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Here we go. The final squeeze of juice from my OC notes.

From the pad of Reggie Joiner. Thoughts to share with anyone involved in kids or youth ministry.

1. Never think you’re an expert. Remain teachable.
2. It’s not about the product but the process. If you’re not changing something, it’s a problem. We have a moment in time where God has allowed us to be part of this. Don’t waste it!
3. Keep fighting for the family. Especially your own. The temptation is to give more to the ministry outside of your home rather than within. Don’t give up the fight!
4. Never lose your faith.
5. Have someone that reminds you that what you do is important.
6. In the moments you are most discouraged are the times God may be most pleased.

There are many things I love about what I do.

Then there are moments I wish I could hand the responsibility to someone else.

We live in a world where innocence is lost, accountability is a must, and perception is reality. I recently found myself in the midst of unpacking a potential landmine involving a great volunteer and a very concerned parent. Obviously, I don’t take that lightly. In fact, I move on it quickly.

The situation revealed a few chinks in our chain. We’ve got a great system for ensuring that our kids (and adult volunteers) are protected. However, if the system breaks down somewhere then it is no longer effective.

How is your system? Are there chinks in your chain? What must you do to ensure the system actually works?

Fighting the urge to treat the weekend as ‘just another weekend’. At LifeChurch.tv OKC, we host 6 weekend worship experiences starting Saturday night and into Sunday afternoon. Once 3pm on Saturday hits it’s a 24 hour dead heat. I’m challenging myself to change things up a little.

Get out of my routine.

Visit different age groups than normal.

Hang out somewhere different during the time when families arrive. Maybe this weekend I’ll drive a cart and pick families up in the parking lot. That would be fun. (And possibly a little dangerous. I don’t pretend to be a good driver.)

It should never be just another weekend. I work all week towards the ‘big game’. The last thing I want to do is walk onto the field from the locker room. I want to charge the field.

What steps do you take to make sure it isn’t just another weekend?

This one’s for you, Michelle!

I had the privelage of learning from Nancy Ortberg on the 5 Dysfunctions of a Team. Too much to write. My pen was flying across the page. Though I’d read the book before, she brought insight that reshaped the way I look at how I lead.  Here is a taste…

Trust is the most fundamental function of a successful team. You cannot have trust without character and competency. You build trust when your team understands your weaknesses and your vulnerabilities.

Walk into your next meeting with the following 5 phrases.

1. I was wrong
2. I’m sorry
3. I made a mistake
4. I dropped the ball
5. I don’t know. What do you think?

The fastest way to build trust within a team is to admit your own weaknesses.

…what would I expect if I walked into a church building today?” Francis Chan.

Acts 2: 42 – 47

They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. Everyone was filled with awe, and many wonders and miraculous signs were done by the apostles. All the believers were together and had everything in common. Selling their possessions and goods, they gave to anyone as he had need. Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.

Anyone can love their neighbor. Who can love their neighbor as yourself?

One drip at a time…

“If all I know is the church of the bible, what would I expect if I walked into a church building today?” Francis Chan, Orange Conference 2007.

Genesis 15. Abram has me scratching my head.

His reaction to Gods promise was credited to him as righteousness. His faith made him righteous before God. What strikes me is the amount of faith he had. In the past I have chastised myself when my faith is so small. I look at the example of Abram and think, “Man, what faith he had.”

But was it really that big?

When God made the promise of a child, Abram was still young. He just returned from battle rescuing his nephew, Lot. A story fit for William Wallace, himself. He was strong. Young. Powerful. It made sense that he could still father a child.

But God isn’t into making sense. At least not to us. He’s all about making sure we know it’s not about us. Abram likely returned to his tent that night expecting Sarai to wake up the next morning ‘with child’. (wink, wink, nudge, nudge)

But it didn’t happen the next day. Or the next day. Or the day after that. Day after Day. Month after month. Year after year. No baby.

What was God doing? What was Abram smoking? Was it a dream? a hallucination?

Abram is 99 when God makes it happen. Abram even laughed at the prospect. That’s how much faith he had. It was easier to believe what God could do when it made sense to Abram. At the age of 99 it stopped making sense. But that’s when God chose to move.

Interesting how much Abram’s faith in God appears to be tied to his own abilities. God made sure those abilities were gone before He fulfills the covenant.

How long would I wait to see God’s promise materialize? How much of my faith in Him is tied to my own abilities?

I would love for my kids to look like they just walked off the Abercrombie assembly line. But they don’t. And I’m fine with that. I’m one of those mom’s that allows her 5 year old son to go to Wal-Mart dressed in sweatpants tucked into cowboy boots with a cape.

I choose not to care… but then my daughter chose her clothes the other day. She would accept no input from me. She knew what she wanted to wear and she wasn’t the least bit interested in what I had to say. I had no problem with that… until I saw what she put on.

Wow! I can’t describe it. Just know that it defies all sense of style in our culture. I’d never seen so many opposing patterns.

Suddenly I cared.  I cared what her friends would think. I cared what her teachers would think. I cared what other parents would think.

I tried to ‘woo’ her with another outfit but she resisted. She chose the outfit and she was very proud of it. I conceded. She wore it to school… on picture day.

I had the opportunity to attend the Orange Conference in Atlanta, Georgia this week. What a rush! Still processing. But here are some nuggets I’m chewin’ on right now.

From the mouth of Reggie Joiner:

• In ministry, we think as long as everybody is happy we are successful
  
• We tend to build ministry around our own preferences
• Sometimes we convince ourselves that what we’re doing is working

So here’s the question to ask ourselves…

Are we making it easier or harder for people to turn to God?

Whew! That one hit me like a ton of bricks. Is what I’m doing making it easier or harder for the kids in my ministry to turn to God? … for the parents to turn to God? … for the volunteers to turn to God?

This question redefines the success of ministry.

more to come…

No… I’m not talking about people who follow me.  I’m thinking of how I’m doing as a follower. 

Most of what I read focuses on how to be a great leader. 

How to lead people.  How to lead up.  How to lead in an organization filled with leaders. 

But people rarely speak of following. 

So, how’s my following?  How well do I follow?  How am I doing aligning myself with the leadership God has placed me under?  Do I criticize my leadership?  Do I try to work around my leadership?  Do I step outside of my leadership? 

I lead others through my ability to follow.  By criticizing my leadership, I lead others to mistrust.  By working around leadership, I lead others to manipulate ‘the system’.  That’s not the kind of influence I want to have. 

I want to lead others to follow well.  The best way to lead them to follow is to be a great follower.