

Stuff to remember from 'Bringing up Boys' by James Dobson

Chapter 1: The Wonderful World of Boys
pg 2: boys are 'all afterburner and no rudder'
pg 3: Plato said; "of all animals, the boy is most unmanageable" (that was over 2300 years ago!)
Check out this entire chapter if you want SEVERAL good and funny stories of boys being boys.

Chapter 2: Vive La Difference
pg 10-12: Look here for Great lists from kids of why Girls are better than boys & boys are better than girls.
pg 15: "Of major concern to the feminists was what they considered to be the 'sexism' in children's toys. As with so many issues during that era, it was Germain Greer who said: "So where does the difference come from? If it's all bred into us by people like toy makers, who steer boys toward these trucks, girls to the dolls, and by teachers, parents, employers- all the wick influences of a sexist society..."
Great pressure was excerted on companies to 'fix' the problem. Retailers of toys were therafter put on nitce that segregation of merchandise by sex was not to be tolerated. They got the message. For more than two decades Toys R Us implemented a 'gender-neutral' approach to marketing... It was not succesful. Finally the company administered more than 10,000 customer surveys to learn more about the preferences of children. It turned out that boys and girls were interested in different things."
pg 17: Biblical teaching on sexes: Gen 1:27, Matthew 19:4-5. God created TWO sexes.

Chapter 3: So What Is the Difference?
Dobson's Dad, on having a perpetually different view & thoughts than his wife: "Any proposal that gets past both us us must be pretty good."
For Dobson's take on ADD check pages 28-31

Chapter 4: Wounded Spirits
pg 33: Too many sad facts about boys
It was at this point in my reading I realized that Dobson has yet to mention the important of Christ (though to be fair he didn't claim it was a spiritually focused book).
Pg 48: There are 14,000 sexual references a year on TV. $2 billion is spent on Alcohol ads.
Takeaway: Squish bullying immediately whenever you see it.
Pg 49: Marijuana's harmful effects

Chapter 5: The Essential Father
pg 53: "Stable Life long marriages provide the foundation for social order. Everything of value rests on those underpinnings. Historically, when the family begins to unravel in a given culture, everything from the effectiveness of government to the general welfare of the people is adversely impacted. This is precisely what is happening to us today." (and it continues)
Pg 54: "If I may be permitted to offer what will sounds like a hyperbole, I believe the future of Western civilization depends on how we handle this present crisis. Why? Because we as parents are raising the next generation of men who will either lead with honor and integrity or abandon every good thing they have inherited. They are bridges to the future. Nations that are populated largely by immature, immoral, weak-willed, cowardly, and self indulgent men cannot and will not endure. These types of men include those who sire and abandon their children; who cheat on their wives, who lie, steal, and covet; who hate their countrymen; and who serve no god but money. That is the direction culture is taking today's boys. We must make the necessary investment to counter these influences and to build within our boys lasting qualities of character, self-discipline, respect for authority, commitment to the truth, a belief in the work ethic, and an unshakable love for Jesus Christ. The pursuit of those objectives led me to undertake the writing of this book."
Fact: only 34% of American children will live through age 18 with both of their biological parents.
pg 55: "Toddlers are especially obvious in their assertions of fatherneed: they will seek out their father, ask for him when he's not present, be fascinated when he talks to them on the phone...
quoted from Fatherneed by Kyle Pruett: " Teenagers express fatherneed in yet more complex ways, competing with their father and confronting his values, beliefs, and, of course, limits."
I prayed this after reading this section: "Lord, I want to be there for my kids. I know my life is in your hands, but please perserve it until my children are solidly grounded."
pgs 56-57 have a heartbreaking story of a 58 year old man who still remembers his father being too busy for him.
"No man stands so tall as when he stoops to help a boy."
"Tie a boy to the right man and he almost never goes wrong."
pg 60: Sobering stats on prison population... Barbara Jackson quote: "It is far easier to build strong children than to repair broken men."
Bill Houghton, president of a large construction firm, has hired 1000s of people. When thinking of male interviewees he primarily considers the relationship between the man and his father. A great question to ask potential camp staff.
My thought: No matter how early God calls me home I am responsible to leave a memory & legacy that will lead my wife & kids."
Divorse effects kids for a lifetime!

