tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-229498702011-09-12T14:25:03.763-04:00So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God. Do not cause anyone to stumble, whether Jews, Greeks or the church of God—even as I try to please everybody in every way. For I am not seeking my own good but the good of many, so that they may be saved. Follow my example, as I follow the example of Christ.1 Corinthians 10:31-11:1Jeff Whitfieldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09727638032039531394noreply@blogger.comBlogger261100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22949870.post-73420185762073353962007-11-26T10:32:00.000-05:002007-11-26T10:34:02.180-05:00

Dear Colleagues,It has been my joy to serve the Western Europe Region for almost nine years as the Western Europe Regional Member Care Consultant. Recently there was a retirement from the Board's Richmond Member Care Department and I have been invited to fill that vacancy and serve alongside Mark Whitworth, who continues as the Member Care Team Leader in Richmond. After months of prayer and tears

Jeff Whitfieldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09727638032039531394noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22949870.post-76439301514819930982007-07-09T12:06:00.000-04:002007-07-09T12:16:51.194-04:00

1. Furthermore, since they did not think it worthwhile to retain the knowledge of God, he gave them over to a depraved mind, to do what ought not to be done. Romans 1:282. For in my inner being I delight in God's law; but I see another law at work in the members of my body, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within my members. What a wretched

Jeff Whitfieldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09727638032039531394noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22949870.post-62888978356780770502007-07-06T06:19:00.000-04:002007-07-06T06:26:44.911-04:00

I know, I know. It has been way too long since I've posted anything on this blog. I hope to have a proper post up soon, but for both of you who still check this space, here is a link to an excellent article by one of my favorite authors, Paul David Tripp with the Christian Counseling Education Foundation. Incidentally, I will be participating in a two day course in early August with CCEF in

Jeff Whitfieldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09727638032039531394noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22949870.post-90204368507103763602007-03-10T06:44:00.000-05:002007-03-10T07:09:39.489-05:00

Seven times the word "ambition" is used in the NIV New Testament:1. Romans 15:20It has always been my ambition to preach the gospel where Christ was not known, so that I would not be building on someone else’s foundation.2. Galatians 5:19-2119The acts of the sinful nature are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; 20idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage,

Jeff Whitfieldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09727638032039531394noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22949870.post-18192756611900448832007-02-13T12:03:00.000-05:002007-02-27T10:50:31.948-05:00

I know what you are thinking. "Loving the lost is the third priority?" Sure, loving God is a no-brainer. Everybody knows that, right? Right, but how often do you truly make unhurried time to be with the Lord in prayer and meditation on His word? What we do says more about our priorities than what we say. Again, without intimacy with God we also do not have the power of God in our lives, so we are

Jeff Whitfieldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09727638032039531394noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22949870.post-87332163525055179802007-02-01T13:20:00.001-05:002008-04-29T11:13:07.806-04:00

And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ Matthew 22:39The concept of love and relationship is absolutely foundational to Jesus’ teaching on what it means to be His followers. Often we try to make the Gospel into a handful of theological precepts that one must “buy into” if one is to be a true Christian (and we spend a great deal of our time arguing about these precepts as well

Jeff Whitfieldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09727638032039531394noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22949870.post-12290711720440724942007-01-25T09:35:00.000-05:002007-01-25T11:04:20.972-05:00

It sounds pretty obvious, doesn't it? But how often do we give lip service to our relationship with God and yet not actually give Him the "first fruits" of both our time and affections? Check out Genesis 3:8: "Then the man and his wife heard the sound of the LORD God as he was walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and they hid from the LORD God among the trees of the garden." It sounds to

Jeff Whitfieldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09727638032039531394noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22949870.post-11092198641759660862007-01-25T09:00:00.000-05:002007-01-25T09:33:14.365-05:00

I've just returned from our 13th WE Learn Conference (new missy orientation). It was exhausting but rewarding getting to know around 50 new M's in their first year on the field. The Regional team uses the conference to teach on four broad ethos themes through the week: Cross-Cultural Witness, Developing Personal Relationships, Daily Living, and Church Planting Movements. It has been my privilege

