Just a few minutes away from my house, the doors have opened to a new In-N-Out restaurant. If you're unfamiliar with In-N-Out, it probably means you live in the ho-hum eastern part of our nation and have never experienced burgers that surpass nearly any other under the sun.
I like In-N-Out's burgers. Especially a cheese burger or Double-Double, animal style, of course. Their fries are incredible, and how can you resist dropping a lemon wedge into your Dr Pepper?
And of course, this is the sadness that surrounds my joy. I'm happy that I'm now just 5 minutes away from In-N-Out. But I'm sad because now I will actually need to be a disciplined adult and not eat there every day. That wouldn't be healthy.
So that, my friends, is the source of my tears of sadjoyness.
Friday, May 30, 2008
Wednesday, May 14, 2008
In search of a children's pastor.
Our church is in the middle of a transition, as we say goodbye to our children's pastor and begin the search for a new staff member. I've been spending fair amount of time on the phone and sending/receiving emails yesterday and today.
Here's the job posting, in case you know of someone interested. Maybe that person is you.
Antelope Christian Center is accepting applications for Children’s Ministry Director.
We’re seeking a person with:
• Committed relationship and love for the Lord
• Energetic personality and love for people
• Passion for children and family-oriented ministry
• Organization skills to help a ministry continue to grow
• Ability to work on a multi-staff team
• Positive heart and encouraging spirit
• Desire to recruit, train, and release adult leadership
• Experience in children’s ministry
Our church is looking for a self-motivated, highly energetic Children’s Ministry Director. The ideal candidate will have a clear calling to raise up children who are passionate about becoming more like Jesus, and expanding our team of adult leaders committed to that same goal. We’re looking for someone with godly integrity and values, and the ability to lead a ministry to the next level.
The Children’s Ministry Director is responsible for overseeing our various ministry for kids from birth through sixth grade, including Sunday morning, Wednesday night programs, events and activities, and outreach efforts, with the goal of operating a safe, effective, healthy ministry to children and their families.
Salary will be commensurate with qualifications and experience.
Antelope Christian Center is a church of 400 to 500 people, located in Antelope (North Sacramento region).
Interested candidates should submit a cover letter, brief personal history, resume, and letters of reference.
Here's the job posting, in case you know of someone interested. Maybe that person is you.
Antelope Christian Center is accepting applications for Children’s Ministry Director.
We’re seeking a person with:
• Committed relationship and love for the Lord
• Energetic personality and love for people
• Passion for children and family-oriented ministry
• Organization skills to help a ministry continue to grow
• Ability to work on a multi-staff team
• Positive heart and encouraging spirit
• Desire to recruit, train, and release adult leadership
• Experience in children’s ministry
Our church is looking for a self-motivated, highly energetic Children’s Ministry Director. The ideal candidate will have a clear calling to raise up children who are passionate about becoming more like Jesus, and expanding our team of adult leaders committed to that same goal. We’re looking for someone with godly integrity and values, and the ability to lead a ministry to the next level.
The Children’s Ministry Director is responsible for overseeing our various ministry for kids from birth through sixth grade, including Sunday morning, Wednesday night programs, events and activities, and outreach efforts, with the goal of operating a safe, effective, healthy ministry to children and their families.
Salary will be commensurate with qualifications and experience.
Antelope Christian Center is a church of 400 to 500 people, located in Antelope (North Sacramento region).
Interested candidates should submit a cover letter, brief personal history, resume, and letters of reference.
Monday, April 21, 2008
Some "good" problems at church.
Ordinarily I dislike problems. I'm capable of handling and addressing and resolving problems, but I don't walk around pursuing them. Lately, I've been grappling with some "good" problems around the church:
1. We're running out of programs/bulletins on Sundays.
This is good because it shows our attendance is growing. But it's largely growing because of new people attending, getting saved, getting baptized and being discipled. We've been averaging 3 or 4 water baptisms a month, which is a good start! So, we've been increasing the number of bulletins each week, and just yesterday we ran out -- again!
2. We have too many office volunteers.
Seriously, I have one person who comes in Mondays and Wednesdays, another three who come in Thursdays, another couple who are here Wednesday mornings, and then a new one who will be starting on Tuesdays and maybe another day of the week. This creates a need for me to be more organized, so I have plenty of meaningful, significant projects for each volunteer.
