Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them, “Rulers of the people and elders, if we are being questioned today because of a good deed done to someone who was sick and are being asked how this man has been healed, let it be known to all of you, and to all the people of Israel, that this man is standing before you in good health by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead. This Jesus is
‘the stone that was rejected by you, the builders; it has become the cornerstone.’
“There is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among mortals by which we must be saved.”
Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John and realized that they were uneducated and ordinary men, they were amazed and recognized them as companions of Jesus. —Acts 4:8-13 (NRSV)
“Our world desperately needs you to become a person of peace in an age of outrage.” —John Ortberg
Week 1
Being loved by Jesus is a gift; following Jesus is a
The goal is to become ready for God to use us to
“With this faith we will be able to hew out of the mountain of despair a stone of hope.” —Martin Luther King Jr.
Week 2
It takes a clear
The good news of Jesus is that we are loved
Week 3
“Blessed are the flexible for they shall not be bent out of shape.” —A2 Beatitude
We want God to make us
“Resilience is not about becoming smarter or tougher; it’s about becoming stronger and more flexible. It’s about becoming tempered.” —Dr. Tod Bolsinger
Self-reflection that leads to self-awareness makes us
Honest and courageous self-awareness leads to feeling
“I want to experience your vulnerability but I don’t want to be vulnerable. Vulnerability is courage in you and inadequacy in me.” —Brené Brown
If the first critical element for resilience is vulnerable self-reflection, then the second is solid, safe
This Week: Hardship + Relationship = Resilience
“The goal is not to break down or break through resistance but to
it… to transform discord into ‘brotherhood.’” —Tod Bolsinger
We can have hard conversations when we know that we
The
Never do ministry
“To lead alone is reckless and arrogant; it is foolish and dangerous to both self and others.” —Tod Bolsinger
The more responsibility we have, the more accountability and
Three Important Types of Relationship
“The front stage is where performance happens. The backstage is the place to support and nurture great front-stage performances. And the off-stage is a place to step away from performance roles and engage other parts of life.” —Matt Bloom, Professor of Business and Management, University of Notre Dame
Front Stage: We need teammates,
We need trustworthy
“The primary way to prepare for the unknown is to attend to the quality of our relationships, to how well we know and trust one another…” —Margaret Wheatley
Backstage: We need
Good front-stage work depends on a lot of time backstage preparing and
The Bible is full of wise elders, teachers, and
Offstage: We need friends and family members who care more about
The more
Spiritual directors, psychological therapists, and support groups can create a powerful sanctuary of
Action Steps
Who is one person who
If they are still alive, say, “
Schedule a backstage
Call a
My additional notes: