Discovery Weekend

Just returned Saturday evening from a quick jaunt to Abilene, Texas for the weekend.  What a great time we had!

I always and absolutely love when Mike and I have opportunity to travel together, anywhere!  We enjoy the ride. It’s a fabulous opportunity for us to talk; whether a visit about how we enjoy our family, friends, and others we dearly love, talk of ministry, discuss serious matters, or share giggles and laughs about our own silliness.

This particular weekend would be classified as a working trip.  We were together as Mike came alongside to support me as I close in on finalizing the requirements for ordination in the Church of the Nazarene. We spent about ten hours in a classroom setting called Discovery Weekend. Mike participated in the course with me and enjoyed the opportunity. Of course, I LOVED it!

Mike~my blessing, my gift, my husband, for almost 36 years~ sitting through a class with me and a room filled with other pastors preparing for ordination.

 

I could talk for days on end about the solid-as-granite support Mike is to me! As I pursue the call of God on my life, Mike supports my education, my travels, my speaking ministry, and has been the instrumental backbone for me and with me in music ministry. So, KUDOS to my man, whose rigid strength is also my shield!

Now, about this weekend:  We gathered with old friends and made new ones. The weekend was exceptional as we had opportunity to spend Friday and Saturday with a room full of fellow pastors and Kingdom workers. We gathered as laborers for the Kingdom of Christ to learn together.

The focus of our time was to discover our personal strengths as ministers, learn more about how those strengths are exhibited  in performing our various ministries, how we work with other pastors, leaders, and volunteers, and how we relate to our spouse and family.

What a joy as Dr. Linda and Rich Cantwell presented the information and facilitated our class time.  The weekend was a blessing, an informative and entertaining experience encouraging one another as we develop and grow as ministers of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

I am thankful for our District Superintendent, Dr. David Downs, and our Assistant District Superintendent, Earl Robertson, for facilitating a successful meeting.

We ended our time taking Communion together. The presence of the Lord beautifully noticeable on the countenance of each person in attendance filled my heart with His peace and gratitude.

A few pictures from this weekend:

 

Dr. Downs addressing our group Friday evening.

 

 

 

 

Fellow pastors and classmates

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The reason we gathered this weekend; to discover we are each uniquely designed as a masterpiece in God’s Kingdom! Eph 2:10

 

 

 

 Mike, me, Groban George-Pastor of Arabic language Church of the Nazarene, and Earl Robertson, Assistant District Superintendent

 

 

 

Truly, there is no greater joy than serving the Lord. May you discover the strengths placed within you by our Lord and the gifts of His Holy Spirit and walk in them as you encounter the people in your sphere!

 

 

 

Published by

leah@vinesweet.org

I help overwhelmed people confront and collapse problems of the past and collect right information about themselves so they can connect to life and relationships in a brand new way! With her joyful, enthusiastic attitude, Leah has an exceptional ability to extract significant lessons learned from life-experiences and turn them into teaching points we can all relate to and help connect us more closely to Jesus Christ. In addition to speaking, Leah is a blogger and author with two works to her name, Faith Lessons: Experiencing the Miracles (Insight, 2008) and Success Simplified (Insight, 2011). She is currently completing a book project of her signature program, The VineSweet Connection: 5 Steps to a Fruitful Life, scheduled for publication later this year. Additionally, her radio broadcast, The VineSweet Connection, has aired on the Kingdom Keys Radio Network. A Licensed Pastor with the Church of the Nazarene, Leah serves as the Worship Arts Pastor at First Church of the Nazarene in Amarillo, Texas. Taking ministry outside the walls of the church building and serving the community, Leah has been invited numerous times to lead opening prayer at the City of Amarillo Council Meetings, led and served on community task forces, several non profit boards, professional associations, and ministry boards. Most recently, Leah was appointed Chaplain of the Amarillo Association of REALTORS and served as a member of their Board of Directors. She also served as President of the Board of Directors of Worth the Wait. Currently Leah serves on the Board of Directors of the Amarillo Education Foundation. Leah and husband, Mike, an accomplished musician, have served together in worship ministry more than thirty years. They have traveled in ministry and performed at many events, as well as having performed on national television. The Forts have been married more than 35 years and make their home in Amarillo, Texas. They have a daughter and son-in-law, Sydney and Chase Clark, a son and daughter-in-law, Lane and Neeley Fort, and six grandchildren.

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