Hopefully after watching that video you know exactly why you need an RSS reader. But if you are still on the fence, here are a few reasons.
So sign up for a Google Reader and just go crazy subscribing to blogs. I have about 40 that I read everyday. Distance mentors.
Il est des portes sur l’amer que l’on n’ouvre qu’avec des mots, originally uploaded by Frédérique|G.
Patterning your life around other’s opinions is nothing more than slavery.
-Lawana Blackwell
Contemplation, originally uploaded by ChrisSchc.
Respect for young leaders is something that we all desire. In fact we get upset when it’s not freely given to us. On the flip side of that, we are often very quick to take respect of honor away from our leaders if they make mistakes.
I know for me, I tend to see things in black and white for the most part. My theology and the way I view people has been challenged around this personality trait of mine, continuously. Here’s the breakdown:
People: Awesome or I’m not a fan at all
Theology: Yes or no
However, that leaves no room for middle ground. I discovered on numerous occassions that this middle ground exists whether we choose to acknowledge it or not. So if people make mistakes (fyi young leaders-people, including you, make mistakes) then they are not always going to live up to your expectations. What is our role according to scripture for those that are above us?
You who are servants, be good servants to your masters—not just to good masters, but also to bad ones.
-1 Peter 2:18
So number one, when people disappoint you, honor them. How easy is it to honor those that are good masters? Big Deal. Try honoring the bad ones and the ones that you feel bad about in the moment because of something you would have done differently.
And never forget young leaders. Respect is earned, not freely given. Treat people with the love of Christ and then you might earn some.
So as I’m transitioning to my new role as 5th and 6th grade pastor, I’m going through a lot of learning.
Just a few things that are coursing through my brain:
Man it’s really crazy just how much is going on in my brain right now.
So I need some pointers but first I’m going to give you some helpful places that I’ve been in the past few weeks.
stufficanuse.com they have crazy hi-end graphics for student ministry. Messages/Small Group content will need work. Best part is that it’s absolutely free. Check them out if you need some graphics help.
coachshef.com great insight into student ministry. His last two posts have been crazy helpful. Budgets and Getting to a “C” on your weaknesses.
Open from Lifechurch.tv they have a ton of great FREE resources out there for student ministry. Especially their leader guide stuff. O-mazing!
Books: a few that I’ve read or am reading recently: The Pursuit of God
All great books that are really shaping who I am. Not to mention the fact that God is really refining me in some areas in my life in particular to my leadership.
I need some help.
Who is great at student ministry environments?
Student Small Groups, Who is the best?
Any other places you would point a 5th or 6th grade person to?
Ok Leaders let me know if you’ve ever felt like this. Have you ever felt that God created you to vanquish the evils of this world?
On my best days I really feel like one of these little guys, pushing the envelope and let God be Him through me to rid this planet of the evils that plague our kids around the globe. God using me to teach kids about his love and mercy and grace (which I have the toughest time learning about myself).
But those are the best days.
Other days I feel as if I’m worthless, useless, disgusting, gross, and not worth the time it takes to remember my name (which is only two letters, by the way). And I wonder:
But God doesn’t go through this back and forth like we do. As one of my best friends says,
I wonder what we as leaders could accomplish if we really felt like these verses were true about us:
4 Long before he laid down earth’s foundations, he had us in mind, had settled on us as the focus of his love, to be made whole and holy by his love.5 Long, long ago he decided to adopt us into his family through Jesus Christ. (What pleasure he took in planning this!)6 He wanted us to enter into the celebration of his lavish gift-giving by the hand of his beloved Son.7 Because of the sacrifice of the Messiah, his blood poured out on the altar of the Cross, we’re a free people—free of penalties and punishments chalked up by all our misdeeds. And not just barely free, either. Abundantly free!8 He thought of everything, provided for everything we could possibly need,9 letting us in on the plans he took such delight in making. He set it all out before us in Christ,10 a long-range plan in which everything would be brought together and summed up in him, everything in deepest heaven, everything on planet earth.11 It’s in Christ that we find out who we are and what we are living for. Long before we first heard of Christ and got our hopes up, he had his eye on us, had designs on us for glorious living,12 part of the overall purpose he is working out in everything and everyone. – Eph. 1:4-12
Go conquer the world today and know that God loves you, He accepts you, and you are invaluable to Him.
So in rethinking my blog’s purpose one thing continually sticks out in my mind. I must talk about young leadership. I am a young leader. I believe that I can teach other people about leadership while they are young and I really hope that these lessons can help young people, who desire to be leaders, really begin to develop this skill.
So for Lesson number one I want to talk about humility. Humility is such an interesting part of leadership. It’s not glamorous or powerful nor does it have some bling as a part of it’s identity. I’ve heard a quote that says:
Pride makes us artificial, but humility makes us real.
I totally agree with that. One interesting thing to not about humility is the way that we view other people when we have a humble spirit about us. When we take pride in ourselves, our abilities, and our accomplishments, we place other people in a spot below ourselves. But when we live with an attitude of humility, the way we view people changes. People are seen as at least equals, but in most cases are honored.