Jeff Whitfieldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09727638032039531394noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22949870.post-1161957836505401532006-10-27T10:00:00.000-04:002006-12-06T08:53:49.646-05:00

In the beginning God…created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them. Genesis 1:1, 27.And the LORD God commanded the man, "You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat of it you will surely die." Genesis 2:16-1.In the very beginning of creation God created

Jeff Whitfieldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09727638032039531394noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22949870.post-1149941959508500092006-06-10T08:09:00.000-04:002006-10-27T09:59:25.064-04:00

One of my favorite words as a counselor is "balance". In my zeal to promote the ideal of of the church as spiritual cummunity, I may have given some the idea that I am encouraging an "attractional" model of church and church planting as opposed to a "missional" model. I do not believe the two models are diametrically opposed. I believe the Bible teaches a both/and model of church life. As

Jeff Whitfieldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09727638032039531394noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22949870.post-1149166615202550192006-06-01T08:41:00.000-04:002007-01-25T09:30:05.811-05:00

We are partners and fellow workers, representatives of the churches and an honor to Christ. Therefore show each other the proof of your love and the reason for our pride in you, so that the churches can see it. 2 Corinthians 8:23-24 (paraphrased)There is an old saying, “You can’t take someone where you are not willing to go.” I am convinced that in order for us to plant genuine New Testament

Jeff Whitfieldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09727638032039531394noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22949870.post-1149085859266443872006-05-31T10:20:00.000-04:002006-10-27T09:59:24.946-04:00

"Likewise the tongue is a small part of the body, but it makes great boasts.Consider what a great forest is set on fire by a small spark. The tongue also is a fire..." James 3:5-6Scripture warns us that the tongue is often a chief cause of conflict...Reckless words, spoken hastily and without thinking, inflame many conflicts. "Reckless words pierce like a sword, but the tongue of the wise brings

Jeff Whitfieldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09727638032039531394noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22949870.post-1148645507794964992006-05-26T08:08:00.000-04:002006-10-27T09:59:24.888-04:00

Probably a lot of you have seen this, but in case you haven't pastor/blogger Mark Driscoll has written an excellent blog on burnout in ministry. Each of us need to take a moment to read it and apply these excellent suggestions. Click here for the post.

Jeff Whitfieldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09727638032039531394noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22949870.post-1148567350537267512006-05-25T10:24:00.000-04:002006-10-27T09:59:24.829-04:00

I live in Corinth and I know you do too. People all around us are trying to find meaning in life apart from God and are suffering and dying in sin everyday. There is no evangelical mega-church to which we can invite them. Differences among us and other evangelicals have to be minimized because we know we need each other. There is far too much at stake for me to worry about being right about a

Jeff Whitfieldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09727638032039531394noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22949870.post-1148115324775086692006-05-20T04:47:00.000-04:002006-10-27T09:59:24.710-04:00

This post is from Dr Michael Dean, my sending church pastor's Encouraging Word weekly e-mail devotion. Mike is the pastor of Travis Avenue Baptist Church in Fort Worth, Texas."Then, because so many people were coming and going that they did not even have a chance to eat, he said to them, 'Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest'" (Mark 6:31).In the recently released movie

Jeff Whitfieldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09727638032039531394noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22949870.post-1145620696282453122006-04-21T07:51:00.000-04:002006-11-11T04:13:53.688-05:00

It was he [Christ] who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers, to prepare God's people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ. Then we will no longer be

Jeff Whitfieldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09727638032039531394noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22949870.post-1144417220473228362006-04-07T09:21:00.000-04:002006-10-27T09:59:24.593-04:00

This is the third and final part of my notes on Biblical Confrontation--Speaking the Truth in Love. I will be leading a seminar next week at the regional gathering based on these notes. After we return home, I'll summarize my thoughts and talk about how this is applicable in a missionary calling and in the IMB Western Europe Region context. Below are further excepts from the book, Instruments in

