A number of years ago, while sitting in an airport, I saw an interesting book by a name that I vaguely recalled. The author was Brian Tracey and it turns out that Brian Tracey is a productivity guru. The book is entitled Eat That Frog. Let’s imagine that you sit down to dinner with your [...]
I made a significant mistake early on in my ministry career. I made several decisions that were unpopular — but that was not my mistake. We are going to make decisions that don’t please everyone. That is a good case of the normals. My mistake was in recruiting some of the individuals who were the [...]
You know, God has created the universe in such a way that things go from order to disorder — from order to chaos. It literally takes effort to build a ministry, like it takes effort to build anything. It takes energy to take blocks and stack them on top of one another. It doesn’t magically [...]
You know, I’ve been in ministry for a long time. Early on, when our nursery director would text me or call and let me know that four people have called in sick at 7 p.m. on Saturday night, I would freak out! I would freak out because we were going to be massively short-handed. And [...]
Do you want your kids to follow Christ all the days of their life? There are no magic levers for parents to pull to ensure their child will walk with Christ. Yet, there are things we parents can do, while our kids are still under our roof, to lead our children to taste and see [...]
I have influence as a parent. While my kids are still under my roof, I want to lead my children to taste and see that it is a beautiful thing to serve Christ. I’ve shared the insights from kids in two different families in Part 1 and Part 2 of this series. I interviewed a [...]
As I mentioned last week, serving together as a family is one of the most profound ways parents can instill lasting values about the kingdom of God in their children. Here are thoughts from three siblings who have been faithfully serving with their family once a month in the nursery for years. Helping in the [...]
Children who serve WITH their families in a faith-based ministry, are more likely to stay connected to Christ and the church when they leave the home. Over the past several weeks, I’ve shared some of my observations of families I’ve seen serve well together. And I’ve given some insight from these parents. But what do [...]
I have to say, in full disclosure, I am an individual who can succumb to exaggeration, hyperbole, and dramatic inflation. I have to be cautions to not over inflate my communication of the needs of our ministry so as to get our way. Some of you know what I am talking about. You are sitting [...]
The Bible says in Proverbs 6: Go to the ant, you sluggard; consider its ways and be wise! It has no commander no overseer or ruler, yet it stores its provisions in summer and gathers its food at harvest. Ethic of Diligence The ant is an interesting creature. Truly, it doesn’t have a boss or [...]