NURTURE the SEASON

NURTURE the SEASON

In the birthing process, not only is there a NEW BABY, but the person giving birth becomes someone they have never been before…A MOTHER… A PARENT… a whole new world opens up in one short moment.

The Changes are Huge…

·      Woman to a mother

·      Man to a father

·      Your Title/ name / life posture changes completely

·      Responsibilities immediately change

·      Daily routines change

YOU have no choice but to embrace the change that is going to happen in you if the dream is going to be successful…

Simply, the process is one of maturity.

·      As in the natural, it is impossible to give birth or parent until you have physically reached a level of maturity to create;

It’s all an issue of Maturity.

·      Maturity demands change.

·      Maturity is a completely different posture.

We are all on the road to maturity in Christ. 

·      Just like a new mother loses her former identity to take on another, we lose our former understanding of our self to walk into a new world of opportunity and influence.

Isaiah 53:19 See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland.

The NEW thing is you are being transformed from being a PRODUCER to being a REPRODUCER.

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As you Enter the New Season:

 

1.   Embrace your New Role….

·      Fall in love with being a Parent

“Becoming a parent looks—at least in the brain—a lot like falling in love.
Which helps explain how many new parents describe feeling when they meet their newborns. At the brain level, the networks that become especially sensitized are those that involve vigilance and social salience—the amygdala—as well as dopamine networks that incentivize prioritizing the infant. “In our research, we find that periods of social bonding involve change in the same ‘affiliative’ circuits,” Feldman said. “We showed that during the first months of ‘falling in love’ some similar changes occur between romantic partners.” Incidentally, that same circuitry is what makes babies smell so good to their mothers, researchers found in a 2013 study. The neural correlates of maternal and romantic love, 2003”

— An Article by Adrienne Lafrance title..”What Happens to a Woman’s Brain when She Becomes a Mother.”

·      This is not business a usual

·      This home is not the same anymore

2.   Don’t be a “Know it all….”

·      Nothing out does experience.

It’s one thing to read the manual of the car it’s another thing to drive it.

·      Build relationships with people that are doing what you are called to do and glean everything from them.

“Getting wisdom is the wisest thing you can do! And whatever else you do, develop good judgment.”

— PROVERBS 4:7

“4 These older women must train the younger women to love their husbands and their children, 5 to live wisely and be pure, to work in their homes, to do good, and to be submissive to their husbands. Then they will not bring shame on the word of God.”

— Titus 2:4-5 New Living Translation

·      In transitions like these you are not meant to be an expert.

3.   It’s going to get dirty sometimes…

·      It gets overwhelming sometimes….BUT it’s OK.

·      Learn to TALK..

·      Seek out Family.

4.   There is a Anointing (Grace) for you in the “NEW”

·      The anointing is the enabling power of the Holy Spirit

·      There is an anointing from God that is waiting for you to take a hold of.

·      There is a rest and a grace awaiting you.

·      The grace is for the purpose of the season.

 

5.   You never feel like “you’ve got this.”

·       The feelings of inadequacy are always with you.

·      You are always aware of your humanity and your failings, which makes you more dependant upon His grace and leading

 

6.   Understand the Different Seasons

·      In every stage of a child’s growth the parent has to take a different role in their child’s life. It is an ever releasing role

oCommander

oCoach

oFriend

·      In our new role, season, position, title…there will be times that you will need to be all three at different times.

 

7.   Walk in Authority

·      With the anointing comes Authority

·      With the Authority comes Responsibility

·      With the Responsibility becomes Maturity

·      Not only will you walk in Maturity but you have now Reproduced others into MATURITY.

“The greatest brain changes occur with a mother’s first child, though it’s not clear whether a mother’s brain ever goes back to what it was like before childbirth, several neurologists told me. And yet brain changes aren’t limited to new moms.

Men show similar brain changes when they’re deeply involved in caregiving. Oxytocin does not seem to drive nurturing behavior in men the way it does in women, Feldman and other researchers found in a study last year. Instead, a man’s parental brain is supported by a socio-cognitive network that develops in the brain of both sexes later in life, whereas women appear to have evolved to have a “brain-hormone-behavior constellation” that’s automatically primed for mothering. Another way to look at it: the blueprint for mothering behavior exists in the brain even before a woman has children.

Perhaps, then, motherhood really is like secret space in a woman’s brain, waiting to be discovered. “Although only mothers experience pregnancy, birth, and lactation, and these provide powerful primers for the expression of maternal care via amygdala sensitization,” researchers wrote, “evolution created other pathways for adaptation to the parental role in human fathers, and these alternative pathways come with practice, attunement, and day-by-day caregiving.”

