All the Small Things

Last week, we drove about an hour to the TCS football game. Got there toward the middle of the 1st quarter. The game was nothing special. Horrible officiating. We got beat. It was something that happened about 5 minutes after we got there. I didn't see anyone we knew when we first got up in the stands. Walked our family up to an open spot in the stands and found  seat. A couple minutes later a couple Jr High age girls showed up and looked at Scout (my very introvert daughter) and invited her to sit with them. She looked at us. We nodded go. We were able to watch as she sat and talked and laughed for most of the game. Made Marge and I feel wonderful. We knew sending her to a small Christian school would be good for her. She can't get lost in the crowd. "Our plan was working." It was a small thing but big in our eyes. 

I think as a parent and a leader, you have to find wins in the small things. (insert appropriate short joke here.) Small things turn into Big Things.  It wasn't that Scout didn't have friends when we lived in SanAntonio. She had great friends that will probably remain her friends throughout her life. She is a kid who makes good grades but when we would ask about a bad grade her teachers would say she is fine it is just one bad grade. Well, what caused that one bad grade? I am concerned about the small things. Because small things turn into big things. When I asked her who she hung out with at school, it was usually one or two kids that I never met. When we asked her if she wanted to have kids over she would say no. She just always blended in. We saw kids reaching out to her as a win. She is doing great at her new school. I still don't see her as a socialite but she is making friends. We can celebrate that. 

The other thing is we need to stick to the plan. In our first couple of weeks at school Coop was testing us and out teachers trying to figure out this new school thing. Let's just say, he lost some privileges. I will be honest, I thought maybe this Christian School thing is not the best idea. I am just saying, I was reminded by this little thing, "Stick to the Plan". As a parent or a leader, you will go through rough stretches but if you make a plan and it makes sense, don't let small bumps get you off of what you know is the right thing to do. I talked with his teacher this week, and she said he has gotten his act together. Scout is making friends and Coop is doing well. We just have to stick to the plan. 

Celebrate the small things and stick to the plan. When you do those things in your life you will find success in leadership and parenting. It is not going to always be easy but you can get it done. 

Creating Creativity

In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. Genesis 1:1

It drives me nuts when someone says, "I can't be creative". I mean, it isn't like it is a special spiritual gift. Being creative to me, falls under the whole, "made in God's image" statement. God is a creator. He made us to be also. Is it harder for some people, maybe. Can it be accomplished by anyone? I think so. I have made a simple equation to teach all you not creative people how to be creative. Here is my simple mathematic equation for creativity:

A + B or C = Creativity

A= God 

All creativity begins with God. In the beginning God created... He is the greatest creator. He is the source to start with and for all purposes he helps with everything else. It's okay to ask God for help being creative. I think just about every pastor and creative team for every church does it. Does he care about little things we are needing to be creative about. Sure he does. He cares enough to count the hairs on our head. 

B= Life Experience

Be open to try new things. I find that people that are excessively creative are people that do stuff. It is important that we get out of our comfort zones at times. Meet new people. I know introverts will kill me for saying that. I live with one. We can gain understanding of other things when we talk with others. Try new stuff. Sitting at home watching TV or looking on Facebook what others are doing will never help you be creative. It is always fun what God shows you through adventures. Go new places. You don't understand that the Grand Canyon really looks like a painting until you go and see it.  Creativity blossoms when you have life experience. 

C= Imagination

When you are a child imagination is promoted. When you are an adult, not so much. Dream about things. Creativity can be driven by imagination. The question "What if?" should never be taboo. It should be a regular occurrence for us as adults. Use your imagination. Let the Holy Spirit guide it. It isn't a bad thing.

God wants you to be creative in your life. He wants you to be creative in ministry, parenting, our work, and in many aspects of our lives. Don't be afraid of being creative or creative people (even when they do seam a little strange). You are a creative person. You were made in the image of the greatest creator. 

Own It!

I have been a children's pastor at churches for a good chunk of my adult life at this point. It is always an interesting dynamic going into a new church. (This past week has been great, I am just running on information overload.) You never know what it is you are coming into honestly. I have been to places where people have thought you were trying to take over the church because you asked them to improve on weaknesses. I have been places where people were so excited you were there that you wonder how bad it was before. You see God may have called me to lead a children's ministry but I am not there to own it. God may have called a pastor to a church to  

shepherd it, but he is not there to own it. As far as the chain of ownership goes in the church, both pastors and associate pastors are low on the organizational chart as far as ownership.

