Tuesday, February 10, 2009

Critical Thinkers Group

Last week, I had the opportunity to join 30 other sub-40 year old pastors from around the nation and Canada. It was a blessing to be among this elite group of my peers. Rich Wilkerson of Trinity Church in Miami, Florida hosted the event. They treated us to some great food, discussion and training.

Here is what I took away from the event:

1. "One God idea is better than a 1,000 good ideas." - Mark Batterson, Pastor of National Community Church and Author of In A Pit With A Lion On A Snowy Day and Wild Goose Chase

2. "There's something that's inside of our skin that tells us that someone else's success is our failure." - Troy Grambling, Pastor of Flamingo Road Church, Miami, Florida

3. Be who God created you to be and believe in your calling - Troy Grambling

4. Rich Wilkerson talked about how things start on the coastal cities and move inland. Think about it. What are the most secular cities in our nation? New York, New Orleans, Miami, Los Angeles, Seattle, etc. He said what's starts there will eventually make its way to our communities. This is what they are currently facing in Miami......Extreme Secularism, Spiritism, Sheer lostness of people, and Religious persecution. He said to get ready because this would be what is coming to our cities.

5. John Gray spoke on Tuesday Night. It was incredible. God reminded me of a dream that he had given me years ago. I honestly thought the dream had been accomplished during our time in Chandler. However, the dream is not over. It is still alive and burning deep in my soul. There was a rebirth that took place that night. We ended the night with all the pastors heading to a side room for anointing and prayer. This was a very powerful time.

I also wanted to say how awesome it was to be able to hang with a couple of friends from my college days. Michael Norman, John Van Pay (and Stephanie) and I had a blast. I don't think I have laughed that hard in a long time.

2 comments:

@heredes said...

Great learnings!

it's Troy Gramling ... not Grambling....

;)

Blessings

Heredes .com

Unknown said...

I could not find anywhere to directly post a comment on Pastor Troy's sermons and broadcasts, so I settled here. For months now, I've turned the TV channel within 5minutes of the start of his show.

Tell me, is Flamingo Church ministries an all couples congregation? Troy talks only about and to married couples (and for our Lord's sake, don't pretend we singles are supposed to gather truths from amidst the coupledom rap.) I can't count the number of consecutive broadcasts on married couples. This is so incredibly STUPID!(I tried to think of a more apt or clever word here, but my brain failed.) It might have had some use in the 50's and earlier, but in this age?!

There are single people out here, Troy. Lots and lots and lots of us. You have nothing for us and since it's obvious you made a choice about the direction of your message, you obviously don't care. I don't know the stats at all, but I think you should look them up, because I suspect if you put the never-marrieds together with the divorced and widowed, in numbers we far surpass the married.

I suppose you might think the divorced can learn something about what they did wrong--hmph, hubris on you.

But I'm single and at 60(believe me I don't look it), about 98%likely to stay that way. I don't mind. I burned out on men twenty years ago. I had my day, but I don't care anymore that it's not going to happen again.

There are thousands of variations of me, a lot probably with much more romantic expectation and hope or desperation or lifelong scars from heartbreak. I suspect you would like to tell us to give our bibles away to a married, because it wasn't meant for us.

I know at least the beginning of your response to me were you ever to make one. "Our churh is for everyone, married or single." Piffle. As you sow, so shall you reap.

Meantime, at 10:30 I turn the channel from 7 to Trinity Broadcasting or I meditate on Joel osteen and most particularly, Pastor Bob Coy. I even have to set my alarm for his early program, but strangely or not so strangely, God usually wakes me up naturally around 10 to 8. If anyone at all reads this, please check him out. I can't describe him except to say he's NEVER boring, wonderfully funny, doesn't ignore the harder parts of the Bible while still focusing on the positive ones (sort of a politically incorrect Joel Osteen). He brought me back to God about 3 years ago. His whole sermon did it, but most of all, I had never thought of God as someone "who wants to hang out with me." It changed my whole understanding of God.

Needless to say, he speaks each week to people. Married or single has nothing to do with it.

Singles ignored by Troy Gramling, check him out at activeword.org. Main church is Calvary Chapel on Cypress Creek Road with another branch in Plantation, I think.

Troy, I truly pray and I rather believe that you have given much help and support to the married couples of your ministry. Heaven and earth know they need help--six sisters and not 1 happy marriage in my own family.

But you really ought to give a broadcast warning at the start of your sermons or talks: Single and widowed people, please search out a different ministry as I have nothing to say to you.

D.D. Fortino (Dolores Fortino)

ddfortino@comcast.net