Prioritising the Important: Lessons from the Christmas Season

It is strange to think now, but we aren’t too far away from Christmas again. Despite it only feeling like it was a couple of months ago!

This is a busy and sometimes difficult time of year for many, and we can get drawn into lots of conflicting agendas, but it is also a wonderful opportunity to remember together exactly what we are here for and what we have all received through the gift of Jesus. It is His birth, death and resurrection that give us life both now and for evermore. Let’s not lose sight of this and instead use it to reorder our priorities to more closely reflect on those things we value most, rather than getting caught up with the ‘urgent but not important’ tasks. I need to learn this lesson again even from today by the way!!

I’m sure you will have seen the ‘school assembly’ illustration of someone putting some rocks, pebbles, and sand into a clear vessel? If they put the largest rocks in first the other smaller objects can work their way around the larger items and still fit. However, if they start by putting the smaller pieces in, there is quickly no room for the bigger ‘more important’ ones later. If we were to identify the five most important things in our lives / ministries at the moment, have we put them in at the start or are we trying to squeeze them in after most of the space has already been taken? Is now a good time to refocus on what matters to you?

I hope you have now received an email copy of the report from our recent listening exercise.

In it you will find the key themes from across the network – the issues many of us are feeling are important for now. Please do read through it and if you have any further reflections, do let us know. We want this to be an ongoing conversation. These points will be used to help focus our attention and activity over the coming year.

Alongside the other highlights listed below I would love to flag our upcoming residential for CEOs / Directors on the 29th-30th January 2025. This will be a key opportunity to engage in discussions around issues that came up from the listening exercise as well as the recent Lausanne Congress, particularly looking at how we engage with the next generations. It is also a wonderful chance to build friendships and learn from each other. Places are limited so please book now through the link below to avoid disappointment.

If we don’t get a chance to chat before, I do wish you a very Happy Christmas & New Year!