This may be my last part of this Conference Download. I don’t know… maybe there’ll be one more after this, we shall see. In any event, I’m getting towards the end of my notebook from the conference I attended in October.
Today’s recap is from the panel of leaders session. It was more of a conversation between staff members from the host church. Most issues we face in life we want to elevate as super special, making them problems that no one else must deal with. But after listening to these very wise, yet very real people, I learned that struggles are more universal than we allow them to be. We can declare their uniqueness and permit the enemy to use them to separate.
This was a big theme from the panel… unity or lack of unity.
Unity doesn’t mean sameness.
SISTERHOOD PANEL FROM JAMES RIVER CHURCH
It’s okay to be different. In fact, we most likely thrive surrounded by people who are opposite than us. Friends won’t always see things from our perspective. We may have slightly different priorities, but we can still have unity! It’s my responsibility to cultivate and guard unity which is not always an easy task.
Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace.
Ephesians 4:3, NIV
As long as you are unifying with those who have the Spirit of God, you already have the best and most active ingredient for unity-success.