3. We have too many new faces.
This goes back to "problem" #1. I walk around church on Sunday morning, and I'm still able to identify the majority of people in our services. But then I see someone whose name eludes me, and I can't ask them again to share their name. Oh the joys of having lots of new people in your church!
1. We're running out of programs/bulletins on Sundays.
This is good because it shows our attendance is growing. But it's largely growing because of new people attending, getting saved, getting baptized and being discipled. We've been averaging 3 or 4 water baptisms a month, which is a good start! So, we've been increasing the number of bulletins each week, and just yesterday we ran out -- again!
2. We have too many office volunteers.
Seriously, I have one person who comes in Mondays and Wednesdays, another three who come in Thursdays, another couple who are here Wednesday mornings, and then a new one who will be starting on Tuesdays and maybe another day of the week. This creates a need for me to be more organized, so I have plenty of meaningful, significant projects for each volunteer.
3. We have too many new faces.
This goes back to "problem" #1. I walk around church on Sunday morning, and I'm still able to identify the majority of people in our services. But then I see someone whose name eludes me, and I can't ask them again to share their name. Oh the joys of having lots of new people in your church!
Sunday, April 20, 2008
A Tale of Two Dads.
I don't quite know where to begin with this. Our church is having a rough time right now because of the tragic death of one of our members last week. I got a call around 1:40AM late Thursday/early Friday morning from a teen in our church. She asked for prayer because her dad had stopped breathing and he was being rushed to the hospital.
About an hour later, I got a text message from my senior pastor saying the dad had died. I was out of town, but I continued to receive text and phone updates throughout the early morning hours.
Losing a loved one hurts. Losing that person in a sudden, tragic experience hurts so deeply.
You see, we have another family in our church whose dad is battling cancer. His doctors disagree over how to battle the disease or how much the treatments will help. Tomorrow they have another conversation with one of their doctors. I'm praying they have clarity and wisdom and peace.
Two families. Two struggles. Two dads. The stories are similar, yet the circumstances are so different. One family didn't get the chance to say good-bye. Another family doesn't know when good-bye will actually come. One family was rocked by tragedy. Another family is slowly tossed back and forth by different analyses and different recommendations.
Both families are in my prayers, and both need God to prove Himself in their situations. I know He will. It's just sometimes hard.
About an hour later, I got a text message from my senior pastor saying the dad had died. I was out of town, but I continued to receive text and phone updates throughout the early morning hours.
Losing a loved one hurts. Losing that person in a sudden, tragic experience hurts so deeply.
You see, we have another family in our church whose dad is battling cancer. His doctors disagree over how to battle the disease or how much the treatments will help. Tomorrow they have another conversation with one of their doctors. I'm praying they have clarity and wisdom and peace.
Two families. Two struggles. Two dads. The stories are similar, yet the circumstances are so different. One family didn't get the chance to say good-bye. Another family doesn't know when good-bye will actually come. One family was rocked by tragedy. Another family is slowly tossed back and forth by different analyses and different recommendations.
Both families are in my prayers, and both need God to prove Himself in their situations. I know He will. It's just sometimes hard.
Wednesday, April 16, 2008
Another summer movie I must see.
OK, my list of "must see" summer movies continues to grow. We have the latest installments of Indiana Jones, The Chronicles of Narnia and Batman. We have another Pixar flick (Wall-E) that looks interesting, a Speed Racer movie that might be entertaining (or lame, not sure), and several others I've seen in previews and summer articles.
Add to the list a new X-Files movie. Honestly, I didn't know they were shooting another one, which is pretty embarrassing for a guy who owns all the DVDs and used to avoid Sunday night activities so he could catch each week's episode.
Tuesday, April 15, 2008
Taxes, cell phones, and racquetball.
Unlike the last few years, I didn't wait until April 15 to file my taxes.
I got them done on April 14, instead.
The good news is that I'm getting a refund from both the state and the feds. Unfortunately, it's only half the amount of last year's refunds. It's rather ironic because I now own a home and have an entire year of reductable interest. The flip side is that I also have an entire year of roommates paying me money to live in my house. So it all panned out. Without roomies, huge refund. Without roomies, couldn't afford the house!
Topic 2. Cell phones. I bought a new one last week. The Palm Centro, with Sprint coverage. I like Sprint, it has good coverage here in the Sacramento area. The phone is cool, and with all the discounts and rebates, it came out to just about $100. And then I switched my service plan to the unlimited everything. So that's cool.
