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    <title>Boyd's Blog</title>
    <link>http://www.ministryventures.org/Blog/tabid/73/blogid/1/Default.aspx</link>
    <description>Boyd Bailey's blog</description>
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    <pubDate>Fri, 10 Sep 2010 13:27:51 GMT</pubDate>
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    <item>
      <title>God’s Call to Ministry - Part Ten: Giftedness - Leadership</title>
      <category domain="http://www.ministryventures.org/blog/tabid/73/categoryid/2/default.aspx">Leadership</category>
      <link>http://www.ministryventures.org/Blog/tabid/73/entryid/90/God-s-Call-to-Ministry-Part-Ten-Giftedness-Leadership.aspx</link>
      <description><![CDATA[
Leadership requires a focused individual: someone who perseveres with the vision and goals God has given him or her.  Your character is your greatest asset as a leader.  Your character validates your leadership and motivates others to follow.  The depth of your character is determined by the quality of your own relationship with God and with others.  Relational maturity, which includes a quickness to forgive, teachability, and accountability, breeds character.  

“. . . if it is leadership, let him govern diligently . . .” Romans 12:8 

The second asset you have as a leader is your ability to create healthy environments: an environment that is relationally open, creative, accountable, and spiritual.  These environments produce excellence in products and services.  You lead as the Holy Spirit leads in your life by comforting, energizing, and providing moral authority.  Leaders, lead!


]]></description>
      <dc:creator>Boyd Bailey</dc:creator>
      <comments>http://www.ministryventures.org/Blog/tabid/73/entryid/90/God-s-Call-to-Ministry-Part-Ten-Giftedness-Leadership.aspx#Comments</comments>
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      <pubDate>Thu, 09 Sep 2010 10:00:00 GMT</pubDate>
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      <title>God’s Call to Ministry- Part Ten: Giftedness-Encouragement</title>
      <category domain="http://www.ministryventures.org/blog/tabid/73/categoryid/2/default.aspx">Leadership</category>
      <link>http://www.ministryventures.org/Blog/tabid/73/entryid/89/God-s-Call-to-Ministry-Part-Ten-Giftedness-Encouragement.aspx</link>
      <description><![CDATA[

The gift of encouragement is a good compliment to the gift of prophecy.  Once you understand the prophet’s message of where you are, you need encouragement to make it through the process.  Barnabas, which means the Son of Encouragement, was a good partner for Paul.  When Paul poured out the truth, Barnabas helped the people apply the truth to their lives.  He helped people when they fell down (remember John Mark?) and certainly helped answer their questions when they were confused.  



“. . . if it is encouraging, let him encourage . . . ” (Romans 12:8)



One proven method of encouragement is through accountability.  After earning the trust of another, you can ask the hard questions and so spur each other on to love and good works.  (Hebrews 10:24)  Your investment of time in your own spouse and/or children is a tremendous encouragement to them and to others as they watch your life.  As for yourself, allow time and space for the Lord to recharge your courage tanks.  When you have been encouraged ...]]></description>
      <dc:creator>Boyd Bailey</dc:creator>
      <comments>http://www.ministryventures.org/Blog/tabid/73/entryid/89/God-s-Call-to-Ministry-Part-Ten-Giftedness-Encouragement.aspx#Comments</comments>
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      <pubDate>Wed, 01 Sep 2010 10:00:00 GMT</pubDate>
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      <title>God’s Call to Ministry- Part Nine: Giftedness-Teaching</title>
      <category domain="http://www.ministryventures.org/blog/tabid/73/categoryid/2/default.aspx">Leadership</category>
      <link>http://www.ministryventures.org/Blog/tabid/73/entryid/88/God-s-Call-to-Ministry-Part-Nine-Giftedness-Teaching.aspx</link>
      <description><![CDATA[
    The gifted teacher is passionate about study, understanding, and explaining. He is compelled to transfer truth to his students in a simple and memorable style. After a spirit-filled teacher has taught, people walk away being challenged and convinced in their minds and hearts of how and why they should become more Christ-like. People are appreciative of the teacher. They stand in awe of the God this teacher has just described. Others’ awe of God is the teacher’s ultimate compliment. 
    “. . . if it is teaching, let him teach.” (Romans 12:7)
    Preparation and prayer are your greatest tools if you are gifted as a teacher. Immersing yourself in truth, struggling with truth, and living out truth in your own life are prerequisites to being effective. Knowing your audience is critical. Truth needs to be packaged differently for different people. The best teachers teach out of brokenness, from their own failures, and as a fellow learner. Satan trembles and God is glorified when this type of teacher teache ...]]></description>
      <dc:creator>Boyd Bailey</dc:creator>
      <comments>http://www.ministryventures.org/Blog/tabid/73/entryid/88/God-s-Call-to-Ministry-Part-Nine-Giftedness-Teaching.aspx#Comments</comments>
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      <pubDate>Mon, 30 Aug 2010 10:00:00 GMT</pubDate>
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      <title>God’s Call to Ministry- Part Eight: Giftedness-Service</title>
      <category domain="http://www.ministryventures.org/blog/tabid/73/categoryid/2/default.aspx">Leadership</category>
      <link>http://www.ministryventures.org/Blog/tabid/73/entryid/87/God-s-Call-to-Ministry-Part-Eight-Giftedness-Service.aspx</link>
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    Service is often the unseen gift. It operates behind the scenes, making sure everything is taken care of. If you are gifted with service, you are looking for a need to be met. No task is too menial, and no challenge is too big. While others may be tentative, you lead the way by taking the initiative. You are not afraid of failure because you will keep serving until the job gets done. 
    “If it is serving, let him serve . . .” (Romans 12:7)
    If this is your gift, you have a few challenges to face. One challenge is to keep from over-committing. Relationships and/or your health suffer when you don’t make room for margin in your life, and the quality of your work may actually suffer. Another challenge is your need for affirmation. You need to remember Paul’s admonition, “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men . . . .” (Colossians 3:23)
    Working to please God will protect you from disappointment. Any validation you receive from others will then be lik ...]]></description>
      <dc:creator>Boyd Bailey</dc:creator>
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      <pubDate>Fri, 27 Aug 2010 10:00:00 GMT</pubDate>
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      <title>God’s Call to Ministry- Part Seven: Giftedness-Prophesy</title>
      <category domain="http://www.ministryventures.org/blog/tabid/73/categoryid/2/default.aspx">Leadership</category>
      <link>http://www.ministryventures.org/Blog/tabid/73/entryid/86/God-s-Call-to-Ministry-Part-Seven-Giftedness-Prophesy.aspx</link>
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Paul’s letter to the Romans offers some potential areas of giftedness.  You may resonate with one or more of these traits.  Prayerfully read through each one, and define how God has wired you…


