Tag: Ministry Inside

1. You might check out this video of Angela Yee’s focus system for personal organization. (From the Nine’s event last week.) Also, you might want to look into the exclusive web content of the Nine’s. You can find these here.

2. Do you use Evernote? I have found this tool to be so helpful. Evernote enables you to capture pictures, notes, voice memos, documents, etc. in one place. The more I use this, the more I realize how helpful this tool can be. It is especially helpful if you have the Evernote app on your phone. (I have the Evernote app on my iPhone.) Evernote is free. You might consider downloading it, watching some of the Evernote help videos, and then determine whether or not this would be helpful to you.

3. Be sure to read Karen Spears Zacharias’ wonderful post on mentoring. Very moving and inspiring. Would be great for all church leaders to read. (She regularly blogs here.)

4. I came across this wonderful quote by G. K. Chesterton recently. It is from his book, Orthodoxy . (Became aware of this through the Austin Graduate School of Theology newsletter.)

A child kicks his legs rhythmically through excess, not absence, of life. Because children have abounding vitality, because they are in spirit fierce and free, therefore they want things repeated and unchanged. They always say “Do it again”; and the grown-up person does it again until he is nearly dead. For grown-up people are not strong enough to exult in monotony. But perhaps God is strong enough to exult in monotony. It is possible that God says every morning, “Do it again” to the sun; and every evening, “Do it again” to the moon. It may not be automatic necessity that makes all daisies alike; it may be that God makes every daisy separately, but has never got tired of making them. It may be that He has the eternal appetite of infancy; for we have sinned and grown old, and our Father is younger than we.

1. There are tremendous opportunities available to learn and grow. For example, if you will look at iTunes U (you will find this in the iTunes Store), you will see numerous universities and some seminaries listed. There are literally scores of universities and seminaries that offer entire courses for free. Just the other day, I listened to an excellent lecture on C. S. Lewis. You might say, “Who has time to do something like that? I don’t have time to take a class.” Maybe not. But could you take 15 or 20 minutes out of the day to listen to a class?

Another fine resource is “The Great Courses” from The Teaching Company. I have ordered several courses here. The subjects are wide and varied. For example, this month (in the print catalog), they offer two entire courses by Luke Timothy Johnson (DVD or CD) for only $19.95 each.

2. Have you read Reggie McNeal’s The Present Future or viewed his DVD lectures? Just moments ago, I watched a lecture in which he discussed the generational differences in churches. I thought it was very well done both in terms of content and his ability to communicate well.

3. I really like these Labor Day reflections by NPR’s Scott Simon:

“Having no job does not mean having no work. Your children must still be fed, bathed, and ferried to school … But you have less money for food, gas, and the new shoes your children need for school. … Having no job means that things people talk about these days — iPads, android phones, 3-D movies, new music, or meeting friends over $4 coffee drinks — are just beyond reach. You worry about getting dull, having nothing to talk about, and losing friends. … You may blame politicians, brokers and bankers, but in the middle of the night you might turn your eyes to the sky and wonder what you did, didn’t do, or should have done. … This Labor Day we might salute the millions of Americans who don’t have jobs, but who in many ways work harder than ever.” http://n.pr/9GSS6I

4. I failed to mention “The Nines” which happens today and is sponsored by Leadership Network. There are 100 speakers making short talks on the subject of “Game Changers.” I have watched several of these today that were very good. You can register for free and see all of the videos or you can purchase the notes for $29.

1. Wade Hodges wrote a very, very good post recently, “Advice to Young Preachers,” that reminds me of a preaching class I attended at Emory University years ago. Much of the seminar consisted of various lectures on preaching by Fred Craddock, Barbara Brown Taylor, and Tom Long. One of the assignments was to bring to the seminar a recording of a message that I had preached in the last three months.

The participants were divided into smaller groups. One of these resource people was present as we listened to the recordings of our messages. I had brought a message I had preached from Habakkuk. Just as I was about to play the sermon for the group, in walks Tom Long. (If you are not familiar with this name, look up Thomas G. Long, the author, on Amazon.)

