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6 Truths About Weak Faith And Little Prayers

By
Paul David Tripp
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thank you notes for children’s ministry volunteers

The 12th chapter of Acts depicts terrible and violent times for the Christians of the early church. If you live in the peaceful West, you’ll find it hard to relate to what it was like to live under constant threat and in constant fear simply because of what you believe. Sadly, there are millions of our brothers and sisters around the world who reside in regions where violence is a regular response to biblical faith.

Herod, the king at the time, wasn’t much of a theologian; he didn’t oppose the followers of Christ because of their specific beliefs. What he was concerned about more than anything was retaining his position of political power. If the Jewish leaders began to cause conflict in his territory, it would bring on him the negative attention of Caesar. Because the Sadducees and Pharisees saw those who followed Jesus as a threat, Herod set out to crush this ‘insurgent sect’ of Christians.

Herod began to lay violent hands on some who belonged to the church. He killed James, the brother of John, with the sword, and when he saw that it pleased the Jews, he proceeded to arrest Peter and put him in prison (v. 1-3). It wasn’t hard for Peter’s brothers and sisters in Christ to guess what would happen next. Herod was going to make a public spectacle out of Peter’s execution and gain even more support from the Jewish leaders that was critical for retaining control.

THE POWER OF PRAYER

The early church at that time had no political power, and therefore no way of convincing Herod to release Peter. Yet they were not without influence! Jesus had modeled for his followers the most powerful tool that any group of people could ever use: prayer. So, in faith, “earnest prayer for him (Peter) was made to God by the church” (v. 5, parentheses mine).

As the church prayed, God answered. An angel appeared in Peter’s cell, his chains fell off, and the angel told him to get dressed and to follow. Even Peter wasn’t prepared for God to answer in this way! Put yourself in his sandals. Just like Peter (see verse 9), we would have probably asked, “Is this a dream? Am I having a vision? Will I wake up from an optimistic sleep walk to the miserable reality that I’m still in chains and facing death?”

It wasn’t until Peter had passed all the guards and was out on the street that he came to himself and realized that this was, in fact, real life! He had been freed by a power infinitely greater than Herod or Caesar would ever possess: the power of the Lord Almighty. Probably still in some disbelief, he proclaimed, “Now I am sure that the Lord has sent his angel and rescued me from the hand of Herod and from all that the Jewish people were expecting” (v. 11). And what were the Jewish people expecting? His public execution, which would have been a horrifying blow to the fledgling band of Jesus followers.

THE BIBLE CAN BE AMUSING

It’s important as we read these stories of faith to immerse ourselves in the narrative. We should feel the terror and discouragement of the early church as Herod was out on a violent quest for Christian blood. We should relate with Peter when he had doubts or confusion about God’s ability to perform rescuing wonders. And, we should laugh at the humor that this story took on next.

Once freed from prison, Peter headed to the house of Mary, where he was certain the prayer meeting for his deliverance would be held. He arrived while his brothers and sisters were still praying and started knocking. Rhoda, the servant on call, recognized Peter’s voice and was so overcome with joy that in her haste to report back to the others that their prayers had been answered, she forgot to open the gate and let him in. How funny! In a miraculous act, Peter was no longer locked up by chains, soldiers and prison bars, but he was now locked out of the house by those whom were praying fervently for his release!

Meanwhile, the believers inside didn’t believe that God had actually delivered what they were praying for, telling the servant that she’s out of her mind (v. 15). Rhoda kept insisting, but they kept retorting that it wasn’t actually Peter outside, but his angel (I didn’t know that each of us had an angel!) After who knows how long, it was Peter’s incessant knocking, bless his heart, that convinced them that either this was a very persistent angel, or that Rhoda was telling the truth. Finally, they went to the door and upon opening it, were amazed to see that God had answered their prayer in such a miraculous way.

DON’T DISTANCE YOURSELF FROM THE STORY

Whenever we read biblical stories like this, it’s natural for us to distance ourselves. Maybe it’s because of the differences in historical and cultural context, but when we do, these stories of faith lose their transformative power. Remember, the purpose of Scripture is not just to inform us of what happened, but to transform us through what happened.

Put yourself in the middle of this frightened and confused band of believers. They had seen Jesus suffer and die, but then he rose and appeared to them, demonstrating his power. He commissioned them to carry the message of eternal and abundant life before ascending into heaven, leaving them with marching orders.

Suddenly, the same opposition that led to the death of their Messiah was now targeted toward them. James had been murdered, and then Peter, probably their principle leader, had been imprisoned and was surely facing execution. They gathered to pray, but all things considered, prayer probably didn’t feel like much of a weapon. Yes, their prayers were earnest, but their expectations were low.

Isn’t that true of all of us? If you were walking in their sandals, what would you have been thinking and feeling? Would you have had questions about God, questions about his power, his presence, his goodness and his grace? Would you have found it easy to believe that the Lord would deliver Peter from chains? Would you have been riddled with doubt or plagued by fear? Would you have wondered if being a follower of Christ was worth it? Would you have wondered if the message you had staked your life on was really true after all?

6 TRUTHS ABOUT WEAK FAITH AND LITTLE PRAYERS

I love this story of faith because it encourages us to be honest about our faith and prayers as we face the realities of life in a fallen world. Six things stick out to me in the narrative:

1. There Are No Heroes of Faith

I’m heartened by the fact that that night in Mary’s house, there were no grand exemplary heroes of faith. No one was brimming with courage, no one seemed to be free from doubt, and no one seemed to be assured of what God would do. Even though they prayed, they found the power and compassion of the God to whom they were praying to be surprising.

By reminding us that there is only One hero of the faith—that is, the Lord Almighty—this story invites us to be honest about our weak faith and little prayers.

2. We Are Never Alone

No matter what we face, we never face it alone. It’s amazing enough that God is near and hears us, but ultimately what matters is that the One who is near and who does hear is in absolute control of every situation, location and relationship we pray about.

Even more amazingly, Ephesians 1:22 tells us that Jesus, sitting at the right hand of the Father, rules over all things for the sake of the church. He exercises his sovereign power over everything, not just for his own glory, but also for our redemptive good. When we remember this truth, our faith in prayer will grow stronger and replace our worry.

3. Divine Power Is Greater Than Political Power

The hope of the church is not the power of the church, but the Lord of the church! I fear how political the church has become in our day, and I fear that its desire for political power is the result of bad theology. We mistakenly think that to be a force of power, we must acquire and wield political power, because that’s the forum where the big boys make the big decisions.

This bad theology causes the church to forsake its core message, to strike questionable alliances, and to do things to get power that are unbecoming to the followers of Jesus Christ. This story of faith reminds us that the grand transformative power of the church of Jesus Christ is not political power, but spiritual power.

It’s this divine power that the gates of hell cannot stand against, and this divine power that has the ability to cast down strongholds. Herod was unable to hold Peter, not because the church had put political pressure on him, but because they had pressed their case to the King of Kings, who has the power to defeat any earthly ruler with the flick of his finger.

4. Weak Faith Is Productive, and Little Prayers Are Answered

God’s response to prayer is not directly proportional to the size and strength of the faith of the person who prayed. If that were so, most of my prayers would not be heard, and I would imagine the same is true with you! This story illustrates just the opposite, and Matthew 17:20 tells us that faith even the size of the smallest seed has the power to cast mountains into the sea.

I’m concerned about a prayer legalism that regularly affects the church. It tells us that we’re not getting answers to our prayers because we haven’t exercised enough faith. That not only leaves us feeling guilty, but also wondering what in the world we have to do to generate more faith. The Bible, on the other hand, teaches that the littlest of faith is a radical submission of yourself to the Lord, and that even the weakest of prayers is an act of worship that honors the One to whom we pray.

5. Doubt Is The Normal Experience of Every Believer

No matter how theologically astute or biblically literate you are, you’ll still have mysteries in your life. Between the ‘already’ and the ‘not yet’ there will be moments when God confuses you, when it seems like he isn’t answering, and when he feels distant and uncaring.

In other words, there will be moments when life just doesn’t make any sense! What sense does it make to commission the church to take the gospel to the world and then allow one of its principle leaders (James) to be killed and another (Peter) to be captured?

All of us will face situations like these believers when doubt, confusion and fear is more natural than confidence in God. The question is: What will you do with your doubt? Will you get mad and walk away from God, or in the pain of doubt will you cry out to God for help, exercising weak faith and little prayers?

6. God Doesn’t Mock Weak Faith or Little Prayers

This little story preaches grace to us. God didn’t ridicule the Christians gathered at Mary’s house for their weak faith and little prayers. No, he met them with comfort, encouragement and power.

