Action="Friend of God"

The Creative Church Conference was a huge encouragement/learning experience for me. 
The speakers that were there, all men who've pastored churches through strong growth, shared advice about growing a healthy church. Healthy churches should grow. People in healthy churches share Christ, they excitedly invite others to church services and events and then the Holy Spirit does only what He can do: convicts their hearts and some concede to His calling. The church grows.
During the growth process that God has called me to, I have to be evert mindful of His direction. Listening, tuned in and not "bull-dozering" ahead as I am so inclined to do. UGGGH, my personality weaknesses make me crazy sometimes! But then God speaks to me through another staff member, it's so cool...the Church.
At any rate, lots of ideas swirl through my head as I contemplate ministry. Through this, I strive to remember that ideas are great but I believe James said it best in James 2, 


"Don’t you remember that our ancestor Abraham was shown to be right with God by his actions when he offered his son Isaac on the altar? You see, his faith and his actions worked together. His actions made his faith complete. And so it happened just as the Scriptures say: “Abraham believed God, and God counted him as righteous because of his faith.” He was even called the friend of God. So you see, we are shown to be right with God by what we do, not by faith alone."