As the recording began, I felt intimidated. Surely this professor of preaching from Princeton was looking for something besides an ordinary sermon that I preached a few months ago. Surely this message, preached to a small group of people in north Alabama, was lacking in some way. Was I ever stunned when he motioned for me to turn off the recording and then proceeded to speak words of affirmation, encouragement, and value. I am very grateful for that moment. I am also grateful that I did not preach a message for him (in other words, preaching the kind of sermon that I think he might have wanted to hear).

2. If you are thinking about purchasing an e-reader, you might do well to read this post by Michael Hyatt (CEO of Thomas Nelson) in which he compares several of the most popular options. Also, you might enjoy watching this video of him unpacking the Kindle 3. I have a Kindle 2, and watching this video made me want to “update.” 🙂

3. Anne Jackson has written a new book entitled: Permission to Speak Freely: Essays and Art on Fear, Confession and Grace. I encourage you to look at some of the essays from this book. For a list of excerpts found on various blogs go here. Anne writes with a fresh honesty that is both real and disarming. You can visit the Permission to Speak Freely Web site here or her blog here .

4. I am really thinking through my ministry right now. Specifically I am thinking about my use of time and my own functioning in a given week. This time, I am not thinking about how to be more effective. Rather, I am thinking about how to be more like Jesus.   The question that I continue to wrestle with is this:

If Jesus were a minister in my congregation and in the city where I live, what would he be doing that I am not doing? How might he spend his time on a typical Thursday? I would love to hear your thinking on this one.

1. Do you practice “mind-emptying”? I have found this to be very helpful. (I first went through the exercise at a David Allen seminar.) I do this regularly. I take a blank pad and begin writing down in list form the things that are on my mind. Now at first glance, you might think that you really don’t have anything there that you haven’t written down. However, I encourage you to try this. What typically happens is that I will write down a few things that I have been thinking about:   

• Change the oil
• Change the light bulb in the living room ceiling fixture
• Go by the hospital and check on Mrs. Smith
• Pick up clothes at the cleaners

Once I have written these things down, I will sit there for a minute or two and then others will come to mind:

• Order tickets to the game
• Get a substitute teacher for my class

It is amazing how many “to do” items we store in our heads. I have found that just getting them on paper and not being dependent on my memory alone is a real stress reliever. (No, that doesn’t solve personal organization issues, but it is a first step.)

2. I have just moved from Backpack to Things to handle my projects and to do lists. Things may have some issues, but I was ready for a change.

3. I have spent some time reading about the problem–the HUGE problem–of human trafficking. Oh my goodness! You might be interested in reading some of the extensive study released by the U.S. State Department in June (2010). You might also look at the International Justice Mission and The A21 Campaign (Abolishing Injustice in the 21st Century) websites.

4. Perhaps you have read books by theologian Roger Olson (Professor of Theology at Truett Seminary, Baylor University). Roger has just started a new blog.

5. I encourage you to read the wonderful letter written by Jonathan Storment to Rick Atchley. (For a number of years, Jonathan was a co-worker with Rick at the Richland Hills Church, outside of Fort Worth, Texas. Jonathan and his family have moved to Abilene, Texas where he will be preaching for the Highland Church.) The letter is warm and gracious and is a very nice tribute to Rick, who mentored Jonathan for a number of years. You can find his letter here.

1. You may want to check out Eugene Cho’s post from yesterday, “ Death by Ministry?” (See his first post, “Why is Being a Pastor so Unhealthy?) These reflections are based on the New York TImes article, “Taking a Break from the Lord’s Work”and a post by Todd Rhoades which you can find here.

I am thankful for these discussions. A few observations:

• It is critical that ministers take ownership and responsibility of their own health, including their own physical, emotional and spiritual well being. I am thankful to have first realized this a number of years ago. It dawned on me that no one else was going to take care of my health or well being. In other words, if I didn’t practice good management of my body, mind, and spirit, then I would have to deal with the consequences.
• One day a friend, a long time minister in the Dallas area, told me that if he was hit by a truck while crossing the street to the church building, the church would have a search committee in place by that evening! Of course this was an exaggeration. However, I got his point. He said that when he dies, the people in his congregation will go on with their lives. He was not indispensable. Realizing this encouraged him to pay more attention to self-care.