You and I didn’t purchase our salvation through personal righteousness, nor do we purchase God’s answers by the strength and size of our faith and prayers. The Lord knows we’re weak, and that why he has promised to be our strength and to exercise his authority on our behalf.

Your brothers and sisters in Acts 12 teach you to quit hiding your doubt, quit denying your weakness, and quit sanitizing your struggles of faith. Confess that you’re feeble and then run to the only source of strength who will meet you where you are and do for you what you could never do for yourself.

The One to whom you pray is tender, slow to anger and abounding in love. He has promised that he’ll never turn a deaf ear to the little prayers of his children, no matter how weak.

Now that’s good news!

This resource is from Paul Tripp Ministries. For additional resources, visit www.paultripp.com. Used with permission.

3 Ways Pastors and Church Leaders Undermine Themselves on Social Media

By
Ed Stetzer
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thank you notes for children’s ministry volunteers

Social media use is pervasive in American culture today. The various social media platforms we use are the 21st-century version of the town square—they are modern-day spaces to exchange ideas, learn the news and more.

Once upon a time, it was trendy to think that social media was a trend—a cultural oddity of the new millennium that would pass as quickly as it burst onto the scene.

Social media is not going away anytime soon, for better or worse. According to Pew Research Center in 2016, about 79 percent of adults who use the Internet use Facebook, 32 percent use Instagram, and 24 percent use Twitter. Of the 68 percent of all Americans who use Facebook, 76 percent of them use it daily.

Pastors and church leaders need to be in social media spaces. Here are three basic ways I see pastors and church leaders undermine themselves on social media, and some ideas about how to avoid these missteps:

1. Trying to Become Famous

It makes me sad when I see Christian leaders vying for the attention of people on social media when all they really want to do is make themselves look important. All of us can be guilty of this sort of prideful pursuit from time to time, but some pastors and church leaders do nothing on social media but try to make themselves look more influential than they actually are.

The most common way pastors and church leaders try to make themselves look more influential than they actually are is by purchasing Twitter followers or Facebook likes. Rather than spending the time to build a following of people who are interested in their content, they spend money to pad their stats and build hollow “influence.”

The ways in which trying to become famous on social media undermines the leadership of local church leaders are many.

Trying to become famous on social media takes a lot of time and effort, which causes the pastor to spend less time focusing on shepherding the flock and tending to the needs of the sheep. Trying to become famous on social media often causes church leaders to spend their own money or the church’s money in ways it shouldn’t be spent, pursuing vanity instead of ministry effectiveness.

Pastors and church leaders ought to be on social media—without a doubt—but using social media to serve yourself instead of to serve others is a slippery slope to sinful pride and a pursuit of vanishing glory.

2. Causing Unnecessary Division

Unfortunately, this pitfall often goes hand-in-hand with the first. One of the common ways pastors and church leaders try to make a name for themselves on social media is by creating unnecessary conflict or division, whether that be in Twitter fights or Facebook comment sections.

To be sure, having a social media presence of any kind means that you will likely encounter unavoidable conflict at some point. Someone will talk poorly about a friend or family member, a guest will leave a bad comment about your church, or something else. Every potential conflict on social media ought to be approached in its proper context.

Pastors and church leaders, you must understand: Engaging in unnecessary conflict on social media, regardless of the subject or how important you think it is, ultimately damages your witness and clouds people from receiving the good news of the gospel of Jesus Christ. Stop it.

No matter how passionate you are about defending the Second Amendment, the urgency of climate change, or whatever other issue you may prefer, engaging in unnecessary conflict on social media does more damage to the church and its proclamation of the gospel than anything else.

Remember, as the saying goes, “Arguing with a fool on the Internet is like wrestling a pig—you both get dirty, and the pig likes it.”

3. Sharing Fake News

I have written about this issue at length (here, here, here and here), so I don’t need to spend a lot of virtual ink on it here. But I’ll reiterate the main point I have communicated before. We are people of truth. When people of truth participate in sharing false information, we do not just do injury to the other person and the process, but we also injure our personal reputation and testimony.

Pastors and church leaders undermine themselves on social media when they share fake news. It hurts the gospel witness of the leader and ultimately makes people wonder about the integrity of anything the leader says or does.

Social media can be a minefield for pastors and church leaders, but it doesn’t have to be. Two of my former blog managers from LifeWay (Chris Martin and Jonathan Howe) are launching a service this month called LifeWay Social. The purpose of LifeWay Social is to help pastors, church leaders and other Christian leaders steward social media wisely with an eye toward serving others people rather than ourselves. They can help you avoid the pitfalls mentioned here. I trust those guys, and they want to serve you. Head over to lifewaysocial.com for more information.

This article originally appeared here.

How to Grow in Your Prayer Life

By
Michael Guyer
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thank you notes for children’s ministry volunteers

I can’t think of a year that I haven’t desired to grow more in my prayer life. This year is no different. As I listen to others, it seems this is a shared desire among many in the church. For some it is a lack of consistency. For others it is a lack of desire. Still others feel overwhelmed and distracted when they pray. What is it for you?

I was recently reminded of a sermon my pastor preached a few years ago on prayer. He gave this encouragement: Pray until you pray. Huh? That was my first reaction. What exactly does that mean?

In A Call to Spiritual Reformation, D.A. Carson explains:

Pray until you pray. That is Puritan advice. It is does not simply mean that persistence should mark much of our praying—though admittedly that is a point the Scriptures repeatedly make. … What they meant is that Christians should pray long enough and honestly enough, at a single session, to get past the feeling of formalism and unreality that attends not a little praying. We are especially prone to such feelings when we pray for only a few minutes, rushing to be done with a mere duty. … If we ‘pray until we pray,’ eventually we come to delight in God’s presence, to rest in His love, to cherish His will. … Such advice is not to become an excuse for a new legalism: there are startling examples of very short, rapid prayers in the Bible (e.g., Neh. 2:4). But in the Western world we urgently need this advice, for many of us in our praying are like nasty little boys who ring front door bells and run away before anyone answers. Pray until you pray.

This is how I will pursue growing in my prayer life this year. I want to slow down a bit, focus my mind on the Lord, and pray a little longer. I want to pray until I pray.

Pray until the pretense fades.

Pray until sin loses its appeal.

Pray until the burden is lifted.

Pray until I delight in God’s presence.

Pray until I’m seeking first the kingdom.

Pray until my heart is ready to sing His praise.

Pray until I’m emboldened to share.

Pray until I’m eager to love.

Pray until I’m resolved to do His will.

Pray until I’m at rest in his sovereign grace.

I’m not sure how you’re planning on growing in prayer, but I hope you’ll join me in praying until you pray.

This article originally appeared here.

How Open Should You Be About Your Story?

By
Kristen Gilles
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thank you notes for children’s ministry volunteers

I learned to be honest with myself and others by writing and singing my story. This is also how I came to relate to the “secular” world around me after living much of my life in “sacred” seclusion. These sacred and secular lines began to cross, then blend, before disappearing as I discovered that secular (worldly, unspiritual, irreligious and temporal) venues contain sacred (entitled to religious respect by association with divinity), spiritual, eternal human beings made in God’s image to know and worship Him. And every sacred person has an eternal story unfolding.

So, whether spoken or sung in New York City on a bustling street corner or in a packed-out pub, or in the buckle of the Bible Belt in a quiet café, noisy bar, small town church, cozy living room or around a campfire—wherever you find yourself sharing your story of redemption, you will find someone who gets what you’re singing about. Even if they still haven’t found what they’re looking for.

On the first day of 2009 I started a year-long tour from New York City to Dallas, Texas, and back to my hometown near Louisville, Kentucky, with stops along the way at the various venues mentioned above. I sang my heart out wherever there was even just one person listening (and that might have only been the barista!). As much as I was singing for people, I was singing TO them. I was sharing something I hoped they could relate to: my story, as unfinished and messy as it was (and still is).

I had no idea if anyone was really listening, or if they cared about or could relate to what I was singing. I didn’t know if they shared my beliefs or despised them. But my prayer with every opportunity, whether in a bar, coffee house or church, was that anyone listening would see and hear God’s story of redemption unfolding in broken humanity, for the glory of His beautiful name.

We were all longing for the same things: to be known, loved and accepted. To have peace and rest from life’s trials and troubles. To be free of our sinfulness and its guilt and shame. To find meaning and purpose in our messed up lives. And I wasn’t afraid to lend my voice and sing the questions burning inside of all of us. Nor was I afraid to share the answering Hope that I’d found in Christ.

I was surprised and encouraged to find warm welcomes in every venue I visited from the Big Apple to the Big Bible Belt. People I’d never met greeted me with thanks for singing to them and bravely sharing my story because they could relate to the songs. They were hungry and thirsty too. Their lives were wasting away as they searched for a beautiful, perfect place to settle in peace (Psalm 107).

