{"id":405,"date":"2008-04-07T01:01:58","date_gmt":"2008-04-07T01:01:58","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.beliefnet.com\/markdroberts\/2008\/04\/what-can-we-do-to-make-room-for-the-holy-spirit-in-strategic-planning-and-goal-setting-section-c.html"},"modified":"2008-04-07T01:01:58","modified_gmt":"2008-04-07T01:01:58","slug":"what-can-we-do-to-make-room-for-the-holy-spirit-in-strategic-planning-and-goal-setting-section-c","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/2008\/04\/what-can-we-do-to-make-room-for-the-holy-spirit-in-strategic-planning-and-goal-setting-section-c.html","title":{"rendered":"What Can We Do to Make Room for the Holy Spirit in Strategic Planning and Goal Setting: Section C"},"content":{"rendered":"

Part 4 of series: Planning and Goals: Is There Room for the Holy Spirit?
\n<\/em>Permalink for this post<\/a> \/ Permalink for this series<\/a>
\nSo far I’ve proposed that four attitudes and\/or actions will help us be open to the Spirit’s guidance in the midst of our strategic planning and goal setting:<\/p>\n

1. Acknowledge the sovereignty of God.
\n2. Listen for the “bass note” of biblical theology.
\n3. Respect the ways God has led in the past.
\n4. Recognize that God’s new wine requires new wineskins.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Today I’ll add another item to the list.
\n5. Acknowledge that God uses all we are for his purposes.<\/strong>
\nDifferent Christian traditions tend to emphasize different ways that the Spirit guides us. This is fine, though sometimes people can, besides emphasizing certain modes of guidance, reject others that are legitimate. For example, I swim proudly in the stream of Presbyterian, Reformed rationalism. I believe that God has given us the capacity to reason so that we might use it for his purposes. By thinking clearly about needs, purposes, opportunities, and resources, I believe we can formulate plans that are consistent with God’s purposes.
\nBut I do not embrace rationalism to the extent that I deny other means of God’s guidance. I have Reformed colleagues who almost entirely deny the value of emotions in discerning God’s will. Though I share their worries about emotionalism, and though I agree with their critique of the overly emotional character of our culture, I do not reject the power of emotions to help us discern God’s will. Often, I believe, the Spirit guides us by moving our hearts. Our compassion, our anger, and even our joy can tell us something about God’s will.
\nYet many Christians rely too much upon their feelings to guide them. I once had a brother in Christ tell me that he knew God approved of his adulterous relationship with a friend’s wife because it felt so right. Would that he had used his brain a bit more, and remembered the Ten Commandments, which contain God’s idea of whether adultery is right or not.
\nFor the most part, strategic planning involves our thinking. But, as we reason individually and together, we should also be open to the movement of our hearts.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Part 4 of series: Planning and Goals: Is There Room for the Holy Spirit? Permalink for this post \/ Permalink for this series So far I’ve proposed that four attitudes and\/or actions will help us be open to the Spirit’s guidance in the midst of our strategic planning and goal setting: 1. Acknowledge the sovereignty…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":214,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[38],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-405","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-planning-goals-the-spirit"],"yoast_head":"\nWhat Can We Do to Make Room for the Holy Spirit in Strategic Planning and Goal Setting: Section C - Mark D. 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Roberts","description":"Mark D. Roberts: Thoughtfully Christian Reflections on Jesus, the Church, and the World","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/#\/schema\/person\/1ff094a57b7e41f534434b1723df3d73","name":"Mark D. Roberts","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-content\/wphb-cache\/gravatar\/f2d\/f2ddf5f080861f66ea230384f9d1bab2x96.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-content\/wphb-cache\/gravatar\/f2d\/f2ddf5f080861f66ea230384f9d1bab2x96.jpg","caption":"Mark D. Roberts"},"description":"The Rev. Dr. Mark D. Roberts is a pastor, author, retreat leader, speaker, and blogger. Since October 2007 he has been the Senior Director and Scholar-in-Residence for Laity Lodge, a multifaceted ministry in the Hill Country of Texas. Before coming to Laity Lodge, he was for sixteen years the Senior Pastor of Irvine Presbyterian Church in Irvine, California (a city in Orange County about forty miles south of Los Angeles). Before his time at Irvine Pres, Mark served on the staff of the First Presbyterian Church of Hollywood as Associate Pastor of Education. (Thanks to Janel Pahl for taking the photo to the right.) Mark studied at Harvard University, receiving a B.A. in Philosophy, an M.A. in the Study of Religion, and a Ph.D. in New Testament and Christian Origins. He has taught classes in New Testament for Fuller Theological Seminary and San Francisco Theological Seminary. Mark has written several books, including No Holds Barred: Wrestling with God in Prayer (WaterBrook, 2005), Dare to Be True (WaterBrook, 2003), Jesus Revealed (WaterBrook, 2002), After \"I Believe\" (Baker, 2002), and Ezra, Nehemiah, Esther (Word, 1993). His most recent book is Can We Trust the Gospels? Investigating the Reliability of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John (Crossway, 2007). He is currently working on a commentary on Ephesians that will be published by Zondervan in 2014. Mark writes a devotional for The High Calling of Our Daily Work, a website associated with Laity Lodge. His \"Daily Reflections\" can be viewed online or sent as a daily email. If you wish to receive this email, just visit TheHighCalling.org and sign up. Mark serves on the editorial board of Worship Leader magazine, where he publishes articles and reviews, including his regular column \"Lyrical Poetry.\" Additionally, he has published dozens of articles in leading magazines and journals. He often speaks for churches and other Christian groups, and has been interviewed on over seventy-five radio programs nationwide. Mark is married to Linda, who is a Marriage and Family Therapist, a Spiritual Director, and a retreat speaker. They have two children, Nathan and Kara.For Publicity Photos and Bio Statements for Mark, please check here. Mark's Dossier Professional History: Senior Director and Scholar-in Residence, Laity Lodge, October 2007 to present. Senior Pastor Irvine Presbyterian Church, June 1991 to September 2007 Adjunct Assistant Professor Fuller Theological Seminary, 1994 to 2007. Courses: New Testament Theology and Exegesis. Adjunct Instructor San Francisco Theological Seminary, 1995 to 2001. Courses: New Testament Greek and Exegesis Associate Pastor of Education First Presbyterian Church of Hollywood, 1987-1991 Teaching Fellow Harvard University, 1980-1983 Education: Ph.D. in the Study of Religion. Harvard University, 1992. Area: New Testament and Christian Origins M.A. in the Study of Religion Harvard University, 1984. A.B. magna cum laude in Philosophy Harvard University, 1979. Phi Beta Kappa; Danforth Fellowship Books: Can We Trust the Gospels? Investigating the Reliability of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. Crossway, 2007 No Holds Barred: Wrestling with God in Prayer. WaterBrook, 2005 Dare to Be True: Living in the Freedom of Complete Honesty. WaterBrook, 2003. Jesus Revealed: Know Him Better to Love Him Better. WaterBrook, 2002. After \"I Believe\": Experiencing Authentic Christian Living. Baker, 2002. Ezra, Nehemiah, Esther in the Communicator's Commentary Series. Word, 1993. Contacting Mark: You can reach Mark at: E-mail: mark@markdroberts.com mroberts@laitylodge.org Phone: Laity Lodge: (830) 792-1216 Address: Laity Lodge 719 Earl Garrett Kerrville, TX 78028","url":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/author\/mroberts"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/405","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/214"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=405"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/405\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=405"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=405"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=405"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}