brian shivers

Sunday, April 24, 2016 8:15 Sunday Morning Acts 11:1-18 (NRSV) "Now the apostles and the believers who were in Judea heard that the Gentiles had also accepted the word of God. So when Peter went up to Jerusalem, the circumcised believers criticized him, saying, 'Why did you go to uncircumcised men and eat with them?' Then Peter began to explain it to them, step by step, saying, 'I was in the city of Joppa praying, and in a trance I saw a vision. There was something like a large sheet coming down from heaven, being lowered by its four corners; and it came close to me. As I looked at it closely I saw four-footed animals, beasts of prey, reptiles, and birds of the air. I also heard a voice saying to me, ‘Get up, Peter; kill and eat.’ But I replied, ‘By no means, Lord; for nothing profane or unclean has ever entered my mouth.’ But a second time the voice answered from heaven, ‘What God has made clean, you must not call profane.’ This happened three times; then everyt...

I have had the honor of serving at the same church for 26 years. I have had a variety of roles and held a variety of positions as a part of this amazing staff. Currently I am one of two Senior Associate Pastors on staff who serve on the coordinating team for the church. It is a privilege to serve in such a capacity surrounded by some truly incredible people. I am learning a lot everyday. Here is a little touch of something I have been considering of late about leadership, and what I am learning it means to me to lead. One of the most important things a leader has to remember is that they did not land in a position of leadership on their own. Every leader has had and continues to have support networks around them that have encouraged, nurtured, and shaped them into the leader they are and the leader they are becoming. And perhaps that last part is a difficult thing to remember. We are all in the process of becoming, and that process is never completed. No leader has ever arrived. No...