In my year of life on the road as a singing storyteller, I discovered that most everyone, most everywhere, is eager to hear genuine songs about real life stories. And most often if you genuinely sing about your real life and times (yes, even walking with Jesus), ears will perk up. If it’s good music and melody, they’ll listen even if they don’t know at first what you’re singing about.

I wasn’t singing “worship songs” for the church, but my songs featured God even if I didn’t say His name directly. I was singing about:

  • Someone bigger than myself who was listening to my cry and acquainted with my grief and trials.
  • Wanting to be loved and struggling to live and love like Jesus lived and loves.
  • Grappling with and desperately wanting to know and believe truth.
  • Battling an eating disorder and all its lies and messiness.
  • Longing for everything broken in my life and this beautiful, broken world to be made new.

People can relate to that whether they are Christians or not, and whether they hear it in a “secular” or “sacred” venue. All of human life is sacred—every person has a spirit and soul that is searching for something greater. We all have eternity written in our hearts while we wrestle with temporary trials and troubles. We share questions and prayers and reflections on life. We have much in common as we all long for everything broken to be made whole and new.

This article originally appeared here.

7 Times I Submit to People I Lead

By
Ron Edmondson
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thank you notes for children’s ministry volunteers

I’m the leader.

Are you impressed?

I’m the guy others report to each day.

Impressed some more?

Don’t be. It just means I have a lot of heartburn and more gray hair than most people my age.

Seriously, I think we sometimes take leadership too seriously. We think without the leader nothing good can happen on a team. Not true.

Don’t misunderstand. We need good leadership. I might even say without leadership—in a big picture perspective—nothing of great value ever happens. I spend a bulk of this blog trying to speak into the practice of good leadership.

But, as much as leadership is important, without good followers nothing of great value ever happens. (Do you see what I did there?)

Good leadership understands this reality and puts it into practice.

So, at times, really many times, I submit my authority to people who are supposedly looking to me for leadership. I let others lead me.

Here are seven times I submit to people I lead:

When I have no strong feeling.

If nothing inside of me says this is wrong or I have no real opinion about it, then I yield to those on the team who have a strong passion. I trust their gut.

When they know more than I do.

And, this happens more than you could imagine. I try to surround myself with people smarter than me about different areas. Why would I not rely on them for the expertise they have, which I don’t have?

When I want to give them an opportunity.

Now let’s be honest. It could be an opportunity to fail. This may be why some leaders never delegate authority. But, sometimes the only way we learn is by trying and falling short. Some of the best discoveries are learned this way.

When they have thought about it more than I have.

There are so many things that happen within our church (and probably your church or organization) where I simply do not have the time or the margin to commit to processing. I have to trust people. Sometimes, I have to yield to other people because they have more time investment in an issue than I do.

When they have to live with the consequences.

If it is more about their individual area of ministry and doesn’t impact other areas of the church then I am more likely to delegate authority to them.

When I’m already overwhelmed.

To be effective as a leader—and to last for the long haul—I need to know I can only do what I can do. I have to trust the people God has allowed me to surround myself with with what they can do. And, I know I need their help to help me prioritize my best efforts toward things only I can do.

Whenever I can.

Seriously. Good leadership involves empowerment. It’s delegating authority and allowing people to grow in their responsibility. So, when I have the opportunity, I’ll let people make decisions without my input.

It’s important to understand, as a leader I’m delegating my authority, but I’m not relegating my authority. I’m not diminishing the fact I am the senior leader and ultimately responsible for the overall vision and direction of our church. (Under God’s authority, of course.) My team needs to know they are not alone. I will support them in the decisions they make.

This article originally appeared here.

5 Things to Pray for Your Kids BEFORE You Need To

By
Andrew Linder
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thank you notes for children’s ministry volunteers

Over the years I’ve had multiple parents who’ve sat across from me in my office and expressed dire concern for a child who is on a foolish path. And their question is always the same: “What do we need to do?” While sometimes there are practical steps that can be taken, at other times there is little that can be done as a ‘quick fix’ to make up for years of neglect in parenting and prayer. And yet, prayer is still the best option.

Have you ever found yourself praying hot and heavy for your kids in the heat of the moment because of some trouble they were in, or some major decision they had to make? We’ve probably all been there, especially the older our children become.

While no child comes with any guarantees, here are five things to pray regularly for your children no matter their age (but especially while they are young)—things we easily forget to pray fervently about until the time comes that we need to.

Pray in advance about:

1.  Their Soul

In the end, nothing else matters in our prayers for our kids if we don’t pray first and foremost for their salvation. God has called us as parents to be the #1 factor in their lives that lead them to Him and ultimately to Heaven. That is a definitely a task that requires the ongoing power of prayer.

2.  Their Heart

Apart from their soul, nothing else is as valuable, or as vulnerable, as their heart. Put a high price on protecting their heart, for out of it are the issues of life (Prov. 4:23). One of the best ways to protect your child’s heart is by protecting what influences their mind. (What they watch and read, the amount of time they spend online, who their friends are, etc.) We need to pray that God would not only help their hearts to be good, but that He would protect their hearts from evil. Pray that God would give them a humble heart, a servant’s heart and a heart that pursues God, and is passionate about the things that are closest to the heart of God Himself. Because a pure heart is their greatest asset to making wise choices for the rest of their life.

3.  Their Life’s Mate

Second only to salvation, who your child chooses to marry is the most important decision they will ever make in their life. God has called you, as their parent, to be a big part of that decision. All throughout Scripture, we see examples of parents involvement both practically and through prayer, for God’s will to be performed in the person their child marries. This involves praying for their purity as well. The time to pray and prepare your child for a lifetime of purity and a life’s mate is now.

4.  Their God-Given Purpose

Your child is unique. So unique, in fact, that God has a specific purpose for their life that no one else can fill exactly like they can. Each of your children are wired differently than the others. They have strengths, gifts and abilities that are uniquely theirs and that align with their God-given calling in life. Your job as a parent is to help nurture those passions and cultivate a desire in their hearts to use them in the greatest way possible for the cause of Christ. This cannot happen easily apart from the power of prayer.

5.  Their Children

As you pray for your kids, pray in advance for their future kids, your grandchildren, because they will be raised by the kids you are raising right now. How well they do as parents in the future will greatly reflect how well you’ve done now. So parent now and pray now as if your grandchildren’s lives depended on it, because well…they do. Remembering that we are raising the future generation of parents ought to inspire us.

Sadly, many parents only begin to pray for some of these things once their children start to go astray, or start a relationship that they don’t approve of, or make life-changing decisions that scare them, and all of a sudden, they’re driven to their knees in prayer.

Here’s a better idea… Don’t wait. Pray now. Before you need to. And then enjoy watching your children reap a lifetime of the benefits.

“If every parent would pray for their child as fervently over the course of 18 years as they do in the heat of the moment, it could literally change their child’s life.”

Make it a priority today to take the time you need to pray for your kids individually and specifically, by name. Pray these five things over their lives, and watch God unfold the details.

“Be careful for nothing; but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.”  Philippians 4:6

This article originally appeared here.

The Dangerous Power of Vision: 6 Steps for Responsibly Stewarding the Power of Vision

By
Jenni Catron
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thank you notes for children’s ministry volunteers

Recently a friend called looking for some advice. She and her husband were at a crossroads. A few years ago they had sold their home and most of their possessions, left family and long-time friends to take a job across the country. They knew it was a risky adventure, but they were compelled by the vision of this organization. The organization had some audacious goals but not outside of the realm of possibility. They were excited about the possibilities. They asked lots of questions and took time to process with friends and mentors. They sought God for guidance and eventually made the leap.

Now they were struggling. They had made tremendous sacrifices only to discover that the organization really wasn’t ready to pursue the vision they had cast. This family was in upheaval because a leader didn’t fully understand the power of vision.

Sound crazy or extreme? Sadly, change the names and organizations and I hear a version of this story nearly every day.

VISION IS ESSENTIAL FOR INDIVIDUALS, TEAMS AND ORGANIZATIONS.

Proverbs reminds us “without vision people perish.” Those of us who are visionary by nature use this scripture to help us find significance in the visionary gift that we have.

But visions are dangerously powerful, and a leader who doesn’t understand that power has the potential to cause irreparable damage to the people they lead.

One of my greatest concerns for leaders is that we don’t fully grasp the weight of our influence on others. Influence by definition means “the power to change or affect someone.” Let this sink in…the POWER to change someone. Our position of influence gives us power that quite literally changes or at a minimum affects another person’s life.

