Wednesday, September 17th, 2008
Grace Rivers Development
Last evening our Steering Committee met and I am so encouraged by what I see developing! The members are practicing the Grace Rivers model and looking for its application in their daily lives. This is what Grace Rivers is all about, living out God’s grace and learning how to share it with others. God has established a great team to build this ministry on and I am excited to see it come about.
Grace Rivers
Last evening our Steering Committee met and I am so encouraged by what I see developing! The members are practicing the Grace Rivers model and looking for its application in their daily lives. This is what Grace Rivers is all about, living out God’s grace and learning how to share it with others. God has established a great team to build this ministry and I am excited to see it coming along.
We have almost finished writing our Mission and Vision statements. We have worked hard to find the right way to introduce Grace Rivers to the world. Here is another draft of what we are coming up with:
Vision Statement: passionate, healthy living from honest, authentic relationship with God, ourselves and others
Mission Statements:
- Grace Rivers is actively stirring men and women worldwide toward healthier relationships and spiritual growth.
- Grace Rivers uses biblical discipleship principles to help people become more authentic before God, themselves and others.
- Grace Rivers people are more passionately pursuing Christ’s mission for His church.
This will be further revised but we are getting there.
We have also come up with a draft of our “Core Values” which I am really excited about. I’ll share them with you at a later point.
We have approached two attorneys to assist us with the corporate applications but have not yet found the right person for the job. It is very important to get the right person for this job.
Please pray for:
- God’s continued work through the Steering Committee
- Continued development of the Mission Statement, Core Values and Leadership structures
- For divine selection of legal advisors who are proficient with non-profit corporation development
- God’s development of the GR Team
- Development of further speaking engagement opportunities
Tags: Core Values, mission, Prayer, statement, steering committee, vision
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Wednesday, September 10th, 2008
Personal Prayer for John and Vileen
Vileen came to me today and asked me where we were going to cut our budget in preparation for the potential of our loss of income. In my own insecurity and attempt at denial I shrugged my shoulders and said, “I don’t know.”
In reality, there is a lot I don’t know about where God is leading us. I don’t know what He is going to do. I don’t know what we are going to do. I don’t know exactly how He will lead us. I don’t know how He will provide for us.
What I do know is that God is faithful. I also know that His ways are not our ways. I know that He will provide for our “needs” even though I can’t always understand what those are exactly. I know that for over 25 years I have seen God provide for us in times of abundance, times of need, times of insecurity and great financial challenge. He has never let us down.
I know that He is not an enabler and will provide according to His will even if it means that we have to change dramatically how we live. I still like to remain in denial about it all. I am not comfortable having to think of giving up anything. Do I have a show of hands to “relate”? I don’t want to feel alone in all of this.
A friend of ours asked Vileen if I had been applying for jobs. She said, “No”. Our friend was shocked at her response. Another good friend asked me how I felt about applying for jobs. My response was this. If I were working at a full time job that was unrelated to Grace Rivers I would not have the time to develop this ministry. If I were trying to work and develop GR I would not be able to give the time to my family that I feel is really important right now. I feel deeply convicted that Grace Rivers is God’s plan. I also feel deeply convicted that time with my family at this time in my grandson’s life is also extremely important. So, no, I haven’t applied for jobs.
But, I am open. I seek God each day for His will and believe whole heartedly that He is faithful and will lead me where He wants me to go. Please pray for us so that we will continue to feel His arms of leading and provision around us.
Pray for:
- Wisdom for John and Vileen
- Financial provision for our family starting in November 2008
Tags: financial provision, John, Prayer, Vileen
Posted in Personal for the Smids | No Comments »
Monday, August 25th, 2008
Grace Rivers Development
Like any other ministry work, it takes resources to build Grace Rivers. I have been consulting with several wonderful advisors who have helped me to see that first of all, Grace Rivers has a tremendous potential. They have also helped me to see the need to plan for that potential with smaller steps of development and action
In our discussions they have shown me that to build it right, Grace Rivers will likely need a financial underwriting for it to grow. This overwhelmed me and challenged me at the same time. I never looked to develop another fund raising endeavor, trust me! When I left Love In Action, I just wanted to minister to people.
But in this last four months, God has made it clear that life just isn’t that simple but most of all, he has shown me that finances are one way He invests His people in His process! This was a great reminder of all that I have learned through the years.
I had one opportunity to talk with someone recently about Grace Rivers because I was seeking advice on financial matters. It proved to be a great opportunity to share what the Lord was doing in His kingdom. The spiritual economy of finance has some significance to the process and I have made myself willing to follow the Lord with this in mind
Pray for inspiration as I develop more of the financial plan of action necessary to lay the foundation for Grace Rivers.
Grace Rivers Structure
As I seek the Lord for how to structure Grace Rivers it is apparent to me and others that I will need to develop a 501C3 non-profit corporation to lay the foundation of Grace Rivers.
Pray for:
- Wisdom in the initial applications, bylaws and board members
- God’s selection of legal consultation to assist in this process
- Clarity on how to define Grace Rivers at this pivotal juncture of development
Tags: Development, Grace Rivers, Prayer
Posted in Grace Rivers Development | No Comments »