2. “Stop trying to get them to do stuff and just be who you need to be!” The previous statement is what my friend, a long time attorney, said to me one day. About fifteen years ago, I was having lunch with him. While we were eating lunch, I asked him, “How can I get our church to pray more?” I proceeded to elaborate on this concern. His response? “Stop trying to get them to do stuff and just be who you need to be. In other words, why don’t you just be a man of prayer and see what happens? Just live that way among these people.”

Many years later, I still think about that conversation. There is something to be said for simply being who you need to be instead of attempting to will another to change. In other words, sometimes ministers spend far too much time asking questions like, “How can we get the congregation to do this?” Quite often it is much better to simply be who you need to be with and before these people. For example, instead of begging and pleading for people to go to a particular conference, it might be more effective for me to communicate to them just how valuable this conference is to my own ministry and why.

3. Each year I go to several conferences, seminars, etc. I typically think about the conferences that I select to make sure there is variety, both in terms of perspective on ministry and even theologically. I find that going to several conferences where all of the speakers seem to be drinking from the same stream becomes redundant after awhile and is not as stimulating. One of the conferences that I have been attending for the last few years is the Willow Creek Global Leadership Summit. (This conference is simulcast all over the USA and in many, many other countries. I recently attended the simulcast of the 2010 Summit at Baylor University.) I have found this conference to be stimulating and thoughtful. If you would like more information, you might check Tim Schraeder’s blog for excellent summaries of each session. Or, you can check out the Global Leadership Summit website.

1. I think it was my 7th grade teacher who said to me in a loud, frustrated voice: “Pay attention!” I am still trying to pay attention. How are you at paying attention? Do you pay attention to the quiet people on Sunday morning? Do you pay attention to those who are on the edge in your church family? Do you pay attention to those who are “different?”

It once occurred to me that I was basically talking with the same people every Sunday morning after our church met. I can honestly say that this was not intentional. Each week after our assembly concluded, I seemed to get tied up with the same people again and again. Good people would want to tell me a story (often a long and involved story) about something that happened recently. While I stood there listening to the story, person after person walked out of our building. Quite often these were guests and others who I would like to have met.   

Now, if I am standing in an aisle and someone like this begins to tell me a rather long story, I might look that person in the eye and say, “I want to hear this story, but John Smith is about to slip out and he has not been here in six months. I need to speak to him. Will you please excuse me. I will get back to you.” Then, I will walk away to speak to that person.

Now let me make this clear, I am referring here to people I often see several times a week. I am talking about people with whom I have a certain level of comfort and whom I sense would be sympathetic to my intentions. For many churches, the time after an assembly is such a critical time for saying hello to people who are struggling, new people, and others who might not have the confidence to approach and speak.

2. I talked with a young woman the other day who had just invited her minister and his family into their home (for the first time). This minister and his family has been with this church for one year. This young woman and her husband said that they wanted to get to know them and to give them a place to relax and be normal human beings. What a gift!

Our friends Doug and Dereece, gave us a similar gift when we lived and ministered in Florence, Alabama several decades ago. I had no idea, until many years later, just how refreshing it is to have such friends. My daughters have said on numerous occasions: “Dad when you are with them you seem so relaxed.” To have such friends is a gift.

3. A friend of mine is a businessman and serves as an elder in Tyler. I am so encouraged when I am with him. Invariably, he will be reading a new book or will be exploring a new resource. My friend is a lifelong learner. I am so encouraged by people like him.

4. Preaching involves the use of language and specifically, the use of words. Do you ever feel like you wear a few words out? I regularly read several blogs that help me think about words. Three of these are L.L. Barkat, Karen Spears Zacharias, and Scot McKnight. Each of these people is an author of multiple books. They also post on their blogs frequently. Reading these blogs, as well as good books can freshen my language and expand my word bank.

(Normally, Ministry Inside appears on Thursdays. However, I am going to publish a day early.)

1. Two important posts by John Frye (author of Jesus the Pastor ). See Jesus the Discernment Artist and Do We Believe in the Spirit?

2. You might want to read John Mark Hicks’ post The Church Has Left the Building. John Mark, a theologian, is always thoughtful and reflective in his writing.

