…and super-size it, please.

Anyone else feel this way?

I see families hurt and it hurts.

I wonder if I’m too invested.

But if I’m not invested then how could I call it ministry.

If I’m not invested, it’s just a job.

The day this becomes just a job… I quit.

I know in kids ministry our competition is Nickelodeon, Disney, Hannah Montana, etc. But I think its a constant struggle to ensure that our goal for mimicking these entities is not for the sake of gaining a kids attention alone… but to gain the opportunity to share a deeper message resulting in life-change.

I have to ask myself as I walk the campus throughout weekend experiences…

Once we gain their attention, does the message capture their heart?

Or are we simply entertaining them for an hour?

The latter is never the intention. But can potentially be the result if we lose focus.

Entertainment is only the entry point. It is necessary. But should never by the end goal.

Entertainment should lead to engagement.

Engagement to investment.

Investment to life-change.

Growing up, I always wanted a tree house.

There was something about having my own domain.

My secret patch of heaven where I make the rules. I call the shots.

As if the laws that rule normal society don’t pertain to this backyard domain.

Rustic on the outside, yet tricked out on the inside with secret passage ways and a sophisticated communication system involving tennis balls and an air cannon. (to communicate with the other treehouses, of course.)

This was my retreat. Though the look and location varied. The goal was the same.

Escape.

Did you have an escape as a kid?

Share

I really don’t know where that statement originated. So I can’t give credit where credit is due.

But I have to ask myself this question often. Am I spending too much time working ‘in’ the business and not enough ‘on’ the business?

Let me explain…

A small business owner should and will spend a certain amount of time working ‘in’ their business. Be it selling, training, billing, etc. A business owner will inevitably carry out the everyday tasks that keep the business running. But in order to make that business successful, the business owner must step back, look ahead and plan for the future. This is working ‘on’ the business.

If the business owner never looks ahead, studies trends, plans for the future, etc, etc… the owner will look up from his everyday tasks one day and find his business at a dead end.

So… “How does this apply to me?”, you ask.

Thanks for asking.

Your family is your business.

If you have kids, then God gave you a business.

Call it the ‘Family Business’.

As a family business owner, I could easily be absorbed by the everyday tasks to keep the business running. Right?

Laundry, dishes, changing diapers, laundry, errands, driving to and from soccer practice, homework, school, laundry… on and on.

It would be simple to spend the next year just keeping pace with the everyday demands of the business. But if I never take a step back and look ahead, I’ll find myself doing lots of stuff ‘in’ the business and nothing ‘on’ the business.

For Kyle and I, our goal is a successful family. So we’ve got to step away from the everyday tasks long enough to look ahead and plan for the future.

Better yet… we must step away long enough to look ahead and seek God for His plans for our future.

God says He’s got plans for us. But we won’t know until we ask.

At the LC:

• Launching a new series in Toon Town, Road Trip.  Stepping into our 2nd round of intentional pushes to get kids to bring their friends.  Pray for God’s blessing.  There are so many kids that need to hear a life-changing message.
• Walking through an unusual season in LifeKIDS.  Sensing a drift from our goal to make LifeKIDS the best hour of a kids week.  These kids need to know just how excited we are that they’re there.  Praying for God’s Hand to work in this and to rally the team around one central theme.  Grab the kids attention so Jesus can change their heart. 
• Yesterday Craig shared with the team regarding accountability.  “Share the final 2%.”  What is the final 2% you’re not sharing with your accountability partner?  What are you holding back?  You can’t hide it for long.  Sin has a way of finding you out.  Share the final 2% today.

At the Crashpad:

• I have to grocery shop today.  I hate grocery shopping.   Finished!  Hey CKB, I thought of you when bagging my fruits with my cereals.  I’m just sayin’. 
• I have to do laundry today.  I hate doing laundry.
• I’m such a whiner.
• It’s date night tonight!  We weren’t planning date night, but we need it.  So, if you’re in the Edmond area and are available to babysit 3 terribly cute kids… let me know.
• Saturday is coming!!  I love Saturday morning.  Pancakes, bacon, pajamas… what’s you’re Saturday morning tradition?

Praying that everyone has a great weekend.  See you Monday. 

I’ve decided to start every conversation like this.

They usually drop their fists at that point.

It works for me.

What’s your disarming statement?

“Prayer is like breathing.”

Most of us have heard this before. Prayer is something as necessary as breathing. Great analogy.

Here’s a twist…

Apply the process of breathing to your prayer.

Breathe in His Grace. Exhale your sin.

Breathe in His Strength. Exhale your fears.

Breathe in His Holy Spirit. Exhale your grip on life.

Be specific. Identify the sin. Identify the fear. Acknowledge what you are ‘white-knuckling’ today.

The longer you go, the deeper you breathe, the more your world stops long enough to invite God into the midst of it and take over.

So breathe…

I read a post the other day by Dave Ferguson.  He talks about a conversation he had with Shane Claiborne.

I appreciate Dave’s candor and openness with wrestling with Shane’s thoughts.  I, too, wrestle with Shane’s ideology.

But one thing I appreciate about Shane… he lives out what he believes.  More than most Christ-followers I know.  You don’t find that often.

There are lots of us with blogs talking about what we should be doing as Christ-followers while Shane is out feeding the homeless woman on the street corner.

There are 3 things Shane warns the church about.  Commuter mentality, political neutrality and Big Church vs. Small Church.

Read the post and join the conversation.  How would you respond?

What’s happenin’ at the OKC…

• Headed into the final weekend of SOAR in Toon Town and Studio 45. SOAR is a Kidmo creation. I love their stuff.
• We’re moving away from the ‘membership’ concept at the church, and changing it to ‘Partnership’. Essentially we’re not asking people to become members, like a country club. Instead we want people to partner with us to complete God’s work in this community.
• Wrapping up 5 weeks in a row of challenging kids to think of 3 friends they want to invite to church. Next weekend we launch an extra incentive for bringing a 1st-time guest. Upping the ante… praying for God to bless it.
• Sprad got everyone a Screaming Monkey for Christmas. Monkey attacks are rampant in the office. Visit at your own risk.
• Spent half the week ‘righting the ship’. Why does change take so much effort?

Blogging…

• I’m an advocate for short posts. I write short posts b/c I’m ADD. I read short posts… b/c I’m ADD. But CatalystBlogger challenges my thinking. What do you think?
• Jimmy Paravane has a great blog to check out. He’s thought provoking, but speaks in code… you can’t breaze through his stuff. You have to stop and process. Worth a look.
• Anne Jackson invited me as a guest on her blog. If you’re not reading her stuff… you should be.

At the crashpad…

• Too many people around me are getting the flu. I’m becoming a germ-a-phob.
• Keegan came home with his best behavior report of the 2nd grade! Party!
• My pile of books is getting bigger and I don’t seem to be making any reading progress.
• It’s sleepover night. Pizza, popcorn and a couple of boys that celebrate bodily functions we’d rather forget.

On the docket…

• I’d love to hear some ideas on future posts.  What kinds of things do you want to hear?

Have a great weekend.  See you guys Monday!