Jeff Whitfieldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09727638032039531394noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22949870.post-1144317873933454132006-04-06T06:00:00.000-04:002006-10-27T09:59:24.525-04:00

This is the second part of my notes on Speaking the Truth in Love for the Gathering next week. The third and final part will be on How to Confront Biblically.-We confront one another every day, but the question is, Whose agenda drives our confrontation?-Effective biblical confrontation often begins before we speak. How we live with one another from day to day sets the stage for the way our words

Jeff Whitfieldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09727638032039531394noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22949870.post-1144254174832390192006-04-05T12:22:00.000-04:002006-10-27T09:59:24.456-04:00

This is Part 1 of my notes for my seminar at the Gathering next week and is drawn from Paul David Tripp's book, Instruments in the Redeemer's Hands. I plan to post Part 2--the Process of Speaking the Truth in Love--in the next day or two. A Biblical Understanding of Confrontation15 " 'Do not pervert justice; do not show partiality to the poor or favoritism to the great, but judge your neighbor

Jeff Whitfieldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09727638032039531394noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22949870.post-1144133479405754112006-04-04T02:39:00.000-04:002006-10-27T09:59:24.386-04:00

Good morning. I have to apologize to you for announcing the new blog then disappearing. I've been having some technical difficulties and have been unable to access my own blog. Turns out my router has its own firewall (who knew?) and it does not like Blogger, among other things. It's a bit like hiring a security guard and then he won't let you in your own house! Well anyway, that's sorted (as my

Jeff Whitfieldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09727638032039531394noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22949870.post-1143078971082257082006-03-22T20:55:00.000-05:002006-10-27T09:59:24.321-04:00

It has just hit me like a ton of bricks. Perhaps I’m a little slow and should have got it a long time ago. I’ve been following these issues with our trustees and with the whole “traditional” verses “emergent” debate as well as other threads through the blogs and other sources. We are speaking two languages and don’t fully grasp that reality.When Jean and I were preparing for our first

Jeff Whitfieldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09727638032039531394noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22949870.post-1142954796830971262006-03-21T10:19:00.000-05:002006-10-27T09:59:24.251-04:00

Jeff Whitfieldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09727638032039531394noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22949870.post-1142954015631594702006-03-21T10:11:00.000-05:002006-11-11T04:15:25.389-05:00

Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. Matthew 11:28-29Yet the news about him spread all the more, so that crowds of people came to hear him and to be healed of their sicknesses. But Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed. Luke 5: 15-

Jeff Whitfieldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09727638032039531394noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22949870.post-1141120445333994862006-02-28T04:18:00.000-05:002006-10-27T09:59:24.024-04:00

I got to go to my first Ireland rugby match on Sunday. What an awesome experience! My friend Colin got us both tickets and we stood (no seats!) in the south end terraces (end zone in American football terminology). It was really cold but good craic (fun) just the same. Ireland and Wales supporters were intermingled and got on well.Colin is about 6' 4", 220 lbs and a rugby and Gaelic football

Jeff Whitfieldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09727638032039531394noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22949870.post-1140862847843291142006-02-25T05:13:00.000-05:002006-10-27T09:59:23.777-04:00

We had a wedding at our church in Dundalk last week. I was asked to be the official photographer, not so much because I'm a great photog but because I have a camera and am free! The wedding and reception lasted 7 hours--and that was before the band started up! It was a lot of fun, but we came home exhausted. Still, it was a great opportunity for our wee fellowship to have a witness to the

Jeff Whitfieldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09727638032039531394noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22949870.post-1140793551258490642006-02-24T09:46:00.000-05:002006-10-27T09:59:23.657-04:00

This is my first foray into the blogosphere. I saw someone had said "welcome to the new world" on another blog site, but if this is the New World, I'm not quite ready to burn my ships! I still very much prefer to interact face to face; however blogging is proving to be a phenomenal forum for discussion on a wide range of topics, so I've decided to try my hand.For those of you who know me, you

Jeff Whitfieldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09727638032039531394noreply@blogger.com1