Yesterday I gave blood. That would be June 27, 2013. No, we are not days or weeks ahead at writing posts here at 200churches. The next podcast has not been recorded yet. Jonny is in Chicago this week on a youth missions trip. We are in full time ministry mode in our own 200church. We are both taking advanced degree courses at Bethel Seminary. We take life-long learning seriously. It will just be nice when that learning does not have to be connected to tuition costs! So, yesterday I gave blood. Here are four cool ministry lessons that jumped out at me: Know your people.
When we give blood, the blood people think it’s really important to identify where their blood comes from. They want to connect the blood with the giver. So, they ask you your name and birth-date a dozen times. When I passed out on the floor after seeing the needle go into me, the first thing I remember hearing when coming to was “Name and date of birth?” Okay, not really, but you get the point. They take all manner of information from you because they want a safe blood supply. The blood people know your name! When our people come to church, do we have a process to know their name, and all manner of other information about them? People want to be known, because to be known is to be cared for. To be known is to have worth. It is to be important… to someone. I want to make as much an effort to know my people as the blood people make to know me. Do you have a process in place to get to know people this weekend? In your 200church, you may have only one new person in your church every month. They might come this weekend! Do you already know your process to get to know them, to “assimilate” them into your church? If you don’t do it with one, you won’t do it with five, or ten, or fifty. Know your people. Give yourself away. When we go to see the blood people, we are giving a part of our very selves to them. They don’t exactly take that proverbial pound of flesh, but worse, they take a pound of blood! And as us preacher types know, the life is in the blood, right? I want to give as much of myself away to my church family as I give to the blood people. Jesus did. Paul did. Peter did. I want to as well. It’s hard because it goes against the grain of our selfish nature and culture, but it’s worth doing. In fact, it’s the only way to do ministry. How will you “give yourself” to your people this weekend? Time? Attention? Care? Listening? These are all ways to give ourselves away. Staying after the service for as long as people need is one way. Listening to them is another. I mean really listening with eye contact and an open heart. Caring for them by offering to help, to drive them somewhere, to give them some money, to visit, to share wisdom – these all reveal our genuine love for them. Give yourself away. Tomorrow, on Saturday, I will share the last two lessons I learned. Yesterday I gave blood… One man who was accused by his wife of procrastinating replied, “I’m not procrastinating, I’m just putting it off until later!” What is that one thing you have procrastinated on, but you can put off no longer? Like Popeye, you’re saying “I can’t stands it no more!” As the pastor of a 200church, your church is waiting on you to make the call, they are waiting to take your lead. We cannot afford to be timid. We want to end the week by challenging you to make a commitment. What is the one thing you’ve thought about for a long time, but have never pulled the trigger on? Is it a financial goal, a fractured relationship that needs mending, a business decision, a personal health plan, or a ministry initiative?
Here are four reasons why you should no longer put it off:
In this episode of the 200churches Podcast, we talk by Skype audio to Pastor Steve Spear, who is literally running, (on foot!) from California to New York, to raise 1.5 million dollars to equip an African community of 30,000 people with water FOR LIFE.
Here is Steve's update from just two days ago, Monday, June 10, 2013. He talks about how difficult it really is to run over 30 miles every day. We see him on Youtube and it looks easy, but...
You will hear our conversation with Steve, who had just completed a 30+ mile run in West Texas, most of which was through a dust storm! Steve explains how a man who hated running, signed up with TEAM World Vision to run across the country for clean water.
He will literally run more than a marathon each day for over 100 days. Don’t worry about Steve though… he takes every Thursday off as a rest day, he only runs 30+ miles a day the other six days of the week! Here are some links for you to connect with what Steve is doing: Steve’s Story Steve’s Story on Vimeo Steve’s Daily Report Videos Across America Donate Here To Provide Clean Water! Yesterday I gave you the first four attitudes that help to keep me on the growing edge: humility, positivity, expectancy, and generosity. Here are the final three, plus a personal story...
