If you had been Martha, how would you have responded to Jesus' remark?

Why do you think Jesus said it?

What do you think Jesus meant when he said, "Mary has chosen what is better and it will not be taken away from her?

What would Jesus likely say to you if he dropped in on your home today?

What was Jesus point?

It's possible for service to Christ to degenerate into mere busy work that is no longer full of devotion to God.

Don't let your service become self-serving.  Are you so busy doing things for Jesus that you're not spending any time with him?

As you begin this course, what are some goals you would like to work on?

"One day as Jesus was standing by the Lake of Gennesaret, with the people crowding around him and listening to the word of God, he saw at the water's edge two boats, left there by the fishermen, who were washing their nets.  He got into one  of the boats, the one belonging to Simon, and asked him to put out a little from shore.  Then he sat down and taught the people from the boat.

"When he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, 'Put out into deep water, and let down" the nets for a catch.'

"Simon answered, 'Master, we've worked hard all night and haven't caught anything .  But because you say so, I will let down the nets.'

"When they had done so, they caught such a large number of fish that  their nets began to break.  So they signaled their partners in the other boat to come and help them, and they came and filled both boats so full that they began to sink.

"When Simon Peter saw this, he fell at Jesus' knees and said, 'Go away from me, Lord; I am a sinful man!'  For he and all his companions were astonished at the catch of fish they had taken, and so were James and John, the sons of Zebedee, Simon's partners.

"Then Jesus said to Simon, 'Don't be afraid; from now on you will catch men.'  So they pulled their boats up on shore, left everything and followed him." ((Luke 5: 1-11)

Picture yourself as Simon.  What are you thinking, doing, feeling in verses 1-3?

When Jesus speaks directly to you in verse 4!  Why do you go along with his odd request?

In your "fishing business," how do you see Jesus?

Peter knew that Jesus had healed the sick and driven out demons, but he was amazed that Jesus cared about his day-to-day routine and understood his needs.  If we know that we need help, and if we know that Jesus is the only one who can help us, we will be ready to leave everything and follow him.

People Helping people Through Christianity

As a leader, Follower, and Christian, your success will depend on your ability to adapt Christ's message within yours and other's lives.  The amount of success you achieve depends entirely on the time, effort and ability you devote to putting into action through your involvement, in that adapted message.  It is up to YOU.

In the years following the close of World War II one of the most significant factors  in the life of the Church has been the emergence of the minister/priest/pastor as a resource for persons experiencing difficulty.  While it would be obviously incorrect to imply that prior to this time there was no effective pastoral care, it is evident that today far more people turn to the minister in time of trouble; and indications are that this number if steadily increasing.  Every minister can document the statement that requests for his help and time are not only more numerous, but also more varied as he finds himself involved in the tangled lives of his membership as well as of those who have no overt relationship to the church.

From the standpoint of the minister, this condition presents both opportunity and difficulty,  The opportunity lies in the doors that are opened into the lives of all sorts and conditions of men - opportunity to bring the resource of the Gospel to bear on the day-today problems that beset all people, to demonstrate that faith is concerned with "then and there," but also with "hear and now."  This is an opportunity welcomed by ministers who otherwise might tend to feel what they say and do appears irrelevant to the average person caught up in the struggles of living.

The difficulty, however, is no less real than the opportunity.  It is one thing to have access to the life of another, to be sought after for help, and to be invited into the private distresses which bid fair to overwhelm; but is is another thing to be able to provide the kind of help that is genuine, that truly meets the person where he is, that iis effective in enabling the person to meet whatever situation confronts him.  And all of this comes at a time when he is also expected to be a business executive (running a successful religious institution) and a more effective preacher.

What, then, is the minister to do?  To such a question there can be no absolute answer; but there are options and guidelines which are  of value.  This is where the "Christian Leader" can be of help.

To overlook the opportunity too provide this support is to ignore the power of God working through his servants.  But to minimize the difficulty is to deal superficially with life, and to place into jeopardy the heavenly future of those whose past has already become complicated by the realities of our modern world.

First in importance is an accurate assessment of his own resources and skills in dealing with the distresses of life.  By the very nature of things, such a task is never ending.  Formal training, increased experience, and continued study and reflection make for a steady expansion of  the trainers ability to be of genuine help in time of trouble.  While it is true that mere passage of time does not automatically provide greater resourcefulness it is certain that only time can bring the maturity which is needed to meet the increased burdens  of life.