In other words, the act of simply caring for one’s baby forges new neural pathways—undiscovered rooms in the parental brain.”

Leadership Model

LEADERSHIP MODEL  

Exodus 18

“17 Moses’ father-in-law replied, “What you are doing is not good. 18 You and these people who come to you will only wear yourselves out. The work is too heavy for you; you cannot handle it alone. 19 Listen now to me and I will give you some advice, and may God be with you. You must be the people’s representative before God and bring their disputes to him. 20 Teach them his decrees and instructions, and show them the way they are to live and how they are to behave. 21 But select capable men from all the people—men who fear God, trustworthy men who hate dishonest gain—and appoint them as officials over thousands, hundreds, fifties and tens. 22 Have them serve as judges for the people at all times, but have them bring every difficult case to you; the simple cases they can decide themselves. That will make your load lighter, because they will share it with you. 23 If you do this and God so commands, you will be able to stand the strain, and all these people will go home satisfied.””

— Exodus 18:17-23

Leadership Model

1. DEVELOPER     2. ARCHITECT     3. DRAFTSMAN    4. BUILDER    5. TRADESMAN

DEVELOPER (Where) - Pioneer

Land developers acquire property and oversee construction of residential, commercial and industrial structures. They work with local governments to ensure land is developed in compliance with zoning ordinances and regulations.

Land developers take into account property value, economic trends and zoning ordinances when assessing land for potential projects. They might apply to localities and work with regional planners to rezone or subdivide a parcel of land.

““Developers scour the land looking for good deals. It’s not just a matter of finding land, but getting it at a price where you can make money. After regulatory approval is received, which may mean many public hearings with the community, the design stage and then layout begins. Street widths and the size of the lots are decided. Lighting and sewer systems are laid down, he says. Land developers spend time working outside in the field or on site at one of their projects. They may also spend time in an office negotiating contracts. Many nights are passed in school auditoriums or other government buildings where public hearings are held.””

— Darren Fluke - Land Developer

Characteristics of a DEVELOPER: Visionary, BIG Picture thinker, driven, strong resolve, tenacious, calculated, persuasive, work out of hours, good negotiators, single focused, a little erratic, highly strategic…

Example of Biblical Developer: Moses, Nehemiah rebuilding the Wall.

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ARCHITECT (What) - Strategic Leader

Architects design all kinds of buildings. They design schools and skyscrapers. They design hospitals and hotels. They also design churches, train stations and plain old regular houses.

Any building that is used by people was probably designed by some architect.

A design is simply a plan. Before constructing a building, an architect needs to draw a plan of the building. Sometimes architects will make a cardboard or plastic model of the building.

The building is then built by a construction company which follows the directions of the plans for the building. The architect will closely supervise the construction company to make sure that the building is built according to the plans.

Architects have to think of many things before they draw up the plans for a building. First they have to think about what the building will be used for. How many people are going to use the building at the same time? What types of activities will these people do in the building?

An office building will need lots of small rooms for offices. A school will need many medium-sized rooms for classrooms. And a train station will need one larger room for hundreds of people to pass thru at the same time.

All of these building must be built so that they can be used efficiently by everyone who walks through their doors. When architects discuss what the building will be used for, they talk about the "function" of the building.

But the function of a building is just one of many things an architect has to think about when designing a building. Good architects also spend a lot of time making sure a building is safely designed, and making sure the building will last for many years.

A building that is not safely designed could catch on fire or fall down on itself.

Architects have to design building so that people can escape from the building in an emergency. Of course, some emergencies, such as earthquakes or tornadoes, destroy even the safest buildings.

Besides thinking about the function and safety of a building, architects also spend time creatively thinking about how they want the building to look. Just as a painter decides which paints to put where in a painting, an architect decides where to put the rooms, walls, and open spaces in a building.

Just as different painters have different styles of painting, different architects have different styles of designing. One architect might like to use a lot of circles and curves in his or her buildings. Another architect might like to design buildings that look sleek and flat.

So architects have to be good artists and good scientists when they design a building. The building must be pleasant to look at, pleasant to work in and strong enough to be safe from most natural disasters.

Trying to do all these things at the same time is part of the challenge and excitement of being an architect.

Characteristics of an ARCHITECT: Creative, Sees the Big Picture and knows how it all connects, understands process, Problem solver, Make decisions easy, knows what will work and won’t work…..

