Monthly Archive for May, 2008

Think about your call

Published
by
Ryan Frank
on May 27, 2008
in Encouragement and Leadership
. 1 Comment

In First Timothy, Paul helped young Timothy reach his potential and fulfill all that God planned for his life and ministry. In chapter four, he gave some specific instructions on how to be a faithful minister and how to fulfill his call. In verse 15, Paul admonished Timothy to “meditate on these things”. Paul wanted Timothy to stop and think about his call.

When’s the last time you paused to meditate on your call? I’m talking about thinking intently about what God has placed before you.

Let’s take time to think together. If God has called you to children’s ministry, the following is true:

1. You have been given the opportunity to minister to the most fertile of hearts - boys and girls. Statistics estimate that 85% of salvation decisions are made as a child.

2. You have the opportunity to lead the largest volunteer force in your church. Children’s ministry requires more volunteers than any other ministry in the church.

3. You have the opportunity to help mom and dad raise champions for Jesus Christ. Remember, mom and dad have a lot more influence in the life of a kid than you ever will. (Click here to see a great book on the subject.)

4. You are going to be on Satan’s radar. If 85% of Christians get saved before their 14th birthday, don’t be surprised if Satan tries to get you to quit. If a person’s world view is established by the preteen years, don’t be dumfounded when the enemy makes you feel lonely and discouraged.

5. You have the opportunity to do today what many wish they could have done in the past. D.L. Moody was responsible for leading thousands of people to Christ, starting a Bible Institute that has sent thousands of missionaries around the world, and on I could go. Yet, at the end of his life he said that if he could relive his life, he would “devote it entirely to reaching children for God.”

Take some time to do what Timothy did. Stop and think about your call.

How to lose a children’s pastor in 10 days

Published
by
Ryan Frank
on May 21, 2008
in News and Random
. 2 Comments

It’s scary what some idle time in the car will do to the mind of a children’s pastor. Here’s an example. I came up with 15 ways for a senior pastor to lose his children’s pastor in 10 days.

1. Tell him that if he keeps up the good work you’ll promote him to youth pastor.

2. Base her pay on a commission from the weekly kids church offering.

3. Call on Friday night and tell her that the ladies need a babysitter at the church on Saturday morning.

4. Tell him the board voted that goldfish crackers are banned from the building.

5. Make him to spend twelve weeks in kids church teaching through the book of Leviticus.

6. Blame him for every new carpet stain in the fellowship hall.

7. Encourage the parents to peak their heads in the door at least twice each service to check on their kids.

8. Announce to the church that VBS will be outside this year.

9. Ask him to babysit your kids while you go on vacation this summer.

10. When he says he needs more nursery workers, tell him that running an announcement in the bulletin should be good enough.

11. Tell him that if the old metal chairs were good enough for him when he was a kid, then they’re good enough today.

12. Encourage the kids church leaders to join the choir.

13. Give her a gift card to Sam’s Club as a Christmas bonus.

14. Tell the ladies ministry that they can start using the resource room for storage too.

15. Decide to start a new weekend service without talking to him.

Imagine a world without computers

Published
by
Ryan Frank
on May 19, 2008
in Leadership and Random
. 4 Comments

Last week I took my wife on an anniversary getaway to Clifty Falls State Park in southern Indiana. There is really nice Inn at the park where we had a beautiful view of the Ohio River. We enjoyed hiking (though neither of us are anything near avid hikers) and spending time in historic Madison. We were able to spend some good quality time together.

Before the trip, I decided to leave some things behind. This included my laptop. How could I survive three days with no email, no blog surfing, and none of my regular updates to the KidzMatter website? The answer is: just fine! Amazingly the world went on. Our website didn’t crash. My email was waiting on me when I got home. All was well.

May this short blog post be a reminder that life can move on just fine when you decide to spend time on the most important things in life - I’m thinking about your spouse and kids. A friend of mine says that you can always get another ministry but you can’t get another family. Those are some wise words, huh?

Imagine a world without computers. Maybe it’s time to stop imagining and make it happen for a few days. I’m glad I did.

Congratulations Ryan!

Published
by
Evan Doyle
on May 19, 2008
in Events and Random
. 3 Comments

Hey, this is Evan! Something very exciting happened yesterday: Ryan celebrated 10 years of full time ministry at our home church, Liberty Baptist. All along, his wife Beth has been serving with him in ministry. To show him the church’s appreciation, we threw a surprise party for Ryan and Beth yesterday during the evening service. It was an exciting night as we looked back over the 10 years Ryan has been at Liberty full time. And even more exciting, we were reminded of how thankful we are that the fashion from the late 90s is over!

Ryan means a lot to our church, as well as to many of you. So if you have a funny story, thank you, or anything else you would like us to share with Ryan, just leave a comment on below! This is our little way of showing Ryan how much his church family and his online family care!