You understand this… Think about the influence your parents have on your life. Think about your first boss. Think about your soccer coach or piano teacher. Your life has been shaped by their influence, positively and negatively.

Visionary leaders create hope and possibility. They appeal to people’s dreams and goals. They define a preferred future. The better a leader is at casting a compelling vision, the more influence they wield.

At their best, a visionary not only casts an inspiring vision, but they have the wherewithal to see that vision come to fruition. And while people may perish without a vision, we also know that “hope deferred makes the heart sick.” When a leader does not have the ability to see a vision become a reality, they create pain and hopelessness for those they lead.

SIX STEPS FOR RESPONSIBLY STEWARDING THE POWER OF VISION:

  1. Refine your vision with the wisdom of others. Visionary leaders nearly always underestimate what their ideas will entail. Because they are often removed from frontline activity, they have lost touch with what it takes to bring an idea to life. Don’t cast your vision to the masses until you’ve worked it out with a team of people who can help you understand what it will really take. And by the way, make sure you really listen in this conversation. Your gregariousness and charm can woo others easily.
  2. Slow down and be cautious. Once you’ve received critical feedback, count the cost for accomplishing this vision. What will it take? What will you risk? Who will take risks? What will it cost?
  3. Get in touch with reality. As you’ve processed the impact and the cost, think through the critical points in this vision. What key conversations will you need to have? Who may try to derail it? How likely are they to succeed? What difficult decisions will you have to navigate in order to keep the vision on track? What happens and who is impacted if the vision isn’t realized?
  4. Count the cost. What will this require of you? Will it pull you from other priorities and if so, what is the potential impact? What will it take financially? Do you have the margin to pursue it? What will it require of your staff? What will they give up? If you’re recruiting people based on the vision, what are they risking, and if you were in their shoes would you take the risk?
  5. Proceed humbly. If you have taken the time to process well and feel compelled to move forward with the vision, hold it humbly. Acknowledge what it is requiring of everyone, every step of the way.
  6. Evaluate your “why.” What motivates you to this vision? Is it a vision you would pursue even if it cost you everything?

Too often I see leaders cast a vision and pursue it without a full understanding of the cost and impact. We get so starry-eyed with the thrill of accomplishing the goal that we underestimate what it will cost, especially in human capital, to achieve it.

We’ve seen this play out with the business professional who scales the corporate ladder at the expense of his family. He cast a vision for why working hard would acquire their grand “American Dream” but they underestimated the sacrifice of their relationships.

We’ve witnessed the fast-growing church with their audacious growth goal that gets blindsided by a moral failure. They were racing so fast toward the vision that they blew past the warning signs.

We’ve read the stories of start-up companies that hire for rapid growth only to make drastic cuts when investment funds run out.

Visions have enormous power. And visions in the hands of strong leaders wield extraordinary power.

Power in and of itself is not bad, but power wielded carelessly leaves carnage.

Leaders, you have the sacred responsibility of stewardship. And two of the most precious things you’ll steward are vision and people. They are inextricably linked: “Without vision people perish,” but without people, visions are just pipe dreams.

We need you to be visionaries. We need you to dream great, God-sized dreams. Please don’t shrink away from that. However, we need you to equally recognize the power of those visions, and if they are not birthed of God and nurtured with humility, you risk wielding your power dangerously.

Leadership is sacred work. Visionary leadership is powerful work. May you sacredly steward your power for the glory of God and the good of others.

This article originally appeared here.

5 Otherwise Good Things That Can Ruin Your Marriage

By
Ashley Willis
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thank you notes for children’s ministry volunteers

There are many “good” things out there, but sometimes, we try to cram too many of them into our family life. It’s a tricky balancing act that takes great consideration. If we allow these good things to take priority over our marriage and family, all we’ll have left is a damaged relationship with our spouse and children. And, none of us want that! So, what are some “good things” that can go bad when left unchecked?

Well, here are five to consider…

  1.  Work

We must work to live, but we must also make sure that we don’t find ourselves living to work. If we’re not intentional about our time, work can eat up our schedule, and we can end up depriving our spouse and family of the time and attention they need from us. So, we must be willing to set boundaries. We need to watch the amount of overtime and travel we take on at work. We need to make it a priority to be home at a reasonable time, so we can engage with our family before bedtime. When we make our family a priority over our work, our relationships will be stronger, and our life will be in balance.

For more on this, click HERE.

2.  Techonology

I love technology, but it can distract me and eat up my time like nothing else can. So, I’ve had to set some important boundaries for myself. I try not to be on the phone when I come home to my family. I want to make sure that they know that they are more important than my Facebook feed. My husband and I both try to put our phones down as much as possible when we are home so that we can engage with one another and with our kiddos. It’s important that our spouse and family doesn’t feel like they have to compete for our attention with our screen. So, we must be willing to set intentional boundaries for ourselves and follow through with them. When we do this, our marriage and family will be healthier and happier.

For more on this, read THIS.

3.  Personal Hobbies

Please don’t get me wrong; we should all try to find time to engage in our favorite hobbies even after getting married and having children. The problem arises when we spend more time golfing than we do with our families. We shouldn’t put our scrapbooking hobby ahead of time with our husbands. If we are constantly trying to arrange our schedules around our hobby, then our lives are greatly out of balance. We must always put our marriage and family first. There is no hobby worth pursuing more than our spouse.

4. Children’s Sports and Activities

There are so many benefits to children being involved in sports and after school activities of all kinds, but these days, many parents are spending a fortune and many hours away from the rest of the family in order for their child to be involved in these activities. I understand that some children exhibit tremendous gifts at a very young age, and we feel like it is our duty as parents to further their skills. This is a good thing. However, when we throw our family into hyper-drive to attend all the practices, rehearsals, games, competitions, etc., this good thing can quickly wear on a family and become detrimental to the family as a whole.

Dave and I have experienced this firsthand when our oldest son, Cooper, was doing competitive gymnastics. We found ourselves at the gym nine hours a week and at overnight competitions on the weekends. Dave usually couldn’t attend the competitions due to church on Sundays, so Cooper and I would be absent from the rest of the family during that time. Eventually, the schedule began to take a toll on our family. I hated that we weren’t able to spend as much time together, and I didn’t think it was fair to my husband and other children. After talking it through with Dave and Cooper and praying about it, we decided to pull Cooper from the competition team and placed him in a Parkour class. He loves it, and we now go to the gym an hour and a half a week instead of nine hours a week. Our family functions so much better, and Cooper still gets to participate in a sport that he loves. It’s all about balance.

For more on this, click HERE.

5. Friendships

I love hanging out with my girlfriends, and I have the privilege of doing so on a weekly basis. However, I know there must be balance there as well. All too often, Dave and I have counseled couples who have allowed time with friends to usurp time spent with their spouses, or they let their friends govern their marriage. Unfortunately, some of those marriages ended in divorce. We are greatly influenced by our friends, so we must choose them wisely. We must also realize that we cannot put any friendship ahead of our friendship with our spouse. I believe our spouse should truly be our best friend. We can certainly have close friendships, but we shouldn’t spend more time with our friends than we do with our spouse and family. If we find that we can be more honest and open with our friends than our spouses, then we need to lean away from spending so much time with those friends and lean into spending more time with our partner. We are keeping ourselves from having the intimate marriage that God wants for us when we spend more time with our friends and allow them to know our deepest thoughts and feelings instead of our spouse. So, yes, let’s spend time with our friends but not let that time exceed the time we spend with our spouse.

Again, all of these things are GOOD when in balance. Let’s make sure that our marriage always takes priority over these things, and our relationship will be so much better for it.

For more on how to have a stronger marriage, check out our his and hers devotional called 7 Days to a Stronger Marriage by clicking here. Be blessed!

This article originally appeared here.

Time to Change Your Church!

By
Nicholas Batzig
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I recently heard about a family in our denomination who drove nearly an hour to church every Lord’s Day for a number of years. Because of where they happened to live, there was no closer likeminded local church for them to attend. This family knew that committing to that long drive to the local church meant that they would not have the fellowship that they might have had otherwise. They did, however, expect that families in the church would invite them to lunch. After months of not being invited by anyone, the wife decided that she would be an agent of change. Every Sunday, she would bring a crockpot—with an easily prepared meal—to the church building. She would plug the crockpot in before the service and then invite families from the church to eat a meal with them after the service each Sunday. This is a prime example of what it means to “be the change” you are wanting in your church.

