here.

If the above link does not work, simply post the following into your web browser:

http://www.designgroupinternational.com/blog/

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Thanks for your interest in The Muse and the ongoing conversations we have had!

-mark l vincent

By contrast, the Christian worldview compels a believer to participate in the economy as a means to:

• receive with gratitude,
• create in order that others might benefit,
• and share in God’s name that others might gratefully receive.

February 2002, Lorie had just a few months to live and the MAID protocol was our last-ditch effort.

As Lorie and I get ready for the launch of our book Fighting Disease not Death: Finding a way through lifelong struggle, a number of elements are coming together that seem appropriate to share in this blog:

1. The book summary:

After twelve years, sixteen cancer occurrences and counting, Lorie L. Vincent and her husband Mark chronicle their approach to living and thriving during lifelong suffering.

In Fighting Disease, Not Death they go beyond the relentless progression of the disease to describe the anchoring faith that sustains them and gives them a reason to remain in service to others. They compare their decision to fight disease but not worry about the moment of death to approaches others take when faced with lifelong suffering. Their critique of these other approaches is gentle but offers each reader a stark reminder that they will collect suffering experiences during their lifetime. Lorie and Mark maintain it is how each of us builds on our crucibles that makes us remarkable and gives us opportunity to offer lasting value for those who come after us.

2. An endorsement from one of Lorie’s physicians:

3. Here are a number of links to related resources:

• The ProHealth Care CyberKnife® Center virtual tour:

http://www.prohealthcare.org/services/videos/CyberKnife®-center-tour.aspx

• Information about the superDimension® bronchoscopy:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XW6piIH_lyk  (Just released to the public)

http://www.superdimension.com/view/files/LorieVincentStory.pdf

• The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel article after Lorie’s seventh cancer occurrence:

http://www.redorbit.com/news/health/373416/lorie_vincent_was_told_cancer_would_kill_her_in_months/

• Lorie’s ProHealth Care patient story and radio spot:

http://www.123people.com/ext/frm?ti=person%20finder&search_term=lorie%20vincent&search_country=US&st=person%20finder&target_url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.medteams.org%2FPatients%2Fworld-class-care%2FPatientTestimonials%2Florie-s-testimonial.aspx

• The national advertising campaign ad on CyberKnife®, featuring Lorie’s story:

http://www.creativepd.com/unitedhemispheresinsightoct08.pdf

(the ad is located on p.8)

• More reflections on medical outliers from The Muse, Mark L. Vincent’s blog:

http://givingproject.wordpress.com/2010/07/16/outliers-and-medical-justice-a-response-to-mr-henninger/

Lorie is now widely considered the longest-lived person with uterine metastatic leiomysosarcoma

Just as soon as we have price information, pre-publication orders will be made available.

-mark l vincent

An ancient person might hold several ideas about what Paul meant when he spoke of having God’s secret wisdom. Jews may have thought one thing, Greeks and Romans another. Those with Gnostic commitments were also fond of speaking about secrets and mysteries. Paul was very astute to use the phrase secret wisdom. It kept the vast potential audience of cosmopolitan Corinth with him.

But what was his secret wisdom? Looking at the full scope of his writing, we discover Paul spoke often of his calling to take the gospel where God sent him. The gospel for Paul was God’s secret wisdom. It should not, however, be mistaken for a body of doctrine or the replication of a denominational system. Paul is referring to the kerygma–the Greek term for a specific set of messages that tell the story of what Jesus Christ means to the world.

Joel Stephen Williams developed a succinct list of what was included in the kerygma Paul preached so faithfully. Here is a concise summary of it:

1. The prophets foretold an age led by God’s special Servant, the Messiah.
2. This age came in the birth, life, ministry, death, resurrection and promised return of Jesus Christ.
3. Jesus sits at the right hand of God and is the head of the spiritual Israel, the church, God’s people.
4. The Holy Spirit is the sign of Christ’s power and glory until the promised return of Christ when Christ’s kingdom of peace and righteousness will come in entirety.
5. All are invited to repent and enjoy the offer of forgiveness, salvation, and the Holy Spirit.

