The church is not a gallery where we exhibit the finest of Christians. No, it is a school where we educate and encourage imperfect Christians. Source Unknown

A few months ago, at a ministry conference, I was challenged to define my personal core values.  I struggled with that for several hours.  At first, I came up with, “I am fearfully made and sent out.”  That sounded good but seemed to miss the mark.  Upon further reflection, I settled on three critical foundational words, “Equip, Encourage and Empower.”  So, I thought I would share with you what those three words mean to me and how they play out in my life.  My prayer is that this may inspire you to summarize who you are and how you have been called to live out your calling as a follower of the Lord Jesus Christ.

The Bible backdrop for this discussion will be…