3. It is difficult for a church family to rise above the level of its leadership. It is very difficult for people to imagine a faith or a life of discipleship that they have not witnessed in their ministers, preachers, pastors, elders, or others whom they might look to as their models.

I don’t say this in order to be critical of church leaders. I do think we need to wake up. So often leaders believe that what they need to do is to just get the church moving in a certain direction. We may devise various plans in order to get this done. However, this can easily become just another well meaning attempt at constructing a future. Maybe one of the most important places to start in approaching the future is in addressing one’s own soul transformation.

4. There are several tools that I use for my own personal organization. I use Google calendar to record all appointments, special dates, events, etc. Google calendar is easy to use and accesible both on my laptop and iPhone. I enter the information online and also keep a hard copy of my calendar in my notebook. I also use Backpack as a way to organize my projects and the tasks that are necessary in order to complete these projects. (My organizational page is set up with an approach that I have learned through David Allen’s Getting Things Done .) In my notebook, I have a hard copy of each project (anything that requires more than one step in order to get it done.) Under each project, I have listed various actions that must take place in order to make progress on this project.

On my Backpack page and in my note book is a page called, “Next Actions.” This is the closest thing that I have to a “to do” list. The next actions are broken down into the following categories:

• Really Important (two or three actions that are really important today)
• Big Things this Week (one or two actions that really need to take place this week)
• E-Mail (someone whom I need to write)
• On the Phone (someone whom I need to call. Maybe a word beside the name reminding me of the subject)
• Talk with (someone whom I need to talk with)
• To Go (errands I need to do)
• At the Mac (something that I need to do at my computer. Maybe a book to be ordered or something I need to look up)
• Waiting on (someone whom I am waiting on for an ok, for confirmation, for information, etc.)

1. Chris Brogan, who describes himself as “non-religious,” recently spoke of a book he liked regarding the author’s journey from atheism to faith. I have not read the book. However, I think it might be useful for ministers to simply listen to Chris in this video explain why he liked this book. It is very, very important that those who are on the edges of faith be heard. You can find the video and the post by Chris here.

2. Porn addiction via the Internet is a HUGE problem in this culture and this includes many people in churches. Recently, radio personality Kim Komando addressed this issue from a technical perspective on her website. (She has a nationwide weekly radio show in which she discusses the lifestyles of those who live in the digital age.) On her website, she addressed some technical issues that might be helpful for those who wish to block adult sites. This can be especially helpful for one who is fighting against porn addiction. You can find this discussion here. (This might be particularly helpful as you work with people who are trying to overcome this addiction.)

3. I like Facebook. Through Facebook I have been able to get in touch with many, many people who I have known through the years, including some people I went to high school with. This has been great. At the same time I realize that some people have used Facebook to develop inappropriate and sinful relationships. You might want to at least be aware of a discussion taking place regarding this. One interesting article is: “Facebook Becoming a Prime Source for Divorce Case Evidence .” You might also be interested in reading: “Facebook Didn’t Destroy Your Marriage” and “Facebook Destroying Marriages?”

4. July is the month that I try to do a lot of thinking about who I am and what I do. Part of what I do during July is expose myself to thoughts/ideas that are stimulating. Right now I am glancing at the many resources available from the Aspen Ideas Festival. (Bob Buford of Leadership Network attended this as he has for years.) You might enjoy looking through their website.

5. This afternoon I spent some time in the Dallas Theological Seminary library and then the bookstore. I find this extremely helpful. For many years I have practiced going into a library and surveying most of their present periodicals. For example, today I slowly walked up and down each periodical aisle looking at the cover of each journal or magazine. I glance at the authors and titles of articles. Often this serves as an excellent snapshot of what is being discussed. As I am walking up and down these aisles, I will see an entire journal or one article that looks especially interesting. I will collect these journals (today there were about 10) and then sit in a carrel either thumbing through the entire journal or reading the article. I do this a few times a year and generally come away with ideas, articles, and some thoughts.

1. You might enjoy reading this excellent post on family by my friend Tim Spivey. Tim raises the question: “How much should we focus on the family?” This is a very good post by a good thinker. Tim consistently writes good posts on his blog.

