Lead Well

It’s an old idea that unfortunately the church has embraced for far too long. The pastor’s are the ones who do the work of the ministry. It started out innocently enough. One hundred years ago, the pastors and priests went to school and learned all about the Bible. They taught the word as opposed to doing regular work such as farming, banking, and other businesses. One pastor served the whole town and many believed in God as a matter of culture and tradition. Over time, more and more congregation members began to look to the pastors to do all the ministry. They have to do all the visitation, all the outreaches, all the teaching, all the evangelizing. After all, they’re trained and called to do it. However if we look to the Scriptures, we find the writers of the New Testament giving us a completely different narrative. 1 Peter 2:9 says, “But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of Him who...

Ever feel overwhelmed?  You wake up in the morning and you just don't want to get out of bed?  Feel like you're drowning under the workload? courtesy gettyimages.com We all feel this way at some point in out lives.  Let me tell you the time I felt like this most recently.  My wife had gone out of town for the weekend to spend time with her family.  I told her not to worry about Sunday morning that everything was under control.  I wasn't lying; I just had no idea what lay ahead. This particular morning was one of the busiest Sunday mornings ever.  We had new lifegroup sign-ups in both services,which I had to be a part of, we were giving away new volunteer t-shirts, which weren't set up yet, I was supposed to start a new fifth and sixth grade leadership team that night, Two of my small group leaders were absent so I had to fill in for one of them, small groups had a craft that morning that had a lot of pieces and none of it was ready for childre...

So many times we get so wrapped up in doing the work of the ministry we lose focus on what really matters.  Courtesy: Getty Images Jesus. I don't know about you but my days are filled with all this noise about how to make things better. How to improve, how to make an impact greater for the kingdom. Sometimes, I get so wrapped up in improving I forget the reason why. Jesus. If we're not leading people to Jesus then what are we doing? Jesus told us before he ascended to heaven that we are to go out into all the world and make disciples baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Whatever our ministry's focus or vision or mission it all boils down to this one command. It's not to have the largest group. The smartest, the most educated, the most connected kids. It's to make followers of Jesus. I, for one am resolving today to keep this as the center of my focus. Jesus. He's the reason I worry, I work long h...

A few weeks ago I posted about how to set goals.   You can read about it here.  Here's a visual guide about New Years Resolutions that's along the same lines. I just had to share it. Enjoy! Browse more data visualization .

Courtesy Getty Images You know, a lot of times we get wrapped up in the holidays and forget about what's most important.  I don't know about you, but since I work with kids every week in Church, it's kind of impossible to forget about Jesus.  But let's not take away from what Jesus told us to do.  He told us to love the Lord with every part of us and to love our neighbors as ourselves. When Jesus was asked who was our neighbor, he told them the story of the  Good Samaritan.   He then told the people to go and do likewise.  To be honest, many times this element of the Christmas story is lost on me.  So often, I get so excited about what I'm going to receive, I forget to think about anyone else, especially those less fortunate. After the Christmas Eve service, a lady came up to me to thank me.  I've seen her before, but didn't know her name or her kids.  She thanked me that we, the church, gave her Christmas.  She had just le...

Ever had trouble setting goals and keeping them?  You're not the only one.  Here are some quick steps you can take to meet those goals you know you can. Courtesy Getty Images I love goals.  I've been setting and completing them for as long as I can remember.  I find I have a hard time completing any task without setting a goal.  I thought everyone was like this, but when I asked my team to create goals for their departments they were lost.  They had no idea even where to start.  So here 5 easy steps to setting and keeping your goals. Begin with the end in mind If you've ever read Steven Covey's book " The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People ," you know this is one of them.  We all need to use a little imagination and envision what our desired outcome will be before we begin any task.  For example, as a new year's resolution, I set as a goal to run a 10k race.  The days spent on the treadmill and out on the road were long and so...

With so many consoles out there and video games becoming a major part of the American childhood experience, many parents are asking which one should I get for my kids? gettyimages.com As a lifelong gamer, I know the challenges and the overwhelming amount of information that's out there, so I'm creating this guide to help you make an informed decision for your kids this Christmas. First of all you should know that all consoles come with the following features: Online Connectivity Parental Controls At least 1 Controller At least 1 Game Apps such as Netflix and Hulu 1. Nintendo Wii  Cost: $149.99 Free web: yes Kid Friendly: 5/5 Recommended games: Mario Kart, Wii Sports/Resort, New Super Mario Brothers If your kids are under the age of 10, this is the best system for your family.  It has fun, easy, and safe games for your whole family and it's easy on your wallet at only $149.99 making it the cheapest of all the consoles. Even though the next generation console the Wii U ...