by Chase | Kid Min, Leadership
It’s official, my son is addicted to his cell phone.
Before you think that I am the worst parent in the world for allowing my 3-year-old son to have a cell phone, don’t fret. It is an awesome Spiderman toy flip phone.
The buttons make noise.
It is bright red.
A few nights ago, I sat down at the dinner table with my family and let Tripp know that he could grab a toy to bring to the table while we ate. He returned with a proud smile on his face and laid his Spiderman cell phone down on the table beside his dinner plate.
I didn’t think much of it until he interrupted me to tell me his Nana was calling. Holding the toy phone up to his ear, he enjoyed a nice 30-second make-believe conversation.
A few minutes later he interrupted my wife and said, “Wait! I need to take a video of Brooke eating her food to send it to Grandmama!”
My wife and I sat in amazement as he perfectly held the phone up to take a “video” of our daughter while she ate broccoli.
Time after time that evening he kept reaching for his phone pretending to answer calls, look up videos, and text people.
As we sat down to watch TV that evening he ran to get his phone and told me he needed it close by in case someone called him.
In a matter of one evening, my son showed me that he is clearly addicted to his “phone.”
This is what I thought until I realized who he has learned this from.
Tripp’s behavior has been extremely telling of how I carry my phone through the house.
I set my phone on our kitchen table while we eat. I carry my phone around my house in case someone calls me. I constantly post on social medias. I even play funny videos for him.
The truth is that my son isn’t addicted to a cell phone … I am.
Our kids are constantly watching our every move. Even the smallest actions are being processed and perfected in their little minds.
You can’t fool your kids! They know what is important to you. Their core values of life will be learned by your actions, not your words. This goes for their spiritual life and personal development. Kids will learn what it means to be an adult by examining the way you live your life.
Nothing on this planet can replace the influence (negative or positive) that a parent has on his/her children.
As Anne and I laughed about the situation we decided that there were some changes that we needed to make to ensure our kids have a healthy view of technology, social medias, and connectivity. So from now on, for starters, I will not have my cell phone sitting on the dining room table as we eat meals.
Trust me, I need to be connected! But the connection has to be with my kids and not my phone.
While Tripp is still playing with his cell phone, he has noticed that mine is not around as much.
What habits are your kids starting to notice in you?
by Chase | Leadership
When was the last time you wanted to push the reset button and re-do a portion of your life?
While we would love to have time machines at our disposal, life does not work that way. Being Marty McFly would be awesome, but many of us have not befriended a mad scientist who transforms cars into flying time machines.
In The Comeback: It’s Not Too Late and You’re Never Too Far
, Louie Giglio lets readers know that God is all about comebacks. Whether you were on top and have fallen or have been dealt a low hand in life, there is hope and redemption through Jesus – the author of the ultimate comeback.
I will admit that I typically enjoy every book by Louie Giglio, but I IMMEDIATELY fell in love with this read. It is refreshing to see his transparency and how Jesus beautifully redeemed different seasons of his life.
Giglio’s message comes straight from the good news of Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection. The truth is that God is creator of the best comeback in history! There is hope found in the cross of Jesus. Throughout the book, Giglio exemplifies this truth by examining various accounts in Scripture of people who seemed too far lost for a comeback to happen.
You are not too broken to experience a comeback.
If you are in need of a comeback or are looking for an encouraging book for your next small group, make sure to pick up a copy of The Comeback: It’s Not Too Late and You’re Never Too Far. This book can be a great tool to breathe fresh wind in your ministry and help mend brokenness in your faith community.
(Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookLook Bloggers book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.)
by Chase | Kid Min, Leadership, Student Min
One of the hardest aspects of leadership is to create a culture where volunteers take ownership of the mission of the ministry.
And if you are a leader that is halfway worth his/her salt, you understand the importance of your volunteers taking ownership.
Ownership can take on various forms and even look different for different people, but it is rooted in our volunteers realizing and fulfilling their roles in God’s mission for the church — to make disciples in our cities, states, nations, and the world.
While this is our desire, often our volunteers’ ownership is attached to everything but the mission!
Over time, allegiance shifts away from the mission and starts to cling to the building, rooms, programs, or committees.
Your church will never move forward until your people take ownership.
It’s likely your volunteers have a heart to see God’s mission reign supreme in their local church. They simply need someone (YOU) to cast the vision and equip them to think, lead, and serve differently.
As I have been attempting to shift this mindset in our church, I have realized that I am responsible for more than charting the course. As the leader, I am responsible for preparing our volunteers for the journey.
Call it equipping.
Call it training.
Call it whatever you would like, but the truth is that you have to provide for every step of their journey.
Here are a few areas you have to provide before your leaders will take ownership.
