On September 17, 2014 CREATION Health held the first Faith Community Best Practice Workshop. It was designed for people who have been trained as seminar leaders to experience ongoing education, be encouraged, and have the opportunity to network with others.

Here is a snap shot of what participants experienced. 

 

Encouragement and Ongoing Education

Four P’s of Powerful Prayer

Pastor Todd Lamphere opened the workshop with an encouraging devotional about the Four P’s of prayer. 

Prayer. We know we need to do it. We know the value in it. Yet for so many of us, we leave our prayer time empty, feeling very little power behind our requests. If we are being truthful, there are times we feel as though our prayers reach no higher than the ceiling. Allow me to give you a quick four-step process to powerful praying.

First, power in prayer comes when we pray with purpose. Often times our prayers are generic and nebulous. We act like the child who beats around the bush when asking something of their parents. We need to pray on purpose, with a purpose. James 4:2 says, "We do not have because we do not ask." God wants us to be deliberate, then direct when praying. 

Second, power in prayer comes when we pray with passion. In Luke 18 Jesus tells us we should "Always pray and not give up." He gives the parable of the widow who wore out the judge. God loves passion and He loves passionate requests. Unfortunately many people pray like they play the lottery. It would be nice if we won, but we don't expect it. 

Next, power in prayer comes when we pray positively, or confidently. Hebrews 4:16 says that we can approach God's throne of grace with confidence. Realize that God wants to meet our needs. He loves for us to come to Him. He doesn't say to us, "What now?" or "You're wearing me out boy!" Juliana of Norwich said, "Prayer is not overcoming God's reluctance. It is laying hold of His willingness."

Lastly, power in prayer comes when we pray with praise. Psalm 100:4 tells us to "enter His gates with thanksgiving and His courts with praise." Praise is the quickest way to the heart of God. We thank God for what He has done and we praise Him for who He is.

So as we pray, let's evaluate any hinderances to power being prevalent in our prayers. Let's make sure our lives are free from disobedience, disbelief, distractions and disqualification. C.S. Lewis said, "He can't bless us until He has us." 

Martin Luther said it best when he said, "To be a Christian without prayer is no more possible than to be alive without breathing." Let's turn the tables on prayer. Let's stop being surprised when God answers our prayers. He is our Father who loves us so very much. That thought alone should cause us to pray with power. Now stand tall and talk to God on your knees!

Self Care

Pastor Tim Goff lead out in the on-going education piece focused on self-care. In a nutshell CREATION Health is about living a balanced life that results in a healthier happier you. God intended for us to enjoy life and to share that joy with others. He knew that in order for us to do so, we would first have to care for ourselves.

It is a common practice for ministry leaders to put their time and energy into caring for others, placing the time and energy for self-care on the back burner. Pastor Goff encouraged participants to be aware of the instances they are pushing past their limits.

He posed the question, “Could it be that God wants you to take care of yourself?” When Jesus came down to earth and walked among humanity, He Himself practiced self-care. In Mark 6:31 it says, “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.” It often feels like there just isn’t time for “me”. A lot of times this is true. Therefore it isn't so much about having the time as it is about making the time. 

How do we make time? It starts with our priorities. Here are a couple tips shared for prioritizing your time and energy:

• Budget time as well as energy
• Start with what you have to do
• Then add what you need to do
• Fill in what you'd like to do
• Give value to planning ahead
• Honor your limitations

When we make ourselves a priority, we are honoring God, ourselves, and those we serve. 

The message uplifted our CREATION Health leaders but also provided them a message to share with others.

Networking and Sharing

Participants shared different ways they are leading out in CREATION Health and what they have found to be successful. Here are a couple takeaway’s from our leaders:

Put Your Personality in Your Presentation: When your personality is in your presentation it allows you to better connect with the audience and provide the message in an engaging, passionate way. 

Connect with Your Community Prior to the Seminar: Prior to inviting community members to a CREATION Health Seminar, one church started a fitness class on the church lawn to connect with community members. It was a creative way to build relationships in the community and begin the journey of health together. 

Provide a Follow-up Opportunity for Deeper Connection: Once you have completed a CREATION Health Seminar provide participants with opportunities to stay connected and continue learning. Small groups are a great way to build a deeper connection and continue the health journey together. 

Introduce participants to Social Media: CREATION Health provides a variety of opportunities for engagement through social media. Encourage participants to:

• Sign up for CREATION Health Daily Tips by texting CHDAILYTIPS to 313131 and/or sign up for a weekly video by texting CHVIDEOS to 313131
• Download the CREATION Health App by searching “Wellness Plan” in the app store.
• Visit CREATIONHealth.com where they can watch videos, read articles, and sign up for the monthly newsletter.

Share a Best Practice With Us 

Have you led out in CREATION Health? If so, and you have a Best Practice you would be interested in sharing, please let us know. We would love to pass it on to the CREATION Health community. 

Email your best practice to wellness@creationhealth.com or call and tell us about it at 407-303-7789.