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DRAFTSMAN (Why) - Detailed Designer

Traditionally a draftsperson prepared technical drawings and plans under the direction of an architect. The act of drafting being part of the architectural process: The architect works out how their design will be built, passes this to their draftsperson in the form of sketches, which they re-draw neatly for distribution to the builder. It freed up architects to take on more projects.

Drafting can be applied to many other areas besides construction and architecture. Drafting can be used to create drawings of circuitry or mechanical designs. A draftsman's drawings include technical details and specifications such as materials, dimensions and procedures. Draftsmen use calculators, tables and technical handbooks.

The type of work a draftsman does depends on his or her area of expertise. For example, architectural drafters produce drawings for new construction projects. They may specialize in residential or commercial buildings or in the type of material used, such as steel, timber or reinforced concrete. Civil drafters prepare drawings for use in major civil engineering projects, such as highway and bridge construction, sewage systems and flood-control projects. Common drafting fields include aeronautics, electronics and architecture.

Characteristics of an Draftsman: Detailed, creative, technical, multi tasking, process driven,

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BUILDER (How) - Multi -Tasking Supervisor

Builders oversee, coordinate and work on the construction or repair of homes and other buildings. In addition to undertaking some of the works personally, some Builders also manage the entire project. This may include arranging for subcontractors to complete specific jobs, and making sure that the project meets industry and government regulations as well as the clients’ requirements.

As a Builder, you’ll be responsible for a range of manual, managerial and administrative responsibilities, which may include:

Interpreting plans or organising for plans to be drawn that meet building code regulations and client specifications.

Providing quotes or submitting tenders for building works.

Submitting plans to local authorities for approval.

Arranging inspections of building work.

Organising contractors including carpenters, electricians, plumbers and painters to carry out building tasks.

Undertaking some building work personally.

Calculating quantities and costs and sourcing of building materials and labour.

Supervising contractors or employees to ensure safety standards are maintained and works remain on schedule.

Coordinating administrative tasks such as payment.

Characteristics of a Builder: Interpret the Vision, Financial Integrity, Organisational ability, Multi -Tasking, Be prepared to get your hands dirty, Supervising, Administrative,

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TRADESMAN (When) - Skilled Worker

A tradesman is a specially trained worker who might work in fields such as construction or crafts. Tradesmen have more training than basic manual labourers, but they are not professional workers like doctors and attorneys. They might work independently or under the supervision of a contractor or other business owner.

This work can include designing and consulting during the development process to set out specifications for a project and develop a plan. The tradesman might work independently or supervise a crew on the project, depending on its size and complexity.

To become a tradesman, it usually is necessary to complete a traditional apprenticeship, sometimes paired with attendance at a trade school. During the apprenticeship, trainees complete a set number of hours of training as they develop their skills.

Characteristics of a Tradesman: Trained, work independently, team player, skilled, organised, supervised. 

Ps Ashley

Life Cycle of Leadership

1. Survival – “Help me Jesus”

2. Success

3. Significance – Start Impacting others

4. Self-Satisfied

5. Self-Indulgence

6. Self-Destruct

Always aim to have an element in your life that is pushing you out of your comfort; that has you in the Survival section.

Vision: Vision is a debt – How do you pay it off?

2 Kings 4

• We need to go out and get some empty pots (some people that need filling with what God has given us)

• Has to be systematic & intentional

• We need to all be discipline 5 people – filling 5 empty pots

How Jesus Chose His Disciples?

How Jesus Chose  His Disciples.

Cultural Background.

“Greeks study in order to comprehend; the Hebrews study in order to revere”

— Abraham Joshua Heschel

Education started early for Jewish Lad.

At age five, young boys went to the local synagogue school to learn Hebrew and memorise the Torah. (Pentateuch)

• First century children are heading to Bet Sefer for their education. Bet Sefer means House of the Book.
• At the ages of six through twelve, Jewish children began their formal education. Both boys and girls attended synagogue school and learned to read and write. The textbook was the Torah and the goal was not just to read but to memorise the sacred text.
• As a child of six you would go to the synagogue and the most respected man in the city would greet you with a slate and he would put a dollop of honey on the slate and then he would remove the ancient scroll of the Torah. As you sat speechless and in awe, the rabbi would have you taste the honey on your slate and tell you that the Torah is sweeter than the honeycomb.