Now, what Ryan didn’t know was that behind his back I sent an email to several of our Way We See It subscribers and asked for their comments to share with him. Here a just a few of them I’ve received:

“As children’s pastors, in networks of children’s pastors, we are learning, sharing, growing, and spreading God’s love in new and creative ways because kidz matter. You may never see or meet all the lives impacted this side of heaven, but heaven will be different because of your investment in the lives of leaders in the here and now. Your investment in the kids you minister to each week has ripple effects as you challenge, grow and stretch each of us. Thanks for allowing God to use you to make a difference in the Kingdom for kids, families, teachers, and leaders.” Susan Hoak

“Thank you, Ryan, for allowing God to use you to touch the lives of so many kids and those who minister to kids. It is easy to see that kids really do matter to you. I have been blessed through your ministry. Keep pressing on!” Melinda Autry

“Please add me to the count of Children’s Pastors that is so appreciative of Ryan and Beth for the support they provide through their friendship, Kidzmatter.com, the Blog, as well as the workshops Ryan leads. May God continue to use Ryan for the advancement of His kingdom at Liberty Baptist and throughout the world!” Deana Hayes

“I’ve always appreciated Pastor Ryan and Beth’s drive for the Lord. Whenever I think of Pastor Ryan and Beth I think of hard work, enthusiasm for God’s work, and most of all, integrity. Both Ryan and Beth are vital members of our congregation and the body of Christ as a whole. We, at Liberty, are so blessed to call them family!” Briana Pickering

Just 15 minutes a day

Published
by
Ryan Frank
on May 12, 2008
in Encouragement and Leadership
. 1 Comment

Did you know that you will spend an average of 5 years of your life waiting in line? 6 of those months will be at stop lights! That’s not all. You’ll spend an average of 8 months opening junk mail, one year looking for things you misplaced, two years trying to call people back on the phone, four years cleaning the house, and six years eating. (Source: Priority Management Pittsburgh, Inc.)

The point? I don’t think we realize how much time we waste every day. It’s time to stop and ask, “What do I WANT to do with my time?” If we aren’t intentional with our time, it will waste away.

Here’s a good reminder: Everyone has the same amount of time in a day. True, some people live longer lives, but we each have 24-hour days. Have you noticed that the older you get the faster time goes? Boy I have. It seems to zip by. Since time keeps zipping by faster and faster, I need to spend my time doing what I WANT to do - with intent.

Edward Griggs said, “Fifteen minutes a day devoted to one definite study will make one a master in a dozen years.” Here’s the challenge. Let’s start with 15 minutes a day and intentionally do what we WANT to do. Pick something that will make you a better Christian, a better children’s pastor, a better parent, etc. Start now!

Say yes to no

Published
by
Jim Wideman
on May 10, 2008
in Encouragement, Leadership and Random
. 0 Comments

Good reasons to say no
1. There simply aren’t enough hours in a day to work on it, even if I get to work early and stay late.
Just say no!
2. You are booked
Just say no!
3. My other work will suffer if I take on this assignment.
Just say no!
4. I don’t have the necessary skills to complete this project and I will not be able to attain them in
time.
Just say no!

Ok it’s your turn again. Know any reasons to say yes to no?
jw

Say no to no…

Published
by
Jim Wideman
on May 9, 2008
in Encouragement, Leadership and Random
. 1 Comment

Bad reasons to say no
1. The project looks too difficult. Don’t say no to an opportunity to grow and learn.
2. It isn’t part of my job description. Never let these words come out of your mouth
3. I’m in the middle of planning my wedding and can’t focus on anything
right now. What? This was told to me by a leader once, life never stops, learn to balance personal stuff and your ministry. There will always be something going on at the same time as something you need to do for ministry. Both life and church must go on.

How about you? Know any bad reasons to say no?
jw

Reasons you might want to say no!

Published
by
Jim Wideman
on May 8, 2008
in Encouragement, Leadership and Random
. 1 Comment

Here are 6 questions to ask before saying no for no sake.
1. Am I already working on several important assignments that leave me no time for this one?
If so maybe no is the right answer.
2. Can I delegate some of my other work to make room for this assignment?
If no maybe no is the right answer.
3. Can I put some of my other assignments on the back burner while I work on this one?
If not maybe no is the right answer.
4. Will taking on this assignment cause harm to my other work?
If so maybe no is the right answer.
5. Do I absolutely lack the skills necessary to complete this assignment?
If yes maybe no is the right answer.
6. Am I the only person who can successfully complete this assignment?
If no maybe no is the right answer.

more to come…

Jesus said no…

Published
by
Jim Wideman
on May 4, 2008
in Encouragement, Leadership and Random
. 2 Comments

Let’s look at our example (JESUS) Here are eight times Jesus said no..
1. He said no to the devil (Luke 4)
2. He said no to religious people and their doctrines & traditions (Luke 5 & 6)
3. He said no to family (Luke 8:19-21)
4. He said no to a man who wanted Jesus to act as a judge between an inheritance dispute
with his brother (Luke 12:14)
5. He said no to miracles because of the lack of faith of people in their hometown (Mark 6:5)
6. He said no to his disciples when they asked him to send the people away so they could buy
themselves food. He said no, you give them something to eat (Mark 6:36 & 37)
7. Said no to the Syrian Phoenician woman because she didn’t have a covenant (Mark 7:26)
8. He said no to ministry (Matt. 8:18 When Jesus saw the crowd around him, he gave orders to cross to the other side of the lake.)
Notice he didn’t say no to all these situations all the time but what these verse give me is permission to say no to even good things as well as bad things. It also let’s me know that sometimes no is the best answer.

The Best Part of Orange

Published
by
Jim Wideman
on May 2, 2008
in Encouragement
. 1 Comment

Have you ever wondered, “Am I really making a difference in the lives of kids?” “Are they really getting what I’m teaching?” The answer is yes. The cool thing about the Orange Conference for me was that I ran into at least one child or leader from all of the 4 churches I’ve worked at in the 70’s, 80’s, 90’s and the 00’s and yes they got it. They are now all grown up, not only loving Jesus but they all also ministering to children themselves. They know this children’s ministry stuff works, it worked on them. Don’t ever forget this… YOU ARE MAKING A DIFFERENCE IN THE LIVES OF CHILDREN THAT WILL IMPACT GENERATIONS TO COME!