Topic 3. Racquetball. I played again today, against the third different friend since I got back into the game a few weeks ago. It's a good workout, good cardio stuff. Today, I almost lost the first game but pulled off a come-from-behind win, 22-20. Then I swept the second and third games fairly easily. But it's a good thing to do, as long as I don't do something stupid, like sprain my ankle again.
I got them done on April 14, instead.
The good news is that I'm getting a refund from both the state and the feds. Unfortunately, it's only half the amount of last year's refunds. It's rather ironic because I now own a home and have an entire year of reductable interest. The flip side is that I also have an entire year of roommates paying me money to live in my house. So it all panned out. Without roomies, huge refund. Without roomies, couldn't afford the house!
Topic 2. Cell phones. I bought a new one last week. The Palm Centro, with Sprint coverage. I like Sprint, it has good coverage here in the Sacramento area. The phone is cool, and with all the discounts and rebates, it came out to just about $100. And then I switched my service plan to the unlimited everything. So that's cool.
Topic 3. Racquetball. I played again today, against the third different friend since I got back into the game a few weeks ago. It's a good workout, good cardio stuff. Today, I almost lost the first game but pulled off a come-from-behind win, 22-20. Then I swept the second and third games fairly easily. But it's a good thing to do, as long as I don't do something stupid, like sprain my ankle again.
Am I a blogging failure?
Over the last few weeks, my blogging patterns have been weak. Horribly weak, one might say. Why has this happened? Let's ponder the possibilities.
1. Rob is spending too much time writing pithy messages on twitter; he's unable to complete thoughts longer than 140 characters.
2. Rob is so enamored with his most recent Moleskine purchase that he feels compelled to only write on physical paper using ink. Not pencil. Ink. Pencil is for wimps who can't commit to an idea.
3. Rob is spending too much time watching TV, now that he can catch new episodes of The Office, 30 Rock, and, um, well, what else does he watch...
4. Rob is overwhelmed with the project of re-creating his church's database from scratch because his senior pastor was tired of sending birthday cards to dead people and anniversary cards to divorced couples, so Rob got the job of using new software and starting from Square One.
5. Rob is using all his spare time coming up with excuses on why he's slow on getting editing projects back to his friends at Simply Youth Ministry. No wait, that doesn't sound very professional.
So pick whichever excuse you like. All of them are right and wrong, in an Obi Wan-explaining-to-Luke-about-his-father-and-truth-from-a-certain-point-of-view way.
1. Rob is spending too much time writing pithy messages on twitter; he's unable to complete thoughts longer than 140 characters.
2. Rob is so enamored with his most recent Moleskine purchase that he feels compelled to only write on physical paper using ink. Not pencil. Ink. Pencil is for wimps who can't commit to an idea.
3. Rob is spending too much time watching TV, now that he can catch new episodes of The Office, 30 Rock, and, um, well, what else does he watch...
4. Rob is overwhelmed with the project of re-creating his church's database from scratch because his senior pastor was tired of sending birthday cards to dead people and anniversary cards to divorced couples, so Rob got the job of using new software and starting from Square One.
5. Rob is using all his spare time coming up with excuses on why he's slow on getting editing projects back to his friends at Simply Youth Ministry. No wait, that doesn't sound very professional.
So pick whichever excuse you like. All of them are right and wrong, in an Obi Wan-explaining-to-Luke-about-his-father-and-truth-from-a-certain-point-of-view way.
Tuesday, April 08, 2008
The prayers of my blog.
We just wrapped up our church staff meeting, and in his closing prayer, our senior pastor prayed specifically for each of us. When praying for me, he said, "God, we ask that you would answer all the prayers of his blog," which made all of us laugh.
I know Kansas DID win the national championship last night in men's basketball. And according to at least one online article today, some people believe God played a role in helping the Jayhawks win.
I'm not a huge proponent of the "God lets Christians win" theory. If two Christian QBs face off in the Super Bowl, only one can win. Does God play favorites? Does God have a big coin in heaven that He tosses to pick the winner?
Certainly I believe God gives us the strength to do our best, to excel, to perform well. Besides, didn't we all learn years ago that it's not if we win but how we play the game?
