WE’RE ALL IN THIS TOGETHER

Given the nature of athletic competition, coaches have a special appreciation for the value of teamwork. Red Auerbach, while at the helm of the Boston Celtics, shared an insight about his team’s success. After winning back-to-back championships in the NBA, Auerbach said,

When I first started coaching, people told me to put my five best players on the court. But I learned early on that this was not the key to success. It wasn’t putting the five best players on the court that was going to cause us to win. It was putting the five players on the court who could work together the best. We won championships because we put people together. They weren’t always our best players.

Like a good chef, Coach Auerbach understood that ingredients are limited on their own. The magic comes in how the ingredients are combined.

team work makes the dream work

Pastor Andrew Mc Court will always have a place in the heart of cornerstone city fellowship . He will be remembered for a great many things; huge heart, inspirational teaching, visionary, family orientated and all round mighty man of God.  Andrew had a phrase that he liked to repeat a lot, it was like his mantra for the church “team work makes the dream work”
A real team  is a group of people working together with complimentary skills who understand their role and are equally committed to a common purpose, performance goals and working approach, for which they all hold themselves equally accountable.  
For a team to be effective or to have a high level output there are a number of behaviours that need to be in place.

1. Effective Leadership

2. Clear Common Purpose

3. Good communication

4. Clear roles

5. Efficient use of time

6. Good levels of trust and openess

7. Capacity to deal with conflict constuctively

8. Emotional Intelligence  

From a biblical standpoint, teamwork means sharing in the biblical responsibilities based on biblical goals, values, priorities, giftedness, training, and God’s leading. 

The church is the largest team known to man, it is the team of all teams. In essence the church is ‘Gods Spiritual Team’.  The role of the church in the world is a team effort that requires the cooperation of all the members of the body of Christ.
²Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. ¹³Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. ¹⁴And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.
¹⁵Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful. ¹⁶Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God. ¹⁷And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.   Colossians 3:12-17

 

DON’T HATE THE WAIT

In his book ‘ax-i-om’ Bill Hybels dedicates a chapter to the importance of language, aptly titled “LANGUAGE MATTERS”. In this particular chapter of the book Bill stresses the importance  or the emphasis we should place on the choice of language we use when trying to communicate a message, a vision or portray an image to other people.  
Marketing companies, PR companies and advertisers all over the world have recognised  how much language matters when it comes to the branding of their products and/or services.  
During a recent visit to Liberty’s Community Church Dublin  Pastor Noel Kenny hit me with a phrase that really hit this message home.  It was catchy, edgy, short, direct and made perfect sense.  He was talking about patience and the phrase he used was “DON’T HATE THE WAIT”.  
I love it! It’s encouraging, inspiring and full of wisdom all rolled into one. It also highlights how effective the correct choice of words can be.
We live in a world that tells us that we can everything we wan’t right now. People have grown to become inpatient with the whole idea or concept of waiting.  Patience is a virtue that is disappearing at a rapid rate.  We can have instant coffee, fast food, interest free credit, buy now pay later, pay nothingnothing for three years etc, etc,etc………  We live in a world where instant gratification has become the norm. 
In this era of the quick fix we lose out on so much, we miss out on the value of the process, we lose the ability to endure the toughest of situations and it would appear to me that people have become more comfortable with quitting than trying just that little bit harder or reaching that little bit further to achieve the dreams that God has placed in their heart or realise the potential that lies within each and every one of us.  
The bible is very clear on this matter and contradicts everything that todays world would try and have us believe.  The bible teaches us that our way of life should reflect that of Jesus.  We are called to live a life of purpose, faith, endurance and patience.  Right now God is doing something inside of you that is incredibly important for you to grow and take the next step on your spiritual journey.  Enjoy the process as it develops, allow him to work and minister in your life, be encouraged as your faith is stretched, challenged and grows. DON’T HATE THE WAIT!

faith

I think it is fair to say that there are lots of things in life that are incredibly difficult to understand.  The gift of salvation, the power of the Holy Spirit and God’s love are three specific foundational truths of the christian faith that many people find virtually impossible to comprehend.  The author Phillip Yancey says “faith is trusting in advance what what will only make sense in reverse”.
The bible teaches us in the book of Romans that  faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word of Christ (Romans 10:17)
Faith is in general the persuasion of the mind that a certain statement is true. It is the belief and the assent of the mind to the truth of what is declared by another, based on his or her authority and truthfulness.  
 Matthew 28:18 tells us that Jesus said these words “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.” He also said these words “I tell you the truth, anyone who has faith in me will do what I have been doing”  John 14:12
Right now God is willing you to reach out to someone, to share the message of forgiveness, of love, of hope, of grace and mercy that will encourage them in their faith.  Right now God is calling you to reach out to someone who doesn’t yet understand the mysteries of the Gospel to fill their life with hope. 
With faith we all have meaning.  With faith we have  a strength and a resilience that empowers us to tackle the highest of hurdles and the toughest of problems.  Without it we have nothing!

