JoshWintermute.com

I am Grateful

2011-11-12T17:02:00.001-08:00

I am incredibly grateful for the season of life I am in. We have been through many difficult seasons but I can say with confidence, I am where God has called me and I am glad to be here.

This may seem simple but, to me, it is a big deal as I can tend to notice the greener grass that is promised in the next season of life.

A path not a destination

2011-02-25T16:25:00.000-08:00

Community is a PATH not a DESTINATION. The choice is if you are going to get on the path or stay off.

With every journey we experience cost.
When it comes to community, the cost will be:

Time- quantity time leads to quality time
Effort/Energy- what you put in, you will get out
Sacrifice- gotta make some choices because you cant do everything
Pride- it's not about you
Honesty- gotta open up and be real with people
Resources- food and fun cost something.
More......

When we think community is a destination, we make it so easy and are disappointed when it doesn't just happen (why don't i have any friends? etc.). When we realize it is a path or journey we have grace to enjoy the ride and make the most of it.

I Like who I work with.

2010-11-04T22:30:00.000-07:00

I am blessed to work with a great team.

Big things to me- like spending time with them, happy to see them, honest with them, trust them, laugh with them, want to be around them, and want to be better because of them.

Working with people can be very challenging, very rewarding and very humbling.

How do you feel about your team?

The Push

2010-05-17T07:39:00.000-07:00

I had one of those "I can't believe my baby is getting so big" moments as our 5 year old son Christian rode his bike without training wheels for the first time.

He is very good on the bike and loves to ride so as we were on a family ride we realized he is doing well enough to take off the wheels. When we got home I took the wheels off and we got ready to roll. I ran behind him on the first ride as he was getting his balance and his speed. After the first run it was time for me to let him go so he could ride solo. I got behind him and we started off, after a few steps I let go and he rode for about 15 feet. After we dusted him off he got back on the bike and we did the process all over again. I got him started and gave him a big push and he took off going about 100 yards. He continued to ride, using a push from dad until he was able to start all by himself. Now after only a few days, he is a champ on the bike and is learning to turn, start and stop on his own.

Taking the training wheels off is one of many new things Christian will do on his journey to becoming mature. All too often we fear new things and doing things on our own especially when it comes to things of the Kingdom (leading a small group, praying with a friend, sharing our faith, helping someone in need, etc...).
God is molding and shaping us to become mature in Him. Part of the maturing process is stepping out in faith and moving forward on our spiritual journey. This can feel like taking off the training wheels but the Lord is behind us carrying us and giving us the push (of the Holy Spirit) we need to succeed. And when we fall, he is there to help us get back up and go again.

Don't give up!
Don't let fear hold you back!
Don't get stuck!

James 1:4
⁴Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.

"Good Things"

2010-04-20T14:13:00.000-07:00

There is no shortage of "Good Things" to do, especially when it comes to the Kingdom. In Mark 14 we see the story of Jesus being anointed at Bethany by the woman and the people watching say the perfume was being "wasted" and could have been used to help the poor.

Jesus responds to the comments by telling them that they will always have the poor and if they want, they can help them at any time.

I find there are so many things to do and I have the desire to do them all but the reality is, I simply can't. We find Jesus responds to the people by saying if you have a passion for something go and do it. Don't wait for the organized church, a different leader, the ideal time..... Just go do it and don't judge what others do with what they are given or how they choose to worship.

We can all look around and notice what should be done but by just talking and complaining nothing will ever change, we need leaders. People who will see a problem and be the solution. We need people who are not scared to fail. People who are willing to step out in faith and take charge. Fear will lead to unfaithfulness and unfruitfulness. Use the passions you have and the resources you have been given to make a change in your world.

Be the difference.

Landon Grey Wintermute

2010-03-17T18:51:00.000-07:00

With great joy I present to you our new son, Landon Grey Wintermute.

This is the video of him meeting his older brothers for the first time.

Project Awaken

2010-02-22T13:26:00.000-08:00

I recently had the privilege of writing an article for Project Awaken, take a minute and read my article on community.

Prayer and Fasting

2010-01-31T08:32:00.000-08:00

Our church just concluded 21 days of prayer and fasting. This has been a great time of seeking the Lord and submitting to His plan and purposes. Like a good boy, I decided what I was going to fast and I set out to do it. I have been very committed to fasting and have tried to make it a regular discipline in my life. Historically, I have stuck with whatever fast I have decided for the entire time period- this time was a little different.

