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Archives For May 2012

Addicted to Sadness

May 29, 2012 — 1 Comment

 

There is a great, yet overplayed, song out by Goyte right now (and this cover video is so much less creepy than the original music video.) In the song “Somebody that I used to know” there is one line that always reminds me of me.

“You can be addicted to a certain kind of sadness,”

While I haven’t had my heart broken by a girl in 20 years, there are some forms of being sad that I can definitely relate to. Some pretty terrible addictions, and one really good one.

  1. Sadness that gets me more attention. I’ll go ahead and admit it. There are times that I like to share bad news. It’s purely attention-getting and I love it. I want the hands on my shoulders, the promises of praying for me, and the potential that they buy me lunch.
  2. Sadness that gives me an excuse to be a jerk. It’s nice to know that there are things that can happen to me, that make it easy for those I love to be gracious with me. But many times, I like to take it farther than I should. I’ll use it as an excuse to push the envelope of being jerky to a whole new level (and I’m talking about a really big envelope of jerkiness.)
  3. Sadness that forces me to Gods Word. Can I get super-spiritual? There have been moments of discouragement that have brought me to a place that all I want to do is read Christ’ words to me. It pushes me towards a God that cares for me in all seasons. There are reminders in scripture that I need my soul, mind, and heart to hear.

The thing with all forms of sadness, and the things that take me there; is that I can’t stay there. I’ve got to put some symbolic pavement under my feet and keep moving. It’s time to stop the addictions to sadness, and instead use the season as the change that God has intended it to be.

 

2 Corinthians 12:9

But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me.

 

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Leading others through Change

May 24, 2012 — 1 Comment

I’ve long thought that I love change. I loved the uncertainity of it all. I’ve loved having to prove myself all over again because my circumstnces have changed. I like change for the good, and I’ve liked change that initially felt like it was for the bad. It’s probably put best to say that “I’m comfortable with change.”

Oh how alone I am. Leading others through change is not as easy a proposition. As uncertain as things can become after a big change in your organization, it’s worth taking the time to do these three things to lead your team through change:

1. Explain. But only what you are allowed to. Face it, there are elements that have led to change in your organization; and oftentimes you can’t go there. Fighting the temptation to gossip is a hard battle, but as the leader you have no other choice if you expect others to follow you. Explain what you can, lay out the change as it relates to you as the leader and them as the one being affected by it.

2. Clarify. There are going to be times that when you lead through change, that you will be asked to relate to your team in a way you’ve never had to before. Just go ahead and clarify why it feels unfamiliar to them. Avoid throwing anyone under the bus, but as much as you can walk your team through what is, what is not, and what will be because of this change.

3. Support. When you’re leading others through change you are going to have to do some hand-holding. When you’ve explained the change and clarified what it means, then all that’s left is to simply support the change. Ultimately as the leader, you will be the one held responsible for your team buying into the change that’s happening. You are responsible for the support both up to your leader, and down to those you lead.

 

Note: One thing to note about organizational change. Change always opens the door for more change. When things are moving around like icebergs breaking apart in the ocean, it forces people to reevaluate. Sometimes thats you as the leader and sometimes that is the people you lead. Leave some room that the change your leading through is the change you’ve been needing as confirmation. It could be just what you’ve been waiting for.

 

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He Leads the Humble

May 23, 2012 — Leave a comment

Over the past two weeks I’ve covered just a few of the things we could all commiserate over as leaders of children, and I know that we’ve just scraped the surface of what there is to be upset with parents about.  But, if we can humble ourselves in a way that increases our capacity to lead…then watch out!  We can start overcoming the age-old problems of Children’s Ministry everywhere, and we can start with what we do first!  It’s all on us!

Psalms 25:9 He leads the humble in what is right, and teaches the humble his way.

 

We Wish Parents Would __________.

Help Parents Be at Church

Making a Parents Time Count

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Make it Easy to Carry

May 22, 2012 — Leave a comment

We all want parents to teach their kids at home, what we’ve worked so hard to teach them on the weekends.  This has begun to pick up steam across a lot of our children’s ministries, and for good reason.  If parents can get connected to what their kids are learning, we increase our effectiveness exponentially.  But, as leaders are we giving parents places to connect with what their kids learn?  Have you set the bar so impossibly high that parents never even try?  Is involvement with their kids rewarded in any way?  There are a plethora of ideas out there to get information into the hands of parents, but are we using it right?

We can communicate this important value by encouraging, exhorting, and praying with parents to see and fulfill their own role as a parent at home. 

It’s on me.  It’s on you.

 

We Wish Parents Would __________.

Help Parents Be at Church

Making a Parents Time Count

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Church as a Luxury

May 21, 2012 — Leave a comment

We all want parents to stop grounding their kids from our church.  I’ve seen it for years, parents treating kids church attendance like the privilege of riding a bicycle or playing baseball.  It’s more important than that, but have we really sold parents on the value of all that you do?  Seriously ask yourself, are your areas really punishment?  Are you taking the time to confront this misperception in the minds of parents?

We can communicate the value of what we do by helping parents find creative solutions to discipline, and learning to step out with courage and respect to confront the problem head on. 

It’s on me.  It’s on you.

 

We Wish Parents Would __________.

Help Parents Be at Church

Making a Parents Time Count

 


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