Stories of Sifted

As leaders we sometimes casually quip, Church planting is hard! But the sacrifice and sifting of a church planting family is real.  Kelly Adkins and her husband, Mike, planted Grace in Orlando almost 9 years ago. Kelly gets to the heart of the matter as she describes the hurt, rejection, loneliness, loss and pain of church planting. But she reminds us all of the One Who really suffered and the ridiculous grace that drives us to answer the call.  Read Kelly’s story here.

As ministry leaders, we regularly experience times of sifting. Seasons of painful sacrifice, persecution, consequences or loss that cause us to question what we’re doing. What God is doing! When faced with Jesus’ undeserved suffering however, our perspective changes quickly. Walk with Jesus through his final moments here.

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So much had happened so quickly. Jesus had been crucified. Now, with their dreams shattered, Peter and the other disciples were confused and unsure of what to do next.  Read more of Peter’s story here.

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Do you ever find it tempting to compromise ‘for the good of others’?  To justify your actions because of the good produced.  Jesus was tempted in the same way.  He could’ve easily justified accepting immediate power and acclaim. After all, the world would be affected for good.  Or so it seemed.  But was that the Father’s plan?  Read Jesus’ story of temptation here.

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Moses’ life seemed charmed from the start. Hidden as a baby, raised in the finest of settings, educated with the best. But the truth eventually emerges and Moses has to deal with it.  In spite of his failings, God uses him to lead a nation.  Read more of Moses’ sifted story here.

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Josh and Lisa Husmann had a clear call to relocate and plant a church in Indiana, and they were excited about this new adventure.  And to add to the excitement, a month after they arrived, Lisa found out she was pregnant with their second child, Jaxton! But shortly after, the unthinkable happened during a routine doctor visit.  Read more of Josh’s story here. See Jaxton’s video here.  Continue the conversation this April at Exponential 2012.

What kind of love rescues us from sin and gently, lovingly draws us to Himself?  Shouldn’t God just ‘take us out’ when we’re helping destroy others?  Though it didn’t feel like it at the time, Paul experienced God’s great love the day he was struck down on the road. Paul shares the results of his experience here.

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Years ago, when Steve Pike was called to plant a church, he recalls, “The penultimate “sifted” moment came about six months after the public launch. Only six people showed up for our weekly worship service and four of them were my family and I.”   God used that experience to ultimately grow Steve’s trust in Him; and grow the church. Read more of Steve’s story here.  Continue the conversation this April at Exponential 2012.

Sometimes we suffer due to our own bad decisions. Bur Job’s suffering was unfounded, though his counseling friends would say otherwise as they tried to make sense of it all.  Join Job as he reflects on the pain and what he learned through it.

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