“7 The instructions of the LORD are perfect, reviving the soul.
The decrees of the LORD are trustworthy, making wise the simple.
8 The commandments of the LORD are right, bringing joy to the heart.
The commands of the LORD are clear, giving insight for living.
9 Reverence for the LORD is pure, lasting forever.
The laws of the LORD are true; each one is fair.
10 They are more desirable than gold, even the finest gold.
They are sweeter than honey, even honey dripping from the comb.”

— Psalm 19:7-20

By the time of his bar mitzvah at age 13, a typical Jewish young man was very conversant with God’s Word having memorised the Torah (Pentateuch), the Neviim (The Prophets) and the Kituvin (The Writings), which comprised all of the Hebrew Scripture (Tanach) of that day.

• Following this sacred milestone, usually the boy began to learn the family trade. Only the best of the best continued on in their education.”
• “For the best of the best,” the next educational opportunity was called Bet Midrash. Boys - from age 13 to 15 - who were deemed worthy to continue their educational pursuits went on to study (and memorise) the entire Tanach (Old Testament), as well as learning the family trade.
• Of those who finished Bet Midrash, again only the best of the best were able to pursue the final educational leg, which was called Bet Talmud. This was the longest in duration; it went from the age of 15 to 30.
• To participate, he MUST be invited by a Rabbi and, if selected, he would begin a process of grooming that would lead to the potential of becoming a Rabbi at age 30.
• Those who were chosen were referred to as talmidim.
  • They would literally follow in the dust of their rabbi - desiring to emulate him in all of his mannerisms.
    • They would eat the same food in exactly the same way as their rabbi. 
    • They would go to sleep and awake the same way as their rabbi and, more importantly, they would learn to study Torah and understand God the exact same way as their rabbi.”
• There they would hone their ability to INTERPRET God’s Word as it relates to all the practical issues of daily life.

As part of the selection process, a rabbi would intensively test, examine, grill, and interrogate any may-I- become-your-disciple applicant in his understanding of the Tanach.

• What the rabbi was looking for was not just a detailed knowledge of the Tanach and the oral tradition, but the ability of this candidate to ask “good questions” in order to better understand the interpretive issues resident in that body of knowledge.

Remember, the issue to an observant Jew in the First Century was never what God’s Word says. They all knew what it said. They had memorised it. Rather, the issue was: “what does it mean – an interpretation question?”

The rabbi was most interested in choosing disciples who exhibited the mettle, intelligence, commitment, and persistence to become an “interpreter of God’s Word just like him.” Can this potential disciple, really become just like me, or putting it another way, can this potential talmid become a mirror image of me?

If after his questioning, the rabbi felt that you didn’t have what it would take to be one of his disciples, he would encourage you to go home and continue to learn the family trade (Go ply your trade) or business.

Come Follow Me

A rabbi wasn’t going to spend his valuable time training someone that he didn’t think could be successful. If however, he felt that you did possess the potential to become one of his disciples, he would say to you “Come and follow me,” a phrase that we see Jesus use in the gospels.

By becoming a rabbi’s disciple, the young Jewish lad readily agreed (no coercion needed) to totally surrender to the rabbi’s authority in all areas of interpreting the Scriptures for his life.

In fact that submission was something the new disciple truly wanted to do.

• Using a computer analogy as regards his understanding of God’s Word, the new disciple willingly deleted everything in his own “hard drive” of what he previously thought was “right” and “true,” and started uploading whatever his rabbi held to be right and true, i.e. the yoke of his rabbi.
• In this discipling posture, the rabbi was given special honor and esteem above the disciple’s biological father (who gave him physical life) because his rabbi would be the one to give the disciple spiritual life - the wisdom of God’s Word.

Yoke of the Rabbi

If a rabbi was interested in you becoming one of his disciples, there is a phrase or idiom that would become very important to you. If you were to become his disciple, you would be agreeing to take upon yourself the “yoke” of the rabbi.

The “yoke” would be his teachings, lifestyle, etc.

“28 Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”

— Matthew 11:28-30

Jesus makes it clear that his yoke is not difficult or heavy according to Matthew 11:28-30. Jesus was telling all those who would consider being one of his disciples that his teachings and his ways were not a burden or onerous but instead following his lifestyle and teachings made life easy and light.

 

 

Why did Jesus Choose the Twelve?

Peter, Andrew, James and John are fishing when Jesus called them to “come and follow Him.” The fact that they were fishing, (plying their trade) suggest they were not the top students from the graduating class of Jerusalem Theological Seminary.

Bluntly, it would appear that Jesus was settling for the rejects, those that the other rabbis had already turned down.

If you were a rabbi looking for men to become part of the current religious system of that time, these men were definitely not your first choices. 

