Tag Archive - trinitychurch

What Kind of Tree Would You Be?

July 15, 2008 in Ministry with 2 Comments

Yet again, it is time for transition in our Children’s Ministry Team. We lost one of the best parts of our team last week. I reluctantly agreed to let our Resource Coordinator move with her husband as he took a job in another state (not that I really had any say in it…), and I had to begin the new job posting process.

Interviewing is always fun for me, because I get to meet new people that wouldn’t normally just walk into my office. It’s also difficult because most of the people I interview will get the phone call telling them that I chose someone else for the job they wanted for themselves. There is nothing fun about those calls, and are usually done while I pace back and forth in my office. Someday I’ll pass the buck on to someone else to make that call, but I still feel that I should be the one to deliver that news. I’ve had the dreaded ‘never hear from again’ response after interviews, so I’ve always decided that I would deliver this news promptly and respectfully to all who interview.

Of course, on the flip-side it’s great to invite someone to join my team. Hearing their excitement gets me excited about the future. It’s humbling that someone wants to join our CM staff, and it always adds a new energy to everything we do. In fact when I’m interviewing, I’m usually just evaluating that person on what they will bring to my team. I figure I can teach and coach just about anything to anybody (within reason), but what I really need is someone that will push our Children’s Ministry team to another level. I’ll be praying that it happens!

Wedding Prayer

June 23, 2008 in Personal with 1 Comment

Last night I had the privilege to marry a couple that serves a BIG role in our Children’s Ministry at Trinity. They’re a fantastic, super talented couple, and now they get to share the path God has for them together as an official ‘married couple.’ Last night was a beautiful outdoor wedding, with lots of candles, music, and dancing. It was everything I’m sure they hoped it would be.

At the end I prayed a special prayer of blessing over the couple, and here is that prayer. I’m not quite sure where it came from, but I can comfortably say that I did NOT create it. It is a fantastic prayer, and I will be using it again in the future.


Bless this husband. Bless him as provider for the needs of those he loves. Sustain him in all his struggles in the contest of life. May his strength be her protection, his character be her joy and assurance. May he so live that she may find in him the haven for which the heart of a woman truly longs.

Bless this loving wife. Give her a tenderness that makes her great . . . a deep sense of understanding and a great faith in You. Give her that inner beauty of soul that never fades, eternal youth that is found in holding fast to the things that never age. May she so live that he may be pleased always to reverence and adore her.

May they never make the mistake of merely living for each other. Teach them that marriage is not living for each other. It is two uniting and joining hands to serve You, the living God. Give them a great spiritual purpose in life. May they seek first the kingdom that is yours, and its righteousness, so that all other things may be added unto them. Loving you best, they shall love each other all the more. And faithful unto You, faithful unto each other they will remain.

May they not expect that perfection of each other that belongs alone to You. May they minimize each other’s weaknesses, be swift to praise and magnify each other’s strengths and beauty, and see each other through a lover’s kind and patient eyes. Give them a little something to forgive each day, that they may grow in the grace of long-suffering and love. And may they be forbearing with each other’s omissions and commissions as You are with theirs. Make such assignments to them according to Your will as will bless them and develop their character as they walk together. Give them enough tears to keep them tender, enough hurts to keep them humane, enough of failure to keep their hands clenched tightly in Yours, and enough success to make them sure they belong to You. May they never take each other’s love for granted, but always experience that breathless wonder that exclaims: “Out of all this world, you have chosen me!” Then when life is done, and the sun is setting, may they be found, then as now, still hand in hand, still so proud, thanking you so very much for each other. May they serve You happily, faithfully, together, until at least one shall lay the other in Your arms. This we ask through Jesus Christ, great lover of souls. Amen.



