Category Archives: National Missions

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April 22, 2014

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Christian Life, Family, National Missions, Pastoring

3 Realities About Overcoming Depression

By Carl Nichols

A year ago it got very real for me as I shared my story with hundreds of people about a time in my life when I battled depression.

3 realities about overcoming depression

I am 100% sure that there are more depressed people in our community today than would actually admit, or even realize. In America, use of medication to treat depression has increased over 400% since 1988, making the people of the USA the wealthiest and most depressed people on the planet. Here are a few things that a friend and mentor helped me recognize in my own life:

4 Things that contributed to my depression

  1. An Unrealistic Pace – You can only run at full throttle for so long before you hit a wall
  2. An Unrealistic Expectation of Others – People will let you down so quit pretending that they won’t
  3. An Unrealistic View on Life – I was at one of the best places in my life financially as well as in my career, yet was growing unhappier and unhealthier by the day
  4. An Unrealistic Desire for Approval – Almost all of us struggle with this!

3 Realities about overcoming depression

  1. Denial doesn’t help, it only hurts – The first step in any recovery is to recognize the problem
  2. You cannot do life alone – God’s design for all of us is relational in nature so it is important to have others who share our faith walking with us in this journey called life.
  3. The solution begins by addressing the brokenness inside of you – Unless we realize our fallenness and brokenness, it is impossible for us to be authentic enough to recover and have faith in someone greater.

Remember…

Only God can use your pain for your progress!

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April 8, 2014

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Christian Life, Leadership, National Missions

3 Secrets to Avoiding Train Wrecks in Your Church

By Carl Nichols

If you are anything like me, you HATE when things don’t go as planned. I must admit I am a little OCD in this regard. I hate for a meeting to run long, I hate for things to change at the last minute, and I hate when I plan something and then, out of nowhere, things beyond my control begin to happen. Yes, hate is a strong word, but that’s the way I feel.

Recently at Relevant Church, we launched #STUCK and focused on “circumstances beyond our control.” I learned several valuable lessons from a situation that happened during one of the services. avoid a train wreck during worshipOnly about six weeks off the heels of an entire side wall of pipe and drape falling in the middle of one of the most important seasons in the history of our church, a few weeks ago we nearly had another train wreck—during the second song of the second experience, our drummer’s in-ear monitors quit working. I noticed it immediately and was hoping the guys could keep it together. If you know anything about playing in a band, you understand that if the drummer can’t hear then everybody could be in trouble. At any rate, I thought the team did a great job of scratching through and making lemonade out of lemons. What was happening on stage was only noticeable to the trained eye, even though we nearly had a disaster in the middle of a rap portion of the song. Not only did most people not notice, but many complimented the music following the experience. With that in mind, there are three lessons I want to share:

  1. Excellence should always be the end goal. If this is the case, there is always a contingency plan for unforeseen circumstances. When you merely “get through” something in life, train wrecks are inevitable. This is true of everything from relationships to finances to business.
  2. Never underestimate the power of margin. As a fast growing church plant with limited resources, we have to be very strategic about ensuring that we have “extra” equipment, time, and planning. We have learned this the hard way on several occasions. Margin reduces stress and allows for fruitfulness.
  3. Having the right people around you is essential to achieve success. It was fun to watch each person play their part and make a success out of what could have been a disaster. Just as important as having the right people around you is ensuring that you set boundaries for the wrong people.

I’m curious, which one of these is the hardest for you?

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April 2, 2014

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Christian Life, Congregrational Ministries, Executive Office, International Missions, National Missions

The Future is Bright

By Clint Cook, Executive Director

What exciting days these are for General Baptists!  As I read report after report from our churches and mission fields, I can do nothing but give praise to our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ!  I can recall no other time in General Baptist history when lives have been change through Christ at such a staggering pace.

the future is bright for church plants

Week after week our churches are witnessing lives changed by the gospel, baptisms performed in obedience to the Scripture, and discipleship deepened through study of the Word.

How proud every General Baptist should be to know that more people are participating in church planting and internationalThe future is bright for new believers all over the world mission work than ever before.  Our MVP ministry teams meet physical and spiritual needs of people in places like Honduras, Mexico, and Jamaica on short-term mission trips.  Our church planters stamp their communities with the name of Christ in exponential proportions.  Our international missionaries expand their spheres of influence by recruiting and mentoring local pastors, supporting community churches, and inserting Jesus Christ into their local cultures through the teaching and training of nationals.

How exhilarating it is to see how God uses the Summit and Next Level Coaching to empower pastors and church leaders.  As they tailor these instructions and resources to their churches and communities, they give more and more people the opportunity to hear and accept Jesus Christ as their Savior.  And let’s not forget about the number of young adults who are participating in General Baptist conferences throughout the year, either at the National Youth Conference or the Generation Next Conference!

Yes, the future is bright for General Baptists and how thankful I am that I’m a partner in this incredible time with you, accomplishing more together than we can do alone.