I worked for one pastor who truly thought he owned the church. He would never have admitted it. He struggled with many different things. It was usually about him. It was usually about how he wanted to do stuff. I don't remember once him saying "let’s pray and find out what God would have us do". It wasn't even that he was a micromanager (some people would have and did call him that) but it felt a lot like he made it about him. He would tell the staff on a regular basis we were not there for our careers but just to serve him. It really was hard because I am totally on board with serving my pastor. I love the Elisha and Elijah principle from 2 Kings 2. Elisha would not leave Elijah's side. He wanted to be there for his pastor or mentor. He wouldn't leave him. Pastor's that make it about them don't get this principle because it is about them. Pastors lead the church they don't own the church. It isn't about them. 

Really, truthfully, only God owns a church. It all has to come from him. You want to follow the vision placed into the pastor’s heart by the Holy Spirit. As a kid's pastor, I want to lead that ministry of the church to follow that vision. Yet, even when the pastor has a vision instilled in his heart, he doesn't own the church. He shouldn't even be second on that list. Truthfully, the Pastor is there to lead and serve not own. 

The owners of the church are the people God has put in that body. A church can never hire enough staff to run a church with paid volunteers. Paid Volunteers?  That makes NO sense. Just like anything that you own, you have to work it. It is part of owning it. Yeah, you hire the pastors to keep it but that's like buying a restaurant and never washing a dish. It is like buying a new car and never changing the oil. It is like joining a co-op and never being a part of the op. If it is your church, you have to own it. You need to take care of it too. Be a part of the system. Teach something. Serve somewhere or someone. Invite people to be a part. Lead a ministry. It is your church. You need to own it. 

I know the idea of people owning the church may not set well with people. God has called us to be the Bride of Christ. I don't know about you but my wife has just as much ownership of my stuff as I do. Paul goes into this in Ephesians 5. So yes, you own the church. I tell kids all the time, "You know so many more kids than I could ever meet". You can jump in and do so much more than one pastor if everyone did something. Own it. God has given you a talent, use it. It really is your church given to you by God. Don't let it go to waste. 

Do They Get It?

I spent the last couple of weeks at Family and Kid's Camp. Had a blast. God moved in the lives of so many kids this week. It was great. It is always so cool to see how God can move in so many unique ways at camp. That is a different blog than this one today. It will probably be next week actually. A couple from our church came and served with us at camp this week. They were wanting to come because their daughter was going to have her first camp experience. Their daughter has "special needs". She is great. I love this kid. She walks into kid's church like any other kid. She sings the songs and does the motions. She listens more attentively than almost any kid I have in Kid's Church. I was excited she was going to get to experience camp with us. 

Last night, as our kids were praying in the altar, her mom came up to me and asked if I could explain to her daughter about Jesus. She didn't think as much as she had heard about Jesus and spiritual things that she gets it. I called the little girl over and asked her some questions, mostly got "yeah" answers. It was sweet. I never got a real long answer from her. She never really gave me a long answer to any open ended questions you ask kids to see if they get it. (What did Jesus do? Who is Jesus? How do you get to Heaven? etc.) I prayed with her when I was done talking. Her Mom sat there as I was talking to her just listening intently. 

The Mom and I sat and talked for a few minutes after I prayed with her daughter. Her concern, "Does my daughter get it? Does she truly understand all this stuff?" I know this kid, I have seen her worship. She listens to me speak every Sunday. Does she truly get all the concepts of faith? I don't know, but do any of us really ever truly get it. I know so many Biblical concepts that I still shake my head and want to ask Jesus about when we get to Heaven. 

I do know that Romans 10: 17 says, "Faith comes from hearing the message. And the message that is heard is the word of Christ." I know she hears but does she understand? I believe on her level she does. I know that we all have different capacities for learning. I believe our faith and our understanding should coincide with that. In her case she may not cognitively get every abstract topic that goes along with spiritual understanding but if I ask her, "Do you love Jesus?" Her answer is, "Yes".  

All this for me to say this, I never thought about parents with special needs kids wondering, does my kid get it. I never considered the questions of some of these parents who look at their sweet children and wonder will they get it enough to spend eternity in Heaven. I can imagine them being concerned about physical well being and educational ability. It just hit me like a ton of bricks though as I heard this Mom concerned for the spiritual understanding of her kid. Let me put it like this, if you are telling them about Jesus, reading God's word to them, and taking them to church to hear God loves them, then yes they get it. They get it in their own special way. God loves them just as much and probably more then any other kids out there. To all parent's of special needs kids, pick your chin up God loves you and your child and wants you to know that he loves them too.