CORE

Our CORE Singles Summit 2008 on April 18th & 19th was phenomenal with dynamic Praise & Worship and powerful messages from gifted speakers, Pastor Dennis Rouse, Wendy Widder, and Pastor Jeff Hidden.

We discussed how contentment is a huge issue for everyone whether you are single or married. However, there is a secret to growing in areas of contentment. Through the openess and honesty of the speakers in discussing their real life experiences and delivering God’s perspective on singleness, we discovered the secret to contentment.  We also learned what is means to commit and be a part of the church and how we fit in with our own unique gifts. We discussed the pitfalls of self-sufficiency, living alone, and going through transitions. We were shown how we can enjoy where we are at and the journey to where we are going by smelling the roses and embracing the thorns along the way. We were admonished to also make sure we don’t become so focused on the destination until we become unhappy when we see others reach the destination before we do.

Here is what some of you had to say about the conference:

“It was awesome! This is exactly what I needed.”

“I loved all the speakers. They said things that really hit home with me. They were honest and kept it real.”

“I met a lot of people and learned so much. I was so glad I came.”

“Awesome praise and worship and awesome messages!”

“What a wonderful Singles Summit! My only regret is that I didn’t invite more people. The speakers were awesome and I got to meet many new people by working as a greeter! I have been married before but am now single due to my husband’s death over 11 years ago. I do enjoy not washing dishes every night and being able to eat out whenever I desire to without asking. Living a single life can be easy if we really want it to be! I feel wonderful that God has allowed me to have experienced a great life being married and now He has ushered me into a contented life of singlehood.”

“This conference was great for me. I attend another church and was invited to come. You all are launching something that will have great impact for the single community. I’m just so excited by what I have seen and heard.”

We know that when we fully surrender things in our lives to Jesus, we will start living our lives to the fullest potential. With the right mindset (contentment/balance), operating with the tools of relationship with church and other Christians (authentic relationships), you will enjoy the Journey to the Center of Who You Are.

Click here to view pictures from the Summit.

Why is it sometimes hard for us to focus on the things that are essential for our life? What are our motivations and how do we pursue pure motives? How do we know when we are getting good or bad counsel? Who should we really be listening to for advice?

We discovered the answers to these questions the month of March and April.  Our first session topic, Living Large - Building High Impact Priorities covered the great need for us to build high impact priorities for our lives. Our priorites define our direction (where we are going), devotion (what we spend our time doing), and dynamics (who we are).  We have to be aware of priority killers and at times, refocus our priorities.  Sometimes we need to ask ourselves are we still on a Kingdom direction for our lives and are we walking towards God’s word in our lives?

In our second session topic, Living Large - Pursuing Pure Motives, we discovered  how to pursue pure motives for our lives. We found that pursing pure motives moves us closer to becoming more like Christ, who is pure, and allows us to become so aware of His presence, that we forget about ourselves, become sensitive to His directions, and the needs of others. 

We were challenged to ask ourselves: Are my actions in harmony with God’s truth, will my plan of actions work under real-life conditions? Is my attitude pleasing to God?

We should examine our emotions considering another person’s perspective.

In our third session topic, Living Large - Whose Your Lifeline?, we discussed the need to seek wise counsel. Sometimes within us there are obstructions to seeking wise counsel, and we have to be aware of what those obstructions are so that we can overcome them. Seeking wise counsel is for our own well-being, as it provides security, broadens our vision, and holds us accountable. Any counsel we receive should always be evaluated in the light of God’s word. 

Questions for discussion:

     What are you doing now that you need to stop doing in order to start building high impact priorities into your life?

     How do we know when “speaking the truth” or just saying what is on our mind is done with the wrong motive or right motive?

     Have you ever neglected to seek wise counsel? If so, why and how did the situation turn out for you and what did you learn, so that it may help others?