The second general guideline which is of value in answering the answering the question is  the Leaders knowledge of the resources available to him.  As he/she assesses his own resources, they see the need for joining hands with others whose experiences and skills have prepared them to deal with problems which are beyond the individual leaders competence.  But knowledge of these resources is only part of the picture.  In addition, there must be an understanding of what is involved in a valid use of this knowledge.  This would include an approach to the resources, professions, agencies and God who would be involved and the enabling of the leader to avail themself of the services provided.

It  is to consideration of these issues that attention is given in the following lessons.

Introduction

This is not a course that you read as much as a tool to enable encounters between people.

You will find God's calling in your life and you will find your self discovering positive, concrete ways to respond.

You will within the class, grow in care for each other.  As a class you will live out Christian Leadership with each other and find yourself experiencing a richness of community and care you have never known before.

If you are someone who believes that God has given to the church the responsibility to "equip the saints for the work of living as a Child of God," I commend this course to you.  It facilitates a marvelous experience... and who knows what surprises it may lead to.

Leadership is an embrace, not a club.  As you are embraced by the love of God, you cannot help but embrace others.  Indeed, these are the two pieces of the leadership puzzle:  applying the leadership to yourself and sharing leadership with others.

But how do you share this leadership?  How can sharing it become a natural part of your life?  Here's where the class experience comes in.  Class members will so experience God's love and leadership that the dynamite of his Plan will demolish the obstacles that prevent us from sharing God's love with others.  We will come to share naturally what so delights us. 

We hope that the foregoing rationale for developing this course and class gives you a flavor of the transforming power that can enter into the people who grasp this experience and incorporate it into their "living" as Christians.  Yet, what we've said are just words until you and others infuse them with your own excitement and vitality.

You have in your hands the opportunity of your lifetime.  The rich Quality of Life Ministries future is yours'.  Christ message and Christian involvement symbolize Christianity.  It's something you'll want to share with others.

You are now participating in a dynamic program for personal and Christian growth.  We believe Christianity is the most outstanding opportunity that has been offered (your joyful life on earth and in heaven, now and everlasting).  This, too, is yours to share.

As a Leader, you are responsible for yourself and others but never by yourself.  This course was created to help you achieve your goals.

it's your life and future - so it's really up to you to make it successful.  By working, sharing and growing, you will do just that.  We are confident that you will realize your hopes and dreams as you work toward the achievement of your goals.

"more advice is given by friends than by all the psychiatrists, psychologist, and counselors put together.  And why not?  Who is in a better position to give advice than a friend?  After all, who knows idiosyncrasies, temperaments, strengths, weaknesses, abilities, and even failures better than a friend?  Besides, a person will take advice from a friend when he or  she would never consider going to a professional counselor" (Coffee Cup Counseling-Harold Sala).

This is a career for you who attract people who seem to feel that talking over problems with you will help.  You have probably never thought of yourself as being someone who could make a significant contribution to the lives of other people.  Yet when you stop and think of the conversations you've had with friends and acquaintances, you'll recognize that you've dispensed a lot of advice  and support.

The Christian Leadership Career

You have made one of the major decisions of your life.  You have chosen a career as a worker for Christ providing guidance to Christians.  In doing so, you have entered a profession both fascinating and rewarding.  The training you receive at "Quality of Life Ministries-Christian Leadership Training Institute" will give you the knowledge necessary to succeed.  Experience that will be gained, will enable you to come closer to your God.  Knowledge and Skill are the two essential qualities that are common to all successful Leaders.  Knowledge is acquired by study, skill by the persistent application of the knowledge acquired.

Leaders benefit in two ways from the effort they put into their daily work.  The first is the satisfaction of doing a job that is worthwhile - of performing a service to the Christian community.  The second benefit is the heavenly reward for your effort which you desire to provide for yourself and your families.  A Leader's career provides both fulfillment and opportunity.

Undoubtly you have chosen a service career.  You have selected QOLM_CLTI because you believe that the organization offers you the type of training you desire.  You have associated yourself with a organization that offers unique services and enjoys a enviable opportunity to serve God.  A organization whose purpose and reputation you will be proud to be trained by.

