More Words and Wordles

OK, by now every blogger in the world is familiar with Wordle and word clouds. Its just occurred to me that a word cloud generator can be used as a quick indicator of how focussed a blog post or other piece of writing is. By dint of enlarging and highlighting all the words used most it gives a pretty good visual representation of how important something is to the writer. If your cloud has a lot of poor common English words, it will show (as in "get" in the cloud below). If you figure too highly in it yourself it will show.

Here is the cloud for the last few blogs on this page:

Mature Manhood

Presenting everyone mature in Colossians means Paul labouring and toiling with all God's energy so that people have "the riches of the glory of the mystery." This is defined as "Christ in you, the hope of glory." That is the definition of Christian maturity in this verse. The job of leaders and preachers is to get everyone to bank all their hope, all their ambition, all plans and decisions on Christ, their hope of glory. Knowing, as we do so, that he will indwell them and transform them, by the Holy Spirit.
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Pastoral Refreshment Conference 2009

Why do so many people in long term ministry run dry? Some fail to run the course, pulling up early. Others stay in leadership but end up just treading water. The levels of attrition among long term leaders are a national disgrace for the UK church, but one over which we frequently draw a discreet veil of silence. After all, which member of a congregation has the confidence to question whether their leaders and families are enjoying a good walk with God? Who will ask them whether they are spiritually flourishing or languishing? And which leaders would be brave enough to tell them if they did?

 

I am really excited with the way this year's Pastoral Refreshment Conference is shaping up. It's designed precisely to answer those kinds of questions. It's not a conference about ministry skill or theology, but about leaders' (and spouses) spiritual lives and walks with Jesus. This coming February Andrew Page (Innsbruck Baptist Church, Above Bar Church, Southampton) is preaching on "Leaders as Disciple". His brief: be real, earthed and practical, please. Andrew isn't well known in the UK, but is among the most helpful, inspirational and down to earth preachers I know. I can't wait to be fed by him.

 

You can download publicity for the conference here. If you would like to know more drop Living Leadership a line. Why not think about paying for your church leader and wife (or husband) to come as a Christmas present. They would find it encouraging and refreshing and your church would feel the benefit for the year ahead. 


Blogging friends please pass the word on! Click here to download the complete pdf brochure