1.    What is the best framework for deciding when to outsource certain ministry operations?

I’m delighted you used the word “framework” in your question, because the framework we tend to use is inappropriate for the outsourcing conversation, and that assumes we are actually conscious of it. A framework always exists, but if it is ignored decision makers cannot explain why they did what they did, and why it connects to the mission of the organization. And if the framework is consciously present but is inappropriate, then resulting decisions do not build the long-term effectiveness of the organization.

One inappropriate framework is too often that of “outsourcing is for when you cannot afford a staff position and need to spend less money.” This framework is inappropriate because it believes that reducing expense outranks ministry effectiveness and long-term ministry growth.

A better framework begins with an organizational metric. This can be found by answering the following questions:

• What is the size of our organizational economy? Also, how much of this economy is in annual income we use for operations?
• What is the healthy distribution percentage of operations money for staff, for program and facilities? This needs to add up to less than 100% because the difference is the carryover to keep building up cash reserves.
• In accomplishing and expanding our mission objectives, what staff tasks must be performed? Of these tasks, which must be carried by employees that embody the mission and values of the organization, and which ones are best carried by vendors who share a passion for our mission and values? The key in such a decision is the regularity of the task, interaction with the constituency (employees), versus irregularity of the task, expertise, continuous learning, and efficiency (vendors)
• How will we distribute our staff budget in such a way that accomplishes and expands our mission objectives, while retaining flexibility to respond to needs when they arise? This points to some money remaining unspent, or spent for only part of a year in order to take advantage of a vendor’s expertise or to cover the costs of a special project.

One obstacle that prevents organizations and leaders from moving to this better framework is that they are already spending everything and more that they have available for staffing. Thus, outsourcing requires extra money or is put in place to cover the tasks after having cut a staff position. This creates problems for the vendors because they are resented as job stealers, or because the expectation is to preserve an organization by cutting expenses rather than through mission fulfillment. By working ahead and working from a larger economic point of view, vendors become part of the organizational growth strategy rather than a last ditch choice.

2.   What are benefits to using vendors and consultants versus in-house staff? What are some drawbacks to this method?

Let’s assume it is a problem to use vendors and consultants too much and it is a problem to not use them at all. A total staff approach is rigid and bound to the confines of the budget. An organization has to postpone addressing specific needs if it has no money to hire the needed staff. Further, for large organizations, staff can lodge their loyalty with their division or department instead of the overall organizational mission. Conversely, a total vendor approach makes it difficult to build an organizational culture and loyalty to the organization’s mission is always suspect. Where staff might be perceived as entrenched, vendors and consultants might be perceived as mercenary. Employees cost less per day, but cost more to train, hire and replace. Consultants and vendors cost more per day, but most work for specific projects in a time-limited basis, usually cost less per year than an employee does, and can be more easily replaced.

An intentional mix of the two works best, especially with thoughtful responses to the above questions giving strategic guidance. Staff can then provide overarching perspective and continuity while vendors and/or consultants bring fresh perspective and targeted expertise.

The drawback of staff resentment for vendors has already been mentioned. Other drawbacks to avoid are hiring vendors or consultants who cannot detail their own sense of mission and values, consultants and vendors who use their platform to seek a job rather than practice a vocation, or consultants and vendors who structure their services in an attempt to keep their contract with the organization until the end of time. The best ones in the business detail the objectives they will help you reach and the time-frame in which they will do it with you. When it is done, they are done.

 3.    How can a ministry be designed to allow for both outsourcing and traditional staffing?

An organizational metric is key. If an organization does not make its staff budget flexible enough to build the mix of employees and vendors, it simply will not work over the long haul.

Depending on how an organization sets up its chart of accounts, certain facility costs can be outsourced too. Outsourced custodial services are one many organizations use. The core of this discussion, however, seems to be outsourced administrative and staff tasks that carry out the program in which the ministry organization invests. Depending on the organization’s size and resident expertise among the employees, items such as executive search, training, facilitating complex decisions or organizational development, capital fundraising counsel, payroll, event planning and others might be better served by a vendor. Many ask why so, and the answer is because trying to do these things in addition to the normal full-time tasks may make employees inattentive to the work they need to be doing. Many tasks best served by a vendor are time-bound and intensive. It becomes an inefficient use of donor dollars to delay or reduce a ministry program run by staff in order to engage other important, but nonrecurring tasks.