BE PREPARED!

The month of September kicks off the start of the new church calender.  Here in the cornerstone office we are all back off holiday relaxed, re-energised and full of vision. The excitement level in the office right now is at an optimum high as we begin to plan and lay the foundations to what I believe is going to be an amazing year in the life of cornerstone city fellowship.  This planning stage that we are in right now is proving to be an incredibly interesting and valuable  experience with each team member having the opportunity to share their hopes, dreams and aspirations.  
We all have desires, we all have dreams, God has placed a great many things in our hearts that he would like to accomplish, yet we will never accomplish any of them just by wanting them bad enough.  Planning bridges the gap between our desires and dreams by calling us to action, it enables us to identify the steps we need to take to make them become reality.  In essence a concrete plan supplies us with tangible steps to take in the direction of our dreams.  
It has been said, “by failing to plan, you plan to fail”.  
Planning is not an exact science and anyone can do it, no PHD is required to make a good solid plan.  We only need a window of uninterrupted time for focused thought and the discipline to see it through.
The bible teaches us in the book of Proverbs 16:3
‘Commit to the LORD whatever you do, and your plans will succeed’ and so with faith we stand united in the confidence and the knowledge that we serve a God who is all powerful and submit our plans and our lives over to him.  
Will YOU stand with us ?

some things never change

The month of July always proves to be my busiest month of the year. I rarely have an opportunity to be at my desk as I seek to see God glorified in the lives of our young people.  It all kicks off with Kids week, quickly followed by Blast Camp and is finished off with Pulse Camp.  Pulse camp kicks off on Sunday and Blast Camp has only just finished.  
There is something incredibly unique and special about summer camps, faith is stirred, spiritual batteries recharged and God does something remarkable.  I have always noticed that in the days leading up to camp and throughout the camp experience something seems to happen within us and our level of expectancy and sense of anticipation increases.  We go to camp expecting to connect with God, expecting him to do great things and generally anticipate a mighty move of his spirit. 
After the last meeting of Blast camp I went out for a run to clear my head and relax. While I was running God reminded me of something,  he said “I never change” he said ” I am the same God that is at camp, in the office, in your neighbourhood,  in your house, in your family, in your life.  I never change.“
Hebrews 13:8 tells us ‘Jesus is the same yesterday, today, and forever’
James 1:17 tells us ‘He never changes’
When you think of God today remember God is all powerful, all conquering and that he is The Sovereign Lord.  He is the same today as he was when he created the heavens and the earth, when he parted The Red Sea and when he destroyed death through Jesus.  
Wherever you are whatever you are doing right now fix your eyes on him,expect him to do great things and anticipate a mighty move of his spirit.  
‘As for God, his ways are perfect.  All the Lords promises prove true’ Psalm 18:30

pick me! pick me!

My son Oisin (9) came bursting through the front door after school  shouting ” Daddy! Daddy! Daddy! Where are you daddy? I thought something was wrong, I sensed from the tone in his voice that something serious was up.  I jumped up of the chair I was lazing on and ran to the door with all sorts of images running through my mind and there he was standing in the hall with the biggest smile I have ever seen holding an A4 sheet of paper in his hand as if it was a winning lottery ticket.  It was a letter from the school inviting Oisin to join the school football team and represent the school in their next match. 
How many of us can identify with that feeling of excitement, that feeling when our abilities have been recognized and we are invited to become a part of something much bigger than ourselves; a team, an organisation, a peer group etc…
By our very nature  we have a need to belong to something, to be a part of something, it feels good when it happens,  it feels good when we receive an invitation and it feels good when other people identify our strengths.
Every day when God looks at you he says ” I want you on my team, I pick you, I want you to play for me, I have the perfect position for you, a position that only you can fill, my team will not be the same without you, I want you on my side”

Sign up today!
Answer the call!
Say Yes!

