Leadership, continued from page 3
Always remember that the Lord
has promised to be there,
whether you are in a valley,
or on top of a mountain.
His hand will guide you and protect you
from harm,
as long as you stay close to His side.
If you should get ahead of Him,
He will humble you.
If you should falter,
He will encourage you.
His grace will be sufficient for you
to carry out the ministry
He has anointed you to walk in.
His blessings will follow you
wherever you go.
As you read this article, it is
a time for new beginnings: a
new calendar year has begun,
New Year’s goals are written
in our journals or some-
where more visible, the New
Creation Commission has
officially begun its work,
the development docu-
ments for Precious Blood
Renewal Center (pbrc) have finally been approved
by the city of Liberty, and the contractor is poised to
begin some serious renovation work on Stukenborg
Mission House.
For me personally, I have concluded a six-month
sabbatical, for which I am profoundly thankful to
my Precious Blood Community, and now I have be-
gun ministry as part of the team at pbrc. Our team
is in the process of clarifying the Mission and Vision
for pbrc, and planning special experiences for 2018
and beyond. I believe that we have much to look
forward to in 2018.
I am looking forward to the process led by our
New Creation Commission. Just like a caterpillar
transforms into a beautiful butterfly, I anticipate a
wonderful outcome for our Community. A caterpillar
4 • The New Wine Press • February 2018
has to be willing to go through some dramatic
changes in order to become something new. We as
a Community must also be willing to go through
change. We can't sit back and just let the change
happen to us. Each of us must be willing and ready
to actively engage in the process. New wine
needs new wine skins. Some tradition-
alists who are going back to old
traditions may be using old
wine skins. I believe that
we have something
better to offer. God
encourages us
not to cling
to old
ways as
we step
into
a new
year.
Our jour-
ney with God
involves being
transformed by
the renewing of our
minds. And so, we
commit ourselves fully
to this adventure.
As God says through
the prophet Jeremiah 29:11 “For
I know the plans I have for you, plans
to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to
give you hope and a future.”
Editor, continued from page 2
I conclude with this quote from John Pavlovitz:
“I am pro-all life because it is all sacred; not only
when its heart begins beating, but as it beats and
when it struggles to beat and up until it ceases to
beat. I defend all life equally. I celebrate it all fully.
I protect it all passionately. We aren’t going to be de-
fined by the pain we manufacture for one another, by
the people we exclude, by the burdens we pile on the
already burdened. We’r