Listen to this podcast from Michael Hyatt’s blog with practical ideas to streamline your work and make you more effective. We all feel like we have too much to do; these are great ideas for ministry, business and life!
http://michaelhyatt.com/010-how-to-shave-10-hours-off-your-work-week-podcast.html
How You Can Overcome Discouragement in Ministry
by Joel Mayward
Original Article
After our high school gathering last night, a friend and volunteer in my ministry was feeling quite discouraged. His attempts at meaningful conversation with the guys he disciples appeared futile, and he wore his frustration in his posture. “I feel like we’ve taken twelve steps backwards in one night,” he lamented.
He was ready to throw in the towel. I wanted him to keep it.
He asked me, “how do you do it? How do you keep going in youth ministry when there are nights like this?” Great question. It’s one I wrestle with at least once a month. Well, maybe once a week. Okay, A LOT. Here are some thoughts that keep me going when I want to throw in the towel:
Remember your calling.
When I am discouraged, I have to come back to the specific vocational calling God has revealed. It’s not about me and my own frustrations; nor is it about about my personal triumphs. My motivation must stem from outside myself in the mission God has invited me to join. I think of the prophet Jeremiah. Called by God at a young age to be God’s voice to His people, Jeremiah preached and prayed and prophesied for his entire life. The result? No one listened, the people continued their downward spiral into sin, and ultimately were dragged away into exile while Jerusalem burned. Was Jeremiah successful? Not by our standards. Zero converts, tons of sinners, and the building burned down. Was he faithful and obedient to the calling God gave him? Yes. That has to be the standard for success.
Define success in long-term holistic fruit.
This is one of my ministry values. Trust God in the process of growth. He often works much slower than our fast-paced Internet-influenced minds would like. I cannot define my overall success in youth ministry by the immediate. I am not trying to create Godly teenagers; I am trying to foster Godly adults. I want them to be following Jesus decades from now, not just for one evening’s discussion or when they participate in my program. So when one night goes really poorly–or really well–I must view it as a tiny piece in the larger picture.
Pace appropriately.
The guys my friend disciples are freshman boys, and their delinquent actions last night were very congruent with all freshman boy stereotypes. In discipleship, we have to slow down and pace alongside someone in their spiritual journey. We must be present with them where they’re at, even if we want them to be so much further along. Our expectations need to be high, but they also must be realistic. Discipleship for a freshman in high school is remarkably different than a freshman in college.
Remember Jesus.
He’s the one who transforms hearts anyway. We are just guides ands curators along the journey. We pray that He would somehow work in and through us as conduits for His love and grace. Just look at His own disciples–they were a bunch of loud-mouth idiots who often misunderstood what He said and just plain didn’t get it. Plus, one of them sold Him out to have Him killed, and they all abandoned Him in His darkest hour. These are the guys who ended up changing the entire world in the name of Christ. If the Son of God doesn’t have a “perfect” record with His disciples, perhaps we can give ourselves a bit more grace.
It’s a common phrase we’ve all used at some point. But what does it really mean? Is it an accurate presentation of salvation?
Click here to read Jared Kennedy’s thoughts on the matter.
Corrie ten Boom described life as a tapestry. Often, we view it from the backside–with all the knots and tangles and re-starts. But in those instances where you can step outside yourself, rise above and see the work of art God is fashioning, the result might just take your breath away. For sure, it will encourage you to keep going!
Click here to read Michael Hyatt’s take on this metaphor. Be encouraged!
Tony Morgan offers his advice on structuring youth programs as an “old guy”–from his perspective as a father of teens, a father of youth leaders, and a leadership coach with years of experience. Check out what he has to suggest…
As you may or may not know, every semester the Institute chooses a book of the Bible to study inductively. This Spring, we studied Esther together, which just so happens to also be the summer study for staff at Kanakuk and KAA. This study has been different than some, as it is very much a story, and not a theological discourse. Therefore, in our weekly study, we did more observing the timing of each event, and the character of each player than tons of Greek word studies and cross referencing. Esther is unique because the name of God is never stated, merely implied.
However, as we have studied through, we have seen God’s hand at work, as He so perfectly orchestrates the time and place for Queen Vashti to be removed, for Esther to find favor with the king’s eunuch, for Mordecai to save King Ahasuerus’ life, for the king to have a sleepless night, and for Haman to build the gallows from which he would eventually hang. If you have a few minutes, read through the story for yourself. Hollywood couldn’t make a tale any better than this one, except this one is true! Historically, we see evidence that it really happened. And the best part is that in the end, God’s chosen people, the Jews, not only survived but prevailed. The dread of the Jews and the respect for their God spread across 127 provinces from India to Ethiopia. They plundered those who attacked them, and Mordecai & Esther were both given roles of authority in this far-reaching kingdom. God set the perfect stage for HIS purposes.