STOP LOOK AND LISTEN

A few days ago I had the awesome privilege of attending an ‘Emerge’  training day  at Carig Eden Theological College.  The theme of the day was ‘mentoring: developing leaders’ and was facilitated by a lady called Jennie Baker from The Sophia Network.  It was an amazing day that gave me an opportunity to develop some existing relationships and create some new ones.  
The highlight of the day for me was the first session.  Carrying on the tradition of previous events the first session was set aside for a time of personal reflection and devotion.  During this time I decided to leave the building and headed for a near by beach with the intention of connecting with God, which I am please to say was a huge success. We connected, God spoke, I listened !!!!!!
As an aspiring teacher/speaker/pastor very often when I read my bible I am reading it with the intention of finding something to share with others or finding some way of communicating the lesson to others.  I believe that this is part of my spiritual make up and it is in my spiritual DNA.  However I also believe that it can become too much of a focus and in my effort to bring other people closer to God and to communicate the message of love, hope, grace and mercy found in the bible my relationship with him suffers.  God reminded me of this very valuable lesson on a beautiful beach in County Wicklow on Tuesday morning.  In the beauty of a moment God reminded me that the most important relationship that I need to pay attention to is the one that exists between him and me.  He reminded me that very often when I read, I am missing the message he is trying to  reveal to me, that I am missing that opportunity for us to connect and in turn miss an opportunity to be elevated to the next level of the life he has in store for me.  
Yes it is good to be outward focus but it is vitally important that we have an inward focus also, to ensure that we set aside the time for God to pour into our lives, to fill our spiritual wells and get elevated to the next level .
Over the next 24 hours set aside some time to stop, listen and connect with God.  Allow him the space to minister to you and create the opportunity for him to pour into your life.

CHANGE pt2

Change is all about steps, it’s about those everyday steps of faith that we continuously need to make in order to bring about a different set of circumstances and situations to our lives.  That is the process by which change takes place – step of faith after step of faith after step of faith after step of faith and so on and so on. 
With each step we become closer to the person God created us to be and the life he planned for us to live. 
The dictionary definition of faith is “the theological virtue defined as secure belief in God and a trusting acceptance of Gods will.  Faith is the acceptance of what we cannot see but believe to be true.  I personally believe that faith is the foundation for change, without it the steps we need to take become increasingly diificult and somewhat terrifying.  Change has the ability to create a fear of the unknown, it leads us to move into new territory which in turn can cause our insecurities to rise. 
Matthew 14:22-34 tells the story of how Peter Walks on Water 
Deep within you lies the same faith and longing that got Peter up off his seat,  out of the boat and taking the necessary steps that led him to walk on the water. 
It ’s in you!  It’s in you to want to try new things, to be adventurous, it’s in you to want to change, it’s in you to want to develop and it’s in you to want to  grow.   
God is saying the same thing to you as he did to Peter  “COME” .  He is calling you to take that step
Can I encourage you today to step out in faith.  Can I encourage you today to take that step you’ve been thinking about taking, to tackle that problem you’ve been wanting to tackle and to make that change you’ve been wanting to make. God is waiting with open arms !!! Trust him, HE IS IN CONTROL!!

CHANGE pt1

The story of Zacchaeus found in the New Testament (Luke 19:1-10) tells the story of a Jewish tax collector who had an encounter with Jesus and had his life transformed forever. Before this transformation could take place and before any real change could happen Zacchaeus took personal ownership of his life and set about taking the necessary steps needed that would make the transformation possible.
Luke 19:3-4 states that “He tried to get a look at Jesus, but he was too short to see over the crowd. So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore – fig tree beside the road, for Jesus was going to pass that way.

I believe we can learn a lot from these 2 verses when it comes to bringing about change in our lives.

1. Find a ‘Bright Spark’ - Spark people are those who do just that- they spark you off with new ideas, help change the way you think, they inspire you, challenge you and encourage you to be all that you can be and more.  A ‘Bright Spark’ is someone who will play an essential role in your journey and transformation.  Jesus was Zac’s ‘Bright Spark’ 
2. Reposition Yourself – Zacchaeus was surrounded by people who were getting in the way so he repositioned himself.  The people around us can have a profound effect on the way we see things, they can input our lives both positively and negatively.  If you have people in your life who are blocking you or preventing you from seeing and being that person you dream of being then maybe it’s time you repositioned yourself
3. Tackle your obstacles- Although Zacchaeus was small he became proactive and found a way to overcome his personal limitations and rose above his circumstance.  We all have stuff, we all have things that are holding us back, we all have internal and external obstacles that are having an impact on our lives.  Obstacles and perceived limitations don’t define who we are.  Find your way to succeed!

We are all capable of making changes in our lives and it’s important to remember that change is a process.  We are constantly evolving as individuals and the world around us is forever on the move.  Whatever it is that you are looking to change do it with confidence and watch as your world transforms.