bye F A B I A N

Over the past 6 months, I have watched a children's ministry volunteer grow in a mighty way. We don't currently have a special needs ministry, but God has blessed us with several children who would benefit from this type of ministry. This volunteer seems to have a huge heart for these kids, and I have been blessed watching the transformation of two children in particular.

Daniel
Daniel has Down's Syndrome. He is high functioning and is integrated with the other students. The first weekend I was there was tough for him. Change is hard for Daniel, and there was a lot of change that weekend. We completely redesigned the room to accommodate more students, that was a change. We started a kids worship team with high impact, less traditional music. Oh and I was there, that was a change in leadership. This all weighed heavily on Daniel and as I was teaching I looked over and he had started to remove clothing. Luckily we had a video to show so without missing a beat we turned the lights off and took care of Daniel before any of the other students even noticed. That was also this volunteers first day. She decided to get to know Daniel after the large group lesson was finished. He doesn't say much until he really knows you. So she put quiet music on for him, asked questions that were not answered and tried to play catch with him. He watched her closely, but didn't really respond. After two months of taking the time to just hang out with him, (he doesn't go to small group, he stays in the large group environment where he is comfortable) a breakthrough. As Daniel was leaving, he told his mom to tell this leader he likes to watch animal planet and he growled and said lion!!! The smile on this leaders face was ear to ear! Every week since, Daniel runs up to his leader and hugs her! He talks to her about animals, plays catch, dances to worship music, and they even eat an occasional doughnut together. That's first hour for this volunteer, now it's time for second hour.

Fabian
4 weeks ago Fabian arrived. Fabian is hearing impaired. Fabian's sister helps him to understand what is happening, but the same volunteer felt like his sister should go be a kid and she would help Fabian. The first week after meeting him, she immediately bought "The Joy of Signing" from a garage sale. She learned to say; "Hi my name is" and she brushed up on the alphabet. That next Sunday she put her new found skills to work. Fabian's eyes lit up! Her learning has continued. Yesterday, she worked with Fabian on his memory verse, using ASL. 4 weeks!! Just 4 weeks! He knows 2 Peter 1: 5-7. The volunteer gave him a doughnut for remembering his verse and working so hard with her. He wanted another one, so she asked his sister how to say "No more doughnuts, if you eat too many you will get fat." Fabian's sister taught her that and more!

What an amazing blessing to see this transformation take place right in front of my eyes!! You see, I'm doubly blessed. This volunteer happens to be my 17 year old daughter Sophie. As a leader, seeing other leaders grow in their service brings great joy!! As a leader and a mom, this great joy brings tears as well. Thank you child for your amazing example to be all things to all people. Paul would be so proud!! (maybe not as proud as your mom though!!)

As we were leaving church yesterday, Sophie waved and signed; "Bye F A B I A N," she showed us each letter and said we should try next week. Good idea!

Advantage Orange

What is “Orange?” If you are tempted to say a great color, you are only partly correct. Orange is a way of thinking. Although I have believed wholeheartedly in the Orange vision for a couple of years, the vision is becoming even more clear with the first chapter of “Think Orange” by Reggie Joiner.

It’s all about the advantage of combining influences. “When you think orange, you see how two combined influences make a greater impact than just two influences.” The example Reggie used that combined finding homes for children with great photography and art galleries created a powerful movement that caused inquiries about adopting these children to double. Separately, these two entities were both doing a great job, but together, the outcome is remarkable. Yep, that’s Orange!

The church has an even greater potential to become remarkable! The church isn’t just a small percentage of the population, it’s potential is THE population! My heart is racing after writing that! “Think Orange” is about combining the church and the home for the sake of impacting the next generation. The church is represented with yellow and families are represented with red, combining these two influences creates a radical shift in strategy!

Seven years ago, my mind shifted radically. I believe that each year ministry needs to be evaluated. I have always taken the time to ask leaders, volunteers, parents and students their opinion about what is happening in ministry. Well seven years ago I realized that although that’s good, it’s not good enough. I never considered asking our junior high pastor if we were handing him kids that were ready for junior high ministry. I asked. I found out we weren’t. Our JH pastor wanted students to know their testimony before they got to junior high. Simple, but that’s when the light came on! We needed to change our strategy to combine our influence! So we started meeting together on a regular basis. Not just us, we included the senior high pastor and the Christian development pastor as well! Big powerful ORANGE change!