The Importance of the Local Church

Last year, I wrote a post titled “The Church Comes First,” in which I sought to give several reasons why I believe that, according to Scripture, the local church is to be the foremost sphere of priority in the lives of believers. I want to give further consideration to one of the points in that post where I suggested the following:

The church is dependent on the resources and service of its members. The communal aspect of the church on earth is absolutely dependent on the willingness of the people of God to give of their time, gifts, prayers and resources for the building up of the members of the local church. Both pastors and people alike are in need of the gifts and resources of the members of the local church. The Apostles make this abundantly clear through their illustrative references to “the body” (Rom. 12 and Eph. 4). Equally, they do so by the multitude of references to using gifts and giving generously. Building cost, utilities, outreach, worship supplies, office supplies, staffing, mercy ministry, missionary support, etc. require the generous giving of the time and money of the members of the body.

When we divide our labors and fellowship, we necessarily end up hurting the local church of which we are a part. Imagine for a moment what it would be like if a husband and father decided to give a 20 percent commitment to provide and care for his family and an 80 percent commitment to provide and care for other friends and families. You would expect a monumental breakdown in the dynamic of his family life. In such a case, there would necessarily be detrimental marital and parental consequences. Similarly, many local churches suffer because the majority of its members only give a 10-20 percent commitment to the local church of which they are a part and an 80-90 percent commitment to other organizations and activities.

The local church not only suffers when her members divide their time, labors, fellowship and resources to a significant degree among secular activities in society—she suffers when her members significantly divide their time, labors, fellowship and resources between numerous local churches, or between the local church and parachurch ministries. Church hopping—while it might seem like a harmless way to meet an individual’s social needs—only ends up hurting the body. Those who tend to divide their lives between multiple local churches, or between a single local church and a parachurch ministry, believe that they are meeting a need or correcting a deficiency. I fear that discontentment often lies at the root of much of this division of commitment.

Every church will have its deficiencies. Local church members must not allow discontentment to fester in their hearts and minds. Rather, we should seek to be “change agents” for the health and well-being of the body of which we are a part. I am not sure who first coined the (fairly cheesy) phrase “Be the change you seek,” but I find it to be full of wisdom—provided someone is not seeking to bring about change in a divisive way in the life of the church. In short, all of us are either “problem observers” or “problem solvers.” If the local church lacks fellowship among a particular demographic, we should be seeking to fill the gap—using our gifts to strengthen that particular dynamic of the local church. If the music in the church is wanting, we should be willing to fully use our gifts and talents to help better that aspect of the church’s life—or to encourage those in the body to do so through a use of their gifts in that area. If we find ourselves to be some of the only young adults or couples in the church, we should be active in inviting others in that stage of life to worship and fellowship with us. If the church’s hospitality is lacking, we should be seeking to model what it looks like to be hospitable. All of this should, of course, be done in loving communication with and humble submission to the elders and deacons of the church—but you should not wait for elders and deacons to take the initiative on bringing about change where we believe that we see deficiencies.

Imagine what it would look like if every member of a local church sought to use their gifts, labors and resources to the full in the local church. Imagine how many seeming problems would be resolved if each of us committed to doing our part to be a blessing and an agent of change. Problem observing fosters discontentment, problem solving yields peaceable fruits. In short, it’s time to change your church!

This article originally appeared here.

Teamwork Drills to Build Your Small Group

By
Mike Mack
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thank you notes for children’s ministry volunteers

I have loved coaching kids’ sports teams, especially basketball. One of the most rewarding parts of coaching for me is taking a rag-tag group of kids who don’t know one another at the beginning of a season and turning them into a team—a team that works together as one, each using his unique abilities for the good of the whole. A team that wins because five are better than one. It takes a lot of effort to build this teamwork—lots of drills and time spent together, both in and outside of practices and games. I love the way Coach John Wooden said it years ago, and I still share this quote with my teams: “It takes 10 hands to score a basket.”

Building a productive team as a small group is much the same. It takes intentional effort, both inside and outside group meeting times. It takes team-building drills such as these:

  • Go on a camping or hiking trip together and give each person a specific assignment.
  • Play a game such a volleyball, paintball or a role-playing game against another group.
  • Participate in a shared work experience or serving opportunity.
  • Identify a common “enemy” or challenge together.

Guide Them to Authentic Community

One of the first things you do as a leader is build relationships with the members of the group. This should begin way before the first meeting.

Finding Your Group

If you are just getting started and do not have group members yet, start with prayer. Ask God to show you exactly who he wants in your group. Then keep your eyes open to whom he will send. It’s highly likely—but not absolute—that these will be people already in your circle, people you already know. They may be friends, neighbors, co-workers, people you serve with or otherwise know from church, for instance.

To keep your eyes open for whom God sends, ask him for the spiritual eyes to see. In John 1:47-49, when Jesus saw Nathanael approaching him, he said, “Here is a true Israelite, in whom there is nothing false.” This surprised Nathanael: “How do you know me?” he asked. Jesus answered, “I saw you while you were still under the fig tree before Philip called you.” How did Jesus “see” Nathanael, whom he had never met? He had been praying that the Father would make known to him those whom the Father was going to give him out of the world (John 17:6).

Several years ago, I started a new “turbo group” (a small group that lasts about three to 24 months in which every member is a leader-in-training and will begin a new group at the conclusion of the group). When I first began planning it, I knew that the selection of this group would be critical to the future of our small group ministry. So I decided not to “recruit” the group or even make a list of names. Instead, I prayed every day that God would bring them. Because I believed these would be future leaders in our small group ministry, I did what the World’s Greatest Small Group Leader said to do: “Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field” (Matthew 9:38). I also asked for God to give me the eyes to see them when they came.

Larry walked in the front door of our office building one day and asked to see the small group minister. I reluctantly set aside my turbo group planning and went out to meet him, a bit dismayed by the unannounced intrusion into my work—I thought the visitor was a salesperson. I soon discovered that Larry and his wife, Glenda, had been led to Christ by Ralph Neighbour, one of the pioneers of small group ministry. Larry and Glenda had spent years in ministry themselves, and had recently moved to Louisville, looking for a church where they could be involved. Larry wanted to get back to his passion for discipleship in small groups.

I had known Chris and Tiffany for several years. Chris works on our backstage crew and has a huge servant’s heart. I saw Chris standing around one Sunday morning before the service. It seemed odd to me that he apparently had nothing to do. Something inside me told me to go over and talk to him. I obeyed, but had no idea why. On my walk over, God told me—and it was extremely clear—to ask Chris to be in the group. I stopped for a moment in the middle of our lobby. Chris is a successful home builder in our area, but I had not yet considered him as a potential small group leader. Finally, I obeyed, told Chris about the group, and invited him. I expected him to say he’d have to think about it, but he immediately said, “Yeah! I’m in!” He went on to tell me that he and Tiffany had just talked and then prayed about getting into a small group the night before.

The stories about how each of the other members came and how I knew them are also unique and amazing. Each one is a testimony to the fact that God is the Chief Shepherd and the Lord of the Harvest!

This article originally appeared here.

A Surprising Key to Boosting Productivity

By
Alvin Reid
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thank you notes for children’s ministry volunteers

Today my Disciple-Making Class will not meet for class. Why not? Because all the students will be taking the three-hour course time for a personal retreat. We will be doing two of these during the semester. The first one follows a uniform guide I gave them which you can find here. The second will be more up to the student in terms of its focus.

Taking time—three hours or more—for a personal retreat has become vital to me. It didn’t come easy. I’m a Type A, diagnosed ADD, hard charger and workaholic by nature. But creating margin in life generally and taking personal retreats regularly have literally changed my life. Our minds, our spirits, even our bodies and souls need breaks. And, I’ve found that by taking breaks and cutting out some unnecessary things in life I not only have less stress, but I get more done!

A personal retreat obviously helps our spiritual lives, but it does more. Much has been done in terms of willpower research. As followers of Christ we have remarkable resources—the Holy Spirit, the Word, the church, the call of God and more. But that does not keep us from being human. We still have limitations. We do not have unlimited willpower, and this impacts our interactions with others, our dealing with stress, and our ability to ward off temptation.

Willpower is an exhaustible resource. It has to be replenished. The mind, like the body, needs rest.

Willpower in itself is not a character issue. But, when your willpower is weak, it becomes a character issue. If we use willpower so much in one area, we suffer in another.

Willpower is replenished through rest, and margin. This changes as we age. I don’t have the stamina physically or mentally I once had. I can strengthen these, but I won’t ever match the strength I had when young. The ace is I have much more wisdom than I had when younger. So, I can say no easier than I was when younger and almost addicted to people pleasing. I can focus on a few specific things God called me to and stay more focused than when younger. And, I have a much, much greater appreciation for sabbath rest.

The first step in getting healthy is not diet and exercise, but getting enough sleep. The first step in having healthy minds is not to add more information, but to let them rest. When the Nobel Prizes were given recently in several fields, I was reminded of how Einstein finally solved relativity not when he sought to do so, but as he took a walk, giving his mind a rest.

