That takes a lot of pressure off us, Luke. All we have to do is be like George Washington and John Adams–equip and delegate and don’t be afraid of what happens next.

Easier said than done. All of it.

After being World Series Champions three years straight (I think), the Yankees were understandably shocked when the Diamondbacks came back and won. But, empires come and empires fall.

I liked what Steve wrote about how "powerhouses" are to be trainers who help the rest of us learn to do the work of helping others, because it tells us that we don’t need to be the next Billy Graham in order to make a difference in Christ’s body and that each Christian has an equally important contribution to make in God’s kingdom.

I really thought that Brenly had blown the series with some of his pitching decisions. Not leaving Schilling in in game 3, leaving him in too long in game 7, when it was obvious he had lost control, leaving Johnson in too long in game 6.

But boy was I stunned and delighted.

I liked your comment that "a lot of churches look for powerhouse, not promise" but that your church settled for promise. The church I go to is called Vineyard Community Church. Vineyard churches had their genesis as a sort of offshoot from Calvery Chapels and the early ones were largely filled with people your age or younger. The emphasis was contemporary worship, biblical teaching, fellowship centered around home groups, and having the people do the ministry, not just the pastor or "powerhouses".

This was one of the keys that the leadership emphasized, based in part on Ephesians 4:11-13, which talks about the function of the apostles, prophets, etc. as one of equipping the people to do ministry. My NIV Bible in verse 12 describes the job of these "powerhouses" as "to prepare God’s people for works of service".

The "powerhouses" are to be trainers who help the rest of us learn to do the work of helping others. I haven’t done enough of that work in recent years, but plan to start doing more.

dan