I am encouraged by the book of Esther in my own life, because just like me, Esther’s main characters couldn’t see where they were going. God didn’t reveal ahead of time how He would act and save and prevail. They had to obey in FAITH each day. It was not an easy road for the individuals living it out. Young Esther was taken from her normal life and thrust into the limelight as queen, which one would imagine would be lonely and intimidating at times. Mordecai was within days of swinging from a 75 foot gallow because he refused to bow to Haman, an Agagite who was an enemy to the Jewish. The entire Jewish nation was in danger of being exterminated, had God not intervened. There were many days of pleading with the Lord for rescue, of fasting & praying for Him to act. I can almost feel their desperation—the death orders had been made. Only supernatural intervention could save. AND HE DID. Not immediately. Not at the very first sign of trouble. And probably not in the way Esther, Mordecai or Haman expected. But He showed up in a way that brought Him glory throughout the entire Medo-Persian sphere of influence. Doesn’t He still do that today?
As the Institute launches another class, our students continue seek what is next. Some are still waiting for answers. Many have a desire to be in ministry, but are waiting to find a job offer that fits. Others know a general direction, but are dependent on God to work out the details. At times, God makes us wait to see it all fall into place. He pushes us to the point of daily dependence on Him, forcing us out of our comfort zones in which we think we are calling the shots. It has been encouraging for us as we walk through these decision-making times, to cling to the God of Esther, who so perfectly orchestrated the times and places of her story to save the Jews. The study of Esther has been different, but so applicable. To Him be the glory, in her story and in ours. And in yours!
May we continue to take the Word of God, study it in its original context, and take the truths of our unchanging God to strengthen our faith and guide us for life. We will delight to see what He does!
Chuck Warnock shares a short article about changes the church can’t ignore if it hopes to reach a diverse audience. Some of his observations include changes in the ethnic make-up of the United States, the structure of the American family, and the roles of men and women. A thought-provoking read; how should we, the church, the body of believers respond? Are his insights accurate? What do you think?
Click here to read full article.
Two of our students, John & Lindsay, put together this AWESOME photo slideshow of their year at KI.
Original Post by Michael Hyatt here:
This is a guest post by Barry Hill, Jr., a storyteller, blogger, speaker, and barista. You can read more on blog, The Ordained Barista and follow him on Facebook andTwitter. If you want to guest post on this blog, check out the guidelines here.
I love to-do lists. Are you a to-do list person? Not sure? Take this one question quiz to find out if you might be an official to-do list person.
Question: Have you ever completed a task that wasn’t on your to-do list, and then added it on to your to-do list, after you completed the task, just so you could enjoy the twisted satisfaction of crossing that task off of your to-do list?
If you have, then you, my friend, are officially a to-do list person. Welcome to the club.
The major challenge I have with my to-do lists, like many people, is that I have more tasks to do on them then any ten people could possibly finish in a week. Sound familiar? Because we live such frenetic lives, we can quickly become mired in the tyranny of the urgent, and prioritizing my tasks for the week becomes paramount if I am going to move closer to my goals.
One of the questions I like to ask myself, in order to determine what tasks get assigned a higher priority, is the following,
“What tasks on this to-do list should, or can only, be accomplished by me?”
We can all think of tasks in our area of responsibilities, for many reasons, that are best done personally, and asking the question, “What tasks can only be accomplished by me?” is an especially important question to consider when we are organizing the tasks and responsibilities of our professional and personal lives.
Last summer my wife, Rachel, found this to-do list that my then eight-year-old son, Harrison, had in his room, and it really made me re-think the types of tasks that are on my to-do lists. Take a look.
In case you can’t read my son’s writing let me go over the list:
Even though Harrison had a hectic summer schedule, which consisted of playing with friends, building Legos, and recreational-sleep he still put “play with Dad” as an important task to be completed.
Honestly, this to-do list got me more than a little choked up. At times I can be more focused about writing down work related tasks than I can be about the things that matter the most, like my family and important relationships. It made me think about the fact that I spend a crazy amount of time being strategic and intentional with my job, and I want to remember to apply that same intentionality to my relationships as well.
I am great about creating and tackling lists that need to happen to lead a productive work day, but I am less intentional about the fact that:
Like many people, I am much more comfortable asking the question what is there “to-do” and a lot less focused on what/who I am called “to-be.”
So, in order to be more intentional with developing habits that remind me that I am not simply a collection of my accomplishments and my to-do’s, I have started thinking about not only my to-do list but my to-be list.
What is a to-be list? It is simply a list of the time and tasks that I need to invest in, so that I can move towards being the person God has called me to be.
Here are a few examples of my “to-be” categories with one task on each list.
In order “to-be” a caring father I will:
In order “to-be” a loving husband I will:
In order “to-be” the Barry God has created me to be I will:
In order “to be” a child of God I will:
You see, I get so focused about meetings and tasks that sometimes I forget to prioritize the things in life that most need to be accomplished, and that can ONLY can be done by me—like my relationships with my friends and family.
Let me encourage you that I am not writing this because I have all the answers figured out, but because I have been challenged by these things more than I would like to admit, and need helpful tools, and people, to keep me accountable. It took the to-do list of my eight-year-old son to remind me what is important in life.
As an exercise, I encourage you to take a few minutes today and write down a few “to-be” categories and add one task to each category.
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“The Institute was a great blessing in our first year of marriage. We were able to learn about God’s Word together, creating a solid foundation to begin our family and our ministry for the rest of our lives.”
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