Greg | Greg Nettle

Why Every Child Needs A Church

April 24, 2015

ALL children are at risk.

There are dangers and diseases that stem from poverty and there are dangers and diseases that stem from prosperity.

Throughout my travels to some of the darkest points of poverty on the planet I have witnessed firsthand the dangers and diseases that stem from poverty. And as a result of raising children in the United States I have also witnessed firsthand the dangers and diseases that stem from prosperity.

I have seen children eat dirt to fill their stomachs and children struggling with obesity from too many trips to the nearest fast food chain restaurant. I have paddled a canoe through sewage-strewn water to reach the home of a child living on an island in Ecuador and I have driven my SUV to relatively cavernous homes to visit children living in isolation in the suburbs of the U.S. […]

Learning From Leaders

April 15, 2015

Future Travelers_March 23 2015 I recently had the opportunity to spend the day with a small group of high capacity business and church leaders. (Thanks to Bob Buford for being such a gracious host!) I took several pages of notes as I learned from these amazing guys. Here are some of my takeaways:

*Being healthy means you are self-sustaining. Thriving means you are self-sustaining and blessing others–you are multiplying. This is true in your personal life and in the organization you are leading.

*There is no “right” structure. In a growing organization structure is always shifting.

*Leaders must spend 80% of their time getting the right talent and nurturing the right talent on their team. […]

Join Me In Praying . . .

April 3, 2015

by Greg
in Random Thoughts, Stadia Partners, Church Planting
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easter-people This Easter weekend more than 60,000 people will gather in Stadia new church plants around the world. 60,000 people that God loves deeply. 60,000 people that desperately need to know the amazing, life-transforming hope that Jesus brings.

Would you please join me in praying for these young churches?

Our Mighty and Most Holy Heavenly Father,

We thank You that on this Easter weekend we remember and celebrate the death and resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ. We thank You for the incredible love that sent Jesus to the cross. We thank You for the unparalleled power that raised Jesus from the dead–the same power that is alive in Your church and at work in each of our lives. […]

A crystal clear call to Stadia

November 3, 2013

7 Billion Reasons Promo Click here for a personal message from Greg.

25 years ago I received a crystal clear call from God to move from Dublin, Ireland-where I had been involved in planting a new church-and move to Northern Ohio to become the leader of what is known today as the RiverTree Movement. Over the years I have stated numerous times that a crystal clear call from God brought me to RiverTree and it would take a crystal clear call to move me elsewhere.

Much to my surprise, that call from God has come . . . and it is clear as crystal.

God has been writing the story of my life. […]

A Prayer of Thanks for Wess Stafford

September 13, 2013

by Greg
in Children at Risk, Stadia Partners, Church Planting
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I just received a message from Wess Stafford that says, “Oh my goodness . . . my very last day as Compassion’s President!”

Which prompts me to pray . . .

Our most compassionate Heavenly Father, thank you for revealing your heart through your servant, Wess Stafford.

Thank you for the difference you have used him to make in the lives of millions of children around the world.

Thank you for the awareness of children at risk that you have used him to bring in the lives of thousands of churches throughout the United States and globally.

Thank you for his openness to planting new churches where no churches previously existed. […]

What matters most

August 22, 2013

I did not summit Mount Rainier and yet this was perhaps the most gratifying climb I have experienced.

We began our summit bid from high camp at 1 A.M. Traversing a glacier by the light of my headlamp and a much brighter full moon I repeatedly sang the words to my favorite Matt Redman worship song:

The sun comes up, it’s a new day dawning It’s time to sing Your song again Whatever may pass, and whatever lies before me Let me be singing when the evening comes.

After ascending through boulders, volcanic scree and spectacular ice formations I finally arrived at the top of Disappointment Cleaver. […]

Thousands of Kids Need Sponsors

July 19, 2013

By the end of this year, Stadia’s vision to amp up the powerful combination between church planting and caring for children will result in 21 new churches in Latin America. Because Compassion runs their programs ONLY through the local church, each of these new churches will see at least 200 children gain access to sponsorship and all its life-transforming benefits.

That means Stadia needs to recruit sponsors for thousands of Compassion children this year!

You can help us take significant steps toward this goal and existing sponsorship needs by hosting a Compassion Sunday at your home church. A Compassion Sunday features:

Emphasis on Compassion sponsorships and the spiritual, physical, educational and emotional impact they have on children. […]

Want to change the world?

July 7, 2013

A top economist has confirmed what I already knew about the pictures hanging on my refrigerator door … Child Sponsorship Works! Check out this article from Christianity Today.

“ … You could beat this data senseless, and it was incapable of showing anything other than extremely large and statistically significant impacts on educational outcomes for sponsored children.”

[…]

Great summer reads

June 29, 2013

by Greg
in Random Thoughts, Book Reviews, Recommendations and Reviews
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For many people, summer is a time to catch up on some good reading. I enjoy reading books that keep me sharp, books that feed my soul and books that are simply great fun. Here are a few you might want to grab to take with you to the beach, to the office or to your favorite chair.

Strengthening The Soul Of Your Leadership by Ruth Haley Barton. This is one of the best books I’ve read in a long time about caring for your soul. Ruth rightly observes, “If Jesus were speaking to us today, he might also point out that when leaders lose their souls, so do the churches and organizations they lead.”

All Is Grace by Brennan Manning. […]

Top 5 things I love and respect about my mom

May 11, 2013

Top 5 things I love and respect about my mom

1. She loves God and passed her faith on to me.

Nothing else is as important as this!

2. She has stayed married for more than 56 years.

I was taught that divorce is not an option. This provided security as I was growing up as well as laying the foundation for me to build my own marriage.

3. She loves my wife.

Life is SO much better when mother and daughter-in-law actually love one another and get along well.

4. She invests in my children.

It is such a privilege for me to have “grandma” pour into the lives of her grandchildren. […]