One co-worker I experienced many years ago was emblematic of the problem. She did not want to be shut out of anything, and she was on record that she would rather leave a task undone than entrust it to someone else outside the system. This stands in contrast, of course, to the many consultants I have known who think they can do anything better than anyone else and keep bullying their clients to let them do more.

4.    How can a ministry effectively make a smooth transition as tasks move from in-house to being outsourced? How can a leader effectively communicate these changes to the current in-house staff?

A smooth transition means working ahead, and I would again point to working through the metric establishing questions detailed at the beginning of this interview. Thoughtful answers to these questions help leaders build and then follow a trajectory rather than doing something abruptly. Working toward a trajectory brings in-house staff into the conversation and implementation of vendor roles. They become part of making it happen rather than it happening to them.

As to communication; this will sound simplistic, but I’ve found this following formula incredibly helpful in building toward significant change within an organization:  Talk about the fact you are going to talk about it, then talk about it, then talk about the fact you talked about it. Even after this, leaders should expect that some are still not going to track with it until changes actually begin. In some cases, a person might be criticized for not paying attention, but in many cases such a person is a tactile learner and needs to see the change happening before they can fully grasp it. Patient and persistent communication is more likely to be effective communication than outstanding PowerPoint slides or corporate-wide e-mail announcements released during the weekend.

 5.    Do you anticipate increased outsourcing in ministries of the future?

I believe we can expect that outsourcing will and should grow some, but I don’t think it will be like a rocket. Even as organizations begin to try outsourcing as a more efficient and quality way to accomplish organizational mission, too many consultants and vendors are entering the system. The recent recession put a lot of other persons in the mood to try their hand at being a vendor. As a result pricing, quality and definitions of vendor and consultative services are all over the place. This threatens the ability for good vendors and clients to find each other. It seems for every positive step forward, vendors and clients pull stunts that set the growth back for everyone.

Clients seeking vendor services are well-advised to check references, expect a contract that details the scope and chronology of work, along with an out if they are not satisfied, and to make sure they are not paying too much of the money up front. Consultants that want their work to be an honorable vocation do well to coach their clients to expect these things.

Mark L. Vincent, is the CEO of Design Group International, an organizational development firm that helps organizations and their leaders discover clarity and implement solutions.

I suddenly understood why it is some people react so strongly to salty, sweet or slightly stale foods when I almost never have such a reaction and wonder why they do.

It also made me wonder if there is a “wimpy taster’s tongue,” where the number of taste buds are significantly less than that of a normal person. I also wondered if I am such a person because most foods taste pretty bland to me unless they are spicy hot, very sweet or extremely salty.

I’ve been more observant about this since I saw that picture and notice that people with finely crafted palates take their time with food and savor it. The smells of preparing and then consuming their meals are higher art than the usual sub sandwich and large drink from a paper cup that I prefer. I’ve also learned that I enjoy dining with people like this–my daughter and one of my sisters-in-law are key examples, because they help me slow down and savor the complexities of the foods they enjoy.

How true is this for you? Think about the difference between a candy bar and richly layered baked from scratch chocolate cake. Both are chocolate. If you devour them you barely notice the difference. If you take your time, however, and are conscious of each bite, you begin to notice a substantial difference. Some of us can do this more readily than others, but we all benefit by being more conscious of the potential beauty of what we are eating.

We have a similar experience when we open the Scriptures to learn what God says to us. Our tendency is to read quickly and hope something jumps out and makes a difference in our spiritual or moral lives. Sometimes it does. More often, however, we have to take a more deliberate and reflective approach. If we don’t we will miss God who so often speaks in a still, small voice. If our minds and hearts are not quiet, we will not hear it.

It is the difference between speeding to a destination in a high-powered car while the radio is blasting and we are balancing a cell phone on our knees and a cup of coffee in one hand, or walking to a destination and leaving early so that we can take our time. In the first scenario we arrive without having noticed the world around us. In the second, our minds are aware, rested and ready for action.

We need to be deliberate when we study scripture. A major benefit of a nicely crafted worship service is that it can prepare the mind to do so. If we are in personal study, finding the quiet space to read, reflect and pray is helpful for our spiritual digestion. Consider this text from Hebrews for instance. If we rush through a reading of it a faithful person will re-affirm that Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever. But if they are deliberately focused they will know why. Their faith will be strengthened with a deeper conviction of how true and important it is to have an unchanging Savior.

