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Rhodes To Anywhere

Tag Archives: Ministry

Managing a Ministry or Leading a Movement

18 Friday Apr 2014

Posted by kimrhodes in Uncategorized

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Tags

discipleship, Family on Mission, Ministry, Movement

As a Family we are excited about heading out to Greenville today to spend some much needed time with our family.  Spending this particular Friday getting ready to rest and abide.  Reflecting on the season of lent as we wind that down.  Feeling the heavy burden today of what HE did for us years ago and looking forward to celebrating the good news of the resurrection and the life we now live freely.

Dave recently posted a blog on our 3DM Leadership Blog.  Wanted to share that with you today.  Even though this post is about Managing a Ministry or Leading a Movement, As it relates to our context of being the Rhodes family  – It’s not about Managing our Family but it’s about Leading our Family on Mission.   Being part of an extended family is that we choose to never do anything alone. It’s a matter of closing the gap between our intention and our practice. Which is why as a family on Mission if we hear God speak to something we make sure it’s reflected in our weekly practices and disciplines  as we seek to bring the Kingdom of God to all places as weShow and Tell people Jesus.

So here is Dave’s post.  Enjoy!

Love – Rhodes to Anywhere…

Managing a Ministry or Leading a Movement

Life is full of choices.

Some choices come and go and very few things are really affected.

Other choices directly affect us not just in the moments we choose them but also in every moment after. In fact, some of choices we make today are directly related to the kind of lives we live tomorrow. And never do we really know that more than when we make the wrong choice.

For me, one of these moments happened when I was around six years old. My mom had dragged me to the grocery store to run errands with her, as moms often have to do. But moms can’t go to the grocery store to just get what they need, like normal people. So I was being dragged up and down each aisle, slowly but surely making our way through the entire store. I questioned the meaning of life more than once in the frozen food section.

But then on aisle nine, I found it. My purpose for being at the grocery store turned the moment my mom looked at me and said, “David, it’s your turn!” Here’s why I was so excited: aisle nine was the cereal aisle, and that meant I got to pick out one box of cereal for the week. I remember as a kid running up and down the aisle looking at all the different choices. Cocoa Pebbles, Life, Cheerios, Trix, Cookie Crisp (my personal favorite), Fruit Loops and so many others. These are big choices in life.

On this particular grocery store run, I had made my decision. The box of Cookie Crisp was already in my hand. That’s when I saw something out of the corner of my eye. It was a box of cereal called Fiber Bran, or something like that. Now, no kid really wants to eat Fiber Bran—that’s a cereal for old people who have issues in their lives that we don’t really want to discuss here. But the reason I noticed this box of cereal was because there was an advertisement on it that read “Free Spider-Man Action Figure Inside!”

I loved Spider-Man. So my six-year-old brain started thinking… I knew that if I asked my mom for a Spider-Man action figure on this grocery trip I probably wouldn’t get it. But here in this box of cereal was the opportunity of a lifetime. My mom would think I was getting cereal but I would really be getting a Spider-Man action figure! Quickly I turned the box of cereal over to see the HUGE portrait of Spider Man on the back of the box. And again, my six-year-old mind raced into action, thinking, “If the Spider-Man figure is that big there can’t be much cereal in the box of Fiber Bran.”

Spider-Man won out. I handed the box to my mom insisting that Fiber Bran was my new favorite cereal. The next morning I raced down the stairs to open the box of Fiber Bran and claim my awaited treasure. As I dug my hands in the bottom of the box, I’d like to tell you that I was delighted, but the truth is that I have never been more disappointed in all of my life. The Spider-Man figure was two inches tall and it broke the second time I played with it. To make matters worse, I was now stuck with a whole box of Fiber Bran. You don’t want to know all the things that cereal did to my body (just kidding).

I learned a valuable lesson that day as a six-year old kid. It’s easy to get distracted by toys. It’s easy to see the back of the box and end up missing the substantive things in life. It’s easy to choose the wrong thing.

Never is this more true for the heart of the leader than when it comes to the choice of managing a ministry or leading a movement. The truth is, I know very few people who dream of managing a declining ministry. Most of the people I talk to dream of cultivating and leading a dynamic movement of faith. But it’s what we choose to do on a daily basis in discipleship that makes all the difference.

In classic Mike Breen fashion, I now have been trained to see the way of Jesus in places in Scripture I once would have overlooked. That’s why this year John 4:1-2 has caught my eye in a way it never has before. Here’s what it says, “The Pharisees noticed that Jesus was baptizing more people than John (although it was not Jesus who was doing it, but his disciples).”