The QOLM-Christian Leadership Training Institute

You are now a student of the  QOLM_CLTI family.  You will find warm satisfaction in being a student of this class, a keen, high-spirited team, playing the game energetically and loyally with Christians and Non-Christians.  In the solidarity and loyalty of this family, there is strength which each student can draw upon.  Each student knows he/she can depend upon others in the class.  You know that your confidentiality will be protected.  You know that the game will be played fair and square and that nothing happens differently behind your back than before your eyes.  Let this be your outlook toward class members, your fellow Trainers as you enter upon this chosen career.

Your Future with Christian Leadership

The amount of your success, and your growth in your own class all stem from good, honest, intelligent work.  There is no substitute for hard work in this job.  Being a Christian worker places no limit on amount of work that you may do or the long hours it may require.  Men or women, like nations, become great by under taking great tasks and seeing them through.  No handicap of education, money, influence, or even a late start can impede your progress if you will work intelligently.

Leaders

The purpose of the "leader" is to be a part-time worker for Christ.  This work takes many forms but concentrates on providing guidance to how Christianity can be an important part of peoples everyday lives.

The single most important factor is to be a guide through an attempt to better understand Christ message and how it pertains to everyday life.  This guidance includes: the course's questions and answers, the innovative life planning questions, the imagitive class discussion.

The leader is an individual who becomes a lay worker for Christ and yet continues his/her current vocation.  This takes some special qualities.  an ability to draw upon Christ's message written and spiritual and apply it to helping human's to complete "God's Training Plan" effectively and with a Child's joy.  And even more important is a trust in Christ that he will provide inspiration to others, so that you can sit back and let the inspiration manifest itself in the discussion.

A special talent to provide assistance with utilizing the life's planning questions to assist others in putting together an effective training program, which goes along with God's training plan for them; and yet do not appear to be a figure of authority with pronouncements (e.g. parent, etc.

The control over the development and the implementation of the program, should be with a light hand so as not to stifle discussion and yet with some firmness so as to keep on target and to give all the ability to share their ideas.

The "Leader" must be able to be an administrator and a trainer through "God's training program."  The success and/or failure of the class will depend on his/hers abilities and trust in Christ.

The reward that Christ provides is to provide a interest by the student in the class and his/her's success.  Being successful can be reflected by the groups love for each other and the individual's peaceful nature.  Another aspect of this interest is their desire to share their joy with others.  This is the highest reward, to be able to bring people closer to their God.

Opportunity

"There is nothing more exciting than the opportunity to serve your God."

The Importance of Christian Workers

Not only does the world provide greater opportunities for existing professional Christian Workers, but it dictates the need to augment our Christian Worker force.  Our army of Christian Workers must GROW - it must be better trained and better equipped than ever before, to keep pace with our growing demand.

Christian Workers and "The Indispensable I's".

The man or women who will rise to meet the opportunity in Christian service must constantly strive to develop six attributes of Christian service.  These are; I am, Imagination, Ingenuity, Initiative, Industry and Integrity.

Whatever you may choose to call them, these attributes are utter requisites is success in Christian Service.  Without them, you cannot succeed.  With them, you cannot fail.

I am-

"I am," this is one of the attributes of God.  It is one which describes God's involvement with us.  He is there with us, all we have to do is realize he is there.  We must use his grace to help us, to guide us.

Imagination-

Rightfully placed next is IMAGINATION.  Here is the magic, personal touch which takes your Christian Service career out of the humdrum rut and make's it sparkle.  It soars with a zest that instantly heightens interest.  It helps you find the wants and needs of a specific student, and it guides you unerringly to what is called  "Your Ministry" to participate in Christ's work.  Imagination sets you apart, commands attention not given run-of-the-mill social workers, get you in where others get the brush-off.  It is, perhaps, the second biggest difference (next to God being part of your ministry) between mediocrity and success.

Ingenuity-

Closely allied with imagination, INGENUITY is worth of individual attention.  It is finding new angles, new appeals to worldly tough prospects.  it is handling difficult situations which unexpectedly arise during  a discussion and handling them in such a way that they are turned  to your advantage.  It engenders confidence for the Christian Worker who has developed ingenuity knows he can handle any difficulty.

Initiative-

Your internal self-starter is your INITIATIVE and since the Christian Worker is his own boss, it is knowing how and when to push the starter button.  The Christian worker must relentlessly crack the whip over himself.  He must bring his belief in Christ to the fore, drive himself to reasonable limits and demand that he attain specific goals.

