CurryStew » Mark Beeson

Have YOU played basketball with Mark Beeson?

DC — Mon, 28 Jun 2010 00:15:55 +0000

(iphone Photo)

While at Camp Adventure in June, I caught wind that Mark Beeson was schoolin' some folks in knockout! So I got to the courts as soon as I could to catch him raining down jump shots on defenseless middle schoolers!! It was awesome and the campers LOOOOOOVED IT! I'm assuming not many people can say they played basketball with Mark Beeson but we had a group of campers at Camp Adventure who can now say they have! Camp Adventure week 2 is coming up next week and it's sure to be amazing! Fortunately and unfortunately July week has been sold out since a couple weeks ago so there is no more signing up, but I'm ready to be apart of all that God's going to do!

Great wisdom about 'Mountain Top Experiences'

DC — Tue, 16 Mar 2010 14:39:55 +0000

(Random Photo from web)

Great wisdom about "Mountain Top Experiences" HERE.

Blink Parenting Series Week 1 Notes

DC — Sun, 21 Feb 2010 14:06:26 +0000

We kicked off our "Blink" Series here at Granger this weekend and I'm so excited because I need the wisdom. Getting ready to have our first child there's a fun urgency that I feel about being prepared for when she gets here. Brooke's due May 16th and it's FAST approaching. Here's some of the things I jotted down from Pastor Beeson's message:

~"How can a young man keep his way pure BY living according to your word" - Psalm 119:9
~Training your child in the way they should go requires 'intentionality' (Referencing Prov 22:6 "train a child in the way he should go and when he's old he will not turn from it.")
~All kids are different (sounds simple but why do we try to treat them all the same)
~It's never too early or too late (Col 3:10-21) to start raising/helping your
~Kids will watch what you do & if it doesn't line up with what you say, they will assume you don't mean it. This is why Jesus said in John 13:15, "I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you.")
~"Integrity" gives you "moral authority".
~We need to set up the "rumble strips"/"guardrails" in our life so we don't end up "over the edge" (of a cliff or damaging fall)...(Prov. 22:28 Do not move an ancient boundary stone set up by your forefathers.")
~ It affects our lives and witnesses if we don't have guardrails
~We can't do this (raising our kids) ourselves, we need God and his wisdom to do this the right way. (James 1:5 "If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God...")
~Just because wisdom is given doesn't mean we get it. We have to actually listen to the wisdom of God through His Word, His Church, His Followers, etc...SO THAT we can get what God is giving.

Grateful for the wisdom of Pastor Beeson and thankful I can learn about this parenting thing from him. You can catch the service online tonight at 6:30 or 8:30 p.m.

Greatest Shepherd in America

DC — Wed, 15 Jul 2009 17:26:34 +0000

(Photo from Mark Beeson's Blog)

I thought long and hard about whether or not to post this or just put it into a personal note.....and after much prayer I think it's ok that I say this outloud for all the world to see. (I am fully aware that this is more of a personal note but this is my heart...and my blog.) I got to sit with one of the greatest Shepherds in America for two weeks at our Middle School camp. Mark Beeson is lots of things but one of the things I really appreciate about him is that he is a true Shepherd. (Many senior pastors claim to be a Shepherd or think they are because they can tell people what to do but as I study The Good Shepherd I see many characteristics in our Mark.) He knows how to lead, mentor, add insight, correct, preach, encourage, comfort, rebuke, and lots of other things...and do it ALL WELL! I know a lot of people with those same characteristics who legitimately don't know how to do ANY of them effectively or well for that matter...Mark Beeson knows how! I feel honored to have sat with him for two weeks and just soak up amazing wisdom and drink from the firehouse of leadership. Also, to be surrounded by THE pressure cooker of encouragement added many years to my personally ministry! Thank you for all you do Pastor Beeson, GSM loves you and is thankful for the freedom and vision you give us as a ministry. We love being apart of your church! We believe in the vision Jesus has put in you and we will follow you until Jesus comes. Thanks for your trust!

What I look for in a mentor

DC — Mon, 15 Jun 2009 16:26:39 +0000

(This is no secret. Mark Beeson is one of the greatest mentors on the planet!)

As I sit at camp this morning I can't help but think about all the "mentoring" that is going to go on this week. Mentoring is one of my passion areas and I study Paul and Timothy a lot to see how to get better at both ends of it. I've always had a really closed mind about mentoring relationships. I believe that while I can learn from anyone, there are flat out some people I DON'T want to learn from. Just sayin.

Here's some things I've always looked for in a mentor:

1. Unforced Relationship. Don't try to force it, if it doesn't happen naturally, let it go.

2. Mutually beneficial. It shouldn't be one-sided, both people should benefit from the interaction.

3. Reputation. This one is a soft-side sort of judgment call but I actively seek people who have a good track record or some history of success when it comes to mentoring.

4. Knowledge in an area i'm pursing. Is there legitimately an area this person can help me with.

5. Trustworthy. Can I trust them with my life, family, thoughts, vision, dreams, innovations.

(Just to name a few of the big ones.)

Some things you deliberately did not see on my list:

1. MOST sought after. I could care less who MOST PEOPLE wish they could be mentored by. I need what I need.

2. MOST recognized. I don't look for the most recognizable person and seek a relationship with them.

3. Credentials. Sometimes there's an area I need help with that doesn't require a PH.D it simply requires life experience.

4. Older. I don't deliberately look for someone older than me.

(Note: if a person has these, it's not a knock against them by any means. These are just things that I don't specifically look for in a mentoring relationship.)

Questions I've been pondering recently

DC — Mon, 01 Jun 2009 17:36:28 +0000

These are a list of questions Pastor Beeson gave to us back in January in our "Help Wanted" Weekend Series (31st if you want to find the message) . If answered truthfully, these questions can be a great reality check.

What exactly do you do to help your wife/husband live with virtuous purpose?
What exactly do you do to establish an outpost of God's Kingdom wherever you are?
What exactly do you do to add value to your family?
What exactly do you do to extend a hand up and not just a hand out?
What exactly do you do to make this local church better?
What exactly do you do to deserve a paycheck?
What exactly do you do to help this church make progress?
What exactly do you do to help the person next to you right now?
What exactly do you do to make Michiana (insert your city/region/state) a better community?

Wisdom on Credibility

DC — Thu, 28 May 2009 16:13:58 +0000

Mark said some things at Leadership Live a few weeks ago that gave me a lot to think about. Hope it does the same for you. "Credibility is gained over time but can be lost in an instant." - Mark Beeson

Best questions I've asked this year

DC — Thu, 23 Apr 2009 17:02:32 +0000

Yesterday at SWAT (our all-staff meeting) I was so inspired by some things that Mark Beeson said that I was compelled to write this post. (None of this is stuff he said, but it's where my mind went as he was helping us understand the difference between "Purposes" and "Values".) These are some of the questions I've been asking myself over the course of this school year. I hope they serve you well.

What am I truly convinced about? (Sometimes I think I know more than I do.)
How rigorously do I check out whatever I put my trust in, whether fact or system or teaching? (One of my biggest pet peeves is watching people put their trust in things they've never "checked out" or taking the time to see if they're even trustworthy.)
How openly do I base my actions on my convictions? (Do I LIVE, what I BELIEVE!)
How ready am I to change them if the evidence moves against me? (Do I provide space for GOD or VISION to change my mind.)

I've heard these questions in various forms throughout my life and for some reason they all popped up this semester and have been challenging me. These questions help me stay clear on my vision, my direction, and what God's called me to.