At the beginning of the fast this truth became very apparent to me.

Fasting is a Physical Discipline while Prayer is a Spiritual Discipline.

I started the fast and quickly realized a terrible reality about myself. I lack spiritual discipline. It is easier for me to deny myself food than it is to prioritize an extended time of prayer.

I am very grateful for the way the Lord exposed this part of my heart and the way He lovingly leads me back to Himself.

A devoted time of Prayer and Fasting is more about adding something (prayer) than it is about taking something away (food).

The Secret to Success as a Group Leader

2009-12-29T10:00:00.000-08:00

Give your Group Away!

It is easy as a small group leader to do everything, after all, you can do it better and faster than anyone else plus since your such a good person you don't want to impose on anyone and its your opportunity to serve.

When you do everything yourself you are cutting others off from contributing and possibly moving forward on their spiritual journey which, I am positive you don't want to do that so, think of all the things that go into your group.

Food- a key to making people happy
Location- gotta meet somewhere
Lesson/teaching/sermon/presentation- what your doing as a group
Prayer- the spiritual stuff
Calls/emails- reminders and important information
Follow up- makes new people feel all warm and fuzzy
Announcements- "whoever keeps stealing from the house please stop and return the jewelry and batteries to the remotes"

Now think of all the people who attend your group and delegate the responsibilities to them. As a group leader you don't need to do everything and the people in your group are waiting on the sidelines to contribute even, if they don't know it yet. Take a step of faith and ask others to use their gifts then, as the leader check in with them and ask how things are and what you can help with. You will find people excited to attend the group because they have something to bring (if they don't bring the chips the night will be a bust!). As a added benefit you will be happy to see how much extra time you have on your hands and you can finally pick up that hobby you have been wanting to do.

Share responsibility don't hoard it.
Empowering others begins with you and is one of the most important things you will do.
Give your Group Away!

Relational Ministry

2009-10-22T14:17:00.001-07:00

We were all created in the image of God, created in the image of a relational God. In our world it seems that we are constantly moving further and further away from being relational and away from any interaction with people. Think about this, when you go through your day are you able to keep to yourself or are you thrust into dealing with people? If your like me I can go about my everyday business and totally avoid any real contact with others from paying at the pump to self checkout at the store.
We are all called to ministry and the ministry starts with the people who surround us. These are the people God has allowed your life to intersect with for a season. When we get away from the relational side of life we begin to start using people to fill in the gaps and to cover areas that need focus and attention. This type of ministry is not only a short term fix but is also very shallow and leaves all involved feeling empty and desiring more.

I love the passages of scripture when we see Jesus doing regular stuff like, eating, sleeping, crying and walking around. These remind me about the personal side of Christ, how he did things that I do. As I read about Jesus doing everyday things I can't seem to feel like we over complicate ministry by putting it on a pedestal and make it something that it was never intended to be. When we elevate ministry we immediately start to discount others and often ourselves from what we were created to do.

Relational ministry is not about the task but about a focus. Every relationship we have has some type of focus and the more we get to know someone the more we begin to broaden that focus.
When you have a focus, the tasks will be taken care of as long as the tasks don't overshadow the relationship.
Jesus prioritized the relationship side of ministry with his disciples and as he did, he set an example of how we were to do ministry and the tasks were taken care of.

Relational ministry is not task oriented but focused on a greater goal.

Challenges with Leading

2009-10-14T07:45:00.000-07:00

As a group leader we all face challenges and every time you step up to lead you will face opposition. The good news is you are not alone. The challenges you face are not identical but are often similar to what others have gone through so... What is the most difficult thing you have faced leading your group?

Here are some of the answers from other group leaders:
Breaking the shell- getting people to open up about what is really going on in their life.
Keeping a loose agenda-Finding a balance between the groups focus and real life issues.
Not seeing life change- wanting the group to go to the next level but individuals stop moving forward and seem to get complacent.
Burn out- not seeing a return investment.
Tragedy within the group- loss, sickness, financial, marriage, etc.

2 questions????

2009-09-14T14:09:00.000-07:00

1) How do you measure the success of a Group?

2) What Support do Group Leaders need from church leadership?

Groups

2009-09-11T18:12:00.000-07:00

Groups are all about Experiencing Authentic Community and Spiritual Growth.