Industry-

When we say INDUSTRY, we really mean plain old ordinary hard work.  Everything else is worthless, or virtually so, in its absence.  The steady worker who keeps firing away will  often out perform the "Hot shot" who only works sporadically.  The ability, the urge to work is priceless.

Integrity-

We come, finally, to INTEGRITY.  Integrity means honesty, of course, but it encompasses much more.  It includes reliability, promptness for appointments, solid backing of Christianity.  It forbids exaggerations and false or misleading statements about your own or other religions.  Integrity is virtually synonymous with reputation - and, as with reputation, it is built slowly and laboriously by many acts, and can be destroyed by one.  It is not only a spiritual attribute, but a mental one as well.  It reflects strongly upon your success, one way or the other, regardless of your being aware of its influence for what you THINK, you LOOK; what you THINK, you DO; What you THINK, You ARE!  If you have integrity, it shows in the expressions on your face, in the things you do and in the kind of person you are. Once your student or fellow Christian is convinced that you possess integrity, his worldly resistance drops.  He accepts your integrity, his cooperation "kicks-in."  He accepts your proposition more freely and confidently.  Because of this human, fundamental fact, integrity literally pays off in souls saved as well as in self-esteem.

The man or women who has or develops these six qualities will accomplish great things for their Lord.  He who accepts the challenge of Christianity and reaches for the opportunity to serve, will be richly rewarded on earth  and in heaven.

The Purpose

The purpose of this course is twofold; to describe what makes Christian training distinctive and to explain how that distinctive training can become a way of life for individual Christians.

Today's world needs people who are trained as effective Christians, but the effective Christian is hard to find, frequently unrecognized, and consequently seldom utilized to improve the world.  For this reason, I think we all could benefit from some training in how to be an effective Christian. 

The "Leader" part of the program, is our attempt to provide personnel who can provide the training on becoming an effective Christian.  The training to be provided deals with real-life issues in living and relating.  With this need in mind, this course is part of a "Train the Trainer" program.

The course is written from the perspective that Christian leaders need to be built up, trained and affirmed, but not at the expense of the valuable contributions of psychology and other arts and sciences.  The world needs all the training help and guidance it can get, from both psychology and theology.

This solution assumed greater meaning and urgency as society "progresses" toward the glorification of man as a god.  I hope that you will be caught up in changing the trend to Glorification of our God through effective Christians.

It will be Difficult

What we all as Christians have in common is the difficulties we can experience within our personal training program.

Every Christian will experience challenges to successful completion of "God's Training Program," and the important question "Earth's child/God's Child."  The church, the individual belongs to, has the primary responsibility for providing support and training.  With the "leadership" program, we do not intend, or will we replace the Church's responsibility.  We only wish to make available to those individuals who need additional one-on-one support which they have been unable to acquire from their own church's current staff.

This course will help the "Leader" to become comfortable with their shortcomings, but at the same time, not settle for the status quo.  There are ways to overcome these problems, and these ways are the substance of  this training course.

The Lord isn't merely gritting his teeth and using imperfect humans; he wants it this way.

Person-to-Person Unease

Being a good Christian is sometimes threatening.  Our unease is something we may have learned as children and part of our earthly nature (original sin).  People will find it easier to talk about sex and sexuality, than about faith, religion, or their relationship with God.

learning by observation of role models and social experience-is one reason for this.  From childhood many have felt awkward, hypersensitive, and embarrassed about spiritual matters.  It is easy to understand why these feelings exist if people you have respect have shown embarrassment when talking about their faith (or avoided the subject altogether).

Recognizing that many others have a problem with unease, uptightness and self-consciousness, your are better equipped to address these difficulties and overcome them.  You will at least have your degree of unease or discomfort reduced, which should help you relax and be at ease.

Others Unease

Having gained confidence in your distinctively Christian involvement, you might encounter a situation in which you start with a positive spirit, only to find that you are influenced by another person's negative attitude, when anything concerning faith or religion comes up.  Positive attitude, however, can work just like negative attitude.  You may have talked with people whose faith was such a natural part of them that you became quite comfortable as you discussed items of religion and spirituality.

