Guest Speaker ~ Rev. Dan Miller

The Rock Recreation Center
Back Mountain Harvest Assembly of God

Trucksville, PA

Rev. Dan Miller grew up in a farming community located in central Pennsylvania. "I would say my home was like the TV show, 'Leave It To Beaver'. I had great parents who raised me in a Christian home. At a very young age, four or five years old God would appear to me in dreams and visions. When my parents gave their hearts to the Lord we began to travel the country to revival meetings. It never failed, during these meeting God would show the 'truth' about the men on the platform. He would say, "This one is real. You can watch and listen to him." or "This one is fake." or "His faith is weak." Many times I would be called out of a service and prophesied over."

The following are thought provoking quotes from Rev. Dan

* Never go against a man of God.
If you can't served under a man of God then you will never be able to lead others. Your position is one of helps along holding that man up before the Lord, the congregation, and the community. If you can't be subordinate you can't asks other to do so. Always serve your subordinate, even if they are wrong. Unless they are in sin!

* Don't try to meet everybody's needs.
"WhenI first came to Trucksville there was about fifteen to sixteen people. The very first thing I did was to ask some of them to leave. You're not going to keep everybody. Eight of the sixteen left the church. I explained my vision and I knew they were not going to fit into my vision so I introduced them to other churches in the area and remained friends with them to this day."

*Hang your hat on what your good at.
"Don't waste your time doing things you are not good at doing. Bring others along side you who can do the things you are not as gifted in."

* Pastor an area not a church.
"Get a vision for your area and what can happen within the community; not just for what can happen within the walls of your church. Everything is about the community not the Rock Center."

* Don't get mad when people leave and don't make a fuss when they come back.
"There are those who will come and go."

Questions:
* How do you get from 15 to 50?
"You get there by working yourself out of a job. Most pastors are insecure. If you have someone with a preacher's inch, Let them preach. If others come to you with an idea, Let them do it."

* How will you know if you are being successful in doing this?
"If you leave on a vacation and come back only to hear others say, "Oh, Pastor it was a disaster, while you were away." That is not good and you are not doing a good job." If, however, you leave and return to hear, "Pastor it was great! Everything went well. We didn't need you at all." Then you know you are successful. It is vital that you sing peoples praise. They must know how proud you are of them and that they are doing a great job."

People Follow Vision
* If you are asked to serve the community ~ Don't Pray About It ~ DO IT!
Scripture says that: 'The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.' John 1:5
* Don't choose what is safe. Be among the sinners, how else will we be able to lead them to become saints. And we should be able to be around the unsaved without being offended by their language. I suggest you find some unsaved friends.
* We live in a strong Catholic community. The sowing of seed was hard work, but we are now reaping a harvest.
* Don't ask from the community. God has not called us to be takers but givers. If you really want to bless those in the community, offer to pay more than their asking price.

Rev. Dan said they are now running six-hundred and fifty people. "I don't believe in 'member service' ~ soft seating, air conditioner and heating...Jesus said, It is the sick who need a doctor. Don't get me wrong our church is clean and well kept. But it's all about the community. About those who aren't us yet!"

Their Ministry Consist of:
*The Rock Recreation Center
The Center consist of: * 20,000 square foot State of the Art Facilities * Paramount Circuit Training Equipment *Free Weights *Cardio Room *College-sized Hardwood Basketball Court *Volleyball *Lounge *Locker Rooms *Upward Basketball Program *Camps *Leagues *Home School Phys. Ed. *Tournaments *Certified Personal Trainers *Elite Shoulder Rings *Climbing Ropes *...and Much More!

"At this time membership for the center is around 350 families, making it around 1,000 individuals. 10% may be church people but the rest are from the community. "

*The Hope Center
This center is a place for for those who are uninsured and underinsured to come for Free Medical Care, free Legal Advice, Free Vision care, including acuity, cataract, & glaucoma testing. Free Chiropractic evaluations and adjustments & Pastoral Care. "Keeping in mind, It is not about us; it's about the community and those who are not yet us."

*We purchase fire works for the community.
*Provide a Free pig roast.
*Leadership Workshops

Question:
*What drives you nuts on staff?