Humility is cool for another reason as well. It gets us to ask questions of others. If you view yourself as an expert, are you ever going to ask someone questions to improve your craft or your behavior or your family life? Probably not, Humility opens us to the realm of authentic life change, because we have opened the door to being able to take advice from others.
Oswald Chambers talks about Humility on June 9th, in My Utmost for His Highest. He says:
“If any of you lacks wisdom . . . .” If you realize that you are lacking, it is because you have come in contact with spiritual reality— do not put the blinders of reason on again. The word ask actually means “beg.” Some people are poor enough to be interested in their poverty, and some of us are poor enough spiritually to show our interest. Yet we will never receive if we ask with a certain result in mind, because we are asking out of our lust, not out of our poverty. A pauper does not ask out of any reason other than the completely hopeless and painful condition of his poverty. He is not ashamed to beg— blessed are the paupers in spirit.
So today be humble, but also remember this quote:
“The proud man can learn humility, but he will be proud of it”
-Mignon McLaughlin quotes
[Picture via jeridaking]
Operator?!, originally uploaded by Dalla*.
So in this blog I’m going to let you into my wounded brain for just a second. Ever feel like you have no idea what you are doing?
Yeah that’s this guy. I started blogging long ago to just dump and evaluate what was going on in my life. This blog shifted about 2 years ago into more of a children’s ministry blog. That is my role and I look at people that have been in ministry for ages in a children’s role and I’m in awe of the content they have. For the most part I feel so inadequate. I feel like a child in the midst of so much awesome.
I feel like sometimes I just don’t contribute enough to the growth and development of Family Ministry and Children’s Ministry through this blog. It’s one of the main factors in re-assessing the purpose of this space. You have people like Kenny, Sam, Matt, Gina, Henry, Anthony, Jonathan, Amy, etc. who are just killing it and I’m just trying to soak it all in. So in my woundedness, I feel totally inadequate when coming to terms with the value that I add to the community, when these rockstars are knocking it out of the park.
But then yesterday happened. I have been solicited advice on numerous occasions before about parenting. I’ve never walked away from giving parenting advice with the idea that I helped in any way. But yesterday was different. I knew answers, I knew strategies, I knew resources. It was like I knew what I was talking about. I don’t think this father is going to be totally different but I felt for the first time that I gave meaningful parenting advice.
The part that makes this all so weird to me is this: I have zero children. I know very little about parenting except for what I have soaked up from people, blogs, and books. I don’t understand why people would seek me out for advice. It’s sort of my own insecurity about my abilities and gifts but these thoughts race through my mind at least twice a day.
But yesterday it seemed as if I gave some sound, beneficial advice to a father searching for some.
I say all of this because maybe you are out there like me and feel like you are completely incapable of succeeding in a particular arena because of experience, education, or emotional baggage. But don’t stop learning or trying. Allow God to work in and through you as you seek to perfect your craft. Allow God to be glorified not by your ability, but by your openness to surrender to Him. Look for ways to get better and ways to practice your craft.
But be open to God working in and through your life.
What is an area that you feel inadequate to help others in? How or what did you do to overcome it?
Few people have the kind of resume in their respective industry like John Wooden, the long ago UCLA Bruins head coach. 10 NCAA Championships, Longest winning streak in NCAA Basketball History, 7 straight national titles. But more important than his basketball success was his faith. Here’s a quote about his view of priorities between basketball and faith:
“I have always tried to make it clear that basketball is not the ultimate. It is of small importance in comparison to the total life we live. There is only one kind of life that truly wins, and that is the one that places faith in the hands of the Savior.”
John Wooden is one of my favorite people to read about for so many reasons: Basketball prowess, incredible active life of faith, poured into young people, His incredible relationship with his wife, incredible balance between excellence in industry and excellence at home, etc. Since his wife Nellie passed away, on the 21st of every month he visits her grave and writes her a love letter and puts it into an envelope that he adds to the stack on the pillow that his wife slept on while they were married. John Wooden is someone that I look up to from afar and I read everything that involves him. The world lost a great one yesterday, but he is in a much, much happier place now.
So today I posted his pyramid of success and I will leave you with this:
John Wooden’s Seven Point Creed, given to him by his father Joshua upon his graduation from grammar school:
* Be true to yourself.
* Make each day your masterpiece.
* Help others.
* Drink deeply from good books, especially the Bible.
* Make friendship a fine art.
* Build a shelter against a rainy day.
* Pray for guidance and give thanks for your blessings every day.
Have you ever tried to start something from scratch. Like completely from scratch. You’ve got big plans and dreams and things that you just can’t wait to be in the middle of the process. One problem. You are stuck at the beginning. I have an entrepreneurial spirit in my heart. I love starting new things. But I am in the middle of a project, very large project, that I am just having trouble focusing on where to start.
How in the world do you focus, when you aren’t sure what to focus on? Any help out there….