2. Recently I mentioned that I was reading The Drama of Scripture by Michael W. Goheen and Craig G. Bartholomew. The book is excellent. Now I am reading another book by the same two authors that is basically a sequel to the book I just mentioned. This book, Living at the Crossroads (An Introduction to Christian Worldview) is very good as well.

3. Some time ago, I heard about the “Give a Goat”  ministry but was reminded yesterday about this fine ministry. (Thanks to my friend Grady King for the tweet regarding this.) If you are not familiar with this ministry, you may want to look at this website.

4. A number of years ago, I noticed that when we would visit another congregation and hear someone else preach, that my thoughts tended to be critical. I would listen to a person focused on how I would say this or that differently or how this preacher had missed the meaning of a text. I think this critical spirit stemmed from my own sense of insecurity about my ministry.

The other day, Charlotte and I visited a congregation about 30 miles from our house. (I am on vacation.) I listened with a completely different perspective than those early years. Instead of finding fault, I focused on what this person was doing right, doing well, and what a blessing he was to that church. I don’t ever want to revive that old critical spirit again.

5. I continue to find very good resources from Leadership Network. This is a good website and has a number of links which can connect you to good resources.

6. What a story! “Kermit’s Song” (From ESPN’s Outside the Lines) I found this story about former NFL player, Kermit Alexander, to be very moving.

7. All of us who are ministers need to remember that there are people in our churches who are shy, quiet, hesitant, reserved, etc. In fact, if we don’t really make an effort to speak to these people when the church assembles, we may never really have a conversation with them.

This really was stressed to me a number of years ago immediately after a Sunday morning service. A candid (but truthful) school teacher approached me and said, “You are going to have to make more of an effort to speak to these people!” (Speaking of a particular family who was rather quiet and passive.) She went on to tell me that there are just some people who for whatever reason just don’t have the confidence to initiate a conversation. I’ve never forgotten her words and am so grateful that she called my attention to this. Can you relate?

1. Daniel Harkavy has written a short but helpful post on how to schedule projects into your calendar. Years ago, I took a one week summer class in which an adjunct professor taught these same principles. It was very helpful to me then and Harkavy’s thoughts are helpful now.

2. Choose your battles. Choose where you expend your energy. Let some things go.

Some ministers get caught up in some of the most ridiculous arguments. I am talking about the petty quarrels that take place in a congregation about things that are really insignificant. “Do we plant St. Augustine or Bermuda in front of the church building?” “Do we offer dessert with coffee at the next meeting or do we just offer coffee?” “Do we paint the hallways green or beige?” I might have an opinion on these things but none of these concerns are worth too much of my energy and passion. In other words, when I go to “battle,” I want it to be for something that in the larger scheme of things really does matter! Choose where you expend your energy. Some things you just need to let go.

3. You might enjoy skimming through James Emery White’s reading list. (On his website “Church & Culture”) I enjoy reading through such lists because I usually stumble upon at least one interesting book. I also enjoy looking through these reading lists because the titles alone can stimulate my thinking.

4. Read Donn Johnson’s fine piece “Continuing Education?” He raises some very, very important issues for anyone attempting to navigate the waters of congregational ministry. Take a few minutes and consider the issues in each category that he mentions.

5. During the month of July, I am away from the office. My co-workers will preach. (I am very grateful to them for this.) For two weeks, I will be on vacation. For two weeks I will study to prepare for the fall. Typically, this is one of the most valuable months of the year for me. It is not only a time to rest and relax, but is a time to regroup. During the study portion of this month, I usually reflect on the previous year and the year to come. What have I been preaching? Where are the gaps? What do I really need to be saying to the church at this point? What does God seem to be doing in my life and in the life of this church? These questions are a call for much prayer and much thought.

6. I read Scot McKnight’s Jesus Creed almost daily. This blog is very, very helpful to me on a number of fronts. At Jesus Creed, Scot McKnight reviews many, many books. I find this incredibly helpful. There are many books that I don’t necessarily need to read but it is helpful to know something about certain books and the points or arguments that are being made. Also, it is helpful to listen to the discussions and hear various perspectives on a particular issue. I could go on but this blog really is a useful resource for those in congregational ministry.