“. . . If a man’s gift is prophesying, let him use it in proportion to his faith.” (Romans 12:6)


A prophet understands the desires of God’s heart.  He communicates this truth with passion of conviction and compassion for the people.  If you are a gifted prophet, you are not afraid to confront sin head-on, especially the sins of injustice and hypocrisy.  You defend the rights of the unborn or any group of people who are oppressed or in bondage.  Your boldness may increase around inauthentic authority since hypocrisy is the target of a prophet.  You have the ability to discern the motivations of the heart and confront the speaker with riveting questions and logic.  


Most prophets are disliked, especially by those who are the object of their truth.  However, after they have been proven right, they are ad ...]]></description>
      <dc:creator>Boyd Bailey</dc:creator>
      <comments>http://www.ministryventures.org/Blog/tabid/73/entryid/86/God-s-Call-to-Ministry-Part-Seven-Giftedness-Prophesy.aspx#Comments</comments>
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      <pubDate>Wed, 25 Aug 2010 10:00:00 GMT</pubDate>
      <slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
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    <item>
      <title>Connecting With Perspective Donors </title>
      <category domain="http://www.ministryventures.org/blog/tabid/73/categoryid/7/default.aspx">Fundraising</category>
      <link>http://www.ministryventures.org/Blog/tabid/73/entryid/85/Connecting-With-Perspective-Donors.aspx</link>
      <description><![CDATA[
    There is an indirect way to inform others of your ministry calling and financial needs. It is an incremental approach that allows those of us who are more introverted to stick our “big toe” into the fundraising water. Some of the responses we get may be chilly, but the warm ones provide a good entrée for further discussions about someone’s potential for serving as a financial partner. The Apostle Paul describes this partnership in Philippians 1:4-5, “In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now.” Follow Paul’s prayer, and you will fundraise well. 
    Once a quarter, consider mailing a letter (email is an option, but you may lose some uniqueness) to potential financial partners with these elements: 
    1. Brief opening paragraph of 3-4 sentences thanking and affirming the recipient
    2. Short second paragraph describing the purpose of the letter
    3. To-the-point third paragraph inviting them to pray about servin ...]]></description>
      <dc:creator>Boyd Bailey</dc:creator>
      <comments>http://www.ministryventures.org/Blog/tabid/73/entryid/85/Connecting-With-Perspective-Donors.aspx#Comments</comments>
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      <pubDate>Mon, 23 Aug 2010 10:00:00 GMT</pubDate>
      <slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
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      <title>God’s Call to Ministry - Part Six: Temperament and Self-Awareness</title>
      <category domain="http://www.ministryventures.org/blog/tabid/73/categoryid/2/default.aspx">Leadership</category>
      <link>http://www.ministryventures.org/Blog/tabid/73/entryid/84/God-s-Call-to-Ministry-Part-Six-Temperament-and-Self-Awareness.aspx</link>
      <description><![CDATA[

Another key component to giftedness is your temperament.  Do you have the temperament to be a spiritual entrepreneur?  Is this temperament part of giftedness, your DNA?  How are you wired?  Do you thrive or cringe on chaos?  Do you see uncertainty as a challenge to watch God work, or do you break out in a cold sweat?  Most people are not wired to be rugged pioneers, ready to conquer and tame uncharted terrain.  If God has not made you this way, that is okay.  If you don’t like to take risks, that’s okay.  It is critical to have an accurate self-awareness of what motivates you.  Don’t let your passion dumb down an accurate perception of your capabilities and capacity.  

