Your
Leadership
Grip
Dr. Paul Ford
Church Resource
Ministries
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Dr. Paul Ford
Church Resource
Ministries
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What is ahead for Paul and Julie? We normally do not reprint content from the last newsletter. But the transition through which we are going is so important that we ask you to read (or re-read!!) the section below and PRAY while we are in Asia and Africa. Stephen off to college... Almost immediately, you can see some of the changes coming in our lives with Stephen now at Hillsdale College in Michigan this fall. 
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The biggest is exampled by Julie’s traveling with
me in September, our first major trip together without Stephen
since 1996. The Lord may be opening up ministry possibilities
with women on such trips in this new season for her. ADD: Pray
also for whether Julie is to continue at Hayes Middle School.
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Please pray with us for clear discernment and direction as we seek His guidance. She may also be traveling with me to India in July of 2007, hopefully with a mission team from City on a Hillchurch. |
Beyond the six overseas ministry trips since July of 2004, the last two years have had a unusual focus for Paul. First came pioneering a new resource, the Your Leadership Grip/Birkman Blueprintand building a ministry team of Blueprint international trainers and coaches at the same time.
On the resource-building side, it has taken these
first two years to get the tool fine-tuned to most effectively
serve churches, mission agencies, and denominations.
As we have done this, the Lord has begun to bring
both small and large ministries who want to help their
missionaries, pastors, and teams become more intentional
stewards of who they are in Christ.
Alongside this development came the people side, and the Lord has brought 60 incredible players as Blueprint Coaches and also a special group of now twelve Trainers who are sharing the load in leading and training. It has been quite a process and an incredible investment of time...whew.
Then came the unexpected prophetic call from the Lord to write a book to call out Evangelical church leaders in North America. With the help of 2o of you in our ministry circle, I am now finished with my editorial work on Knocking Over the Leadership Ladder, and it should come out through ChurchSmart Publishers in October.
Pray now for the newness that will come as the Lord fulfills His intent in these two resources and the people involved. Beyond this season, all I know for certain is that:
When you live your life as equipping releasers – training and releasing others to play their Kingdom parts – leaving your son at college is the hardest release of all! With great excitement, poignancy, and some serious sadness, we left him in Michigan on August 21. He is laving it (surprise, surprise) and has begun fall classes.