Chapter 6: Fathers & Sons
General Douglas MacArthur- "Nothing has touched me more deeply than [this honor given to me] by the National Father's Day Committee. By profession, I am a soldier and take great pride in that fact. But I am prouder, infinitely prouder, to be a father. A soldier destroys in order to build. The father only builds, never destroys. The one has the potentialities of death, the other embodies creation and life. And while the hordes of death are mighty, the battalions of life are mightier still. It is my hope that my son, when I am gone, will remember me not from the battle, but in the home."
"I'd rather see a sermon than hear one."
Dobson's point (which I agree with): The best way to raise a son is to be the best possible person as a Father.
Dobson's Suggestions in instructing boys: If you speak disparagingly of females, or if you refer to them as sex objects, that will translate directly into their dating and marital relationships.
Prepare a boy to lead his family when he's grown. Make a concerted effort to teach sexual abstinence. "Of course you can do it! Young people are fully capable of understanding that irresponsible sex is not in their best interest and can lead to disease, pregnancy, rejection, etc." pg 76
For Dobson's take on masturbation see pages 78-80
A great set of verses on avoiding sexual immorality: pages 81-82

Chapter 7: Mothers & Sons
Mother's duties-resident psychologist, physician, theologian, educator, nurse, chef, taxi driver, fire marshal, and occasional police officer.
pg 86- results from a USA Today study on child care.
pg 88, 2nd full paragraph- This totally described Jackson at the time I originally read this book. (toddlerhood)
pgs 91-92: Story of Dobson's father sacrificing his career to keep James on the correct path.
Family relationships (via parental involvement and eating together) are VITAL for your kids- stats on pgs 91-92.
Comparing the breakdown of communication in Iraq for the first gulf war to breakdown in family communication- pg 96

Chapter 8: Chasing the Caterpillar
Story of French naturalist Jean Henri Fabre's experiment with processionary caterpillars. Am I keeping Brittany from falling over 'of starvation'? - pg 99
Stories & stats about needing a Sabbath. 2nd paragraph pg 102
Vince Foster, deputy counsel to President Clinton, reportedly committed suicide July 20, 1993. 8 weeks previous he gave these words to graduates of the University of Arkansas School of Law:
"A Word about family. You have amply demonstrated that you are achievers willing to work hard, long hours and set aside your personal lives. But it reminds me of that observation that no one was ever heard to say on a deathbed, I wish I had spent more time at the office. Balance wisely your professional life and your family life. If you are fortunate to have children, your parents will warn you that your children grow up and be gone before you know it. I can testify that it is true. God only allows us so many opportunities with our children to read a story, go fishing, play catch and say our prayers together. Try not to miss a one of them."

Chapter 9: The Origins of Homesexuality
Pg 116 - an obvious reason why homosexuality is not genetic. (2nd paragraph)
Joseph Nicolosi: "In 15 years I have spoken with hundreds of homosexual men. I have never met one who said he had a loving, respectful relationship with his father." pg 121
Scary quote from homosexual agenda: published in 'Gay Community News', read during a congressional debate, "We shall sodomize your sons, emblems of your feeble masculinity, of your shallow dreams and vulgar lies. We shall seduce them in your schools, in your dormitories, in your gymnasiums, in your locker rooms, in your sports arenas... " It continues.. scary! pgs 125-126
pg128: "Most men have inherited a lust for women. Their natural tendency is to have sex with as many beautiful girls as possible, both before marriage and after. Abstinence before marriage and monogamy afterward are accomplished by discipline and commitment. If men did what they are genetically programmed to do, most would be sexually promiscuous from about fourteen years of age onward. Would that make such behavior any less immoral? Of course not."

Chapter 10: Single Parents and Grandparents
pg 135: Novelist pat Conroy- "each divorce is the death of a small civilization"
pg 137: Scripture references for fatherless children- Deut 10:17-18, Deut 27:19, Psalm 68:5, Zechariah 7:10
COCUSA should be a place where single mothers can send kids for a positive male influence. How can we equip single moms?
An interesting networking website for those working in youth ministry: youthworkers.net
pg 146: An old African song: "when an old person dies, it's as if a library burns down."

Chapter 11: Let's Go for It!
pg 147- Bill Dolan story about competition: "I can remember the night at the dinner table when Tom wouldn't drink his milk and I made an issue out of it. I said, 'You're not leaving until you drink the milk.' He said, 'I don't want the milk.' I said, 'That's not the question. You're drinking the milk before you leave the table.' We were at a real Irish stalemate. So, finally it dawned on me that I know this kid, and I went and got a glass, and I filled the glass with milk. Then I said, 'I'll race you.' He said, 'Cool.' And we drank the milk, he put it down and said, 'Let's do two out of three.'
pg 148 Endurance want ad: Men wanted for hazardous duty. Small wages. Bitter cold. Long months of complete darkness, constant danger. Safe return doubtful. Hnor and recognition in case of success." More than 5000 men applied in 1914. only 27 were accepted.
pg 150 "Children are going to disappoint us" How will I react? Snap at them? Or be wise and respond with love and warmth.
pg158 A judgment of skill or power is not a judgment of my person worth- my personal worth rests in God