Then again, I'd be a bit unhappy today if Kansas had lost last night. So maybe I still have some learnin' to do...
Tuesday, April 01, 2008
Parking confusion?
So, did this guy park in the wrong section of the parking lot? Or did the rest of us not get the message?
Too many text messages.
OK, so my five-month experiment has come to a close. Back in November, I decided to see if I could set a personal record for the most text messages in a month (combined incoming and outgoing). Before November, I had never used more than 1,550 in one month.
Well, November ended up being around 2,900 -- thanks to my sending messages to friends, asking them to text me. In December, I continued the experiment and got my count up to around 3,400. In January, I reached 4,400. In February, it grew to 5,100.
This brings us to the just-completed month of March. I broke all those personal records. In fact, I completely shattered them: just over 11,000 text messages used last month.
My friends, that works out to be more than 350 messages per day.
That's insane.
And I'm done.
Not with texting, but with my attempts to use mass quantities of messages. I'm sure I won't fall back into the 1,500 range again, but if a month from now, I've sent and received more than 11,000, it's time to check into rehab.
Well, November ended up being around 2,900 -- thanks to my sending messages to friends, asking them to text me. In December, I continued the experiment and got my count up to around 3,400. In January, I reached 4,400. In February, it grew to 5,100.
This brings us to the just-completed month of March. I broke all those personal records. In fact, I completely shattered them: just over 11,000 text messages used last month.
My friends, that works out to be more than 350 messages per day.
That's insane.
And I'm done.
Not with texting, but with my attempts to use mass quantities of messages. I'm sure I won't fall back into the 1,500 range again, but if a month from now, I've sent and received more than 11,000, it's time to check into rehab.
Thursday, March 27, 2008
Back in the swing of things.
I played racquetball this afternoon, the second time in a week -- after a break of more than 4 years. I've been surprised that I still have some of my skills intact, although a strong, highly talented player would probably crush me -- just as I've crushed the two younger guys from church that I've played against.
Still, it's good to get back in the swing of things and add an extra reason to visit the gym, and we all know I need as many reasons to get down there as I can.
Still, it's good to get back in the swing of things and add an extra reason to visit the gym, and we all know I need as many reasons to get down there as I can.
Monday, March 24, 2008
A good time in Old Sacramento.
Went down to Old Sacramento on Saturday with my friend Trista (yes, I know I'm late in posting, but better late than never, eh). We had a good time walking around, checking out some of the unique stores down there, and enjoying a dinner at Joe's Crab Shack. The weather was perfect, and the company was fun.
One of the interesting moments was coming across some "Jesus Junk" that would make Marko proud. In fact, it's probably appeared on his blog before. But this picture is Trista holding up the Jesus Action Figure. I thought about buying it for my office, but decided to hold off for now.
We also ran into some former youth workers from my church. It was great to see them and talk for a few minutes, and then they came to our sunrise service yesterday. Good stuff!
How should we judge Easter 'success'?
So, today is the "day after" and I'm still in recovery mode from Easter. I've managed to get some productive work done around the office, but I'm definitely not running on all cylinders.
One thought bouncing around my head is how to judge the "success" of an Easter weekend. Is it just about numbers? Which numbers matter most? Is something entirely different beyond numbers?
Here's what I know about our weekend. We had a strong Good Friday service, with around 60 folks at noontime. We had a great Easter Sunrise service, with around 80 people at 7AM. Our 9AM service had 260 people (usually around 100) and 11AM had 285 people (usually around 160), plus our kids areas had at least 40-50% more than a typical Sunday.
Does that mean Easter was a success?
We had dozens of volunteers get involved in our weekend activities. I had a crew that showed up at 6AM Sunday just to set up tables and chairs outdoors. We had about three dozen people involved in the actual Easter presentation, and we had new volunteers serving throughout the weekend.
Does that mean Easter was a success?
Things flowed nearly seamlessly throughout the weekend. We had no major problems, no major obstacles. The power didn't go out, the donkey didn't drop "Jesus" in the Palm Sunday scene, and we had enough parking for everyone.
Does that mean Easter was a success?
We don't actually know how many first-time guests came Sunday, but we had response cards from 13 (we usually get 3 to 5 most weekends). We had at least 5 people indicate that they made a decision or recommitment to follow Jesus, and I'm sure we had others who said a prayer but didn't respond to let us know.
Does that mean Easter was a success?
