Gilbert Thurston

Random Thoughts About Life, Ministry and Whatever Else Happens to be on my Mind

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Archives for September 2009

Ministry Is Messy

September 30, 2009 by Gilbert Leave a Comment

This week I was reminded that ministry is and should be messy.  In just the last few months I’ve met with people that are addicted to drugs and alcohol, with women involved as prostitutes and strippers, with people contemplating suicide and abortions, with couples involved in affairs and considering divorce.  Then on top of that are the normal relational and financial dificulties that many are going through. 

I relish the opportunity to speak with these people because what they really need is a relationship with Jesus.  They come in looking for quick fixes, but often leave with something far deeper and more powerful…forgiveness of their sins and the Holy Spirit living in them wanting to change them on a daily basis into the image and likeness of Christ.  Unfortunately, many times these people though want to continue figuring things out for themselves…they’re not yet ready to surrender to Jesus and I/we still need to love them and help them in the midst of their mess. 

Honestly, sometimes that can be draining.  Sometimes it’s tempting to want to quit and give up.  Ever felt that way?  What I remind myself of though is this…when ministry isn’t messy, you’re not really doing anything for God.  Jesus has called the church not to be a sanctuary for the saints, but rather a hospital for sinners.  If on Sunday’s everybody’s got it all together, that’s not a sign of a spiritually mature church, it’s the sign of an immature church because they’ve gotten off mission.

So pray with me that every week we’d smell smoke and alcohol on people, that people still coming off a high from Saturday night would stumble through the halls, that couple’s barely speaking to one another would sit in our chairs, and that others in the midst of destructive sin would show up.  Remember, we can’t expect non-Christians to act like Christians until they become one.  So one of our core values is, “No Perfect People Allowed”.  So let’s accept them without neccisarily approving of their actions…let’s show them the love of Christ and then let’s pray that they will accept his offer of forgivenss and new life!

Filed Under: Theology Tagged With: abortion, addiction, affair, alcohol, Core Values, divorce, drugs, mess, ministry, No Perfect People Allowed, prostitute, salvation, sin, spiritual maturity, stripper, suicide

Inside Today’s Experiences

September 27, 2009 by Gilbert Leave a Comment

  • Another fun day!
  • Any day where people are giving their lives to Christ though is a good day in my book!
  • Both crowds today we’re really energetic…especially the 11:15 crowd.
  • I loved the band’s version of the song, “Second Chance”.
  • We had Andrea hold out the one note twice as long as it is in the original and in both Experiences I got goose bumps…she and they did awesome!
  • It’s been great to add some new band members recently…today we added Steve on drums and Andrew on guitar.
  • That’s in addition to recent additions of Brett, Dan and Cressa.
  • All the new people are doing great and adding nice depth to the team.
  • Of course I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention Brian, Adam, Andrea, Alex and Gayle for their years of hard work on the team.
  • I really enjoyed this series…I always get as much out of them preaching as you probably do listening to them.
  • Remember, “The clearer the vision, the fewer the options, the easier the decision”
  • Also don’t forget, “I am doing a great work and I cannot come down”.
  • Next week we’ll only have the 9:45 Experience so make sure you’re there early to get a good seat and don’t forget to invite someone as we launch a new series called “Reality Check”.

Filed Under: Inside Today's Experience's Tagged With: Adam Swisher, Alex Swisher, Andrea Miller, Andrew John, Brett Hultzapple, Brian Miller, Cressa Coldsmith, Dan Monn, Gayle Krull, gilbert thurston, Reality Check series, salvation, Steve Hulock, United Worship Experience, Unveil Series

Personality Test

September 24, 2009 by Gilbert Leave a Comment

I took this personality test.  The results describe me pretty accurately.  I’ve posted them below so you can get to know me a bit better.  Post yours in reply so I can do the same with you!

Organized

You like to think a task through before you embark on it. If it’s the slightest bit complicated, you make a list (even if it’s only in your mind) and methodically work your way through it. When you have a goal in mind, you’re not satisfied until you reach it.

You are not one of those people who ignore the details, and you don’t understand how anyone can get anything accomplished without thoughtful planning ahead of time.

Assertive

You behave in a confident and forceful manner, take charge of the situation, raise your hand in class, stand up for what you think is right, and lead others. Among those who have a high score on the “assertive” trait, many have jobs in which they are valued for their organizational skills as well as their talent for supervising others.

You are not interested in fading into the woodwork, leaving everything to fate, taking more time than necessary to accomplish a task, or avoiding confrontation.

Cautious

You very rarely make a move without first considering the pros and cons and, therefore, rarely do anything foolish or extravagant.

You are not rash; you almost never act before you think and, therefore, rarely end up doing things you later regret.

Conscientious

You feel it’s important to work according to a plan and finish every task, to do things correctly and thoroughly.