If you want to be more productive, or simply have less stress, take breaks. This week I’ve had a really busy schedule, speaking a total of six times (I’ve lost count) to very different groups, as well as a number of individual meetings. I’ve enjoyed it thoroughly, and I’ve also taken some glorious naps and slept 10 HOURS last night. I’m also on break this next week. When I work, I work hard. But I do value those breaks.

Build margin into your life, take breaks and value retreats. It is life-giving.

This article originally appeared here.

When the Pastor Receives Criticism

By
Ronnie Floyd
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After 31 years of serving the same church, I can assure you that as a pastor, you will receive criticism. Understanding that this is part of reality will help see you through the grim times.

I know many pastors, and each one has undergone criticism. Criticism is inescapable in the life of a pastor. Few things challenge a pastor more than criticism.

There have been times when criticism has absolutely devastated me. It is especially difficult to receive criticism when given by someone you respect deeply or by someone who has completely misunderstood a situation.

Criticism can sideline or paralyze you, or it can help you be better in the future. I have personally experienced each of these situations.

Unquestionably, many times criticism is unfair; at other times, it is right on, with 100 percent accuracy! So, when you receive criticism as a pastor, what should you do? How should you respond?

1. Accept criticism.

When someone criticizes you as a pastor, accept it. Accept it with grace. I know this can be difficult at times, but do not let your body language demonstrate defensiveness or disapproval. Assure the person criticizing you that you will receive what they say, consider it, pray about it and determine the direction God wants you to go in the future.

2. Learn from criticism.

Criticism can be a great teacher. We should always be teachable, even through criticism. We are not perfect. We are not sinless. We make mistakes. We need to own them. We need to confess them as sin. If we have wronged someone, we need to make it right with them.

Those who are spiritually mature are able to learn from criticism. Pastors, always take the high road; you will never face a traffic jam there.

3. Outlive criticism.

If a person criticizes you unfairly, outlive it! Through the course of time, a life of integrity and honesty can overcome the criticism of others. Sooner or later, their criticism of you will fall on deaf ears.

Nothing is more powerful than a pastor who lives a consistent and Christ-centered life. Through time and the grace of God, you can outlive your greatest critic and the most unfair criticism. Therefore, outlive your criticism!

This article originally appeared here.

Sometimes Pastors Need to Stir the Pot

By
Joe McKeever
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As a pastor, how often do you stir the pot? Consider the following words from 1 Timothy:

“…according to my gospel, for which I suffer hardship even to imprisonment as a criminal…”  (2 Timothy 2:9)

Pot-stirring: To take a stand on a controversial issue. Known colloquially as “opening a can of worms.” Rocking the boat. Rubbing the old cat’s fur the wrong way. Upsetting apple carts.

Expect it.

It’s a poor pastor who doesn’t stir the pot from time to time.

Do You Stir the Pot?

They didn’t crucify Jesus for sweet-talking the 23rd Psalm, for explaining the symbolic meaning of items in the Tabernacle, or for spending six months on the Greek verbs. He took a stand on what matters most, and when people didn’t like it, He held His ground and paid the ultimate price.

I remind pastors if they’re in this line of work for job security, they might want to think again. Right after reading Matthew 10, beginning at verse 16.

–Beware of men; for they will deliver you up to their courts, and scourge you in their synagogues.

–Brother will deliver up brother to death, and a father his child.

–You will be hated by all on account of My name.

–If they have called the head of the house Beelzebul, how much more the members of his household.

–Do not think that I am come to bring peace on the earth; I did not come to bring peace, but a sword.

–He who loses his life for My sake shall find it.

All over the globe, pastors and other sold-out Christ-followers daily demonstrate the reality of those words. It is to our everlasting shame that we in the 21st century American church expect our pastors to play it safe, to avoid controversy, to keep silent on matters which could offend.

3 Myths of Expository Preaching

By
Brandon Hilgemann
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What is expository preaching?

If you ask around you’ll get a variety of answers and definitions.

But I believe there’s a lot of misinformation.

So to explain what expository preaching is, we need to understand what expository preaching is not.

There are three myths that we need to dispel:

1. EXPOSITORY PREACHING IS NOT PREACHING VERSE-BY-VERSE THROUGH BOOKS OF THE BIBLE.

You can preach expository sermons this way. There is nothing wrong with this approach. But there is a large group of pastors who champion this method as the only way for faithful expository preaching.

That is false. Expository sermons can also be topical.

It has nothing to do with the length of a passage or the number of sermons in a series of messages. You could preach a masterful, expository sermon on a single verse.

2. EXPOSITORY PREACHING IS NOT PREACHING A COMMENTARY.

It is not a presentation of your exegetical method. Exegesis is what we do to study a text, but a sermon is much more than breaking down the root of every Hebrew/Greek word. It could include this, but it doesn’t have to.

You may find it helpful. But if you share all of your word studies, you will clutter the sermon and confuse your audience.

Commentaries are helpful for study, but expository preaching is more than sharing your study notes.

3. EXPOSITORY PREACHING IS NOT BORING.

“Expository” sounds like a boring, 10-dollar word you learn in seminary. But expository preaching should be fascinating.

The Bible is not boring; some pastors are. Don’t confuse the two.

Good expository preaching should excite and inspire people as they see how the truth of God’s Word can radically transform their lives.

WHAT IS EXPOSITORY PREACHING?

Expository preaching is preaching with a high view of Scripture.

Expository preachers take the Bible seriously and know that nothing they come up with on their own will have any power to change.

They believe that “all is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness” (2 Timothy 3:16).

They believe God’s promise to Isaiah still applies to us today:

“For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven and do not return there but water the earth, making it bring forth and sprout, giving seed to the sower and bread to the eater, so shall my word be that goes out from my mouth; it shall not return to me empty, but it shall accomplish that which I purpose, and shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it” (Isaiah 55:10-11).

The inspired Word of God is the power of the sermon.

Therefore, I believe an expository preacher does four things:

  1. Studies the text. They begin by asking questions and seeking to understand the meaning of the text in the way God intends it to be understood. Instead of asking, “What will I say?” They begin with, “What does God say?”
  2. Argues the text. A sermon is a persuasive speech. There are skeptics).
  3. Applies the text. The Bible is meant to do more than inform believers. So the expository preacher connects how the truth of the text applies to their audience and should change how they think and live. They inspire people to “be doers of the word, and not hearers only” (James 1:22).
  4. Stays in the text. This is critical: The main point of the text is the main point of the sermon. Expository preaching does not wander outside the boundaries of the Bible’s intended meaning. It keeps the text in context and does not speak authoritatively about what the Bible does not say.

It’s hard to define expository preaching simply. There are many ways to do it well and many more pitfalls.

Haddon Robinson said it best:

”Expository preaching at its core is more a philosophy than a method. Whether or not we can be called expositors starts with our purpose and with our honest answer to the question: “Do you, as a preacher, endeavor to bend your thought to the Scriptures, or do you use the Scriptures to support your thought?” (Biblical Preaching, 22)

This article originally appeared here.

Glenn Packiam: The Gift of the Christian Calendar

By
Jason Daye
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Glenn Packiam is the pastor of New Life Downtown in Colorado Springs, Colorado. After serving as one of the founding leaders and songwriters of the Desperation Band, Glenn switched roles to be a full-time pastor. He is currently pursuing a doctorate in theology from Durham University. Glenn is the author of a handful of books including Discover the Mystery of Faith and Lucky. Glenn and his wife, Holly, have four children.

Key Questions:

What value does the church calendar hold for the modern church?

How can pastors use Advent to help the people in their congregations connect with God during the week?

What advice do you have for a pastor who hasn’t done much with the church calendar but would like to start?

[SUBSCRIBE] For more ChurchLeaders podcasts click here!

Key Quotes:

“[The church calendar] is an extension of discipleship. It’s about Jesus. It’s about marking time along the life of Christ.”

“The fast is not just an expression of religious piety; the fast is supposed to be a thing that leads you toward generosity and justice.”

“One of the things that the season of Advent invites us to reflect on is not just Christ’s first arrival (Advent, comes from the Latin word Adventus, which means arrival)…but on his future coming.”

“Advent reminds us that we are a people that live between two arrivals.”

“The Christian calendar doesn’t emerge out of legalism or trying to please God. It emerges out of this deep tradition of God’s people marking time differently, and that is our counter-cultural resistance.”

“I’m very passionate about helping people embrace [the use of church traditions] as an expression of their devotion and as a mechanism for discipleship—as opposed to a fussy, religious, have-to tradition.”

“If you’re hungry for a practice that intentionally teaches you to mark time differently and to weekly, daily, center your heart on Jesus is a very practical, embodied way, the church calendar is a wonderful, wonderful way to do that.”