He saw the potential that exists within all humanity. He knew that what was inside Him was inside those men as well.

“Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain: that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my name, he may give it you.”

— John 15:16

Jesus knew that God, the Source and Father of All dwelt not only in Him but in those men as well. They were made in His image

They just needed to discover it.

He knew that within all of mankind hides the ability to tap into God, into the universal Spirit that permeates the universe and when that occurs, all things are possible. 

What did Jesus see in the First Disciples?

“One day as Jesus was preaching on the shore of the Sea of Galilee, great crowds pressed in on him to listen to the word of God. 2 He noticed two empty boats at the water’s edge, for the fishermen had left them and were washing their nets. 3 Stepping into one of the boats, Jesus asked Simon, its owner, to push it out into the water. So he sat in the boat and taught the crowds from there.”

— Luke 5:1-3

1.  Jesus is attracted to the individual in the Crowd…

Peter and his partners were onlookers, they were not with the crowd. They were about their business…and Jesus came to their beach, their workplace.

Jesus saw the individual in the crowd. He saw Peter on the beach that day. He had a long term plan in mind for Peter when he invaded his space.

“Don’t just look at the crowd. Look for the individual in the crowd. Ask God to help you see the person not just the people.”

— Lesson One

2. Jesus is attracted to Emptiness

 Peter’s boat was empty, but not as empty as Peter was.

• Peter’s empty boat, should have been filled with fish, but not today.
• But today was different, Jesus chose to get into his empty boat
• It wasn’t the empty boat that Jesus was attracted to, it was the emptiness in Peter.
• Peter had no idea what was about to happen to him when Jesus chose his boat; his life to get into.
  • Jesus cannot come into a life that it full of itself.
  • However, he will always fill the void of despair, brokenness, emptiness, guilt, shame and disappointment. Where there is need.

“Jesus didn’t look at the lack; he looked at the potential. Look for people who are not full of themselves”

— Lesson Two

3. Jesus is Attracted to a Posture of Preparation

Peter had fished all night with no results BUT Jesus finds him on the shore mending His nets getting rid of all the stuff that had got caught up in the net.

• Cleaning the rubbish that gets caught up in the daily duties of life
• Attitudes that are wrong
• Things that if left will cause us to trip up later

Peter could have got totally frustrated over the nights fishing, but his posture was to prepare for another day. Clean the nets, mend the nets, get ready to go again.

• Preparation births expectation, expectation births activation.
• Peter's was resolve was to set his natural eye to prepare for tomorrow attracted the eye of Jesus that changed his Today.
• He wasn’t going to give up.

“Look for people who are expectant for a better tomorrow. Their posture is expectation. They are doing what they can today with tomorrow in mind. They are cleaning out the “stuff” that clutters the world in preparation for a new day.”

— Lesson Three

4. Jesus is Attracted to Trust, Service and Generosity.

 Why would Jesus ask him to push his own boat out?

• His boat represented his livelihood.
• Jesus not only gets in it, but asks him to push it out.

Ever had to a push a boat out?

• Your have to use force, energy.
• Usually get your feet wet.
• And it isn’t for your benefit
• It is so someone else can enjoy the journey…

Jesus knows what is going to happen soon…the miracle of the fish and the ultimate transformation of Peter so He takes him on a Journey.

1. Trust. – Pete, are you going to trust me with what you have?

The boat was Peter's livelihood. It might not have been much, but it was all that Pete had.Jesus wanted to take what Pete was using in His natural world and use it for Kingdom purpose. He preached from His boat to people Peter didn’t know.

Fishing was Peter’s life and his boat was the means to facilitate his whole well being…Jesus gets in and says push me out? Trust Me.

“Look for people who will take the chance. Look for people who will trust God without questions. Look for people who are willing to give God whatever they have.”

— Lesson Four

2.  Service – By Allowing Jesus into his boat and pushing him out he created a platform for Jesus to preach from.

His boat became Jesus Pulpit

Lesson: Look for these qualities..

“Their lives exist to elevate Christ. All that I have and am is a Pulpit from which Christ wants to Preach from. Look for people who cant separate, work, family, church, sport into non-connecting spaces. Every part of my life is set aside for His Purpose and His service.”

— Lesson Five

3. Generosity

Peter did all of this NOT knowing what was going to happen next. He knew nothing about the great miracle about to happen. He knew nothing about the change of lifestyle about to happen. He was just a generous person.

“Look for generous souls. People who give their time, talent and treasure”

— Lesson Six.