What is your level of self-awareness?  Don’t let the allure of vocational ministry intoxicate you to the realities of who you are and how God has made you.  For example, can you, and will you, do all that is necessary in a ministry?  As you start your ministry or go through a growth spurt, you will find yourself licking the stamps, brewi ...]]></description>
      <dc:creator>Boyd Bailey</dc:creator>
      <comments>http://www.ministryventures.org/Blog/tabid/73/entryid/84/God-s-Call-to-Ministry-Part-Six-Temperament-and-Self-Awareness.aspx#Comments</comments>
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      <pubDate>Fri, 20 Aug 2010 10:00:00 GMT</pubDate>
      <slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
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      <title>God’s Call to Ministry - Part Five: Giftedness</title>
      <category domain="http://www.ministryventures.org/blog/tabid/73/categoryid/2/default.aspx">Leadership</category>
      <link>http://www.ministryventures.org/Blog/tabid/73/entryid/83/God-s-Call-to-Ministry-Part-Five-Giftedness.aspx</link>
      <description><![CDATA[



What do you do best?  What are your skills?  What has God prepared you to do for this exciting stage of your life?  The answers to these questions are the essence of giftedness.  God does not waste our experiences.  

On the other hand, your ministry giftedness may be related to your professional skills married with a personal tragedy.  Michael Leahy was a super salesman in the computer industry, but he lost his marriage because of internet pornography that led him to adultery.  But through Christ and accountability with others, he is overcoming his addiction.  His skill and gift in communication, coupled with the humility that comes from a personal failure and learning how to overcome his addictions, have given him the platform to follow God’s vocational ministry calling.  Many ministries have been birthed out of tragic life experiences.  

]]></description>
      <dc:creator>Boyd Bailey</dc:creator>
      <comments>http://www.ministryventures.org/Blog/tabid/73/entryid/83/God-s-Call-to-Ministry-Part-Five-Giftedness.aspx#Comments</comments>
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      <pubDate>Wed, 18 Aug 2010 10:00:00 GMT</pubDate>
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    <item>
      <title>God’s Call to Ministry - Part Four: Spiritual Maturity</title>
      <category domain="http://www.ministryventures.org/blog/tabid/73/categoryid/2/default.aspx">Leadership</category>
      <link>http://www.ministryventures.org/Blog/tabid/73/entryid/82/God-s-Call-to-Ministry-Part-Four-Spiritual-Maturity.aspx</link>
      <description><![CDATA[



One of Rita’s and my favorite spots in God’s creation is Lake Tahoe.  Half of the lake is located in Nevada and the other half in California.  Over the years we have laughed because we enjoy the $6 prime rib dinners on the Nevada side but stay in a quaint and serene cabin by the lake on the California side.  





On one of our first Crown Financial Ministry Regional Directors Meetings at Lake Tahoe, I discovered some amazing facts about the lake.  It is a crater positioned 1 mile high; it has 72 miles of gorgeous shoreline and 32 trillion gallons of icy water.  With an average depth of 1,100 feet, the glacial runoff contributes to 99.9% water purity.  If you could pour the water in Lake Tahoe over the state of California, the state’s entire land mass would be covered in 11 inches of water.  





Then it struck me: the depth of my character (or spiritual maturity) will determine the breadth of my influence (God working through me).  This quality of spiritual maturity only happens over tim ...]]></description>
      <dc:creator>Boyd Bailey</dc:creator>
      <comments>http://www.ministryventures.org/Blog/tabid/73/entryid/82/God-s-Call-to-Ministry-Part-Four-Spiritual-Maturity.aspx#Comments</comments>
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      <pubDate>Mon, 16 Aug 2010 10:00:00 GMT</pubDate>
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      <title>God’s Call to Ministry - Part Three: Spiritual Maturity</title>
      <category domain="http://www.ministryventures.org/blog/tabid/73/categoryid/2/default.aspx">Leadership</category>
      <link>http://www.ministryventures.org/Blog/tabid/73/entryid/81/God-s-Call-to-Ministry-Part-Three-Spiritual-Maturity.aspx</link>
      <description><![CDATA[
    In 1 Timothy 3:6, Paul exhorts Timothy to avoid seeking spiritual leadership prematurely; this is the first step toward spiritual maturity. Spiritual development is necessary for leading God’s people. Worldly success needs to be overlaid with a biblical worldview. Too much responsibility too early breeds pride and conceit, a “look what I am doing for God” attitude rather than humbly confessing that God is working through me for His glory. 
    Second, we must be successful in the little things, the details of life, before we can handle the great opportunities God brings along. The apostle Paul knew that information and opportunity that have not been tested by experience can set us up for failure—failure by becoming puffed up with pride because of what we are doing for God, and failure because our character has not been developed so we can handle success and/or adversity in a gracious, persevering, and Christ-honoring fashion. 
    A third step toward spiritual maturity is faith. Can the depth of your  ...]]></description>
      <dc:creator>Boyd Bailey</dc:creator>
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      <pubDate>Fri, 13 Aug 2010 10:00:00 GMT</pubDate>
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