This post is part of a 6 part series. To read the previous posts, click here.
Guideline 5: Do I really have time for this?
So, at times during the course of human events things come up that cause the blog post that was supposed to be written Friday to be written Sunday afternoon! This is one of those times. Now, on to the actual post…
This last guideline really wraps up the previous 4 guidelines into one, just with less detail. The other 4 should still be used, this one is just like the free bonus. ;) What do I mean, however, by do I really have time for this? Here’s what I mean:
- Will something else have to suffer to do this: calling, family, spiritual well-being, obedience, physical condition.
- Time for emergencies: if an emergency situation came up (death, injury, child sick), would it put me behind for days on my work?
- Previous commitments: In the most basic sense of the term, do I actually have the physical time to add something else to my day?
Now, I understand that at times there are necessary evils that may be required of you: Christmas programs, your child’s kindergarten graduation, VBS, camp, and so on. There’s no way around those most of the time. Certain times of the year are simply lent more towards busyness: Christmas, Easter, and summer. I get that. But during those times even, we have to make sure that we aren’t working ourselves to the bone where our bodies and minds can’t even keep up. That’s not God-glorifying.
I’ll share with you a secret that even I haven’t mastered: saying no. I hate saying no. And I know that you most likely have the same problem too. Sometimes, no is the best thing we can say. Enlist the help of your significant other, friends, or whomever you have to help you make sure you’re not going insane! Even Jesus sometimes just wanted to float on a boat out in the middle of a lake, away from everyone. He needed that time.
Don’t let events and things take up your entire life. Do everything you do to the glory of God. And that’s the way I see it.
Beth, Luci and I are at the Gaylord Opryland Resort for a few days at an INCM Board of Directors meeting. This is going to be an awesome place for CPC this winter! Registrations are coming in fast - you better get signed up before registration sells out!
This morning I needed to call the front desk to ask a favor. There was no “front desk” button on the phone. I found a button with a smiley face that read, “Consider it done!” I asked my question and the answer I received was, “Consider it done!” Boy I like that!
As leaders, we should have the same attitude. Servant-leadership is all about doing whatever it takes, whenever it’s needed, for the people we serve.
This post is part of a 6 part series. To read the previous posts, click here.
Guideline 4: Does it help or hurt my or others’ spiritual walk?
This is one of the most duh kind of things in the entire list, but often forgotten. Before we even consider doing something, we have to consider its spiritual implications. Is what I’m about to do take away from my ability to commune with God on a daily basis (a way that we bring God glory)?
I started this series with one of the “cliché” verses that are repeated over and over in the church today. Now, we need to think about one of our cliché phrases: What would Jesus do? Honestly, would Christ be found doing what I am doing right now? Does it help to lift someone up spiritually?
Not everything in life is obviously spiritual. We don’t have to spend every waking moment we have doing something inherently spiritual. But there are some things that can be without seeming terribly obvious. Spending time growing closer to family and friends is spiritual in that we grow closer in God-ordained relationships. Sometimes, just getting away is spiritual. Jesus did it a lot: He went out on a boat to the middle of the lake to get away from the people that constantly crowded Him.
But if it’s not doing anything that matters in the light of eternity, why waste time doing it? What we do should always drive us to our life calling, and bring us closer to fulfilling it. Doing something should not draw us or those around us away from God. If it is, we need to stop. Like, as in now. Just do it. It’ll be transformational.
This post is part of a 6 part series. To read the previous posts, click here.
Guideline 3: Can someone else handle this task just as capably?
I have a tendency to forget that there are other people that can do things just as well, if not better, than I can. My personality says that if I want it done right, I need to do it myself. That leads to me slowly going insane as I try to do everything myself! That doesn’t work.
So how do I keep myself from going insane AND bring glory to God in what I do? I just remember that other people can handle it. I try to think of other people that can do the job. I have trouble getting past the thought that I’m being lazy or shirking responsibility. But I’m really not.
In fact, I’m following Jesus’ example. In Mark 6:7 (NASB), the Bible says: “And He summoned the twelve and began to send them out in pairs…” Jesus knew He couldn’t reach the entire world by Himself. So he sent out His twelve disciples to help Him out.
Do the same in your ministry. Have several people close to you that you trust that you can say, “I need some help” to and they’ll be there to help whenever you need them. What better example to follow than Christ Himself? You can do it yourself if you need to or have time to, but otherwise, don’t be afraid to let others help you out! That’s the way I see it.
