Update from the President

Our third annual Pastoral Development Program residency is in session here at the home office. Ten couples from around the world are immersed in an intensive two-week program of lectures, discussion, homiletics training and much more. All ten couples are staying with home office staff. Two couples are staying with us: Vivien and Cathy Botha from South Africa and Brennan and Michala Hilgen from Malawi. Other participants have come from Australia, Colombia, Kenya and the United States. It has been a thoroughly enjoyable experience to be with them and to see their energetic and optimistic outlook on the greatest calling of all, the ministry of Jesus Christ.

Each day, two couples present a "Getting to Know You" speech in which they tell us about themselves, their country and their congregations. For the women, there are two occasions where they meet with some of our ministerial wives.

Classes so far have covered the high calling of the ministry, leaders are first disciples, creating an environment for growth, time management, maintaining confidentiality, and visiting members. Yesterday, we held a lively panel discussion about ministerial authority and ethics. Much more is coming for the program that runs through next Wednesday.

Each morning we begin with "cold call" in which the first presenter randomly calls on several of the participants to comment on some aspect of the previous day's material. Tonight, Bev and I are hosting a barbecue at our home for all of the couples plus the Ministerial Education Team that is conducting the program. I want to give special thanks to Chris Rowland, Darris McNeely and Steve Myers who comprise that team and who have helped to plan the conference. Also, we extend thanks to Gary Antion and Gary Petty for their lectures.

This Sabbath, the participants will give split sermons in area congregations.

We are so thankful for this very productive time spent together for learning and service to our brethren.

Family Study Guides (Youth Instruction Lessons)

Randy and Kay Schreiber have helped to develop this program over the past three years. It is geared towards family discussions about the Bible for children of all ages. Families can use it to teach their children, even if there are no other kids in a congregation. The lessons contain questions and scenarios for lively and relevant group discussions. The material can also be used for sermons, sermonettes or interactive young adult or regular Bible studies. I highly endorse these study materials for the general membership.

There are more than a dozen studies posted already.

One useful way that Randy employs these lessons in his congregation is to e-mail the lesson to members of the congregation before a Bible Study on the subject. Then they all go through the lesson with a discussion at the study.

If you have not seen a Youth Instruction Lesson, you may want to check them out at https://www.ucg.org/members/family-study-guides.

So much of the Church's work is to educate and motivate people to change. This is the work of the ministry in large part. This leads me to discuss the following.

Four Things That Will Turn Your Mistakes Into Successes

Human beings are amazing creatures in God's creation. They have the capacity to learn and improve by making proper choices. The first order of business for a Christian is to repent, which means to change for the better.

However, in my nearly half a century as a minister of Jesus Christ, a recurring—and sometimes puzzling—phenomenon that my wife Bev and I have seen involves people going through the same trial or issue time and again. I'm sure you've seen people like this who are well-meaning, but seem to commit the same errors over again. Certainly, they don't choose this latter path. But given the opportunity to change and realize their potential, they—for some reason—end up making the same mistake again and again. And they suffer and cause others to suffer for it. I see both the pain these people go through and the pain they sometimes inflict on others.

Examples are people who—despite multiple failures and friction—cannot seem to get along with others. Some find it difficult to work in a team environment. Sometimes I see people who seem to stumble from one bad, dysfunctional relationship to another. Others cannot seem to handle money properly. Instead of having ten years of experience with the resulting wisdom, they undergo the same experience ten times over with no change.

To one degree or another, we all experience this. We all have blind spots. Sometimes God allows us to experience trials that result from our blind spots so we can build character and learn from our mistakes. Oftentimes making the mistake is not the problem—all humans are certainly not perfect—but not learning from the mistake is.

A common definition of insanity (sometimes attributed apocryphally to Albert Einstein) is doing the same thing over again and expecting different results. Another saying that definitely is from Einstein reads: "We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used when we created them." As the Bible plainly notes, to succeed we have to change how we think, which is the core meaning of the Greek word translated "repent." Experience will teach us how true this is.

Consider the following four points:

1. Understand that being willing to change is critical. God has inside knowledge about who you are. He has inside knowledge about what you need to change. He has the power and strength to give you to help you change and reap all the benefits that come from that. But none of that will happen unless we are actively seeking God's will for us (Romans 12:1-2) and are willing to change.

2. Ask God to make you aware and illuminate your path with the knowledge that He already has of you. The well-known 119th Psalm speaks of constantly comparing and evaluating our decisions and what we do by the word of God. "Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path" (Psalm 119:105). The Bible reveals, and experience will teach us, that "The word of God is living and powerful... and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart" (Hebrews 4:12). God's Word—the Bible—is the standard by which we are to live our lives.

3. When you actually see where you've made a mistake, commit to correcting it now. Sometimes we experience a spiritual awakening. We can see where we've fallen short. As is said, "fail fast." If you find a character flaw in your life, ask God to remove it quickly and then do your part in getting it out of your life.

4. Build an active trust in God and seek counsel. Active trust is faith in action. Experience—through answered prayer and evidence of God's intervention in your life—helps us let go and trust God in all areas of our life. Don't shortchange that critical resource.

Finally...

This coming Wednesday, Jorge de Campos and I are traveling together to Brazil. We will visit our brethren in Maloca de Moscou. I have appreciated all of Jorge's reports over the years about our Portuguese-speaking brothers and sisters and have always wanted to see them and see how they live. Over the years, we have assisted these people with cattle, a borehole, agricultural support and education through Good Works, ABC fundraisers, Youth Corps, United Youth Camps, LifeNets and LifeNets Australia.

I ask for your prayers for a fruitful trip to this area as well as safe return home for our Pastoral Development Program attendees. I will be praying for all of you.