One purpose that can be claimed in studying Hebrews 13  is to receive encouragement as a Christian, and to be reminded of what is important for our spiritual development after we receive Jesus as Savior, after our baptism, and once we have begun exercising our spiritual gifts in ministry.  We could think about it this way:

•  If you feel lost, then God’s call in your life is to receive his salvation offered in Jesus Christ. Then be baptized as a public confession of your intention to be a follower of Jesus.
• If you wonder if God has a plan for your life then sit down with a trusted mentor to figure out where your greatest joy intersects with the needs of the world so that you can begin engaging in ministry now, where you are, with what you have.
• And if you have done these things and wonder if there isn’t something more of God that you are missing, then you are ready for what Hebrews 13 offers.

A study of the first six verses shows that going deeper into Christian living is not about accumulating more experiences at different types of revival meetings, or collecting more versions of the bible, or owning thirteen types of portraits of Jesus, as much as it is incorporating faith into the everyday aspects of how life is organized. It is about developing a household that can show hospitality and has capacity to care for other believers who might find themselves in prison or in a prolonged illness. It is about developing a household–whether we are married or single–that honors marriage as a portrait of Christ’s relationship with the church. It is about developing a household that attests to faith in God over the desire to accumulate material wealth..  In other words, if we feel as if our Christian life is going nowhere, we need to ask ourselves if this kind of capacity exists in the way our households are organized. If it does not, then we have an answer as to why we feel spiritually dissatisfied. We do not need to look any further.

Now, as we consider verses 7-16, we find the writer of this letter to Hebrew Christians is finding multiple ways to say the same thing because he repeats the theme:

            Through Jesus, therefore, let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise–the fruit of lips that confess his name. And do not forget to do good and to share      with others, for with such sacrifices God is pleased.  (vv.15,16).

Worship and loving service to others needs to be the focus of Christian living. If it isn’t present, it is no small wonder we would feel disconnected from God.

Notice again, how these two verses start: “Through Jesus.” In effect, we need to know Jesus if we are going to bring praise to God and then turn and take the risk of doing good and sharing with others. The writer of the Hebrews wants to make sure we know about him and uses the preceding verses to tell us a little about him.

He begins by telling us that Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever (v.8). If we read this passage quickly it almost appears like a parenthesis, something disconnected between the thoughts surrounding it. The writer talks about showing respect to the leaders who go before us, and then shifts to talking about the High Priest and the offering of sacrifices. The comment about Jesus in crossing all of the eons drops into the middle. The point of connection between these thoughts gets lost unless we slow down enough to grasp the complexity of thought, savoring all the writers wants to tell us.

As I’ve studied the passage, I find it easier to explain by working at the writer’s logic in reverse.

•  We do good and worship Jesus because we identify with him.  Why do we identify with him?
• Because we are with him outside the city.What in the world does that mean?
• The writer to the Hebrews compares Jesus to the sacrifice carried outside the city, not the normal type of sacrifice from which those serving in the temple might eat and provide for their families, but the type of sacrifice that needs a scapegoat. The reference here is to the day of Atonement in Leviticus 10, a day when the people and the priesthood makes sure all sins are covered, all sins are paid for: the sins of the people and the sins of the priests, the sins that they know about and the sins they did not, the sins that they did and the sins committed against them, the sins committed by their actions and the sins committed by their inaction. It was such an important sacrifice that two animals were involved. The first was not killed but banished to the wilderness. The second, the one representing all the sins of everyone, was killed at the temple but then carried outside the city to be burned and then discarded. This is the type of sacrifice Jesus is:  for all your sins–those you committed by acting or not acting. Those that harmed you. Those that harmed others. Those that were not just done by you, but done to you. By believing in Jesus, we are outside the city with him, no longer needing a sacrifice to pay for our sins, but with the One whose sacrifice paid for our sins. Our citizenship is now outside the city with him. Our identity is based here, and it is the reason we worship and serve others, because we identify with the lamb who was slain and by whose slaughter a people was made from every tribe, language, people and nation, who become a new priesthood who worship God and serve others, making it possible for others to find their citizenship and identity with Jesus outside the city.
• This is the Jesus who is the same yesterday, today and forever. This is the Jesus followed by our leaders we now seek to emulate. They are a model, showing us it can be done. We now can be a model showing others it can be done.

