Wow I can not believe that 2009 is already over. I was going back through the archives looking at the last time I posted a Backstage Pass and it was back on December 20th. So much has seemed to happen since then and more importantly for this topic, more lessons have been learned than I have taken the time to blog about.
Today I will try and get down some of the quick behind the scenes/back stage type lessons and ideas, new and old that I have been reminded of or discovered new for myself.
* Kids Love to text. Yesterday we had a texting service where we had all the kids (98% of all of our 4-6th graders have phones) brought them and used them to text us questions during the service. We would answer all of them that we could. Well we were delightfully surprised to the amount of great questions they sent us. We were able to get a peek into their minds and lives that no amount of money could have paid for. Because it was done through texting they felt a comfort of asking true, transparent questions. It was one of my most favorite services over the last few years.
* One little idea can lead to some really bigger ideas and more developed. That is what the texting service is doing for us. We have some great minds now thinking through how to make this bigger and better. We saw more visitors yesterday than in a long time. The main difference, we WANTED them to bring their phones and text during service. This is what I refer to as “Godly Naughtiness”.
* People want to be challenged and live up to something greater than themselves.
* Use people where they already love being and they will not feel it is a task.
* When people are given an opportunity to succeed they will take it. So offer many opportunities to success.
Wow as I look at this date of posting today’s Backstage Pass and at the date of my last Backstage Pass, I noticed it has been a while. This observation actually brings me to my first review point:
1. When you take on too many things at the same time, something is going to suffer. This where proper task management is a must. Around this time of year for all of us we tend to have a lot on our plates from friends, family, ministries, church and even personal wants and desires on our time. I want to recommend a book that to me was a very quick and simple read but packed a great sobering punch with it. The title of the book is: Choosing to Cheat by Andy Stanley. Read this book and stay alert better than what I just caught myself doing in this season.
2. When people are encouraged and believed in they will surprise you for the good every time. I have a great team of volunteers throughout all of Take TWO. But over this last weekend some of them had the opportunity to really shine and they did not disappoint in the least. To mention only a few I would start with Ryan and Brittani as they were ready to step in on a moments notice and fill what I thought was going to be a hole in the morning. I later recognized it was not and so they came back for their scheduled time that night and hit it out of the ballpark with the kids. They were creative, prepared, humble, and eager to be with the kids, and the kids felt it along with their parents.
We also had 2 wonderful ladies who over the last few weeks have been working with the kids from preschool to 6th grade on our singing numbers for this last weekend. yes Pearl and my wife Rachel have been devoted, committed, and doing it all the time with excellence and it was able to shine brightly Sunday night. Way to go girls.
Lastly (or at least included in just the few I am mentioning in this blog post today) we have a couple who have been in the preschool ministry and serving with a joyful heart. This couple has kept serving even when there house had burnt down and during the whole remodel time while they live in some mobel home in the mean time. This couple are the ones I thought were not going to make it for a service that I had then called Ryan and Brittani in for. Once I talked with them I found out there was a misunderstanding and they said something that to them was no big deal, but, if everyone would have the same attitude it would radically change the volunteer ministry not only in our church but churches across the world. When I saw them in their ministry room I went to them and said, “I thought you were not able to make it today” as this is what someone understood. They turned to me and said: “No way, we would not not show up with this short of a message and lack of communication”. Thanks for taking your responsibility so serious.
3. When kids take the stage for a performance, they can bring down the hardest and highest walls of anyone in no time. The kids did fantastic as they sang and read and all. Great job Kids.
4. God is never too late or too early. We have seen God do so many great things this year that they are too numerous to even try to go into. But I will say, that there is not a concern in any of our lives regardless of how small or big that God does not care for. Thanks God, You really do rock!!
5. I truly enjoy hanging out with the pastoral team here at McArthur. We do get along and have one-another’s back. Doing ministry or life together we enjoy one another.
It is that wonderful time again as the whole church has now cleared out and everyone has gone home for those naps, snacks, lunches and many others off to yet another appointment and such. But for me this is the time I get to sit down here Starbucks in hand, tap away on my MacBook Pro and do a little assessment of the adventure that God allowed me to play out today. So if you would, go ahead and buckle up as we go down assessment lane from today and I share some of my hits and misses, lessons learned or lessons reinforced.
* Ministry is a blast when I have my teams in place. This week everyone showed up and was ready to go. As I popped around to the different ministry areas for Take TWO it really was a great atmosphere. I wish I could only bottle this feeling and capture these times some how so that when I would do volunteer training I could show everyone the importance that they have and that their absence is really felt in a lot of ways.
* It doesn’t matter how tired I may be God will still do His wonderful acts of Love and Grace.
* I really miss just hanging out with the various team members before and after services. I am truly blessed to have the great team members that I do have.
* I preached a little about not compartmentalizing God but to allow Him in every part of your life to The Studio Kids (4-6th grade). How it is important to NOT treat God like so many do - As an Insurance Agent. We want God to provide the life and fire insurance for us but we only want Him around when “we need Him.”
* Today when everything went great, it made me think through all the sacrifices that so may made to have this kind of day for me. Not just for me, but so that the parents can have a great day, the kids can have a great day, even so they can have a great day as each volunteer feels full when they have ministered successfully to God, for God, and with God.
* It is extremely important to make sure I eat something bigger for breakfast if I am working straight through on Sundays or to bring a snack.
This is the backstage review of my day today. What were some lessons you learned from today where ever you were?
I may be a day late with this review but this is a very short week and I did get it in. Again today i am going to review my weekend and give you a brief look into some lessons that I may have learned, some that may have been reminded to me and other misc. type thoughts. So come on backstage with me and hopefully you will get a little something from some of my own lessons.
* Let begin by just saying that short weeks packed with Holiday days on it are very hard. The same amount of stuff still needs to be done but now with less days. Plus, here the attendance goes down a little.
* It is good to let parents come in at the end of your pre-teen service and hear the closing of your message. This helps them in many ways and you can get some great feedback from the parents all ending with a big “Thank You”.
* Holidays can really put your volunteerism to the test. It really brings out your several different layers of volunteers, but also in the process allows you to see how great God is by always supplying your needs just in time. I love my volunteer teams because they love God, the kids and me.
* You have got to keep advertising your processes to everyone all the time. Just as you feel you have gone overboard everyone else is just starting to get it. Don’t stop!!
* Starbucks eggnog lattes are my favorite during this time of year.
* The level kids will rise to often is heavily influenced my the level you are challenging them. How are you challenging your kids to rise to another level?
* It’s important that we do not get confused between the practice of a specific church and the principles really transcend those practices.
Well everyone I do hope and pray that everyone will have a wonderful Thanksgiving.