Instead of working on the same thing at the same time with a different strategy, helping children and students grow in their faith, we all began working on the same thing at the same time with the same strategy. It was challenging. It caused us to redesign our programming. It convinced us that partnering with parents could give children and students a better chance. It was worth it. Advantage….ORANGE!!

Think Orange

Check out the "Think Orange" group blogging project over at Elemental Children's Ministry.

www.elementalcm.com

Do not fear

My favorite quote from this post......"The best thing that can happen to us is for our fears to be realized so that we realize the thing we feared wasn't as bad as the fear we felt. And God is right there to pick us back up!"

Thank you Lord for loving us so much. I pray that today I turn my fears and worries into prayers that grow my faith. Amen.

Evotional.com

Shared via AddThis

Steps to Contentment

An amazing wonderful mentor of mine gave me an index card with the steps to contentment about 10 years ago that I still carry to this day. Not only do I carry it, my husband does too. Contentment is an awesome thing....but I have to admit it's not always easy for me, I must be reminded to be content.

Steps to Contentment
by E. B. Pusey, a 19th-century church leader.

1. Allow thyself to complain of nothing, not even of the weather.
2. Never picture thyself under any circumstances in which thou art not.
3. Never compare thine own lot with that of another.
4. Never allow thyself to dwell on the wish that this or that had been, or were, otherwise than it was, or is. God Almighty loves thee better and more wisely than thou dost thyself.
5. Never dwell on the morrow. Remember that it is God's, not thine. The heaviest part of sorrow often is to look forward to it. "The Lord will provide."

Great reminder, I know right?!?

Stay Thankful. Stay Gracious.

Wisdom from Chuck Swindoll.....

10 Things Chuck Swindoll Learned in 50ish Years of Ministry:

1. It’s lonely to lead.
Leadership involves tough decisions. The tougher the decisions, the lonelier it is.
2. It’s dangerous to succeed.
It is dangerous to succeed while being young. rarely, does God give leadership that young because it takes crushing and failure first.
3. It’s hardest at home.
Nobody at home is applauding you. They say, “Dad! You’re fly is open.”
4. It is essential to be real.
If there is one realm where phoniness is personified it is leadership. What I care about is that you stay real.
5. It is painful to obey.
There are rewards, yes, but it is painful nevertheless.
6. Brokenness and failure are necessary.
7. My attitude is more important than my actions.
Some of you are getting hard to be around. And your attitude covers all those great actions you pull off.
8. Integrity eclipses image.
What you are doing is not a show. And the best things you are doing is not up front but what you do behind the scenes.
9. God’s way is better than my way.
God is going to have His way.
10. Christ-likeness begins and ends with humility.

2 Corinthians 4:5-7 tells us that we must be willing to leave the familiar message without disturbing the Biblical message. We get that backwards. This was written in the first century, and now we are in the 21st century. The message stays the same. Don’t miss the message. As you alter the methods, don’t mess with the message.

Traditionalism is the dead faith of those still living. You will defend those things that don’t need defended.

Three Important Observations:

1. With every ministry a special mercy is needed.
2. In every ministry the same things must be renounced and rejected.
That is hiding shameful things, doing deceitful things, and corrupting truthful things. Guard against deception. Guard against deception.
3. Through every ministry a unique style should be pursued.
We don’t preach or promote ourselves (it isn’t about us). We declare Christ Jesus as Lord (it’s all about Him). We see ourselves as bond-servants for Jesus Christ.

Five Statements Worth Remembering During Your Next 50 Years of Leadership:

1. Whatever you do, do more with others and less alone.
It will help you become accountable.
2. Whenever you do it, emphasize quality not quantity.
3. Wherever you go, do it the same as if you were among those who know you the best.
It will keep you from exaggerating. it will help keep your stories true. Your good friend will tell you things that others will not. They will hold you close to truth.
4. Whoever may respond to your ministry, keep a level head.
5. However long you lead, keep on dripping with gratitude and grace.
Stay thankful. Stay gracious.

I made a mistake!

I love humble leaders! This is a great post by a great leader! Enjoy!

I made a mistake!

Posted using ShareThis