Three Ways To Prepare Your Volunteers To Take Ownership
- Leaders Must Provide Resources
If you expect your volunteers to take ownership, you have to supply them with quality resources. Failure to supply is failure to equip.
Volunteers need the assurance that you are going to cover the financial costs, invest your own time, provide necessary supplies, and train them appropriately for them to get the job done.
If you don’t provide for them, they will become frustrated by the unrealistic expectations you have placed on them and will quit your ministry.
Don’t throw your volunteers in the game without the proper equipment.
Want them to send cards to new visitors? Provide cards and postage. Want Bible studies for kids to be creative? Stock a central supply room and provide instructions. Want youth leaders to bond with students outside of Bible study time? Organize some structured activities to get the ball rolling.
- Leaders Must Provide Energy
Does your ministry give or take energy from your volunteers?
I understand serving is hard work, but is your ministry sucking the life out of your leaders? Do you experience constant turnover?
Don’t overlook the need for positive energy in your ministry. You are the key spokesperson for your ministry. You must create a volunteer culture that is known for its fun, creativity, and purpose.
Two easy ways to create this culture is to celebrate (encourage) wins and clearly/consistently communicate lessons, events, and updates. Nothing kills a volunteer’s energy than receiving a lesson one day before they are supposed to teach. If you do your part to be prepared, your volunteers can do theirs.
- Leaders Must Provide Protection
When you fulfill your responsibilities, you protect your leaders.
No one likes correcting misalignments, enforcing policies, or asking hazardous participants to leave. But guess what? As a leader this is YOUR job. When you avoid making hard decisions you put your volunteers in a bad spot.
Volunteers shouldn’t be expected to run new check-in system and defend its validity to parents because you didn’t communicate why the system is important. Similarly, volunteers shouldn’t be expected to continue running a program that isn’t going well and needs realignment because you don’t feel like making a tough call.
When you avoid your responsibilities, you are not protecting your volunteers’ time, energy, and effort.
When you fulfill your responsibilities your volunteers will take ownership.
What are other key provisions a leader can make for his/her volunteers to make their experiences better and their ministry more effective?
by Chase | Leadership
Leaders are in a continual state of thinking and observation.
Unfortunately, many of our best ideas fall out of our brains because we are too busy to capture them.
How many times have we forgotten a potential game changer that would have increased our leadership ability?
In comes the idea journal.
Some people hate the idea of journaling but I promise this is a different concept. An idea journal differs from a diary, prayer journal, or blog because it is simply a way for you to capture and develop various ideas and observations you have throughout the day.
Utilizing an idea journal can help with your processes, systems, writing, teaching, and professional development.
- Bloggers and writers can use capture ideas and topics to reduce writer’s block.
- Preachers and teachers can benefit as they collect illustrations and contextualize their message to their culture.
- Managers can record insights gathered from conversations of employees.
In short, this is a bookmark for your brain. As you jot or type out a concept you have an easily accessible reference point for later.
An idea journal can be digital or hardcopy. I suggest using an app like Evernote and create a notebook specifically for your brain-dump or purchase a hardcopy Moleskine notebook to carry with you. I have been a fan of both for years and have had great success with a digital and hardcopy notebook.
Once you decide on your medium, the next step is to start recording.
Don’t waste a lot of time creating a method. This should be a place that you can sketch an idea, write out a definition, or make a quick observation. If the system is too complex, you won’t be able to utilize it.
Here are some ways an idea journal will develop you as a leader.
Why You Need An Idea Journal
- Capture
Quickly capturing an idea creates a reference point for you to draw upon later. Instead of forgetting a wonderful idea, record it to expound on it later.
- Create
When you record ideas it allows your brain to marinate on a subject. The longer you are able to use your imagination, the better the final product with be. Creativity does not happen overnight, you need a period of time for inspiration and maturation.
- Critique
When you walk the sales floor or through the aisles you are continually observing how your company, employees, and systems work. Journaling will allow you to critique your processes and find ways to improve upon them.
- Captivate
I love dedicating a page to a single word or concept. That way as I see an example, definition or illustration for that word, I am able to capture its meaning played out in reality. I begin to be captivated by various aspects that I had never noticed before.
How are you capturing and developing ideas?
by Chase | Leadership
3 Reasons You Should Give the Gospel In Every Sermon
– Greg Stier
The more your congregation hears the Gospel the more clearly they can articulate it (and more non-believers will respond to it).
Should I Become An Intern?
– Chris Parker
Think God is calling you into student ministry? Here are a few options to consider.
When the Parent is the Bully
– The Children’s Ministry Blog
What do you do when the parents are causing the issues in your children’s ministry?
We Learn More When We Learn Together
– Orange Leaders
Creating a culture of learning benefits the entire team. Here are some resources to get your team started.
