Quest Ministries: "The Gift of Love"

Wednesday, October 13, 2010

"The Gift of Love"

One of the blessings of listening to classical music stations is that they often broadcast some of the most beautiful music ever written and performed for the glory of God.

I was inspired to write this short entry because of one such blessing. My favorite station played a beautiful performance of "The Gift of Love." The sacred text was inspired by 1 Corinthians 13; the tune is a beautiful English melody. What a wonderful example of God's common grace: that I would be able to worship God via a secular, publicly funded, music station.

Here are the lyrics to the hymn "The Gift of Love."

Though I may speak with bravest fire, / and have the gift to all inspire, / and have not love, my words are vain, / as sounding brass, and hopeless gain.

Though I may give all I possess, / and striving so my love profess, / but not be given by love within, / the profit soon turns strangely thin.

Come, Spirit, come, our hearts control, / our spirits long to be made whole. / Let inward love guide every deed; / by this we worship, and are freed.

I wish I could replicate the music here, but I'll simply refer you to my favorite hymnal Worship & Rejoice selection #397 or you can order the album, titled "Our Love" from Amazon.com.

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PROFILE

Contact Information:

Experience:

For over forty years Stan has developed people and organizations through preaching, teaching, organizing, writing, motivating, and listening. He especially enjoys interacting with people in one-to-one and group settings.

Stan has a Master of Divinity from Gordon-Conwell. In 2012, he completed a certificate program in spiritual direction from Selah (http://leadershiptransformations.org/selah.htm).

Stan also loves to help people navigate life’s challenges by discussing popular stories. Fiction written by C. S. Lewis, J. R. R. Tolkien, Charles Dickens, Victor Hugo, and a host of others help us understand how God’s Story interacts with our own.

Specialty Skills:

Organizing people, events, and projects

Analyzing challenges, and proposing and implementing solutions

Creative writing

Conversant with computer software and the Internet

Video-conferencing via Skype and other software

Accomplishments:

Stan led an organization that was on the brink of disbanding. Through his leadership it became a more vibrant cohesive group, optimistic about its future. He led its members in group activities. He also worked with its leaders to evaluate and update the organization's purpose, financial health, and organizational structure. As a result, the group became healthier, larger, and more outward focused and welcoming.

He led a group in a ten-week discussion of Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings. The majority of the participants read 100 pages per week to prepare for their sessions. He met with the group for two hours each week to discuss the contents, truths, and applications of this beautiful piece of literature.

For several years Stan led a multi-week training course for an organization. The purpose of the training was to help members understand and communicate the organization's core values with potential members. He recruited people to be part of the training, taught them how to clearly express the principles, and provided the means for them to be in touch with potential members. Leaders emerged from this training program, confident in their ability to communicate.