Extreme Unease

This unease results from the desire not to be too pushy.  This is understandable, but this could lead to missed opportunities.  Caution is sometimes called for, but so is initiative.  Each individual needs to make use of the opportunities and resources available, while being sensitive to the concerns of others.

Not Knowing Enough

Education offered in churches and other religious institutions or in Christian homes does not always satisfy the need for knowledge that will assist you in counseling others.  You can be well-equipped with Church and Bible knowledge and still feel inadequate when dealing with someone's deep spiritual need.  You can still feel inadequate when someone comes to you in pain and turmoil, seeking comfort.  What is lacking in most church sponsored teaching is how to apply Christian beliefs and resources to the deep and complex needs of people.

When you feel that you do not know enough, then you are ready for a good education and training program to help you.  You will need to work at it, but you efforts will yield many benefits.

Caring in Christian Theology

The simplicity of the theology we operate within is  overwhelming.  One fact stands out vividly: God, father of us all, sinners, suffers along with his children.  The names of his children are legion.  No "brightest, favorites, and best" in the group.  They are all his children, the only difference is where they choose to stand with Him.

God is constantly moving toward those from whom others are moving a way.  Hardly a promising strategy to elevate earth's children, within earthly success.   A love so radical that it cuts through every condition of his children.  A unmerited love that some choose to accept and others to reject.  A love so bound to his kingdom that every power and principality would come under it dominion for better or worse-including politicians. 

Caring is the glue of all Christian ministry, whether lay or clerical.  Where there is no caring, there is no Christian love, or action.  Care is God's gift through Jesus Christ and the whole biblical tradition to be shared, not a virtue to be acquired.  We love and care because we have first been loved and cared about by God the Father and because that truth has been passed on to us by human hands and hearts within the Christian Community headed by His Son, Christ.

1.  Christian outreach

The helping outreach of the Christian community to individuals in distress such as those suffering from illness, poverty, or a personal crises, is expected by the world.  This expectation emphasizes the primary importance of unspectacular and unpretentious Christian concern for the unique individual in his or her unique needs.

2.  Christian presence

Christians provide signs of their belief, love, and care to the world, through such identification with suffering.

The  great moments and memories of ministry have to do with caring - caring for others, helping others learn to express caring and being cared about.  Thomas Merton in the Seven Story Mountain reflect on this:

"It is a great pleasure for me to remember such good and kind people... i just remember their kindness and goodness to me and their peacefulness and their utter simplicity.  They inspired real reverence, and I think, in a way, they were certainly saints.  And they where saints in the most effective and telling way: sanctified by leading ordinary lives in a completely supernatural manner, sanctified by obscurity, by usual skills, by common tasks, by routine; but skills, tasks, routine which received a supernatural form from grace within, and from the habitual union of their souls with God in deep faith and charity."

"Their farm, their family, and their Church were all that occupied these good souls; and their lives were full."

Like everything else profound in life, caring has its ups and downs, its times of exhilaration and discouragement.  Care is often hard work.  But loving care is the name of it all.  If that doesn't turn you on, the rest of the theology will not touch you deeply.

Fear of Rejection

Fear of rejection when you relate to others in specifically Christian ways is another difficulty.  Most of the time this fear is unwarranted.  You are merely being too cautious.  Furthermore, you can greatly decrease the probability of a poor reception by listening to others and responding to their needs.  People will frequently communicate to you by their actions or their demeanor  whether they are comfortable with Christian sharing.  If you're not sure about their receptivity, it doesn't hurt to ask.

Need for Perfection

This demand for perfection can paralyze you into inactivity.  The exact opposite is true - your Christianity enables you top take even more risks.  You occasionally will make mistakes.  But be sure of this: your acceptability to God does not depend on your performance as a Christian caregiver, but on your decisions to accept God's control of your life and your decision to attempt to help.

Concern for Self-Image

Sometimes people have difficulty being distinctively Christian because they want to appear cool, suave, sophisticated.  Fortunately, the atmosphere has changed some what in the last few years.  To be thought of as religious nowadays is less likely to invite ridicule or insults than it was a short time ago.  The people you probably admire, are usually characterized by congruence or genuineness.  The more you achieve genuineness - distinctively Christian genuineness - the more respect you will  receive.

Then again, sometimes you will not be respected despite your best effort.  At that point you need to ask yourself, "What do I want more - God's respect, or the respect of others?"