Pastor Jonathan Bonar
Last week we had our January Children’s Ministry Staff Advance (we call it an “advance” instead of a “retreat”). I asked Pastor Jonathan Bonar to come and share a leadership lesson with us. Pastor Jonathan is the Campus Pastor at our Royal Palm campus. The Royal Palm campus is one of the nation’s largest satellite campuses with over 6,000 people attending on weekends. The campus meets in a renovated Target store and it looks incredible.
Pastor Jonathan shared about being vs. doing. He is a great example of this having just come through a battle with cancer. Praise the Lord…He is now cancer free.
He lives out what you are about to read. During his battle, I watched him. He always kept a positive attitude. Even in his most trying days, He always kept a smile on his face. Even in the midst of personal pain, He was always more concerned about others than Himself.
I was so challenged as Pastor Jonathan shared the thoughts below. I have such a long ways to go. But I pray each day that God will help me be more concerned about being than doing.
“Be what you need to be and you will do what you need to do.”
1. Be Real.
·Hebrews 11 is God’s trophy case of Christians. Notice that they weren’t perfect…in fact, many of them were far from it. But in spite of that…God used their lives.
·Paul was called “the chief of sinners.”
·Don’t try to be perfect in front of others. They already know your weaknesses anyways
·Be a leaker of transformation. Hebrews 12 talks about “being” transformed. It’s a work in progress.
·We are living on a battlefield…not a playground.
·Don’t expect a perfect life or ministry area. There are none.
2. Be Relentless.
“It’s our job to run the track…not design it.”
·Stay focused on your track…not someone elses.
·Psalm 119:105 talks about God’s guidance and Word being like a lamp. A lamp doesn’t shine all the way down the track…it just shows you a step at a time.
·Don’t worry about what’s down the track. Just make every day count for God.
3. Be Released.
·Hebrews 12 reminds us of the sins and weights that hinder us.
·We tend to pick up baggage along the journey.
·Weights may include things like habits, hang-ups, and hurts.
·Weights are not necessarily sins, but they hold you back from running your best race.
4. Be Re-Aligned.
·It’s easy to get knocked out of line. Focus on Christ and work hard at keeping your relationship with Him aligned.
·If you don’t focus on Christ, you won’t handle change well.
·Christ built people not programs.
·Dedicate each day to Christ. Not promised of tomorrow.
