#4 & #5 Things I Learned My First Year…

#4. When you step into ministry their is a weight of responsibility that nothing prepares you for. The higher your position in ministry the greater the weight of responsibility is. You have to learn to give it to God daily. It’s a lot easier when you’re constantly casting your cares upon Him, and admitting your weakness. God knows that you can’t do anything worthwhile without Him. He knows you can’t handle it on your own. He wants us to learn to trust Him. It’s scary to think that it’s on you to train people or kids how to live for Jesus. He just wants us to be an instrument that He can use to do the work. Submission to Him is key. When we think the responsibility is ours, we get bogged down with our inadequacies, and fearful of messing up. So I think of it in small things. What do I know God wants me to do with this ministry? I’ll do that. It’s up to Him to do the heart change.

#5. The minute you step into ministry and publicly declare your desire to dedicate your life to the work of the ministry, it’s like you painted a BIG target on your chest for the enemy. He’ll do anything to take you out. He’s cunning and deceptive about it, so you have to be constantly aware of that target and able to discern when something is an attack from the enemy. There’s only one way to defeat a spiritual battle, and that is with spiritual weapons. You better have them ready if you want to be used by God to grow His kingdom.

3rd Thing I’ve Learned…

#3. Gather others around you to help carry the weight of leadership.

Listen… You can NOT do it alone!!!!! I’m still learning this. I know this in my mind, but sometimes I fall back into trying to do it all myself, and then I fail or become disheartened and bitter. If you’re in leadership of any sort, I guarantee you that there are people around you who are gifted in ways that you are not, and they CAN and WANT to help you.

There are HUGE benefits to working as a TEAM. I have an AMAZING KidsPointe team…from my Small Group Leaders to Worship to Tech, they are an awesome group of individuals. Sometimes I look around and I think, “God why do you have me at the head of this ministry?” If I’m brutally honest I’d love to say that He replies with “Hope you’re the best, are you kidding…why wouldn’t I?” However, that is so NOT the case! Instead, I hear Him say…”I placed them in position to make Me look good. I knew they have what it takes to build a Children’s Ministry. Together you guys can change the hearts of kids in this world. Now go for it together!”

I have only just begun to tap into the leadership potential in my team, and I can tell you it’s the BEST thing I’ve done! I’m more at peace, I’m not running around like crazy. I can concentrate on the things that are most important for me to do. I have more freedom to think big picture, and I get to see God using their gifts and talents to build the kingdom. It is such a blessing to see some of them stepping into the areas that they are most passionate about. It’s also been really, really cool to see them stepping up and begin leading and pastoring other team members. I LOVE IT!

So, if you’re struggling with a big project… GATHER A TEAM!!!! It will be the BEST thing you’ve ever done, GUARANTEED!

2nd Thing I’ve Learned My First Year of Being a Pastor

#2 RELAX and TRUST GOD

This is probably the most important thing I’ve learned this year…

I remember a week, a few months ago, that was very hectic. I had meetings all week, an extra speaking engagement and our church’s women’s conference, which I had committed to be a hostess for. All week long, every time I sat down to work on the children’s weekend services something would legitimately happen that required my attention. 

I knew the general direction of the service, but there was no detailed plan for my volunteers. Leaving on Thursday for the women’s conference I took my laptop planning to get in some work time. The conference was awesome, but as you can imagine being with 150 women, ministry opportunities took the priority over planning a service. The whole weekend, I kept praying to God and saying– “Lord, you know that I have tried to be prepared for this weekend, but I have not had the time to dedicate to it. I’m trusting you. Show me what to do for our services. I’m counting on you to make it happen.”

Saturday as a drove back into town, only hours from our first of 3 weekend services, I still had no plan. I had been a part GREAT conversations and been able to encourage other ladies, but I had not been able to do the work that I felt like I needed to do, and worst of all I was exhausted. I decided that I would have to lay down and take a nap if I hoped to have the energy to be around over 100 kids.

As I laid down, I prayed again, “Lord, I’m trusting you… show me what to do.” I was just about to fall asleep when God dropped into my heart a totally different, creative element for our services. I was able to take a nap, plan our service and make sure that everything was in place by the time our volunteers arrived. Honestly, it was one of the BEST services we’ve had. It showed me that I’m not in ministry alone. God is in it with me, and He knows and sympathizes with the business of ministry. He showed me that in those seasons where I’ve done my best but still haven’t been able to prepare, if I seek Him, He’ll step in and show me what to do.

My responsibility is to work diligently, but not in my own strength…in His. I don’t have to be stressed out and running at an impossible rate. If I RELAX and TRUST, He will bless my efforts and show me the way. And in the end, what He can do is FAR BETTER than my very best.

7 Things I Learned My 1st Year Being a Pastor

Over the next week, I’m going to post “7 Things I’ve Learned in My 1st Year of Being a Pastor.” Here is the first…

#1 Start with BIG vision, but then be ready to reduce to those things that produce the most effective change.

This is something that I do consistently, but it may not work for everyone. I’m a BIG dreamer… the bigger the better. When stepping into big change, I normally have a list of about 10 pretty huge things I want to accomplish. As time progresses, and I realize that it’s impossible to get all of it done at once, I begin eliminating items one by one. I can put those things on a list for another time. By the time the project is completed, I’ve usually accomplished about 3 Big changes.