This post is part of a 6 part series. To read the previous posts, click here.
Guideline 2: Has God called me to do this?
Today’s guideline is one of the most important. Nay, I say it is THE most important. However, children’s workers seem to have such a hard time distinguishing between God’s will and what they want. It’s so important to make the important distinction between the two.
It’s easy just to say that we want God’s will and we want to bring glory to Him. It’s another to actually do it. You won’t find God’s will just going about your daily life. The Bible lays out three very simple ways to find God’s will: prayer, fasting, and studying the Scriptures. If we aren’t actively seeking it, chances are pretty good we’re not going to find it. James 4:8 (NASB) tells us: “Draw near to God and He will draw near to you.” Before you do anything, and I do mean anything, make sure that it’s what you’re really supposed to be doing. That’s how you truly bring God glory.
It’s important to note that none of these guidelines this week are mutually exclusive. They all depend on one another. But it’s safe to say that this one is the key upon which all the others depend. Be sure to check back tomorrow for guideline 3!
Here’s the final tip I’m going to share from Dale Carnegie: Strengthen relationships.
It has been reported that one of the greatest personal strengths of Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis was her ability to make the person she was speaking with feel like the most important person in the world.
Here’s a time-tested strategy:
1. Don’t criticize, condemn, or complain.
2. Give honest, sincere appreciation.
3. Become genuinely interested in other people.
4. Smile.
5. Remember that a person’s name is to that person the sweetest and most important sound in any language.
6. Be a good listener. Encourage others to talk about themselves.
7. Talk in terms of the other person’s interests.
8. Make the other person feel important, and do it sincerely.
I was on the INCM website today (preparing for our fall board meeting this week) and saw that their new site is alive! Be sure to surf over to www.incm.org. If you haven’t signed up for CPC, now’s a good chance!
Yesterday Mark and Steve, from the Lads, drove up from Nashville to spend a few hours with me. We went to lunch and hung out for an hour at the KidzMatter offices. Who are the Lads? They are a worship band called to lead children and families in worship. They moved to America from New Zealand three years ago. They have four CDs, a kid’s TV show, comic books and more coming! We talked about some exciting things that I hope to share with you soon.
When the Lads sent me a copy of their CDs a few months ago, I put one in my car and absolutely loved it. It’s all I listened to for a few weeks. Their music is geared toward tweens, has an edgy sound and a great message. These guys are creative, passionate about God and worship, and really love kids. Look for their products soon on KidzMatter and some other cool things coming down the road.
One more thing: they will have a booth at CPC in San Diego. Make sure and say hi to them if you are there.
This post is part of a 6 part series. To read the previous posts, click here.
Guideline 1: Will my family, friendships, or daily God and I time suffer?
This is one of the first things we need to think about when dealing with doing all to the glory of God. God is not glorified through something if it causes our relationships with others to suffer.
Jesus had a crazy schedule. Massive crowds followed Him everywhere from morning ’til night. But somehow He still found time to have a deep relationship with His 12 disciples. He set an example for us. Yes, He was very busy doing God’s work. And that was good. Yet He never let the rest of His life suffer for it.
We need to do the same. Make sure that taking on that new responsibility or helping someone with something won’t take the place of your family, friends, and God and I time. Those are some of the most important things in the entire world, and it is a horror to lose them.
That’s just the first question we need to ask ourselves. Come back tomorrow for another guideline for doing all to God’s glory.
Tip #11: Conquer Worry and Manage Stress
“You can conquer almost any fear if you will only make up your mind to do so.” This wisdom comes from Dale Carnegie who also devised a simple formula for holding anxiety in check. Give it a try and you’ll discover it really works.
1. Try to compartmentalize worry so that it doesn’t carry over from one day to the next.
2. Ask yourself what is the worst that could happen.
3. Prepare to accept the worst.
4. Try to improve on the worst.
5. Remind yourself of the toll worry can take on your health.
6. Remember that ninety percent of what you worry about never happens.
“If you want to develop courage, do the thing you fear and keep on doing it until you have a record of successful experiences behind you. That is the quickest and surest way ever yet discovered to conquer fear. You can conquer almost any fear if you will only make up your mind to do so. For remember, fear doesn’t exist anywhere except in the mind.” Dale Carnegie
“Finish each day and be done with it… You have done what you could; some blunders and absurdities no doubt crept in; forget them as soon as you can. Tomorrow is a new day; you shall begin it well and serenely.” Ralph Waldo Emerson
