Daniel Im

Pastor + Author

Articles

Community Over the Summer

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One thing we know for sure is that the wonderful summer months do not take away our need for community. In fact, with the long Edmonton winters, summer is THE thing many of us look forward to. Instead of doing things just by yourself, or with your family, what do you think about the idea of scheduling opportunities to have fun, eat a meal, and just fellowship together with those in your group?

Groups are not about meetings, they are about relationships – it’s about doing life together and living life together. As a result, even though you may suspend your regular group studies for the summer months, make an effort to do life together.

Here are a list of things to do together with your group to get your creative juices flowing:

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Book Review: Spiritual Leadership – Blackaby’s

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The following is an analytical book review of Henry and Richard Blackaby’s Spiritual Leadership: Moving People on to God’s Agenda.

Henry Blackaby is the epitome of a lifelong learner and leader. He has extensive experience in pastoral ministry and is a consultant to CEOs and various Christian organizations, such as the Southern Baptist Convention. He has written various books, is a sought out speaker, and currently leads Henry Blackaby Ministries. Richard Blackaby, the son of Henry Blackaby, is also a writer and a sought out speaker. In addition, he has pastoral experience and is currently serving as the president of the Canadian Southern Baptist Seminary in Cochrane, Canada. Consequently, what stands out clearly is that both have strong ties to the Southern Baptist denomination.

The thesis of this book is that spiritual leadership is all about moving people from where they are to where God wants them to be.

There are differences between general and spiritual leadership principles, but the authors state that those who will lead according to spiritual principles will be far more effective in their leadership (14). Tied to that statement is the belief that God is the one who calls and equips individuals to be spiritual leaders (46).

Throughout this book, the authors present nuggets of wisdom that have been gleaned from their own leadership experience and that of others. As a result, this book almost seems like a compilation of essays exploring a variety of leadership issues. Generally though, the book begins by exploring why leadership is needed, the difference between general and spiritual leadership, and how leaders are developed. After covering those introductory issues, the authors continue to explore a variety of issues that leaders need to be aware of, such as: vision, character,  goals, influence, decision making, scheduling, pitfalls, and rewards. What holds this book together is the common thread that true leadership originates from God, points people towards God, and reflects the heart and action of God.

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Ending Prostitution in Canada

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Click on the image above to see this amazing website that will resource you in partnering to end prostitution in Canada.

Below are my notes from a seminar that Glendyne Gerrard, the director of Women’s Ministry in the Mid West District of the Christian and Missionary Alliance.

  • Prostitution is violence against women
  • Prostitutes start young
  • 84% of prostitutes have been sexually abused as children
  • Being abused seems to be a training ground for prostitution
  • First nations women are at the greatest risk in our country of being prostituted
    • 400 children were sexually exploited on the streets of Winnipeg last year
    • The youngest victim was 11
    • 84% of these children were aboriginal
  • Poverty is the number 1 reason women are forced into prostitution.
  • Abolition of prostitution is possible in our country!
  • Sweden demands to abolish prostitution

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An Artesian Spring Dialogue

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In the passage below, I love how Jesus exemplified dialogue education by being a guide on the side, rather than a sage on the stage. His love for the woman at the well and his disciples was clearly exemplified by his persistence to have them discover and encounter truth, and drink from the well of living artesian water.

Jesus accomplished this through dialogue and I want to do the same.

Jesus empowered the woman and his disciples through dialogue by hearing their stories, and I want to do the same.

I need to resist my tendency to assume that I understand those I am leading, and I need to engage them in dialogue by first hearing their story. It is only when I hear their story that I can faithfully teach them and love them in the way that Jesus would want me to.

“A woman, a Samaritan, came to draw water. Jesus said, “Would you give me a drink of water?” (His disciples had gone to the village to buy food for lunch.) [Read more…] about An Artesian Spring Dialogue

The Story of Jonah

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When’s the last time you’ve read the book of Jonah?

Try reading it through and see if you can make sense of this pictorial representation of the book.

Hint: The heart represents God’s heart for the nations of this world.

 

Book Review: Renovation of the Heart – Dallas Willard

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The following is an analytical book review of Dallas Willard’s Renovation of the Heart.

Dallas Willard is a Professor in the School of Philosophy at the University of Southern California. Although he is a philosophy professor who has published in his main area of study and teaching, it seems that Willard has found greater success in the area of publishing Christian books. He has published more Christian books than he has philosophical books, while having received more book awards for his Christian books. Furthermore, Willard’s background in academics and philosophy heavily influences his writing; for example, he refuses to assert his “how-to” points without first providing the background information and then carefully and systematically supporting his points in a well rounded manner. This method may seem logical, but it is not necessarily the norm in the array of books that come out these days.

The thesis of this book is that the spirit, mind, body, social context, and soul of an individual needs to be spiritually transformed into Christlikeness, by relying on the grace of God, and having and implementing the appropriate vision, intention, and means to Christlikeness.

Willard’s book is essentially divided into two major sections. The first section begins by defining authentic spiritual formation. Willard emphasizes how true spiritual formation is not just about the external, but it is more about inward obedience and conformity to Christ (Chapter 1, Location 215). In setting up the second half of the book, Willard states that the major obstacle to spiritual formation is self-worship, whereas self-denial is the foundation of its renovation (Chapter 5, Location 983). For spiritual formation to be effective, this self-denial needs to happen in one’s whole self – namely, these six areas: spirit, mind, body, social context, and soul (Chapter 2, Location 330). As a result, a strategy to transform each of these essential dimensions to Christlikeness composes the second section of his book.

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