I believe seeking God for what’s most important, and allowing him to create the list of things that you won’t compromise on, is key. Often times people who don’t have your vision are quick to criticize and say, “You are expecting too much.” That kind of attitude doesn’t really work around me. God uses those of us who believe in the impossible to drag the skeptics into the arena of faith.

Some things to be cautious of when you’re executing the BIG dream…
*Be careful you don’t leave casualties along the way. Try to build the faith of those around you without leaving them in the dust.
*Try and think things through: How is going to happen? Is now the time for this plan? What’s going to produce the most effective results in ministering to people?
*Don’t lose heart when others don’t get it or think you’re crazy.

rising up

I’m not sure if you’re like this, but I’m the kind of person that loves a challenge. I can be discouraged and feeling like things aren’t going to work out, but as soon as someone else voices those same thoughts about a situation… all of the sudden determination rises up with in me that things can and will turn around. I hate to say it, but I do well with a little opposition. When someone says it “can’t” be done, in my mind I typically think… “Yeah right, just watch.” The cool thing is that maybe that’s just what I needed to get my act together. This has happened to me a couple of times in the last few days, and while part of me wishes that everything perfectly lined up, another part of me is glad that it didn’t because it gives me the opportunity to be a part of God showing what He can do when things seem impossible. 
I’m excited for what’s to come.

Going public

I can’t believe how blessed I am to have someone in my life like David. There are so many things about him that I greatly admire and look up to. More than anything, I love his commitment to love and believe in others. I stand back in awe sometimes and think… “God, if only I could be more like that.” He never meets a stranger and doesn’t hold back from bringing Christ into almost every conversation with them. Nearly everyday I get to hear stories about who he has witnessed to or challenged to go further in their walk with God or encouraged to keep running the race with perseverance, and it inspires me to do the same.
 He notices everything. Sometimes it’s a little scary that he can recall a line from a movie he saw once 10 years ago or something that I said in passing that I thought he didn’t hear. I should know better since he has superhuman hearing. 
I love his passion for seeing the church united. I see the call on his life being acted out everyday as he takes on the cares and responsibilities of others. He can’t hear of someone’s need and not be thinking about how he can help or make it better. It makes me consider how differently Christianity would be viewed if all of us lived this way.
When I think about some of the time we have spent together, I wonder why he puts up with me. I’m a typical girl… needy, insecure… I expect him to read my mind and act weird when he doesn’t. Yet, he remains patient and understanding, and even smiles and says, “It’s ok.” 
These are just a glimpse at the great man that I know he is. I know there’s a lot more for me to learn about him, but I’m thankful to have the chance.

His faithfulness

The enduring faithfulness of God overwhelms me. It amazes me that although we are hard-headed at times and are not faithful to Him and what He has called us to do; He still patiently waits for us to get to the point that we realize “Oh, yeah… this isn’t working by me trying to make something happen on my own. God, what do I do?” I’m so grateful that in those moments that we realize our pride, thinking that we can do it on our own, He extends grace and says “Now that I’ve got your attention, here’s what you need to do…” I LOVE that about Him.

I’m there. I am at a point in my life where I’ve realized that there have been several things that I’ve been trying to accomplish in my own strength and knowledge. No wonder I haven’t seemed to be making any significant progress. But now I’m seeking Him, trusting His guidance and expecting the best. 

“Unless the Lord had given me help, I would soon have dwelt in the silence of death. When I said, ‘My foot is slipping,’ your love O LORD, supported me.” Psalm 94:17,18

Focused and steadfast

This is what  I’m praying for as we gear up for the fall ministry season. There are many big things coming up in the life of our church and definitely within kids ministry. It can all be a bit overwhelming if we don’t trust in God to direct our steps and bless our work. If I can be really honest, I’ve been very distracted as of late. I’m trying to find balance within myself. I’m praying that God will give me His wisdom in how to manage my time and my thoughts. There is much a head… in all aspects of life… God keep me focused and steadfast to Your will.

stepping out

It’s not always easy to step out in faith the instant that we sense God prompting us to do something, but it’s imperative if we really want to be a person that hears from Him. I find that I hear his voice many times a day… “Tell her, I have a better plan for her”… “Trust me”… “Be generous with that person”… “Change the direction of what you’re doing”… “Wait”… “Tread carefully here”… “Risk it all”… “Share Jesus with him”… “Pray for healing for her”… “Encourage”… “Listen”… “Speak out”… Over and over the Holy Spirit is prompting us to act, yet often times I find myself shaking it off like it’s a thought that comes from myself. The problem with that is eventually the voice will grow so faint we can barely make it out. I want to be the kind of person that hears and quickly obeys the Spirit’s urging, even at the risk of looking foolish to others.

A Name more powerful than cancer

I just received a prayer request for a man with a young family struggling to fight cancer. It seems like every week I hear of someone else who has been diagnosed with this disease, and I HATE that it strikes fear in our hearts. I know that it is a normal reaction, but in the words of the Dean of Students at HILC “To Hell with Cancer!!!!” It’s from Satan and we have authority it the name of Jesus to command it to go back where it came from. The name of Jesus Christ is certainly more powerful and stronger than the name cancer. I believe in healing. I believe that it’s God’s desire that we experience healing on earth with my whole heart and mind. I have no hesitation in praying and believing that God wants us healed, whether it’s from a cold or cancer. I am very thankful for the resurrection power in the name of Jesus Christ; I pray that as the church we choose to believe and trust that name.