The leader’s most important move is to step aside and give God the proper room to do what God does best. You see, we are completely dependent upon Him. We may not realize it or may not accept it, but it doesn’t deny its reality. Everything we have comes from Him.

Consider the air you breathe.

Did you produce that in and of your own strength?

No. It comes from the God of the Universe.

The Apostle Paul’s exhortation to the men of Athens was simple: “For in Him we live and move and have our being.”

He even quoted some their famous poets in saying, “We are His offspring.”

So often leadership is equated with independence and a renegade spirit, but not so in the Kingdom of God! Leadership is about submission and servanthood. Our strength comes from above and can only be made active as we approach God in humility and contriteness of heart. It’s about pushing aside our pride and creating space in which God can act!

Let’s continue to be dependent upon God. As leaders (whether in the church or at home or at work) we must lean into the Lord for his wisdom and strength.

Last year was our first Pep Rally. It turned out to be a great time of fellowship and leadership training. If you are a current servant or planning to volunteer at Easter please join us. Our Easter Pep Rally will be on March 12th from 6:30-8:30pm. This fun evening will include

– worship & prayer

– dramatic production with Chuck Neighbors

– ministry training breakout sessions

Easter Gatherings at West Salem Foursquare at Sat April 3 @ 5 and 7pm and Sun April 4 @ 8, 9:30 & 11:15am. There are multiple opportunities to serve including:

- Set-Up/Tear Down

- Facility

- Prayer

- Hospitality

- Security

- Guest Services

- Children’s Ministries.

Fill out an Easter Serve Card on the weekend service to volunteer.

Last week I gave us a biblical description of a leader. This week I want to look at the discipline involved in leadership.

Let’s be honest: discipline is an “icky” word.

Nobody wants to be disciplined. I don’t know many people that enjoy strict perimeters and defined guidelines that come with a disciplined life. Yet, the Word of God places such a high priority upon leadership functioning within a structure that helps us live holy.

From a secular point of view, the higher up you go in terms of leadership the more freedoms and allowances you have. The opposite is true in a spiritual realm: the higher you go the less you are able to get away with.

Leaders in the Kingdom of God have more constraints upon their lives because there is a greater demand upon their life.

In a nutshell: you’re being watched!

That’s an incredible responsibility, yet a wonderful privilege as we rely upon the Lord for His strength, His grace, and His direction.

If you want to study this topic a bit more I recommend you read the Book of 1 Peter and note the references to self-control, submission, obedience and holiness. It’s a wonderful study.

~ Pastor John

The Salem Free Medical Clinic will now offer clinics every Saturday of the month through its two locations.

And as of March 8, the free clinic also will operate in the mornings on the second Mondays of each month.

The expansion of days is because of the addition of five new medical providers who are volunteering their services and expertise, said Todd Gould, one of the clinic’s directors and a pastor at West Salem Foursquare Church.

“It’s a very exciting season as we have providers that are signing up,” he said.

The clinic’s northeast Salem location, at the Jim Ramsey II Community Center at 3850 Portland Road NE, will offer morning and afternoon clinics on the first, third and fourth Saturdays of each month, as well as any fifth Saturdays, Gould said.

The South Salem location at Trinity Covenant Church offers morning and afternoon clinics on the 2nd Saturday of each month.

Adding the days means the Salem Free Medical Clinic has nearly tripled its service, which is provided on a first-come, first-served basis, Gould said.

The Portland Road location, the clinic’s first permanent facility, opened in October.

Before, the clinic was a makeshift setup run in the gymnasium at Walker Middle School.

By Ruth Liao • Statesman Journal • February 19, 2010
rliao@StatesmanJournal.com
Link to Article: http://www.statesmanjournal.com/article/20100219/NEWS/2190348/1001/news

How many of you remember those crazy kick-me signs. Perhaps you were the Brutus putting them on other people’s backs unaware. Worse yet, like myself, you may have be the recipient of one of those not-so-gentle reminders. (I’m not bitter or anything)!

The Bibles says this in Hebrews 10:24-25: “Let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds. Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.”

Have you ever noticed how much Jesus hangs out with people? As I read through the Gospels, I’ve been struck with the value Jesus places upon significant relationships. Simply being together. Oh sure, he needed to get away once in a while like all of us do, but for the most part those were brief times of prayer and rejuvenation with the Father. Even the Son of God found it valuable to ‘steal away’ to a secret place, but those times were brief and served as ‘fuel’ for the journey of relationship.

Don’t we tend to function just the opposite? Heavy on the isolation and light on the fellowship? Dear ones, Christian community is not forged by osmosis! It doesn’t just happen, but rather, it is harvested. One must tend and nurture relationships for them to be healthy. Before Jesus ever performed any miracles, his first desire was to get a group of guys around him. Relationships before responsibilities. People before programs. Jesus didn’t die for an organization, he laid his life down for his friends and family.

Do you have friends and family…really?Or are you living in isolation? That’s not God’s purpose for you.

So…who are you spurring on to love and good deeds? Next question is: Who is doing that for you?

We all need a “kick-me” every once and a while!

~ Pastor John

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