• Our personal mission is to reach and disciple people.
• As a church, we do this corporately as we are the gift of Christ to the world.
• The Holy Spirit was given to help us continue the ministry of Jesus and connect people to Him.

With that said, where exactly then do the “Gifts of the Holy Spirit” come in?  Well, I’m glad you asked!  As the Holy Spirit worked through the disciples in the early church, it became clear by their experiences that there were certain ‘gifts’ or ‘pathways’ that the Holy Spirit worked through believers.  These ‘gifts’ or ‘pathways’ are outlined primarily in one place, 1 Corinthians 12-14 by the premier New Testament author, the Apostle Paul.  (Just a side note, these gifts are not the same as the gifts outlined in Romans 12:6-8 or Ephesians 4:11, which are seen more as offices or roles in ministry.)

So what is the purpose of these gifts?  In 1 Corinthians 12:7 Paul makes this very clear, and in fact makes a similar statement a number of times between 1 Cor. 12-14.  He says, “Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good.” (NIV)  In the New Living Translation it says, “A spiritual gift is given to each of us so we can help each other.”   So these gifts are meant for the benefit of others, not necessarily ourselves.  Remember, we are called to reach and disciple people in love.  The gifts of the Holy Spirit are the means through which God helps us do that very thing.

Now at the end of 1 Corinthians 12 in verse 31, Paul makes a very interesting statement:   “But eagerly desire the greater gifts.”  Greater gifts?  That sounds odd!  Are some of the gifts he listed better than others?  I would say no.  But I do believe that there are gifts that are greater in certain contexts.  Let me explain.

In Acts 4, Peter & John walk up to the gate called Beautiful at the Temple.  As they approach this gate, they encounter a crippled man that is begging for money.  At this moment, Peter has a choice to operate in one of two obvious gifts…the gift of generosity or the gift of healing.  Both would be beneficial and good for the crippled man, but one is greater in this setting.  Consequently, Peter operates in the gift of healing and the man is instantly healed through the working of the Holy Spirit.

So the greatest gift is the most beneficial gift in a given context.  Paul further illustrates this in 1 Corinthians 14 when he challenges the reader to be aware of unbelievers in your midst when a gift is in operation.  Because the gift that is in operation needs to be beneficial not detrimental.  It is to be done with the goal of connecting people to Jesus.

You might think?  Do we really have any choice in this matter?  When the Holy Spirit moves isn’t it meant to be free and somewhat chaotic?  Well if that were the case, the Holy Spirit would be operating in complete opposition to God’s nature.  God is an orderly God.  He is the one that set in motion the setting of the sun and the coming in of the ocean tides.  While the Holy Spirit moves and responds, He is still orderly and He choses to partner with us, not apart from us.  In 1 Corinthians 14, it says “The spirits of prophets are subject to the control of prophets.”  So we do play a part and do have opportunity to “seek the greater gifts” in our given situation.

So what do we do with this?  Our goal is to “Seek the greater gifts”.  The Holy Spirit wants to work through you to do remarkable things in your workplace, home, neighborhood, and school.  But as I mentioned, it is still subject to your involvement.  Seek the greater gifts and allow the Holy Spirit to work through you to continue to “Connect people to Jesus”!

The Gifts of the Holy Spirit are often misunderstood and misdirected.  My goal is to provide adequate explanation and direction for the role and function of these important gifts.  The premise that I am working from is this:  The Holy Spirit exists to connect people to Jesus, both privately and corporately.

With that said, the mission of every believer and church according to Matthew 28 is to “go and make disciples”.   Beyond that, in John 13:35 Jesus says, “By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”  So our goal is to work toward that mission of reaching and discipling people through the expression of love.  Everything we do should be covered in love.

In fact, one of the more famous verses in scripture, John 3:16, says “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.”   God gave His Son Jesus as the greatest act of love in history.  When Jesus ascended to Heaven, though, the church (known as the “Body of Christ” in 1 Cor. 12), became that gift.  We as the church are God’s gift to the world to continue His ministry.

So our target is to reach the lost and make disciples…that is our end goal both personally and as a church.  This is something Jesus did on a regular basis.  He reached even the worst cases with His love and forgiveness.  But when you think about it, Jesus had knowledge that many of us will never possess.  He was discoursing with the religious leaders in the Temple as a child.  Although this is something Jesus did on a regular basis, how in the world are we possibly expected to do that?

There is no way any of us will have the knowledge Jesus possessed nor be able to communicate with the skill and tact that he did.  Of course He was reaching the lost and making disciples, He was Jesus!

But how do we do that?  How do we connect people to Jesus?

Well, maybe that’s it.

Remember I mentioned, the Holy Spirit exists to connect people to Jesus…this is why Jesus sent the Holy Spirit!

Throughout the book of Acts we read of the working of the Holy Spirit through the disciples as they continue to do the work of Jesus in the world.  The Holy Spirit is working through these men to connect people to Jesus…whether it was in a gathering of believers, an interaction in the Temple courts, or a conversation in the marketplace, the Holy Spirit was working through them to connect people to Jesus.

