Issue link: https://cp.revolio.com/i/1516776
Retreating to Advance Micah "Whiskey" Orloff The BSHDFC International Board held a retreat January 19-20, 2024 in San Diego, California where it was hard at work casting vision to better serve across all aspects of our ministry. From our work, a few themes began to crystalize: 1. We desire to pray well. 2. We desire to train well. 3. We desire to model and steward well. Praying well - Led by our National Chaplains Tom and Dee Sanchez, we have a consistent, virtual prayer meeting held on Thursday nights. We accept prayer requests directly from our website. Prayer meetings are forming locally. Praying well leads to focus and alignment with the heart and will of God - we want our praying discipline to be like breathing - we inhale His presence so we can exhale His will. Training well - Last year, the International Board commissioned a group to review, evaluate and make recommendations for our mentorship program and processes. That team met monthly and presented recommendations that were approved by the International Board. The updated mentorship program will hold a standard for who represents this ministry and Christ. There will be stronger commitments from both the mentor and mentee, to ensure we are compelled to serve in those different roles. We believe that these adjustments will lead to more and better equipped members- members that will have staying power and vision, members who will thirst and hunger after ministering to the biker community so they too can experience the goodness of our Father and the abundant life available in Jesus Christ. Over the coming months, more information will follow with the full program going live in May. Stay tuned. Modeling and Stewarding well - The International Board at its retreat addressed items for opportunity through some amendments to the ministry's Bylaws. This included honoring longevity in our ministry, better stewarding resources provided by God for His purposes, and modeling behavior that is above reproach. We believe these amendments will strengthen our posture for serving the biker community in Spirit and in Truth. Detailed information on those amendments will be released and shared from leadership in the coming months. As I reflect upon our time at the retreat, I am honored and blessed to know that God has appointed leaders for this long standing ministry to carry it well into the next 25 years. a Vision is Everything for a Leader John Maxwell (Submitted by Laz Alba) "Lift your eyes now and look from the place where you are— northward, southward, eastward, and westward; for all the land which you see, I give to you and your descendants forever." (Gen. 13:14-15) Vision is everything for a leader. It is utterly indispensable. Why? Because vision leads the leaders. It paints the targets, sparks and fuels the fire within, and draws them forward. And it is also the fire–lighter for others who follow those leaders. Show me a leader without vision, and I'll show you someone who isn't going anywhere. At best, they're traveling in circles. To get a handle on vision and how it comes to be a part of a good leader, understand these things: Vision starts within. Vision draws on your history. Vision meets others' needs. Vision helps you gather resources. One of the most valuable benefits of vision is that it acts like a magnet—attracting, challenging, and uniting people. The greater the vision, the more winners it has the potential to attract. The more challenging the vision, the harder the participants fight to achieve it. Editor's Note: Are you familiar with John Maxwell's work? He is and has been for decades, a solid staple for those in Christian leadership. May I encourage all of our leaders to read any of Maxwell's books, but I suggest you begin with, "The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership." Your influence and leadership will grow by leaps and bounds. a