It’s that last parenthetical statement that has owned me these last few weeks. Jesus didn’t just “do” his ministry and let his disciples tag along. No, Jesus invited his disciples to do his work with him–even before he commissioned them to do so, and because of this, Jesus started a movement instead of managing a ministry.

I’m not making any assumptions about John’s ministry, but what the Pharisees noticed about Jesus was that his movement was outpacing John’s ministry, and what the Apostle John fills in for us parenthetically is that it was all because of discipleship.

The lesson is clear: if you want a movement tomorrow choose discipleship today. Invite your disciples to do what you do. Do your best to never do anything alone. It’s a matter of closing the gap between our intention and our practice. We all want a movement, but desires alone accomplish nothing. If we want a movement we will have to choose it, daily… one disciple at a time.

You can read more amazing things on Family on Mission and Discipleship on the 3DM Leadership Blog.

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What you’ve missed

14 Monday Jun 2010

Posted by kimrhodes in Adoption, Dave, Emma, Family, Frankie, Friends, haiti, Journey, life, mission, Uncategorized

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Tags

Camp, Haiti, life, Ministry, Parenting

Oh my.  Yes it has been that long.  So instead of taking a month to blog about it, here is what you have missed…

  • We are full on in camp.  Dave is with Student Life this week and Rush of Fools at Wake Forest University.  I’m wishing I was there.  Emma’s with him.  I don’t think she slept last night dreaming of camp.
  • Wayfarer camp.  Week one was a great success.  It’s amazing what a group of people and can accomplish when you work together.  Loved being a team. Met some great new people.
  • Talking about camp.  I thought I’d figured out a way to never do housing or connect groups again.  No such luck.  Housing was fun and I’m busy into housing this week for our next Wayfarer Camp next week at Anderson University.
  • Loved knowing Dave and Reichley were able to catch up with 3DM.  I was sad I missed them.  We are always blown away after having any conversation with them.
  • Emma lost her front tooth last night.  She looks hilarious!  I’m happy but sad at the same time.  They are growing up way to fast.
  • Talking about growing up and making some major decisions…  we heard Sam Norris was baptised Sunday.  So proud of that little man and his life.  Brings much joy to my heart.
  • Trying to figure out a way that our family can start hosting people in our home.  No clear pictures yet on how that will happen but it’s exciting.  Just need a few more bedrooms.
  • Frankie is IN LOVE with his daddy.  A wonderful but not so good thing when daddy is gone all summer.  He had a 1 hr cry fest on his way home from camp missing him.
  • Talking about camp, Frankie seemed to enjoy his first experience.  Not too sure of the  loud music or why daddy was on a stage but hey… he’ll figure it out sooner than later.
  • Izzie won’t stop talking.  She wakes up talking and goes to bed talking.  She is having a hard time with her “r” sounds so she is constantly cracking me up.
  • Playing tennis in 95 degree heat is probably not a smart thing to do in the heat of the day. But I’m still so in love with the game.  It keeps getting better.
  • Hot Hot Hot.  If you live in the South then you know what I’m talking about.
  • Pool time is a regular for us.  The kids would spend hours there if I would let them.
  • Excited about some new adventures with this company.  Can’t wait to share more soon.
  • I know a celebrity!  Kristen from Rage Against the Mini Van and adoptive mom and friend is heading to NY Tuesday  to be on the View this Friday I think.  She’ll be talking about blogging and adoption some of my favorite things.
  • Blogging, oh how I love you.  Check out my new blog title in case you missed it.  So long Chapter Two.  Hoping for good things in store for Fingerprints on my Walls.  There is a purpose for the title as the next few years unfold.
  • I’m missing Haiti.  My heart thinks of it everyday.
  • I miss my Haiti connection friends in Houston, Tampa, Austin,  Little Rock and PA and CA and MI.  Why can’t we all live in the same town!  I guess I’m really thankful for blogging and facebook.
  • Some people in the Wayfarer Family are expecting…  Finally!  Will be good to have more babies running around soon.
  • Tried the Spicy Chicken Sandwich and well, it was too spicy for me.  Dave Loves it.
  • Thankful to DVR Toy Story for the kids.  Finally some “boy” themes instead of princess around here.
  • Everyone keeps talking about their beach trips. Would give anything to take off my shoes and go for a stroll.
  • I’m making rice crispy treats for a shower tomorrow night… I’ve never made them before.  Lame I know.  I’m thinking I’ll just buy them!

Blessings Friends.  I’m back at it once again.

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