Mentioned in the Show:

Behind the Scenes With Timothy Reckart: Director of THE STAR

By
Christine Yount Jones
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In Sony Pictures Animation’s THE STAR (opening in theaters November 17, 2017), a small but brave donkey and his animal friends become the unsung heroes of the greatest story ever told, the first Christmas. Unsung heroes. Come to think of it, perhaps there are more unsung heroes than these animal friends.

The Star movieWe talked to one of those heroes–THE STAR’s director Timothy Reckart, about the challenges of making an animated movie based on the Bible, how the movie impacted his faith journey, and the encouragement he would give to church leaders about filmmaking.

Keeping It Real and True

Reckart emphasizes that while an animated story can take liberties, the team worked hard to ensure that the movie was faithful to the actual Christmas story. “We do want to be faithful to the Christmas story so every piece that covers the Christmas story was our priority to make sure that we were faithful to what’s in the Bible,” says Reckart. “Where we saw our opportunity to have creative license was in the fact that there is actually a lot of space, so to speak, between the lines of the biblical story. We get the annunciation, the angel and Mary, Joseph’s reluctance when he first hears the news, and conversations between the wise men and Herod. But there’s a lot of space in between those.”

Because THE STAR used animated animals to move the story forward, it was an opportunity for creativity. “The fact that we are telling the story from the point of view of the animals means that we can basically use them as like these viewpoint characters where we can be as creative as we want without risking sort of contradicting anything that is in the Bible,” explains Reckart.

Reckart and his team, including executive producer Devon Franklin, have done a good job of packaging the truth of the Christmas story in a way that appeals to kids and parents. At the same time, they’ve held to the biblical story’s truth. “So doing that point of view thing actually lets us be completely faithful to the story while also giving us room to sort of have fun and do some comedy,” explains Reckart. “So it means we can have comedy without making Mary and Joseph into comedy characters.”

THE STAR’s Impact on Faith

Because church leaders are interested in how the Christmas story impacts people’s faith journeys, we asked Reckart if there were ways that THE STAR impacted his faith journey. Just as God speaks on many levels, it seems that He spoke to Reckart in a very personal way since the movie is coming out at a time when there’s a lot of conversation in Christian circles about a Christian’s relationship to the environment and natural world.

“I suppose thinking about the story of Christmas from the point of view of the animals really brought home to me the fact that not only the God that created human beings came to earth as a human, but the God that created donkeys and cows and chickens and horses came to earth as a human being and their creator touched them with human hands,” says Reckart. “And that really brought home to me the fact that the stewardship of humanity toward nature that we read about in Genesis in some ways was even upgraded when God actually touched nature physically with human hands.”

What Does a Successful KidMin Look Like?

By
Missy McKinnon
-
thank you notes for children’s ministry volunteers

Whenever I meet a fellow kids minister I start by asking about their church.
Over and over I hear the phrase,

“We are not very big.”

“We don’t have a lot of kids in our ministry.”

“We only have about nine kids.”

When did numbers become the only yardstick by which we measure success?

There are so many other traits a ministry should have to be successful.

I have seen large and small churches only babysit their kids.

You can read my thoughts about that here.

I have also seen large and small churches have successful kids ministry.

A successful kids ministry has absolutely nothing to do with the size of their church but has everything to do with what they are teaching their kids.

Here are a couple of things that a ministry needs to have a successful KidMin:

– Kids are excited to be there.

Please note that I did not say, kids are there every single week.

Let take a rabbit trail here: Stop focusing on things you cannot change. You cannot change how often kids come to church. A lot of the time, the kids cannot even change that!

I live in Minnesota, where everyone knows someone who has a cabin on a lake. They take trips up to the lake during the summertime. So, numbers are very, very low in the summer months, especially on long weekends.

Divorce is also another reason why kids do not come every week. They spend one weekend with mom, and one with dad. A lot of times it is something the courts have decided, so it is hard to change.

Maybe the kids are involved in sports. The church should never think that it is us against sports. Let’s teach our kids how to talk and minister to the other kids on their team. Kids who are on traveling sports teams spend a lot of time with their teammates. Let’s empower them to reach their peers.

OK, back to our main point—Would it just be absolutely amazing if every child in your ministry came every week? Yes, without a doubt. What are the probabilities that it will happen? Unfortunately, very low.

But, that does not say anything about you. It is the culture we live in.

Stop focusing on the numbers. Stop focusing on the kids that don’t come every single week. And start focusing on what you can control!

Make church fun and exciting! Teach the kids in your class the Word of God. The kids will want to come back. They will tell their teammates about church. They will beg their parents to come to church.

– Your kids know the Bible.
I do not mean that they only know that the Bible exists and that you can always find them in hotel room drawers.

No, I mean, that they KNOW they Bible.

They KNOW what God thinks about them.
They KNOW how to read the Bible.
They KNOW how to use the Bible as a weapon.
They KNOW how to look up a Bible verse.

We bought enough Bibles for all the kids in our ministry and had them sit in a small group and actually read straight from the Bible, and then talked about it afterward.

A successful ministry will enable the kids to learn from God for themselves.

– Your kids welcome new people.
When there is a new kid in your class, the other kids go up and introduce them. They are leaders, and they see what needs to be done and they do it.

They do not enter into cliques at church. Cliques are the natural thing to do when a group of people meet regularly, but that does not mean that they are right. They can have their friends, but they also need to be bold about meeting new people and making them feel welcome at church.

– You are mentoring someone.
At least one person. That person doesn’t even have to be an adult! Just be mentoring someone.

Train someone to do what you do.

It’s important to learn the art of delegation, if your ministry falls apart when you are gone, that is not good.

Stop focusing on what you cannot change and focus on the things that you can change.

God gave you the kids in your ministry for a reason, whether there are hundreds or 10. He gave them to you. He trusted them to you.

This article originally appeared here.

The Essentials for Website Housekeeping and Updating

By
Yvon Prehn
-
thank you notes for children’s ministry volunteers

Just like we often clean the house before a special event, we also want our digital church home to be tidy. With your website and social media, fall is a good time to make certain that essential house-keeping tasks are taken care of for your website. Though not as exciting as creating special materials for special events, these tasks are essential for a church to have the most basic credibility. Some of these for social media overall include:

Updated and complete bios of your staff

People want to know who your leaders are—their background, education, why they do what they do. In an age when almost all business leaders have Facebook pages, blogs, Twitter accounts and almost everything else you can imagine for maximum exposure, for your church leaders to not have at least an updated and complete bio on your website does not communicate a positive image of your staff.

Updated links to staff blogs, Facebook, Instagram and Twitter accounts.

Visitors today expect to get to know church leaders through social media. If the church leader is not able to do this for him- or herself, as is often the case when the leader is a baby-boomer who went to seminary before the days of the personal computer, assign a “web buddy” or editor or co-writer to update or create this content. This is a wonderful expression of how we can serve and support one another in the church. It is important to be honest about this. This is also a good time to drop links if the staff person isn’t using them.

Church Facebook pages should be more than photo albums

Yes, it’s very nice to have pictures of your latest fun event, but if you don’t also have some commentary about what’s going on, why you do what you do, and have comments that make it clear the material is for people outside the church, your church Facebook page will look like an insider photo album only for the people already attending. In the same way that you need captions for pictures for them to make sense to anyone besides the person who takes them, you need captions on the Facebook images you share.

Your website also needs some housekeeping and following are some suggestions for that:

The richer the content of your website, the more credibility you will have, so…

  • Be sure ALL ministries have updated descriptions and updated schedules. Without this very basic information, your church will not be taken seriously by visitors or seekers. Think about it: Would you do business with a company that did not tell you when it was open; what products or services it offered; or anything about the staff? Ask yourself what you would want to know about a church and its programs and be sure you have complete information on the website. Nothing kills the credibility of a church website more than programs that were over a year ago, and still listed as current.
  • Think about how to enrich ministry areas. This would be the idea of “value-added” features on a commercial site. For example, in the children’s ministry area you could not only have the basics about what you teach, what the children do, how you screen your workers, who to contact about the program, times, dates, etc., but you could also have practical parenting tips, or a Q&A section hosted by your children’s pastor.
  • Be sure to have a clear explanation of the Christian faith. It is astounding to me how few church websites have information on what it means to be a Christian, how one becomes a Christian, and links to either pages on the website or to other sites that answer questions about the Christian faith. Check out your site—what do you have on it in these areas? If not, you may want to take some time and create sections that clearly share your faith.
  • You can attach blogs from experts in the church on life-skill topics, link to other helpful sites, whatever you can think of to connect with people who are looking for the answers to life. If you have videos or photo galleries, be sure you explain what people are looking at.

