Bishop Bill Isaacs has proved to be a great friend to me! He has supported me on my two missions trips to Africa and joined me on my last trip to Uganda & D.R. Congo. He continues to be one of a few people that I know that I can always call upon and depend upon him to be there.

“Bishop Bill” came to Louisiana six years ago as a “novice” Administrative Bishop. That only meant that he had never held the office (officially) before. As a result of that, he told me and all the other ministers of this state… Read the rest of this entry »

Terms like “change” are full of personal and emotional connotations.  For example, change can be a positive word as it is expressed in terms of improving a mindset or organizational concept.  On the other hand, change can be difficult when it means leaving good friends and colleagues.

Kathy and I are going to reposition in Akron, Ohio as state overseers of the Church of God (our denomination) after 6 very productive and energizing years in Louisiana. This is a very bittersweet moment in our lives. Transition is not easy whether it is across the street or 17 hours away from comfortable environments.  Yet, life requires adjustment, repositioning, advancement and change.

Two years ago, I challenged our Louisiana family with this question “what now?” and sought to shape our view of the future after Katrina as one determined by a God who sees the end from the beginning.  We cannot..we only see this present moment, remember those before and anticipate the next one.  I like the word “anticipate” because it captures the excitement of change…of what will be or could be.

So, in a week, we will “change” locations with an eager anticipation of what will be in Ohio but we will never forget the incredible people, experiences or days we spent in this wonderful place, serving God and each other.

Link to Forward Leadership Blog

Recently, Bill Isaacs posted an article titled,”How much right do I have in wanting change in the COG?” In that article, he described some of the attitudes that people express about “their” church. Some of the more poignant remarks were, “This is our church and the pastor has no right to change it!”;  ”We were here before he came, so he should respect what we want”; “This is not the kind of church we want.”

In response to those comments, Bill offers three suggestions:

• This is not my church, but we are privileged to be part, to belong to the community.
• What I want/think must always be subservient to what He is calling us to do (in other words, I may have to put up with something I’m not comfortable with so that the larger good of the group can be achieved)
• The future belongs to those who are centered in what God is blessing, not what we are doing.

I particularily like the 3rd point. Too often, we want God to bless what we are doing but we may be doing the wrong stuff. God help us to hear from our Father, do what He says and then His blessings will be assured! What do you want?

Welcome to the newest edition of Blogging: Bryan Strickland.

Bryan opened his blog at http://louisianabishop.wordpress.com/ with a series of articles on what vision means to him. Check it out.