So up to this point, we understand that:

• Our personal mission is to reach and disciple people.
• As a church, we do this corporately as we are the gift of Christ to the world.
• The Holy Spirit was given to help us continue the ministry of Jesus and connect people to Him.

And we’ll put a comma there, and continue this further in my next post.

How does that sit with you so far?

Being stuck can be frustrating.

Spiritual Disciplines are items that are not necessarily spelled out in scripture, although they can be very important in our spiritual development.  They don’t move the hand of God in our direction, but rather move us in God’s direction.  There are numerous spiritual disciplines, some of the more common ones are prayer, scripture reading, journaling, fasting, solitude, among others.  The word ‘discipline’ makes these sound very uninviting, but rather than disciplines, think of them as spiritual catalysts.  They help propel you forward in the direction God created you to walk.

So if you find yourself stuck today, what one ‘catalyst’ can you start to do to propel you forward?

1. Development was the priority.  This may sound kind of obvious, but so often strong leaders can miss this point.  Rather than striving to develop, they strive to further their cause, vision or organization at the cost of developing their people.  The Voice was so impacting because each of the four all-star coaches (Adam Levine of Maroon 5, Cee Lo Green, Blake Shelton, & Christina Aguilera) were as concerned with developing their artists as they were that they might win the competition.  The principle I saw here is developing people should always be a priority, not just getting to a destination.
2. Fame was a tool not a goal.  As is true for most reality shows, superstars use them to continue to further their own careers and reputations.  In this show, that was NOT the case.  Each of the coaches were adamant in using the fame they had and pushing their artists to the forefront and allowing the young artists to shine in the spotlight, rather than themselves.  In doing this, these superstar artists actually further endeared their fans to them, and even caused some of us to become new fans.  My wife and I had never even heard of Blake Shelton before this show, and now my wife can’t stop singing his hit, “Honeybee”.  The principle that stood out was when you are given a platform, be willing to share it and watch that platform grow.
3. The coaches invested more than just skill, but heart. Each of the coaches met with their artists numerous times, and in those meetings, they were not simply giving tips and “How To’s”, but they were actually opening their hearts and investing costly emotion into these up-and-coming artists.  Blake Shelton made the statement on the last show that his final artist, Dia Frampton, had actually become like a member of his family.  I don’t ever remember hearing that take place in any other competition reality shows like this.  I loved the emotional investment these coaches made and the lasting relationships that were established.  The principle is that, although costly, combining skill development with emotional investment will produce a person not only skilled but walking forward toward success with a valuable advocate at their side.

I know that sounds so basic, but it so often gets lost in the mix.  We get wrapped up in getting this or that done, and we forget why we originally started a task or project.  It’s not about finishing the job (although that is usually important), it’s about finishing the project with your priorities still in tact. Regardless of what you’re doing, there will always be elements working against your priorities.  You will be given numerous opportunities to compromise your priorities or choose an ‘easier route’ to your established goal.  The means to the end are not the goal, the end is the goal.  As a pastor, leader, or whatever role you may serve in, you need to continually remind yourself of these questions:

• What are my personal priorities?  Am I living those out or are they just words on a page?
• What are the priorities for the organization/ministry I lead?  Do those I lead, know those priorities?
• What am I doing to strengthen and maintain my priorities?

(Special thanks to Drew Horne, Brian Lippert and Rich Jones for taking pictures and capturing video of this exciting night!)

This is the beginning of the carriage ride at PPG Plaza in Downtown Pittsburgh.

Heidi and I riding through the streets of Pittsburgh in the carriage.

Our friend, Sarah Calcara, giving Heidi her first 3 roses.

Our friend, Dawn Meling, giving Heidi her 3 roses.

Our friend, Pam Mikec, waiting for the carriage to stop to give Heidi her 3 roses.

Just after our friend, Shelley Allen, gave Heidi her roses and right before our friends, Sarah & Justin Liptak, gave Heidi their roses.

Here are the final set of roses waiting for Heidi and I to arrive at the outlook on Mt. Washington.

Here’s a close-up of the roses and rose petals.

Heidi and I finally arrived.  Here we are chitchatting away!

Here’s a good shot of the view we had from our outlook…not too bad!

Yes, that’s me down on one knee proposing to Heidi!

Here’s the big proposal moment…Heidi said yes!

Well, it has been far too long since I’ve posted here. A lot has happened, but the biggest thing is I am getting married! With that said, wanted to share the story of The Proposal through the eyes of my ‘bride-to-be’ Heidi Shanko:

It was November 28th. The day before (27th) we were together for 6 months, and the following day (29th) was my birthday. Nick told me we were going to celebrate and gave me a dress code. He said, “On a scale of 1-10 with 10 being a snowsuit and 1 being a swimsuit, dress about a 7, and wear shoes that you can walk in”. He picked me up at 4:00pm, which was the start of an unforgettable night!!

We went into Downtown Pittsburgh. Once parked, we went for dinner at McCormick and Schmick’s. After dinner, Nick told me that we were going to take a walk. I thought he was going to recreate the day he asked me to be his girlfriend. I was all prepared to walk across a bridge to the North Shore. Boy, was I ever wrong.