Most of all your website MUST look like someone is paying attention to it. It must be up-to-date and content rich—that is a non-negotiable communication requirement for the credibility of every church.

REMEMBER that looks and graphics aren’t nearly as important as complete content that is easy to find

No one will get angry at your church or skip an event if they don’t like one of your illustrations or the font you use. However, those reactions may take place if you don’t have up-to-date information about a ministry that you advertise on your home page, if the links to a program don’t work or if you have a convoluted navigation system with insider terms to describe your ministry areas.

As you go into the fall holiday schedule, this time spent housekeeping and updating your site will lay a firm foundation for communications about special events for the rest of the year.

This article originally appeared here.

How Pastors Feed the Sacred Secular Divide

By
Markus Watson
-
thank you notes for children’s ministry volunteers

I remember hearing a pastor say to his congregation at the beginning of a worship service, “This next hour is the most important hour of your week.”

No doubt, the weekly worship service is incredibly important. I’d even say it is one of the most important parts of the week for followers of Jesus.

But is it the most important hour? That’s debatable.

Consider the assumptions hiding behind this claim:

  • Doing sacred things is better than doing secular things.
  • Worshiping God at church on Sunday mornings is a sacred thing.
  • All the other things you do the rest of the week are secular things.
  • The sacred thing we do on Sunday morning advances the mission of God.
  • The secular stuff you do the rest of the week doesn’t really matter to God.
  • God is more pleased by the sacred thing you do on Sunday morning than by the secular things you do the rest of the week.

While very few pastors would verbally say these things, it is these assumptions that feed the sacred/secular dualism that we talked about in this earlier blog post. 

What Pastors Communicate to Their People

It’s not that pastors don’t value the work their people do during the week. And it’s not that they don’t think their people can do good for the kingdom of God while they are at work.

But pastors—intentionally or unintentionally—tend to communicate this message to their people:

​“Get a good job. Go to work. Earn a good salary. Work hard and with integrity. If there’s a Bible study at work, get involved in the Bible study—that’s a good, sacred thing you can do at work. Share your faith—that’s a good sacred thing you can do at work. And invite people to church! Oh, yes—invite people to church!  hat’s definitely a good, sacred thing you can do at work.

​“But when you’re not at work, make sure you come to church because this is where the sacred stuff really happens. And be sure to bring some of your money to church because this is where the sacred stuff really happens.”​

This leaves people with the impression that what they do Monday through Saturday is far less valuable in God’s eyes than what happens on Sunday morning. 

It’s a Discipleship Issue

This message becomes a discipleship and spiritual formation issue. If people don’t think God values their work or think of God as being present with them in the doing of their work, they are far less likely to feel connected to God or listen for God’s leading when they are not doing sacred church stuff.

One of the great challenges for the church today is to undo the dualism of the sacred and the secular—for the sake of the church and for the sake of the world.

This article originally appeared here.

8 Vital Instructions for All Leaders

By
Brandon Cox
-
thank you notes for children’s ministry volunteers

If you’re a pastor or ministry leader, you can’t help but be drawn to the first and second letters of the Apostle Paul to his young apprentice, Timothy.

Every time I read through them, my heart burns within me and I’m taken back to those moments when I first began to serve and fulfill the calling God placed on my life to full-time ministry.

As I write this, I’m preparing to preach the “charge” in the ordination of an amazing young man who was once in the youth group of the church I led as Pastor, and now he’s being commissioned as the Youth Pastor in that same congregation.

There’s so much I want to tell him…things I learned early on, things I learned the hard way over the last 21 years of pastoral ministry, and things I’ve had to unlearn and relearn, framed with a better understanding of both truth and grace.

As I read again Paul’s letters to Timothy in preparation, I had to make difficult choices from among all of the words written to this young pastor in the ancient world. I finally narrowed it down to eight vital, unforgettable truths contained in a single passage in 2 Timothy 1:5-14…

I remember your genuine faith, for you share the faith that first filled your grandmother Lois and your mother, Eunice. And I know that same faith continues strong in you. This is why I remind you to fan into flames the spiritual gift God gave you when I laid my hands on you. For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline. So never be ashamed to tell others about our Lord. And don’t be ashamed of me, either, even though I’m in prison for him. With the strength God gives you, be ready to suffer with me for the sake of the Good News. For God saved us and called us to live a holy life. He did this, not because we deserved it, but because that was his plan from before the beginning of time—to show us his grace through Christ Jesus. And now he has made all of this plain to us by the appearing of Christ Jesus, our Savior. He broke the power of death and illuminated the way to life and immortality through the Good News. And God chose me to be a preacher, an apostle, and a teacher of this Good News. That is why I am suffering here in prison. But I am not ashamed of it, for I know the one in whom I trust, and I am sure that he is able to guard what I have entrusted to him until the day of his return. Hold on to the pattern of wholesome teaching you learned from me—a pattern shaped by the faith and love that you have in Christ Jesus. Through the power of the Holy Spirit who lives within us, carefully guard the precious truth that has been entrusted to you.

If you’re a pastor or ministry leader, never forget these eight vital words of instruction…

1. Lean into your calling and gifts.

Paul told Timothy to “fan into flames the spiritual gift” given to him from God (v. 6). This stirring, this fanning, is an intentional and active process. It isn’t passive. It’s a matter of self-encouragement, like King David in the cave country when all were ready to forsake him.

Leaning into your calling and gifts means you must develop yourself, practicing and exercising and learning daily. It means choosing to re-focus on the sovereignty of the One who called you and the One whose gifts you must steward well.

2. Choose to keep growing bolder.

There will be many moments when you find yourself in the tug-of-war between boldness and timidity. Always err on the side of boldness, especially when it comes to representing God’s truth and grace.

3. Be ready to suffer.

If you’re going to become the man or woman God wants you to be, you will have to walk through a fire. You’ll have to be broken.

Education is great. Experience is helpful, too. But when it comes to growing mature leaders, suffering is the pathway God has chosen to grow and mature us.

Samuel Chand says,

Making friends with your pain is part of leadership. Our pains tell us we’re moving in the right direction. New pains will always be a part of your life as you continue climbing the ladder to your destiny.

~ Leadership Pain: The Classroom for Growth

4. Live under grace.

Performance-based perfectionism is the typical pathway of a leader, but it’s an absolutely exhausting way to live. Paul says that God’s plan has always been to show grace to undeserving sinners through the cross on which Jesus died.

The problem is we are often saved by grace to a life of striving to keep God and others happy with our performance. But if it’s grace that saves us, then it’s grace that will sustain us.

5. Keep it about the gospel.

Occasionally someone will ask me when we’re going to get beyond the basics at Grace Hills and go deeper than “just the gospel all the time.” But it doesn’t actually get any deeper than the gospel. It’s the beginning and end of our cause for existence.

When you look back to the good news about the redemptive and victorious story of King Jesus, dying, rising and reigning for eternity, you get all that you really need for life and leadership.

6. Commit it all to Jesus.

It’s a rather familiar verse in which Paul says, “I know the one in whom I trust, and I am sure that he is able to guard what I have entrusted to him until the day of his return.”

I remember hearing Dr. Laverne Butler speak on that verse and outlining it in this way…

  1. We know whom to confess—Jesus.
  2. We know what to commit—everything.
  3. We know when to collect—at his return.

7. Trust the Word.

When I was wrestling with the call to ministry, my father-in-law and pastor, Danny Kirk, gave me a book to read, and it would shape the course of my ministry to come. It was the autobiography of Dr. W.A. Criswell called Standing on the Promises.

That book, about a man who devoted his entire life to defending the truthfulness of Scripture, would help to set my own theological foundation going forward. The Bible is God’s book. It’s perfect, infallible and entirely trustworthy.

That doesn’t mean I have all of the answers to every tough question about it. It simply means that when I don’t fully understand, I trust, and I believe that in the reading and preaching of God’s Word, there is a supernatural, life-changing power.

8. Walk in the power of the Holy Spirit.

Ministry is exhausting. Preaching the Word is a delicate and tedious task, when approached correctly. And Paul often talked about bearing the heavy burden of the care of the church.

Without the power of the Holy Spirit, you’re already headed for burnout and exhaustion. But with his power comes the energy to keep going, to keep preaching, to keep serving, to keep building and organizing the church and raising up leaders.

The pathway to the power of the Spirit isn’t trying harder. It’s trusting more. It’s yielding. It’s surrender and submission.

This is ministry 101. Lean into your calling. Keep growing bolder. Be ready to suffer. Live under grace. Keep it about the gospel and commit it all to Jesus. Trust the Word and walk in the power of the Holy Spirit.

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