I guess that last paragraph has some of the most important "numbers" and info. The other areas are important, too, so it's hard to say. I'd call this weekend a success, but I'm still struggling with what was most successful -- and if our level of "success" could have been higher, and if more people could have responded to a chance at a relationship with Jesus Christ.
One thought bouncing around my head is how to judge the "success" of an Easter weekend. Is it just about numbers? Which numbers matter most? Is something entirely different beyond numbers?
Here's what I know about our weekend. We had a strong Good Friday service, with around 60 folks at noontime. We had a great Easter Sunrise service, with around 80 people at 7AM. Our 9AM service had 260 people (usually around 100) and 11AM had 285 people (usually around 160), plus our kids areas had at least 40-50% more than a typical Sunday.
Does that mean Easter was a success?
We had dozens of volunteers get involved in our weekend activities. I had a crew that showed up at 6AM Sunday just to set up tables and chairs outdoors. We had about three dozen people involved in the actual Easter presentation, and we had new volunteers serving throughout the weekend.
Does that mean Easter was a success?
Things flowed nearly seamlessly throughout the weekend. We had no major problems, no major obstacles. The power didn't go out, the donkey didn't drop "Jesus" in the Palm Sunday scene, and we had enough parking for everyone.
Does that mean Easter was a success?
We don't actually know how many first-time guests came Sunday, but we had response cards from 13 (we usually get 3 to 5 most weekends). We had at least 5 people indicate that they made a decision or recommitment to follow Jesus, and I'm sure we had others who said a prayer but didn't respond to let us know.
Does that mean Easter was a success?
I guess that last paragraph has some of the most important "numbers" and info. The other areas are important, too, so it's hard to say. I'd call this weekend a success, but I'm still struggling with what was most successful -- and if our level of "success" could have been higher, and if more people could have responded to a chance at a relationship with Jesus Christ.
Sunday, March 23, 2008
A good reminder for drivers.
Just came across this story; it's a good reminder that we California drivers have some new rules to follow come July 1:
- "Come July 1, drivers in California who make or receive phone calls other than emergencies will be required to have a hands-free way of talking. Motorists who don't can be pulled over and cited, $20 for the first offense and $50 for subsequent violations.
At the same time, a companion law will go into effect that prohibits drivers younger than 18 from using any type of electronic communication device to text or talk - even hands-free ones. However, it's a secondary infraction, which means it can't be the main reason a driver is pulled over."
Thursday, March 20, 2008
My brother is moving to Iowa.
For most of his life, my brother Rick has lived here in California. Our family moved here just before his 1st grade year, he went to college in CA, and he's lived in the Golden State (with the exception of some extended trips overseas).
But this week he's moving to Iowa. He'll be living in the same town as my dad and stepmom, and it should bring a whole host of fun, new experiences for him.
Dad and Rick stopped by Wednesday evening on their way east, traveling on I-80. We grabbed a quick bite at Wendy's before they went back on the road with the U-Haul and Rick's car in tow. Best wishes to them on this trip, and to Rick in this new season of life!
Monday, March 17, 2008
'24' comes to an end.
Well, OK, it's really just Season 1 of 24 on DVD, but it did conclude tonight -- remarkably, with the same outcome as every other time I've seen the final episode. Our crowd was a little smaller this week, but it was still fun. We've been watching at my house every Monday night for the last 11 weeks, and next week we'll launch Season 2 on DVD. Sure wish the new season was running, but if it's as horrible as Season 6, maybe we'll just keep watching the DVDs over and over and over...
Thursday, March 13, 2008
Every Sunday is "Open House."
This evening, our preschool and our K-8 school are hosting their spring open house. Staff members are feverishly cleaning, assembling packets, trimming shrubs and making sure things look just right. The economy is tough right now, but we're still hoping and praying for a strong turnout tonight and a strong interest for fall enrollment.
Hearing the lawn mower outside reminded me that churches generally don't hold "open house" events for the community -- at least, not in the usual sense. But the truth is, every Sunday is an open house for a church! We have guests every weekend checking out our facilities and ministries and people. We have people walking through the doors who are looking for information and are considering "enrolling" in a church. We have folks who are just checking things out, and others who are ready to make a major commitment.
The question is, are we ready for those guests each weekend? Do we treat Sundays as an "open house" event for people in our community?
