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Finishing Well

Transitions are a part of life.  We transition from the womb to the world, from childhood to adulthood, from educational pursuits to the workforce, from the workforce to retirement and from life to death.  Through faith in Christ, Christians will celebrate the transition from death to life! For those God calls to full-time paid ministry (he calls everyone into ministry …

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The Conundrum of Joy

It’s a conundrum. Paul said part of the fruit of the Spirit is …joy. So if we we are filled with the Spirit we will live with and exhibit joy. But we recognize living with consistent joy is not easy. Just how could Paul say this? His letter to the Philippian church provides the key. In prison, awaiting a verdict …

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Adaptive Leadership

A Note from Luminex: This morning’s blog post is a reprise of a post originally published on May 15, 2017. Enjoy! Creativity and innovation are critical skills for leaders in the 21st Century. Many organizations are investing in creativity and building teams to work on innovative processes and products. And for good reason: Creativity fuels growth, improves existing ministry and processes, and …

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Don’t Draw Back

When Cephas came to Antioch, I opposed him to his face, because he stood condemned. For before certain men came from James, he used to eat with the Gentiles. But when they arrived, he began to draw back and separate himself from the Gentiles because he was afraid of those who belonged to the circumcision group. The other Jews joined …

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Mission Critical

It has long been my belief that a clear, concise mission statement is essential for organizational success. For example, at Luminex we hold a seven-word mission statement to “Develop leaders to start and strengthen churches.” This mission informs our priorities, plans, and resources – so much so that we strive to have everything we do be in in support of, …

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Personal Transformation in the Midst of Congregational Transition

As I consider this question of personal transformation in the midst of congregational transitions, an old praise song comes to my mind.  The words are… Change my heart, O God, make it ever true; Change my heart, O God, may I be like You. You are the Potter, I am the clay, Mold me and make me, this is what …

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Authenticity: More Than Speaking Your Mind

“For your life is hidden with Christ in God” Colossians 3:3   “What I really see here is a lack of humility.” “He just talked the whole time, talking at me and not to me.” “He seemed to think he had all the answers and didn’t care what we thought.”   How do you receive feedback? Are you more… Or …

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From Darkness to Light

“For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light (for the fruit of the light consists in all goodness, righteousness and truth) and find out what pleases the Lord. Have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather expose them.” Eph. 5:8-11 Darkness, which in essence is the …

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Trust During Transitions

Our leader is leaving.  Uh oh!  What now?  What’s going to happen here? Transitions tend to be times of heightened anxiety.  We don’t know exactly what is going to happen.  Now, some people get an adrenaline rush thinking about such a scenario, others want to run away from that situation as fast as possible.  And, some simply see a transition …

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Priorities Series: Cultural Transformation

NOTE FROM LUMINEX: This is the eighth and final entry in our “Priorities” series. Today’s post is on Cultural Transformation, and comes from Don Poest, Interim General Secretary for the Reformed Church in America. Enjoy! “Transformed and Transforming is something the Holy Spirit has called the Reformed Church in America to do.  It is a call to live and love like …