We started to walk towards PPG Plaza. During the holiday and winter season, the plaza is made into an ice skating rink. As we slowly walked towards that area, I blurted out, ” We aren’t going ice skating, are we?”. To which Nick replies, “Yes, we are!”. I immediately responded with, “Nick, I hate ice skating. I’m not going ice skating.”. Nick, being the sweet guy that he is, said, “Heidi, I know you do not like to ice skate, but will you please do this for me? It is a great winter activity. We won’t ice skate for very long. I promise”. Reluctantly, I agreed, but with one condition…he is not allowed to let go of my hand!

After about 30 minutes of ice skating and a promise upheld, we got off the ice and returned our ice skates. Once our ice skates were returned, Nick said that he needed to use the restroom. I remember waiting for him thinking that he was taking so long (I later find out that he was in the restroom putting on a microphone.).

After Nick reappeared, we continued with the remainder of the evening. We started to walk towards Market Square. As we headed in that direction, I saw a horse-drawn carriage. I immediately questioned if it was for us. So, clever me decided to tug his hand in a direction away from the carriage. He easily moved in my direction. In my head, I thought, “Phew!”. We admired the Christmas lights in the square and turned around to head back to the car…or so I thought. However, this time, Nick tugged my hand towards the carriage. We stopped directly in front of it, and he said to the carriage driver, “Hi! Are you Sarah? I’m Nick!”. After confirmation, we entered into the carriage and began the most memorable part of the night!

Snuggled under a blanket, Nick and I started our carriage ride through Downtown Pittsburgh. We came to an intersection, and I saw a good friend of ours standing there with 3 red roses. She walked up to the carriage, handed me the roses, and said, “Heidi, thank you for being Encouraging .” At each of the next four intersections, I was handed another set of roses with a card attached. Each card had another character attribute with a description as to why Nick felt that way. On the reverse side of each card, there was a letter that when all the cards were put together would spell “In Love”. As we were approaching the end of our carriage ride, I only had five out of the six cards. I remember thinking to myself, “Where is the E? Where is the sixth card?”. =)

Our carriage ride ends at the base of Mount Washington at the Duquesne Incline. The ride up to Mount Washington was so lovely with night skyline. We couldn’t stop smiling at each other. We were the only ones on the incline.

At the top of the mountain, we started walking towards a “mushroom” (overlook). As we entered the overlook, there were red rose petals scattered on the seating area and ground with my last set of roses! As we enjoyed the view and each others company, Nick proceeded to thank me again for being all the lovely things that he had written on the cards about me. He then said, “Heidi, I can’t wait for Someday to become Forever.” He got down on one knee, pulled out a ring box, opened it up and said, “So, with that being said, will you marry me?”. My answer was, “OF COURSE!”. To which Nick replied, “Are you sure?”. I reassured him that I was most definitely sure!! For the next few minutes, we sat in awe with permanent smiles on our faces and eyes locked! However, the night was not over!!

As we are sitting there, a church family member appeared. His words were, “Excuse me, Mr. Poole. Your chariot awaits.”. We were then escorted back to Allison Park Church in a brand new Toyota Avalon. Nick arranged a surprise party with our friends and family who thought that they were coming to celebrate my birthday. Little did they know, we surprised them with our engagement!! What a great way to immediately share your joy with those who are the closest to you!!

It was a fairy tale wedding proposal!! One that every girl deserves! I am so blessed to be marrying my best friend and love, Nick!!

In my next post (which I promise will be soon), I’ll share some pictures from that night. Thank you to all those that have supported and believed in us!!

The face in the sky. The child born in the night among beasts.  The sweet breath and steaming dung of beasts.  And nothing is ever the same again.

Those who believe in God can never in a way be sure of him again.  Once they have seen him in a stable, they can never be sure where he will appear or to what lengths he will go or to what ludicrous depths of self-humiliation he will descend in his wild pursuit of humankind.  If holiness and the awful power and majesty of God were present in his least auspicious of all events, this birth of a peasant’s child, then there is no place or time so lowly and earthbound but that holiness can be present there too.  And this means that we are never safe, that there is no place where we can hide from God, no place where we are safe from his power to break in two and recreate the human heart, because it is just where he seems most helpless that he is most strong, and just where we least expect him that he comes most fully.

This year in South Side, we had numerous projects and were planning for close to 250 volunteers to blitz the community.  With the large amounts of rain we ended up receiving that day, we did cancel a good number of our projects, but God was faithful!  We still had almost 140 people walking the streets paying parking meters for people, picking up trash all over the South Side, planting flowers in local parks, repairing homes for senior citizens, and more! It is incredible to see how God could use even a portion of what was planned to still make a big impact in this community!

I talked to a number of people from the community that were so amazed at the number of people that came all the way to South Side just to serve and bless the community. With all the work that was done this day, the Kingdom of God was visible and tangible. It wasn’t just about a sermon on Sunday, but service on Saturday.  I believe this is the greatest expression of the gospel…serving with no strings attached.

A big thank you to all of you that weathered the storm that day and came out to serve!! LifeStone Church and South Side residents will be forever grateful for the hard work you put into this great day!