Hearing the lawn mower outside reminded me that churches generally don't hold "open house" events for the community -- at least, not in the usual sense. But the truth is, every Sunday is an open house for a church! We have guests every weekend checking out our facilities and ministries and people. We have people walking through the doors who are looking for information and are considering "enrolling" in a church. We have folks who are just checking things out, and others who are ready to make a major commitment.
The question is, are we ready for those guests each weekend? Do we treat Sundays as an "open house" event for people in our community?
Monday, March 10, 2008
Are you a cruise control leader?
Some years back, I began talking to teens about how Christianity is a journey, not just a destination. While traveling this past weekend, I spent a lot of time on the freeway and a lot of time using my cruise control. It’s a wonderful invention for long trips, but leading a ministry with a “cruise control” style is risky. How do you know if you’re in danger of being a cruise-control leader?
You’re content with current results
If we’re cruising for new adventures, we always want more people to show up, more lives to be changed, more volunteers to get involved – basically, we’re unwilling to settle for the status quo.
But if we’re on cruise control, we’re OK with a “solid, steady” crowd through our doors. We’re happy that people still love God, even if they aren’t inviting their friends to church and they can’t remember the last time they shared God’s love with a stranger. We love our volunteers to death, but we’re just too busy or content (or maybe even tired) to recruit, train and release anyone new.
Cruise control limits us from accelerating to see increased results in our ministry.
You’ve lost your big-picture vision
If we’re cruising for new adventures, we keep our eyes focused on the big picture for our ministry, our congregation and our lives. Our ministry’s purpose is consistent with the direction for our whole church, and we look for ways to support all the other ministries – and even other churches in our community.
But if we’re on cruise control, we lose sight of the world beyond our ministry’s walls. We know that God has a big plan and a big purpose, but right now we’re just happy with teaching and leading this week. We aren’t on the lookout for ways to strengthen other members of our “team,” and if we pay attention to other churches, it’s only to compare and see who’s doing a “better job” in the community.
Cruise control limits us from cooperating with other leaders headed in the same direction.
You don’t get enthusiastic about new ministry ideas or opportunities
If we’re cruising for new adventures, we’re dreaming up new ways to create passion, impact and excellence in our ministry. (Call it the PIE phenomenon.) We’re filled with a hunger for doing things differently. We’re experimenting with new ways of discipling or reaching people who don’t know Jesus. We’re looking for new strategies to connect people and help them move into a place of honoring God, growing together, and serving others.
But if we’re on cruise control, we see “new” as a code word for “more work.” We don’t want to be stretched, we don’t want to risk our “successful” ministry for any new ideas, and we’ve lost our sense of passion. We still love people and we may still love ministry, but our comfort zone has become our ministry zone, and when we’re brutally honest, we admit that we’d rather be comfortable than challenged.
Cruise control limits us from driving new highways, ministering to new people, and experiencing God on the risky roads.
You’ve stopped planning for the future
If we’re cruising for new adventures, we can’t wait until tomorrow arrives – not because we’re tired of today, but because we know God has even better things in store. We’re placing ourselves and our ministries in the path of success and growth, and tomorrow means the opportunity to be involved in more people’s lives for His glory.
But if we’re on cruise control, we’re using the same map we’ve used for the last decade – or longer. We don’t look far beyond this coming Sunday or Wednesday, and we certainly don’t have many dreams about what our lives, ministries or church will look like in 6 months, one year or five years. We aren’t failing – yet. But we are failing to plan for the future, and when the future arrives, we may look back and regret our lack of preparing, dreaming and planning.
Cruise control limits us from accomplishing all that God has in store for us in the weeks, months and years ahead.
The good news, of course, is that at any time on our trip, we can turn off the cruise control and put our foot back on the accelerator. And that’s when the journey takes on new life once again.
You’re content with current results
If we’re cruising for new adventures, we always want more people to show up, more lives to be changed, more volunteers to get involved – basically, we’re unwilling to settle for the status quo.
But if we’re on cruise control, we’re OK with a “solid, steady” crowd through our doors. We’re happy that people still love God, even if they aren’t inviting their friends to church and they can’t remember the last time they shared God’s love with a stranger. We love our volunteers to death, but we’re just too busy or content (or maybe even tired) to recruit, train and release anyone new.
Cruise control limits us from accelerating to see increased results in our ministry.