Chapter 12 Men R Fools
pg 164-165 Why do ads make fun of men? (great examples of this on these pages)
"Do we like being dpected as dumb, horny, fat, nerdy, and ugly? Apparently."
pgs 166-167 Men on Titanic: Reality (masculine; self sacrificing) vs Movie (selfish jerks)
pg 168 "If a man belittles a woman, it could become a lawsuit. But if a womn belittles a man, it's a Hallmark card."
pg 169 Women's strengths: networking, cooperating, facilitation, teaching, training, caring
Men's strengths: entreprenurial enterprise, independent thinking, building, risk taking, planning, leadership

Chapter 13: Boys in School

Chapter 14: Predators
pg 200- Description of a postmodern worldview: "We owe existence to randomn chance in a chaotic universe with no design and no designer. We are accountable to no one to live for a meaningless moment in a dying cosmos that will end in total darkness." Try to pull hope out of that!

Chapter 15: Staying Close
pg 219: "Former first lady Hillary Rodham Clinton told a story about her father who never affirmed her as a child. When she was in high school, she brought home a straight-A report card. She showed it to her dad, hoping for a word of commendation. Instead, he said, 'Well, you must be attending an easy school." Thirtyfive years later the remark still burns in Mrs. Clinton's mind."

Chapter 16: Discipling Boys
pg 241: illustration of materialism: "It is important to realize that this item was not purchased with your money; it was bought with your time, which you traded fo rmoney. In effect, you swapped a certain portion of your alloted days on earth for that piece of junk that now clutters your home."

Chapter 17: The Ultimate Priority
pg 253: Parental prayer: "Lord, give us wisdom to raise the precious children whom you have loaned to us, and above all else, help us bring them to the feet of Jesus. This is more important to us than our health or our work or our finances."
"A rookie playing for the Chicago Bulls in the NBA. One night, the incomparable Michael Jordan scored sixty-six points, and teh rookie was sent in for the last couple of minutes of the game. When the young man was interviewed by a reporter afterwards, he said, 'Yeah, it was a great night. Michael Jordan and I scored sixty-eight points.' That's the way I feel about parenting and prayer."
I realized as I was reading this that my time with Jackson and Adrian is already flying by! (as of Feb 2009, 10% of my time with Jackson and 5% with Adrian) I need a constant reminder of this!

What do you want to be when you grow up?

Why are adults always asking kids what they want to be when they grow up?

Because they're trying to get ideas for themselves!!

Actual quote:
"Adults are always asking kids what they want to be when they grow up 'cause they're trying to get ideas." - Paula Poundstone (comedian)

Quote on vision

If you want to build a ship, don’t summon people to buy wood, prepare tools,
distribute jobs, and organize the work, rather teach people the yearning for
the wide, boundless ocean.
Antoine de Saint-Exupéry

John Piper Quote

Here is a quote from John Piper that is worth considering: “We deal with the system. We deal with the news. We deal with the candidates. We deal with the issues. But we deal with it all as if not dealing with it. It does not have our fullest attention. It is not the great thing in our lives. Christ is. And Christ will be ruling over his people with perfect supremacy no matter who is elected and no matter what government stands or falls.”

John Stott quote

John Stott, in his excellent commentary about 2 Timothy, wrote “Nothing that is easy is ever worthwhile, or the reverse, nothing is worthwhile if it is easy.”

Prayer devotion

Originally given to Site Directors at the beginning of COCUSA training 2008
OPEN IN PRAYER
“You can do more than pray after you have prayed, but you cannot do more than pray until you have prayed.” -- A. J. Gordon A quote that we don’t totally understand, but have misquoted numerous times to each other as full time staff.
Discuss. What does this mean? Talk to me. Do you buy this? Why or why not?

If I could emphasize one thing for this devotion but more importantly for this summer, it is this: Pray!
(Isaiah 58-59)
Two Biblical references prayer that we can look at: one positive, one negative.
Negative: Open your Bibles to Joshua 9. Can anyone tell me what happens in Joshua 9? The Gibeonites deceive the leaders of Israel… Joshua 9:14… who failed to pray. They hindered themselves (chapter 10’s battle was a result of this treaty) because they did not pray.
Positive: Acts 4:23-24. As we turn there, who can tell me what Acts 4 is about? After being threatened to no longer tell about Christ, the disciples FIRST and immediate response was to pray. It was a great prayer too... so great that there was an earthquake.