Perseverance – no matter how many times I fail, I try, try again. I used an old phrase with my kids hundreds of times as I raised them. I used it whenever they tried something and failed. When they would come to me and announce that something did not work, or that they had failed at something, I would say, “Try, try again!” It became somewhat of a joke between me and them. It’s no joke today. They know that failure is not the end, just a redirection of effort. They have succeeded in many things because they just keep trying. I grow when I look failure in the face and declare, “Try, try, again!” As a 200church pastor, my attitude of perseverance helps me look forward to the next Sunday!
Appreciation – I move toward those who are different from me, appreciating and learning from our differences. When I say attitude of appreciation, I mean for those who are different from me. Small people say, “I wouldn't do it that way!” Big people say, "I've never done it that way, I'll have to give it a try!" I want to appreciate people who are different from me, and who do things different from me. I also want to learn from them. Excellence – Some days my best is not as good as other days, but I’ll do my best today. To have an attitude of excellence is to appreciate what God has given you to do today. It is to expect that you are going to be human, not superhuman; good, not perfect; giving your best, not someone else’s. Excellence is more about not giving up, always improving, and staying vertical. It’s not setting the world record, but maybe your personal best. Pursuing excellence won’t make you perfect, but it will keep you growing. I can learn from anyone! I am in Rochester, NY on vacation this week. My heart was warmed and I felt right at home yesterday when I got yelled at by a Rochesterian. I pulled the wrong way into a gas station and got reamed out by the guy trying to exit. “What’s wrong with you! Why do you have to make my life miserable! You idiot!” he screamed. In what was likely the first time I’ve ever done this, I rolled down my window and yelled back, “Look at the IOWA license plate Pal and give me a break!”
He averted his gaze and I rolled up my window, thinking he might be giving me at least half a break, when even through the closed window I heard him shout, “What’s the matter, can’t they read in Iowa?!” I chuckled to myself as I pulled up to the pump. I can learn from this guy, I thought. I can be gracious and kind and prefer others better than myself. It’s more fun actually. If I had it to do over again, I’d pull into the same exit, but this time just bump his fender a little, maybe his driver’s door so he couldn't get out. That would fix him! I’ll give him “miserable”! Think I wouldn't? I’ll keep you wondering… When in Rochester… On Wednesday’s podcast, Episode 21, we talked about what we learned at the Chick-fil-A Leadercast. When you graduate, whether from high school or college, you have a choice to make: will I continue learning, or am I done? It wasn’t long after I finished college, and stopped writing papers and taking tests, that I realized I had better become a lifelong learner if I was to survive the real world. Some people say attitude is everything. It may not be everything, but it sure is something! As I reflected on my years of learning, often the hard way, but also with intentionality, I thought of seven attitudes that helped me to stay on a growth track. Here they are:
Humility – I don’t know it all and can learn from anyone. An attitude of humility opens your mind to receive the good things others have, whether from a conversation, lecture, book, podcast, etc. If I am proud I think I know it all. Proud people do not listen. Humble people have failed and know they need help. They can learn from anyone, and do. Humility is a great attitude for a pastor to practice. Positivity – Life is going to get better, if it kills me! I have always said that my life motto is: “Life gets better.” At some point in the past ten years, I’ve found out that it doesn’t always get better… in the short term. Sometimes it gets harder. But the hardness actually helps me to get better, if I have a positive response. My attitude of positivity allows me to keep moving forward, and to see the best in others, the blessings in failure, and the meaning in the toughest circumstances. Positivity helps me to grow. Expectancy – something good is right around the corner. In my 200church, I ask God to do something wonderful on a Sunday, when we meet corporately for worship. I ask the Holy Spirit to change us, me first! I have learned to expect God to send people my way, people who help me, and people I can help. I know that in the tough times and the lonely times he is there, and I ask for his help. I am asking right now that he will use this blog post to encourage another 200church pastor. I expect he will. Generosity – If I give to others, I will never run out. My attitude of generosity helps me to grow in faith. When I give something away, I have to believe God will bless the other person, and continue to provide for me. The more I give the more I grow. The less I give the less I receive from God and others. My attitude of generosity keeps me on the growing edge. Look for the rest of the article, and the story of my encounter with road rage, and how I grew from it... tomorrow! |
Welcome to the 200churches blog! We have hundreds of posts covering every issue imaginable. So pull up a chair, pour a cup of coffee, and stay awhile.
|