In all things, God is the Creator, the Author, and the Master Craftsman. And as his servant leaders we are learning to mimic his craftsmanship. As we practice, train, and discipline ourselves through life we are being refined from beginners to advanced servant leaders following the examples of the master designer. In the beginning he holds our hands on how to do things, and as we grow and develop he helps us redevelop and refine our technique. He helps us with our skills, but he affirms and nurtures our gifting Yes, because a Master Craftsmen cares for his apprentices.
In this analogy we see that God has been building up the Bride of Christ and as we know the harvest is ready but the workers are few. May we know that we are the workers and we build each other up and the kingdom with care and authenticity, even through the growing pains stretching and branching out for the sake of God's satisfaction, our sanctification, and His glorification. How proud the Master Crafter is when we are faithful through the the hard labor.
This coming June 15-17th 2013, approximately 50 women from our SEAC community will gather to build and affirm each other, unveiling their faces and faith to the Lord at the 1st SEAC Women's Retreat. May we be uplifting of their worship and fellowship, may we build our women servant leaders up by sending blessings their way, and may we also contend for them for the father of lies desires to bring waves of deceit, temptations that desire to devour and destroy, and disappointment towards these blooming women. In confidence and courage may the strength of the Lord help them to thrive in this new ministry. May we as a community be vicious with joy and with advocacy for our women servant leaders.
Brothers and sisters, I could not address you as people who live by the Spirit but as people who are still worldly—mere infants in Christ.
2 I gave you milk, not solid food, for you were not yet ready for it. Indeed, you are still not ready.
3 You are still worldly. For since there is jealousy and quarreling among you, are you not worldly? Are you not acting like mere humans?
4 For when one says, “I follow Paul,” and another, “I follow Apollos,” are you not mere human beings?
5 What, after all, is Apollos? And what is Paul? Only servants, through whom you came to believe—as the Lord has assigned to each his task.
6 I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God has been making it grow.
7 So neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow. 8 The one who plants and the one who waters have one purpose, and they will each be rewarded according to their own labor.
9 For we are co-workers in God’s service; you are God’s field, God’s building.
10 By the grace God has given me, I laid a foundation as a wise builder, and someone else is building on it. But each one should build with care.
1 Corinthians 3:10
Interesting fact:
Did you know that the famous painter Claude Monet, struggled so much because he had such a different perspective than the Academy of Art and artists. He was not accepted into the guilds that were built by the Academy. He struggled so much with his good friends Renoir and Marie Cassatt. Low and behold he is the painter known as the father of lights. In his later career he moved to the country side and everyday he would master his eye of the exploration of how light affects the nature around him. Summer, winter, spring or fall, Monet went out to the field in the heat, the snow, the breeze, and the sunsets to paint ordinary haystacks in the field. He had to master his craft in other ways, through discipline, and through practice. He now has HUNDREDS and HUNDREDS in his Haystack Series. These haystacks have changed the way we learn about the exploration of color theory, form, and perspective on object and light relationship. After years and years of practice Monet became the Master of Light.
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