the smedley family

Simply Strategic Volunteers: Empowering People for Ministry by Tony Morgan and Tim Stevens

Greg — Fri, 13 May 2011 19:11:34 +0000

I’m reading through this book. I suggest everyone do this at some point. Whether a paid staff member, an active volunteer, someone with lots of responsibility, someone burnt by serving at a church or someone who doesn’t want to step into the door of a church.

Why? Well, like I said, read the book : ) Tony and Tim (authors) give 99 straightforward solutions and bits to lead; in the real world, not in a classroom with hypothesis. They admit the messiness, the areas people struggle, have messed up, and why to keep doing it and how to do it better.

I’m rereading, and just got to “Embrace the Chaos.” You see…
“If you’re in a church that is passionate about its mission and serious about growth, then you will regularly experience chaos. Chaos in a church can sometimes be the result of bad management or a weak leader. Often, though, it is just the result of doing everything right. It can be the result of reaching unredeemed people with the love of Christ…and then helping them grow in their faith.”

I wanted to type more, there are confessions of pastors wishing that people wouldn’t be so hard, chaotic, and carry so much baggage to deal with…but be careful what you wish for, because “you may get what you want. And then you’ll find yourself in a dying church, the sole purpose of which is preservation rather than transformation.” pg 29.

Get the book here and let me know what you think!

I’m glad that I’m a part of a church that is reaching people with the love of Christ and experiences chaos from working with real people. That chaos brings with it lots of energy, laughter, and moments that I wouldn’t trade in.

New pics of Sadie

Greg — Tue, 15 Feb 2011 01:04:57 +0000

Here she is…Sadie Grace…getting so big so fast!

Merry Christmas!

Greg — Sat, 25 Dec 2010 15:51:25 +0000

We had a great Christmas Eve at Discovery Christian Church. Christmas morning was great too! We started with a book…”The Stable Where Jesus Was Born.” We all (except Sadie) had eggs and monkey bread (food has to be involved!) We opened a few presents and are headed to family this afternoon! Here’s some pics.

Sadie’s first days – a few more pics

Greg — Thu, 23 Dec 2010 01:48:31 +0000

We are back in full swing…sort of. We have had awesome help from family and friends…meals, cleaning, entertaining the boys, holding Sadie, prayers and support in so many ways!

Some hints of reality are that the boys are home, Sadie is home, the dog has barked and woke up Sadie and Carson during naps. Carson bit Mason; Mason hauled Carson off to timeout because “he (Carson) was being punished.” All in all, we are absolutely loving our family of 5. Here’s a few more pictures for you : )

Our little princess! Sadie Grace Smedley 12.18.10

Greg — Mon, 20 Dec 2010 05:02:08 +0000

Here are some pictures for you. We are really excited to meet Sadie and Devon did such a great job with the labor. Because of her previous experiences with the epidural, she chose to go natural…she did amazing! I love my wife : )

Sadie was born at 5:48 AM on Saturday, December 18, 2010. She weighed 7 lbs 14 oz and was 19 inches long. Love her so much already!

Sledding

Greg — Mon, 20 Dec 2010 04:38:55 +0000

We’ve already had some snow here and Mason loves sledding. We found out Carson doesn’t like to be cold, but he loves the sledding too!

Gingerbread House

Greg — Mon, 20 Dec 2010 04:20:55 +0000

We have loved making a gingerbread house with Mason the past two years…but for Mason, I think he has more enjoyed eating the sweet treats.

We also caught the boys watching youtube together…of course Mason was watching 4-wheelers plow snow and had to show me and Carson.

Halloween

Greg — Mon, 20 Dec 2010 04:10:04 +0000

Mason and Carson were monkey’s for Halloween this year…specifically Curious George. We had a good time trick or treating!

Random Photos

Greg — Mon, 20 Dec 2010 04:01:52 +0000

I just got a bunch of pictures off of the camera, so here are some pictures…mostly for family who want to see the kids.

2.5 months and counting

Greg — Mon, 04 Oct 2010 02:53:45 +0000

So it has been a while since an update on here…but I guess that’s what you get when life is busy and blogging feels like a chore…how does facebook suck people in and get them so addicted?

Anyway, just a quick update to tell you that Devon is still expecting for December 21st. We would be a bit surprised if baby did not come early…maybe that is a bit of hoping (but also would make sense since both boys were early.)

We choose a name…not an easy task for us! Wait for it…and…yep…her name will be Sadie Grace!

Hope all is well with you if you are reading this!