You’ve lost your big-picture vision
If we’re cruising for new adventures, we keep our eyes focused on the big picture for our ministry, our congregation and our lives. Our ministry’s purpose is consistent with the direction for our whole church, and we look for ways to support all the other ministries – and even other churches in our community.
But if we’re on cruise control, we lose sight of the world beyond our ministry’s walls. We know that God has a big plan and a big purpose, but right now we’re just happy with teaching and leading this week. We aren’t on the lookout for ways to strengthen other members of our “team,” and if we pay attention to other churches, it’s only to compare and see who’s doing a “better job” in the community.
Cruise control limits us from cooperating with other leaders headed in the same direction.
You don’t get enthusiastic about new ministry ideas or opportunities
If we’re cruising for new adventures, we’re dreaming up new ways to create passion, impact and excellence in our ministry. (Call it the PIE phenomenon.) We’re filled with a hunger for doing things differently. We’re experimenting with new ways of discipling or reaching people who don’t know Jesus. We’re looking for new strategies to connect people and help them move into a place of honoring God, growing together, and serving others.
But if we’re on cruise control, we see “new” as a code word for “more work.” We don’t want to be stretched, we don’t want to risk our “successful” ministry for any new ideas, and we’ve lost our sense of passion. We still love people and we may still love ministry, but our comfort zone has become our ministry zone, and when we’re brutally honest, we admit that we’d rather be comfortable than challenged.
Cruise control limits us from driving new highways, ministering to new people, and experiencing God on the risky roads.
You’ve stopped planning for the future
If we’re cruising for new adventures, we can’t wait until tomorrow arrives – not because we’re tired of today, but because we know God has even better things in store. We’re placing ourselves and our ministries in the path of success and growth, and tomorrow means the opportunity to be involved in more people’s lives for His glory.
But if we’re on cruise control, we’re using the same map we’ve used for the last decade – or longer. We don’t look far beyond this coming Sunday or Wednesday, and we certainly don’t have many dreams about what our lives, ministries or church will look like in 6 months, one year or five years. We aren’t failing – yet. But we are failing to plan for the future, and when the future arrives, we may look back and regret our lack of preparing, dreaming and planning.
Cruise control limits us from accomplishing all that God has in store for us in the weeks, months and years ahead.
The good news, of course, is that at any time on our trip, we can turn off the cruise control and put our foot back on the accelerator. And that’s when the journey takes on new life once again.
Spontaneous substitute.
Just got done teaching a class of fifth- and sixth-graders at our Christian school. Our regular teacher had to bow out for a family commitment, so I got asked about 25 minutes before class started! Not much time to prepare, but it still went well. We talked about 1 Peter 1:14-16, and what it means to live "holy" lives for God.
Funniest thing about that mixed class is that there are just 2 boys, so quite a bit of talking amongst friends. Would I want to teach them day in and day out? Let's just say my appreciation for our teachers increased significantly in the last hour!
Funniest thing about that mixed class is that there are just 2 boys, so quite a bit of talking amongst friends. Would I want to teach them day in and day out? Let's just say my appreciation for our teachers increased significantly in the last hour!
Sunday, March 09, 2008
Did daylight savings affect your church?
Remarkably, today's services weren't significantly affected by the "spring" forward on our clocks. In fact, in the service I work with most directly, we had our second strongest attendance number from the last 6 months. I guess that's more a sign of health in the ministry and improvements in our follow-up efforts with newer folks.
Still, we did have a couple of funny tales today. First, our main bulletin-distributor didn't show up on time, so we had someone fill in for her. I should have sent her a text message yesterday to remind her -- but I forgot to do that! Second, after checking on another building, I was walking back toward our sanctuary just before noon -- or 11AM, if you forgot to move your clocks ahead, as was the case for the family I saw entering. They were surprised at how full the parking lot was -- until I asked if they had forgotten to change their clocks.
Oops!
Still, we did have a couple of funny tales today. First, our main bulletin-distributor didn't show up on time, so we had someone fill in for her. I should have sent her a text message yesterday to remind her -- but I forgot to do that! Second, after checking on another building, I was walking back toward our sanctuary just before noon -- or 11AM, if you forgot to move your clocks ahead, as was the case for the family I saw entering. They were surprised at how full the parking lot was -- until I asked if they had forgotten to change their clocks.
Oops!
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