-Being lazy
-Being a cry babies
Example: Pastor's Appreciation Day...You are paid staff. You are to wait on the volunteer staff. It's should not be Pastors Appreciation Day but Pew Appreciation Day. God will take care of you, He sees when no one else does.
-Don't complain
You can be right ...but you can also be dead right which = a wrong!
-Leaving right after church
We should be the last people leaving the church. Again people don't have to be there. So, come early and stay late. When you are home, you are on call. When you are away rest, be with you family, relax. But when you are back give 100%
-Work hard...Really hard...but take time for your self as well.
-Give to those in need
I always choose to be naive. I choose to believe what people tell me and always error on the side of love and grace. No one has ever taken me...they have taken God but not me.

There is so much more I could say but I had better stop here. Truly I was blessed and yes even comforted by our guest.

Class Project ~ Coaching 503

Coaching 503
Change, Transition, and Transformation

Romans 12:1-2 Therefore I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as living and hold sacrifices, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship.

Coaching 503 is designed to help, the would be, coach to be able to do the following:
∙ Understand the dynamics of change, transition and transformation
∙ Use coaching skills and the coaching process to help people navigate through the three
∙ And increase effectiveness as a catalyst for transformation

When it comes to change most people are quick to say, “I don’t like it!” However, if we want to move from one place to another change must take place. In looking at the three aspects of Coaching 503 one must first define and understand the meaning of each.

Change is: external, temporary, self initiated, doing, relationship with others & God

Change always starts in the mind. If we always stay where we stop offering ourselves as an act of worship to God. If one truly wants to be transformed they must first recognize their need for others especially God. To often those longing for changes refuse the cocoon experience, for it is within the cocoon that transformation comes. Unfortunately, if change does not come we will die either physically, spiritually or both.

Transition is: internal, resisted, frustrating, confusing, fearful, painful, a mind shift

In this step of the journey to transformation we become a living sacrifice. In the Old Testament when a sacrifice was given salt placed on it. A dead sacrifice feels no pain. However, if you add salt to the wound of a living sacrifice there will great pain and all that comes with it. Not only is this a painful process it leaves the PBC (person being coached) with feeling of total vulnerability which only adds to the pain. As coaches we must let them know it’s ok to have these feeling and to feel the way they do.

M. Scott Peck says, “The truth is that our finest moments are most likely to occur when we are deeply uncomfortable, unhappy, or unfulfilled. For it is only in such moments, propelled by our discomfort, that we are likely to step out of our ruts and start searching for different ways or truer answers.”

Transformation is: internal, permanent, God initiated, being, new relationships

It is vital that we as coaches understand that transformation is a process and we are to coach people through that process. For that to happen we must first learn we can not tell they what they need to do. Instead we must learn to ask the right questions that will enable them to come up with their own process. (example: Job’s friends vs. God’s response). In doing so we will help the PBC move from surviving to thriving (Philippians 1:9-11; Psalm 63:3-4) which will lead them from bondage to freedom (Galatians 5:1, 13; 2 Corinthians 3:17). Freedom, that’s a great place to
be!

A good coach will be able to help people moved into that transformation place, by
helping the PBC:

∙ Expand their horizon to new possibilities.
∙ Elicit powerful new commitments.
∙ Transform their point of view about themselves.
∙ Foster new ways of being, skills, and practices.
∙ Move past places where they are stuck.
∙ Coaching them to effective action.

Although a business can undergo changes within it structure, changes that will cause the business to expand and grow to new levels, we can’t be so quick to use the work transformation in this setting. For true transformation can only come about once an individual has accepted Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior. True transformation happens from the inside out. The old has gone and the new has come. Some individuals have even gone as far as to change their name, all because they have found a new identity in Christ Jesus.

I have personally experienced this type of transformation in my own life I have had the privilege of helping others in their journey as well. It is my desire to see our church fulled with individuals who can sing, “Look What The Lord Has Done” not because they can read the words off the wall, but because they have experienced this transforming power for themselves. I believe as I learn to apply these coaching skills that desire will soon become a reality.

It is so my desire to become a coach that will be able to help people through the process of becoming transformed.

Since taking Coaching 510 and 503 I have begun moving in that direction in two ways:

1. I am involved with the "AG Deepen the Learning Coaching Calls. These calls take place twice a month. To date I have missed only one call, due to the fact that I attended Chapel at Valley Forge Christian College.

2. I now have a Life Coach, Vicki Farina, who has taught me much in our time together.

I praise God for the godly men and women He continues to place in my life. His loves for me is beyond my understanding at time. Truly I Am Blessed!