This is Ministry

I was reminded again today of something that I heard Craig Groeschel say at The Leadership Summit this year.  He was talking about a particularly busy week he was having and how he ended up having to spend an extraordinary amount of time counseling one individual. He found himself getting frustrated, because he was not able to do the "work of the ministry".  He said that he felt extremely convicted when God reminded him that "this is Ministry".  Ministry is all about people.  I have to remind myself of that fact almost every day.  I am very much a systems and procedures type of guy.  I find it difficult to slow down and spend time with people.

Today was one of those days, which seem to be coming a whole lot more frequently, that God reminded me that "this is ministry".  

Thanks for the reminder God.  Help me, and everyone else who has the privilege of serving you remember that ministry is not about programs and systems, but it is about people.  Being there for people in the hardest moments of their lives and making sure that I am being your hands and your feet.

rest

Mondays are typically my day off, and today was a great one.  I got up at 5:20 and went for a run (a short one, but at least I am staying faithful, right???)  I then met up with Eric around 5:35 am for a good workout.  After we finished, I went upstairs, showered and went back to bed...but only for a little while.  

Today was fun because Sarah and I took the girls and got Donuts.  Myah experienced her First donut (she is very much like her daddy, she liked it).  We then went to do some shopping for Myah's birthday.  (Sometimes I can not believe how fast my little girls are growing up!!!).

From there, Sarah had a hair appointment and I had the girls for a while.  We had a ton of fun.  

As soon as Sarah got back we left for a Staff vs. Student football game (we won easily)

Finally made it home at around 4:45 and took a nap with MJ for 45 minutes before we were off to the Clanton home for some fun time.  We had a great time.

I usually don't write a whole lot about personal stuff like this, but I am amazed that even though today was non-stop, I feel rested.  It was a great day with family and friends, and I loved every minute of it.

Oh, and now we are watching Monday Night Football and MJ is yelling "GO PENN STEAK, GO PENN STEAK!!!!"  She is a bit confused, but at least she is cheering for a great team!

Rest comes in all forms, todays rest was a bit more active, but it was still really great.

The Book "churched"

Just finished a brand new book by Matthew Paul Turner called "churched- one kid's journey toward God despite a holy mess". If you are interested, you can find out more info at www.matthewpaulturner.com.

The book was a good read, it's title tells much of the story.  It is a memoir book where Mr. Turner is taking readers through his childhood memories of growing up in a Fundamental Baptist Church.  I was very skeptical at first while reading the book because I grew up in a very "holiness" driven church and culture as well, and I see many benefits to that "lifestyle" that are often overlooked by people who grew up hating it.  I felt that the author did a fairly good job of depicting that "reality" without bashing it entirely.  

As a kids pastor, it made me think about some of the lessons that I have taught, and how I need to make sure that I am communicating clearly to the little minds who are hearing me.  I can see how easily some "lessons" could be misunderstood in the minds of kids and how it is necessary to make sure that every child understands.

I also appreciated what Mr. Turner had to say about some churches insatiable desire to "win" souls. I think that witnessing is important, and sharing our faith is huge, but I think there needs to be a greater emphasis on discipleship as well.

All in all, it was a good read.  I would recommend it to mature believers who may have had similar struggles.

 

Team Leadership 2

As I sit and watch "The Biggest Loser", I am reminded again about how it is all about teams.  This year on the show, they paired contestants up with family members.  It is allowing them to work together to achieve a goal.  I want my team to work together to achieve the ultimate goal.  

I have already talked about how important it is to have "faithful" members on the team, but I also think that it is vital to have the "detail" people on the team.  I think of how Stephen, and several others, came along side the apostles to help them accomplish the gigantic task that was laid ahead of them.  It was their hard work, and their attention to detail that allowed the apostles to focus on the study and preaching of the word of God.  I think detail people are awesome because they allow the leader to focus on what only the leader can focus on.

So, it has been a while...

This has been an unbelievably busy month.  With family coming in, a conference in Indiana, and a ton of stuff going on at Hope, things have been crazy fun.

I have been thinking a ton lately about team leadership.  Specifically, who do I need on the team if the team is going to win.  I have been able to come up with a few "types" that have to be on the team in order to have a winning team.  The first one I know for sure is the "faithful" player. The Faithful player is high on the priority list because they are the one that can help you keep things moving.  They are always there, making things happen and helping the leader get things done.  I am thankful that I have several members of this "type" on our team.  The key to keeping "faithful" people on the team is making sure that they know how much you appreciate them and making them aware of all that they are doing to make your life easier.

I love leading a team of people that is committed to making Hope Fellowship a great place for kids and families!

IT

Went to the Leadership Summit this week.  It was pretty good overall! I am still not a big fan of the video venue concept for a conference, I would much rather be there in person to completely experience the event.  It was nice though to be able to come home to the girls each night.

I think the session that was the most impacting to me was the Craig G. session on IT.  His talk was all about the need to have IT and what churches have to do to get IT.  His main point was that before the church/organization can have IT, the leader must have IT.  The only way that a leader can have it is he/she Asks God for IT, and Earnestly seeks IT.  I really enjoyed IT.

This was my second time hearing him speak and I was thoroughly impressed again.  He wrote a book on IT and I am in the Process of reading it.  

The other sessions were good as well, but that want hit me.

Camp

Camp is over!  It is funny how something you look forward to for so long, something you work so hard to prep for, something that can make such a difference in the lives of my kids can be over so quickly.  

This year was incredible!  We ended up taking 109 kids to camp (one went home on the first day, so we actually had 108 of our Adventure Kidz at the Camp).  We had 26 staffers from Hope as well.  The team of leaders that I had was incredible.  I knew that they were going to be good going in, but they surprised me with their passion for the kids and their willingness to serve.  I can't say thanks enough.

I have already reserved the facility for next year!  Outside of a few difficult moments at the pool, the facilities were great!  The food was good, the beds were soft (Just kidding, they were hard as a rock), and the kids seemed to have a great time.  

I did feel like we learned quite a bit this year. There are some definite changes in store for Adventure Quest next year!  Great job team, I look forward to serving along side of you for many kids camps to come.