So let’s return to this verse in the middle about Jesus, the one that at first glance seems parenthetical, but now we know it is not. And let us allow this verse to be a calling to us:

Jesus Christ is the same yesterday. Who is Jesus? Oh yes, the one who has paid for all my sins. Those who went before me–parents, grandparents, church leaders, neighbors, previous co-workers, knew this and followed him. Yes, some claimed to and botched it up pretty good. Those are not the leaders we remember. We call to mind the good examples. The people who were definitely human, but found a way to make their life a testimony of God’s goodness, God’s forgiveness and a life of worship and service.

Jesus Christ is the same today. Who is Jesus? Oh yes, the one whom I identify with and serve. I now am a model for others who will come after me. I now seek to be a good example, someone who is human yet authentic, finding a way to make my life a testimony of God’s goodness, God’s forgiveness and to live a life of worship and service.

Jesus Christ is the same forever. Who is Jesus? Oh yes, the Lamb of God slain from the foundations of the world. The one who shows mercy to us all. He is our hope, our promised reward. It is to him we offer our lives of worship and service.

So, let us return to what we know to be true. Let us dust off our bibles and get our noses in them. Let’s put creases in our journals and callouses on our knees. Let’s get our prayer closets unlocked. Let’s mark periods of sabbath in our calendars and smartphones so that we make a priority of worship with God and intimacy with our family and friends. Let’s set aside the firstfruits of our incomes again, and prioritize time for worship and service. Let this be the testimony we live, and the avenue of our growth in Christ.

If we do this the resurrected Christ will show up and increase the health and outreach of our congregations. Not because Jesus returned after an absence, but because we started believing in him again.

-mark l vincent

I believe that an accountable connection within a family of congregations is more desirable than the complete isolation of the local church. Those who follow the independent, unaffiliated congregational path find they face a microcosm of denominational dynamics just as soon as they begin multiple worship services, plant daughter congregations, try to train people for ministry, attempt to publish something or engage in missionary activity. Figuring out how to be church beyond a single worship service of a small group of people does not go away just because a church leader wants to function independently.

What we know about associational systems (i.e. a system that requires some sort of affiliation for it to work) is this–we like to form connections and give sacrificially to the bottom line of the whole when we feel like we are part of a movement–especially as it begins and if we are part of the formation.

The bad news: we are long past the formation stage in almost every denomination. Even as we form new configurations of being church together and build great big church buildings up the street from long-time middle-sized ones, old congregations and old denominations are dying at an incredible rate of wasted resource.

The good news: This way of doing church might be broken enough that we may be at the beginning of a possibility for new and more sustainable formation if leaders have a tenacity born from moral conviction, and if enough grace remains to reclaim and reform a constituency who believes in what they are doing.

Assuming there is metanoia (repentance) and a real desire to transform, here are the steps I have experienced as working:
• Re-orient the work of the denomination/region/institutions into being a resource to congregations and congregational leaders rather than entities that extract resources from congregations. Re-orienting in this way means determining what must be done and separating it from all the other things that are nice to do. Once it is determined what must be done, re-organization takes place accordingly. This is a painful surgery that tests the moral will of leaders and support of key constituents.

• Begin a system-wide study of what it means to engage in an apostle’s ministry. What are the functions, behaviors and strategies needed to care for the whole of the church and its work rather than just one’s desk in the department of their institution, or just their congregation? My experience is that very few denominational leaders and fewer pastors have read the letters of Paul, Peter or John from this point of view.

• Form a new covenant among institutions, congregations and leaders for the best practices of being in denominational life together. Those that want in ramp up to meet those mutually decided specifications, sign off on the covenant and begin participating in renewed denominational life. Time and resources flow in this new direction accordingly. Those who want out leave. Those who want in without responsibility are no longer allowed to influence the course of events.

This is a four-year or longer process that drains the bank account of goodwill, while also developing a new level of trust among those committed to something larger than themselves and their congregation or institution they represent. Many leaders do not have the sustained attention span for this. Even fewer boards do. And there is always the problem of whether the constituency that has already abandoned the formal denominational structure will actually let the leaders do this.

I’ve been involved in a couple of these that are making it through to the other side. Hopefully their experiences can help to begin creating momentum where people will choose this painful yet life-giving process rather than trying to resurrect something out of an increasingly unalterable crisis.

