The Gallery

As created beings we are His artwork. It's a fact.
Have you ever thought of Redeemer, really the entire planet as a gallery? Some pieces are pretty marred, some are more abstract, but indeed are pieces of art.

In this vein, I encourage you to take time to appreciate the other pieces around you, not overlooking yourself. This is not a narcissistic exercise, but instead one that requires you to partner with the Spirit. Who does God say He is and who does He say you are? These questions must be tightly woven into the process.

Consider fostering an opportunity in your group in which people can talk about their giftedness; what do they enjoy expressing or would they like to begin exercising? God has uniquely created us, use this opportunity to get the group talking about what mission they may be called to individually and how to partner with others in the group on Kingdom mission.

Quick story: A friend, who is an officer, mentioned one time his heart for shepherding people. His chosen profession had caused us as a church to request his services in another area entirely for many years. There was a void, he moved to fill it and filled it well. Recently, it has been great to see him freed up and encouraged to serve in another area in which he is gifted and called, using this gift speaks to his heart and contributes to our Body glorifying God. He continues to work in the first area on occasion, but his joy is really evident when he is doing the latter. Sometimes serving looks like laying down your life, sometimes it's "you mean I get to do this"!