Gilbert Thurston

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

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Happy 19th Birthday to Me!

July 27, 2012 by Gilbert Leave a Comment

Sorry I haven’t blogged in awhile…sort of got burnt out on it but I couldn’t resist today.  Why?  Because today I turn 19!  “Ummm Gilbert good try but you are a lot older than 19”.  Yes physically I am but today marks 19 years since I became a follower of Jesus!  This also means that I’ve now spent 19 years serving the devil and 19 years serving Jesus.  Now don’t get me wrong…I had some good times during those first 19 years (many times too good of times) but I can say beyond a shadow of a doubt that these last 19 have been far better.

If you’re interested in hearing more of how and why it happened and some of the results since then, I’ve written about them before on spiritual birthdays:

How it Happened

Why It Happened (if you don’t read any of the others at least read this one)

How It’s Changed Me

Filed Under: General Tagged With: Birthday, gilbert thurston, Jesus, salvation

Road Trip

June 22, 2010 by Gilbert 1 Comment

For the next 8 days we will be traveling throughout the Midwest for conferences, meetings, visits to mega-churches, seeing friends and future staff members, casting vision for ExponentialChurch.tv and hopefully raising some funds.  Please keep us in prayer as we travel nearly 1300 miles, that not only would we be safe but also that our time will be productive.  Keep checking back all week long and I’ll up-date you via the blog and Twitter of what’s happening.

Today’s destination is Indianapolis, Indiana.  A mere 8 hours or so and we’ll be there.

Filed Under: General

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

3 year anniversary!

September 1, 2009 by Gilbert Leave a Comment

3 years ago today I began a 4 month consulting agreement with the Chambersburg First Church of God.  Part of that time was also to determine whether CFCOG was where God was calling Lisa and I to next on a more permanent basis.  Now here we are 3 years later and the answer was obviously yes!

And what a 3 years it has been.  The church has tripled in size…United which I was asked to lead has exploded with growth…hundreds of people have come to Christ…stories of life change are everywhere.  It hasn’t all been fun and games though…I’ve experienced some really down times…but through it all God has been faithful and I’m a better follower of Christ and pastor as a result.

So happy anniversary…can’t wait to see what the next 3 years and beyond hold!

Filed Under: General Tagged With: anniversary, Chambersburg First Church of God, gilbert thurston, United Worship Experience

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