By the way, we need only look to the experience of the PC USA, the ELCA, Mennonite Church Canada and the Episcopalians in the last two years to see how important this conversation is becoming.

-mark l vincent

]]> http://givingproject.wordpress.com/2011/05/25/postdenominationalism-part-deux/feed/ 2 givingproject EFISHCOPALIAN http://givingproject.wordpress.com/2011/05/13/is-it-the-death-of-denominations/ http://givingproject.wordpress.com/2011/05/13/is-it-the-death-of-denominations/#comments Fri, 13 May 2011 22:14:34 +0000 givingproject http://givingproject.wordpress.com/?p=1069 ]]> Shall we declare the death of denominations?

Shall we send out a message that a memorial service will be held and where memorial gifts might be sent?

• Denominations can no longer justify their existence based on connection to European Protestant expressions and specific ethnicity.
• Church members and congregations no longer contribute to denominations at a level that keeps them solvent, relevant and growth oriented.
• The ability of denominational leaders to inspire and rally the faithful is severely diminished.
• Denominations no longer provide an efficient means to develop resources for congregational leaders, to strengthen ministry skill or to carry out mission.
• Denominations no longer provide the best avenues for connecting and networking, especially for newer and younger leaders.
• Moral authority and ability to arbitrate a confessional identity is deeply compromised.
• Denominations hold little sway over their related institutions.
• Denominations can no longer maintain that they occupy the space of “helping us do better together than what we could do alone.”

As we do I find myself reflecting on how different his world is from mine. For him:

• There was never a time without video games.
• He has no conscious memory of what life is like without Facebook.
• His Aunt Lorie (my wife) has always had cancer.
• His world is all post 9/11.

I could go on . . . .

So much about generational differences and experiences leaves we older ones saying “Don’t mess with my handiwork!” Younger ones are tempted to say “Get out of my way, you’ve had it long enough!”

Instead, what we should all be saying is “What can I learn from you?”

I am astounded by what my many nephews and too few nieces teach me–not just what I once learned and then forgot, but what I would never have known had they not told me. Some of them are experts in flora and fauna. Another is a walking encyclopedia of U.S. presidents. Still another conquers technology challenges without breaking a sweat. Their budding expertise is matched by my own children who know more about social work, photography, youth ministry and social media than I ever will.

I do not need to match them. I need to bask in the wonder of what they know and celebrate the benefits.

And, if I let myself relax and enjoy each priceless moment I have with them, I can be their wise friend who provides loving guidance in the critical moments they are primed to hear it (and may I say this is an art form?).

I aspire to take these intergenerational relationships seriously–in my family, within my church, and in the marketplace. This is not because I wish to be relevant. Instead, I believe this is how a real legacy is built. The Psalmist writes, ” . . .show your mighty power to our children” (Psalm 90:16b).  More often than not that power is shown through the faith of parents, aunts, uncles and significant adult mentors.

-mark l vincent

I spent this past week at the Christian Leadership Alliance meetings, with 1700 leaders from organizations as diverse as christian camping to crisis pregnancy centers, and from small local churches to the national director of the Gideons. Here are three standout items I am taking home:

1. From pastor Chuck Swindoll– integrity is not so much about perfection but authenticity. It is the single most necessary tool of the leader.

2. From missiologist Reggie McNeal– We need to prepare to take the church to where people already are instead of trying to create something we invite people to at our church building.

3. From Priscilla Shirer, a reminder of what Joshua said to his people– “consecrate yourselves for God is going to do a great thing among you tomorrow” (Joshua 3:5). I was impressed with the link between our personal consecration and the great thing God will do next.

Reading the newspaper as I was returning home Peggy Noonan’s column advocating for Pope John Paul II’s sainthood gripped me  (Wall Street Journal, 30 April 2011, A15). In her description of this Catholic leader’s approach to faith, it seems all three points were lived: personal integrity even as a flawed person, a commitment to take the church to the people and personal consecration in anticipation of the next great work of God.

These concepts come from a variety of people representing several streams within Christianity. The example of Pope John Paul II is from yet another. Yet, the God who does great works is not limited by our narrow views and specific preferences of where or how we worship.  To better align myself with what this God will do next, I do well to take these insights to heart and let them guide my point of view as a Christian leader.

-mark l vincent