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Now playing: The Turning – For You

via FoxyTunes

Tired Confession

June 4, 2008 in Ministry, Personal with 0 Comments

I am so physically exhausted. We’ve just finished the 4th night of our church conference, and we had Children’s Ministry for all 4 nights. I’ve tried to keep up my marathon training during this conference, so last night I was out late running on a lighted street after dark. The week was a great time, but it’s encouraging to know that we only do it once a year! I did get to sit in one of the ‘adult’ sessions, and Brady Boyd really had a great word. I could listen to that man preach more often, he’s right up my alley. The conference is great for the church and really brings in other churches in our area, so it’s nice to see the city come together for a special event.

It’s been a hard week for me because I’ve missed 3 t-ball games while working the conference. I’ve always prided myself on being that parent that ALWAYS puts my family first, but I simply couldn’t make it happen this week. Tonight I missed Ryan’s team beating the previous unbeaten RiverCats in the championship game. I feel sick that I wasn’t there, but I’ll try and make it up somehow. It’s just frustrating when these things collide.

Crunching Budgets

April 7, 2008 in Ministry with 0 Comments

It’s Budget time at the church. Which means sorting and resorting through line-item printouts and seeing what areas need more money, and which areas might need less than the year before. When I got here in Lubbock the budget process was almost finished, so I inherited a setup that I’ve had to work with all year. As with most things inherited, I had to make the best of something that I didn’t necessarily create. (Which could be a long blog post all on it’s own…) This time around I get to change everything, and I’m tearing it up. I’m renaming line items, and creating some new things for our next ‘Budget’ year.

At Trinity, we use the Logic Model method to help set our budgets. Logic Models force every department to plan out the year’s events, and then justify those events by outlining the purpose and vision for each event; then we have to plan out how we will quantify whether the event is a success or not. (We consider Sunday Morning ministry an event.) So we have to create our 2008/2009 Logic Model first, then we can start crunching numbers.

It’s messy, but so pretty when it’s all finished. I can’t say enough how refreshing it is to have every number on my budget accountable to something I’m supposed to have planned out 12 months in advance. Maybe it fits my personality perfectly, but I like being forced to be future oriented!

When Churches Get It Right

December 20, 2007 in Links, Ministry with 0 Comments

This is NOT my church, but I found this posting from ‘Church Marketing Sucks’ to be inspiring.

When Churches Get It Right

by Margaret Pittman, Guest Blogger

Occasionally churches get it right–they do something so significant that it makes you stand back in awe and amazement. And as a critic of the way most churches operate–as self-serving institutions, the event that occurred at my church did just that.

“Give Back Sunday” could have been a cheesy superficial marketing tool–allowing the congregation to take a little money out of the offering plate instead of giving money to the church. Whoopee. I get to take a buck and buy someone a cup of coffee–but oh wait, I can’t even do that with a dollar. I can get someone a stick of gum … maybe. What can I get someone for a dollar?

Anyway, everyone was invited to participate in taking an unmarked envelope out of the offering plate. There was a sense of palpable skepticism, as well as anticipation, in the congregation before we opened the envelopes. When we finally peeked inside, a stunned silence filled the pews. Wow. $20, $50 and $100 bills were in the envelopes–a total of over $13,500, with the instruction that we could not spend it on ourselves. We were told to bless someone this week because you have been richly blessed.

As the 300 or so people filed out after the service, many were crying, humbled and dreaming about how they could use their cash to help someone in need. Many were in need themselves, so the challenge will be for them to release the money to someone else in greater need. Perhaps for a large, well-established congregation this would not be so amazing, but this church is brand new and shares space with a Baptist church. This church is able to give generously because it is not bogged down with building expenses and debt. This church is doing something right–taking the message of Jesus Christ outside the walls of the church and investing in the local community.

Stories of how folks have spent their ‘talents’ are being posted a on web site. The testimonies are pouring in.

This successful effort has made me think about what churches can learn from each other:

  1. Don’t get bogged down in debt.
  2. Give generously.
  3. Take a step back now and then from frenzied ministry activities and ask yourself “Why? Why are we doing this? Why are we spending all this money?”
  4. Make serving the poor a priority–no matter how big you get or how big your budget. It was important to Jesus (it was the topic of his very first sermon), so it should be important to us.
  5. Oh, and yeah–it is more blessed to give than to receive!
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