You are not the kind of person who abandons a project before finishing it, or slacks off when you’ve lost interest.

Competent

You strive to master everything you undertake. You tend to learn quickly and do not shy away from challenges.

You are not a “que sera sera” type of person, nor do you go easy on yourself when attempting to master a new skill or get a job done.

Authoritative

You have found that others will often do what you want them to do, without significantly pushing back. You’ve also discovered that many people will accept harsher criticism from you than they would take from anyone else. Many of those with a high score on the “authoritative” trait hold leadership positions in industry.

You do not want to be in the position of always being told what to do. You don’t choose to avoid a confrontation if, through confrontation, you could get your way.

Competitive

You’d rather win than simply get along in most situations. When you know you’re right, you would rather argue your point than compromise. Generally, those with a high score on the “competitive” trait hold leadership positions in industry and are exhilarated by risk-taking both in their professional and personal lives.

You are not always interested in getting along with others in a group, especially if it can mean losing your identity.

Focused

You know how to lock in on what’s important. You quickly prepare yourself for a task, you don’t procrastinate, and you don’t let up until the job is done to your satisfaction.

You are the opposite of scattered. You don’t procrastinate before starting a task, and you almost never lose track of what you’re doing.

Astute

You are a quick study. You generally don’t need to have things explained to you more than once. When presented with a problem, you will often have an instant understanding of where to look for the solution.

You do not take your sweet time when presented with a new task to complete or problem to solve. You don’t avoid assignments that require you to learn new skills.

Intellectual

You are thoughtful, rational, and comfortable in the world of ideas. People find you interesting to talk to. You’re the living embodiment of the saying “You learn something new every day.” In general, those with a high score on the “intellectual” trait are employed in such fields as teaching and research, and are enthusiastic about reading, foreign films, and classical music.

You do not avoid abstract conversation, experimenting with new ideas, or studying new things. It bores you to stick to the straight and narrow of what you already know.

Filed Under: General Tagged With: gilbert thurston, leadership, personality

A Tribute…

September 23, 2009 by Gilbert 2 Comments

In 16 years of being a follower of Christ and now almost 10 years in full-time ministry, I have been very blessed by God to be able to do some pretty cool stuff for Him.  I have personally led hundreds of people into a relationship with Him and during my time with Purpose Driven Ministries, I trained over 10000 pastors how to more effectively reach their local communities.  I share all this for a reason…

None of what I’ve been able to accomplish for Jesus would have happened if not for Marvin Bower.  Marvin showed up on my front doorstep on July 27, 1993 along with Keith Skidmore and the two of them proceeded to share the good news of Jesus with me.  Despite having grown up in a church, none of it had ever made sense to me until that moment.  For the first time in my life I realized I needed to have my sins forgiven and that God didn’t just want an hour from me on Sunday’s but wanted me to surrender my entire life to Him.

Marvin passed away yesterday.  I was just one of many that he led into a relationship with Christ.  Marvin was not a pastor, he was just a lay person who understood that while other companies might pay him a wage so he could pay his bills, his real job…his full-time job…was to help bring people who are far from God into a relationship with Jesus.  In all the years that I knew him, until his health declined, he’d spend at least one night per week going out into the community visiting people telling them the good news that Jesus died so our sins can be forgiven.

Little did he realize that hot summer night that not only was he helping to change my eternal destiny, but also the destinies of the hundreds of thousands of people that my ministry has now influenced.  What a great lesson for us all!  That what we do today is having a ripple effect that will go far beyond our lifetimes.

Marvin has run his race…his impact has literally been world-wide…he’s now heard from Jesus, “Well done my good and faithful servant”.  But what about you?  First, do you have a personal relationship with Jesus?  And then if you do, what are you doing today that will make an eternal difference.

So fix your eyes not on what is seen but what is unseen.  For what is seen is only temporary, what is unseen is eternal.
-Colossians 4:18


Filed Under: General Tagged With: evangelism, gilbert thurston, impact, Keith Skidmore, Marvin Bower, salvation

A Bug’s Life

September 22, 2009 by Gilbert Leave a Comment

It seems like God has been speaking to me a lot in the car recently.  Yesterday I was leaving the house when a huge grasshopper jumped onto my driver’s side window.  At first the noise startled me and then as I continued driving I was fascinated seeing it that close up.  What amazed me was that for miles he clung to my window before finally being blown off.

I was thinking wow that poor little grasshopper is now a long way from home and family and friends (that’s of course assuming that grasshopper’s know these things).  In any case, God then spoke to me that we do the same thing.  One little decision that we think is inconsequential (hopping on window) leads us many times into a life that we never expected.  Often times this new life and lifestyle is not what God wanted for us and we end up losing our family and friends because of it.

So before you leap into that big decision, make sure that it’s not a vehicle that’s going to carry you in the wrong direction.

Filed Under: Theology Tagged With: decisions, Driving, Grasshoppers

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