Examples of People: Daniel (6:10), Jesus (Mark 6:46), Peter (Acts 10:9)

So Prayer is important. How do we make it happen? How can we do it better?
Two categories for prayer that have been helpful to me. There could be more… Brittany reminded me of ‘corporate’ prayer (in keeping with the ‘Cs’)
Closet Prayer. Where would that be referenced in Scripture? Matthew 6:6. A specific reference to going somewhere alone and purposefully spending time in prayer to God; just you and the Lord. Think of your ‘classic’ prayer time.
Constant Prayer. Where would that be in Scripture? I Thessalonians 5:17. A good description I read in a book recently (and edited a little): “When you understand the concept of being [constantly in prayer] it’s as if you have one ear tuned in to the conversation you’re in, while the other ear is tuned in to God. You may be in dialogue with someone about any number of things – the latest news or sports; [how camp is going] whatever – but you are constantly asking , ‘God, is this an open door? Do you want me to encourage? What do you need me to do? Guide me please.’” (Just Walk, Hybels)

So turn to some blank paper in your notebook (we want you guys to be writing constantly these 2 days… it will really help you lock in to what we’re saying). On one side write down ‘Closet’ and the other side ‘Constant’ Take a moment to think. Circle the one that you know you need to work on this summer. Now let’s talk about that.

Discuss Helps:
Closet: have a location (car, shower-Brad), have a list (Philippians 1:3-4), have a system: (ACTS, divide days of week), make sure you are alone
Constant: pray for it in your ‘closet’ time, memorize a prayer or two that you can use, use a place/sound/site to remind you, cell phone alarm, discipline of thought (brother Lawrence),

Write down one idea for the area you circled. Improving our relationship with God is the best thing we can do for this summer.

A closing thought for both your closet and constant prayer time… as well as our prayer time which will follow. I heard this story about a pastor in Hawaii [tell rain and evangelism event]. Remember: our focus should on the Lord. The logistics and plans that we’ll spend the next 2 days talking about are important, but we need God to show up this summer. I’ll end with a quote: “When I work, I work, but when I pray, God works.” (Hybels). Who do you want working this summer?

Excerpts from Revolution in Generosity

Should fundraisers concern themselves with spiritual growth?
The pattern of conforming to the world around us is also characteristic of how Christian organizations ask for resources. Christian organizations, including churches, have increasingly adopted secular models of fundraising. For example, supporters are often encouraged to give for what they can get in return (tax deduction, gift, name on building, etc) and are not challenged to honor God and be generous as Christ is generous. The common practice of using transactional techniques that emphasize manipulation to motivate giving is often contrary to God's word.
Thankfully there is another path. It is possible to flip current notions on their head and place God first, focusing on transforming giver's hearts and lives towards God-focused stewardship. Once a Christian understands how God views money and generosity, it becomes clear that asking is about facilitating the heart transformation of believers to conform to the image of Christ. Once this happens among believers, the result will be a revolution in generosity and God's kingdom work on this earth will be fully funded. Section three of this book focuses on the unique role of askers in spiritual formation.
Will a transformational model raise money?
yes and the amount becomes less of the focus as transformation and character formation move to center stage. Sadly, two out of three senior pastors of Protestant churches believe that their churches are not living up to their giving potential. If members of historically Christian churches in the United States had raised their giving to just 10 percent of their income in 2000, an additional $139 billion a year would have become available for kingdom work. Our potential is mind-blowing: 80 percent of the world's evangelical wealth is in North America- and the total represents way more than enough to fund the fulfillment of the great Commission. What might the Lord accomplish through His church if she took the first step of faith on the journey of generosity?
Until believers acknowledge the simple truth that "where your treasure is, there will your heart be also" we will not see believers starting to conform to the image of Christ and become generous as Christ is generous. The revolution in generosity will flood forth when believers start to allow the Holy Spirit to work his truth out in their lives and realize that generosity is a spiritual issue of the heart.
Horace Bushnell writes "One more revival-only one more- is needed, the revival of Christian stewardship, the consecration of the money power to God. When the revival comes, the Kingdom of God will come in a day."

I have a couple disagreements with this.. mainly it comes across that money alone will accomplish God's purposes. I don't think this is what they are saying, but parts come across that way.

Quote hanging on wall

We do not remember days. We remember moments.

Starbucks Cups Quotes

#194 "The manual arts have always taken precedence over the fine arts. Remember, somebody had to build a ceiling before Michelangelo could go to work." John Ratzenberger (known for Cheers and roles in Pixar films.

#112 "If you've got a dollar and you spend twenty-nine cents on a loaf of bread, you've got seventy-one cents left. But if you've got seventeen grand and you spend twenty-nine cents on a loaf of bread, you've still got seventeen grand. There's a math lesson for you." Steve Martin