It's Never too Late

        When John D. Rockefeller died his accountant was asked how much Mr. Rockefeller had left behind. The accountant responded by saying, "He left it all". My basketball coach in high school used to tell us to leave it all on the court. After all what good would a little extra energy do for us after the game was in the record books. We should live life this way. After all, you will leave it all, so why not make it count? 

        My great Aunt Ethel passed away on Saturday at 81 years old. She not only left it all behind, but she left it all on the court. Ethel volunteered in a youth ministry and gave of her own time to visit teens in a children's home every week until she was well into her 70s. Years after her peers were speaking in "used to" phraseology she was still going strong. Why? Because our time here is short and she loved teenagers. In the end only the ravishes of cancer could pull her from her calling. Instead of quitting though she began to focus her attention toward mentoring my mother, which she continued until the end.

        Many people fear, that what they have to say will not be relevant. Teens do not care how much you know until they know how much you care. You will also find that your knowledge and relevancy increase in any area that you love. My aunt was reading the newest, most cutting edge ministry books before I was even aware they were out.

        Aunt Ethel leaves behind a lasting legacy. Because of her faith and others in my family, most of those she leaves behind are firm believers. In fact myself and two brothers have also gone into youth ministry as well. 

        One day you will die. You WILL leave it all. Will you leave it ALL on the court or waste the God-given potential inside of you? You can decide to stand out and make a lasting difference. It's never too late to start. 

5 Ways to Use Twitter for Ministry

      
        Twitter is a great tool for finding out what is happening right now, but did you know that it can help you in ministry? I am not suggesting that leaders need to jump on every fad and technological wonder that comes along. We do not have to be hip, trendy, or have our finger on the pulse to bring Christ's love to a modern world. As long as people are in sin the Gospel will be relevant. With that being said here are 5 ways that Twitter can benefit your ministry.

        1. Speak into people's lives
         John Maxwell has said, "Leadership is influence." Think about that statement. Abraham, Moses, and Jesus were never crowned earthly kings or elected to public office, yet they lead and people followed. Maybe you tried Twitter out and you had 30 or even 100 followers.  One cannot assume that saying insightful things will automatically lead to a massive following, yet if no one is following we are not leading.
        I use a free service called Tweepi. In Tweepi I can follow the followers of people who are saying things similar to me. For me that is people who speak on leadership, youth ministry, and evangelism. Their followers already have a passion for the things I am passionate about. They are likely to follow me as well. I also use Social Oomph to follow back those that follow me and send a heartfelt generic message to new followers.
        What are you waiting for? Expand your following.

        2. Be Mentored
        Do you have someone whose walk and ministry you admire, but do not personally know them?Twitter is a great way to glean from the wisdom, strategies, and encouragement that they have to offer. It also helps us to see the larger than life Christian personalities as real transparent people.

        3. Reach the Hurting
        Jesus spent a great deal of his time on Earth with those that were hurting. Did you know that the search bar in Twitter is not just for finding people? You can search any word or phrase and it will find every recent Tweet with that word or phrase in it. Talk about a missionary opportunity. You can be as specific as you want. Who is using the following phrases right now?--I hate my life, I am hopeless, No one likes me. There are many hopeless and helpless people on Twitter that you can reply to without even following. Wow! What a difference a few purposeful internet evangelists could make.

        4. Be Social but not Unguarded 
        It seems that in a lot of ways Facebook has become the modern Christian's gossip tool of choice. This all takes place under the guise of concern and prayer requests. Twitter is a micro-blogging service. There is a sharing of information, but not too much information. For instance, users only share a brief bio and Tweets are limited to 140 characters (120 if you want anyone to retweet what you have to say). You can Tweet from your phone or computer without having to get too sucked into the time consuming and at times matchmaking, home-wrecking world of popular social networks (a tip for Facebook: give your spouse your password or share an account).

        5. Get Prayer Quick
        Whether it is for a service or in the wake of a recent death, Twitter can get the prayer ball rolling. A lot of churches have a prayer phone tree. Imagine one that goes around the world. I was recently about to speak at an event when I Tweeted that I needed prayer and was preaching at 2pm. I immediately had a reply on my phone of a man in the U.K. wanting to know what time that would be in the his time zone. I am bad at math so I told him 30 minutes from now. There is also a husband and wife in California that actively pray for my Student Ministry in North Carolina. I have never met them, but they are part of the Body of Christ.

        There are many other reasons to add Twitter to your ministry repertoire, but I hope this list helps you think through your online strategy.

Who Do You Follow?

Grave of Dr. Jerry Falwell

       

        There are people in the faith that I have always wanted to be like. I know what you are thinking--We should only want to be like Jesus. This is true to a certain extent, but since I have not yet arrived at being totally Christ-like, I will make a Biblical case for emulating those farther down the path.

        Paul said in 1 Cor. 11:1 And you should imitate me, just as I imitate Christ. I cannot yet say this, but it is my goal to one day be able to humbly say this to growing believers. 

        When Elijah was about to be taken up he spoke with Elisha. 2 Kings 2:9 When they had crossed, Elijah said to Elisha, "Tell me, what can I do for you before I am taken from you?" "Let me inherit a double portion of your spirit," Elisha replied.

        Jesus even told his followers that they would do greater things than Him (John 14:12). I believe that part of leadership is creating strong followers. We should be excited when those who come after us do even greater things. 

        This past week I was in Virginia. My wife and I went to Jerry Falwell's grave. I understand that he is not there, but this man was my pastor, and I owe a great deal of my faith heritage to things I learned from him. I do not want to emulate the political part of his life, but his love for his family and ability to dream big were priceless. 

        Jerry Falwell was a man of great faith who believed God for the impossible time and time again. It was the vision God gave him that enabled him to build the largest Christian university on the planet. He also left a legacy of three children who are actively serving God. So many do great things in the "ministry" while their family turns away. What a tragedy. I accepted Christ through the youth group in the church he founded. I am also a part of his legacy. 

        

        James 1:5 tells us to ask for wisdom. I believe that God wants us to seek Him for growth in all areas of spiritual development. Right there at Jerry Falwell's grave I asked God to give me a portion of his strength and vision. I didn't ask for a double portion because I believe the mantle of leadership was passed onto his son Jonathan. I am not at a point where I could handle a double portion, but a small helping would be welcome. Baby Steps. 

        I want to have great vision. I want it to be God's vision for me. And I want to work hard for what I can do and trust God for what only He can do until it comes to pass. I want my ministry to have a lasting impact, but only if my family is my primary ministry. I want to be able to tell my children to follow me as I follow Him. 

        There are many others that I would gladly emulate on my path to be more like Him. Here are a few: Craig Groeschel for his transparency, Francis Chan for his passion, The Prophet Elijah for his boldness, my friend Brad Newton for his joy, and my fellow youth pastor Daniel Dye for his Godly example as a husband and father.

        Along our faith journey we will meet many who are further down the path. We can learn a lot from these followers. We can follow them as they follow Him. Who would you want a double portion of? Who has inspired you in the faith? Who do you follow?

Bicycling in the Dark-A Recipe for Ministry Disaster

      I remember having reflectors on my bicycle as a kid. They were handy as a safety feature but pretty worthless in the dark without a light shining on them. Bikes sported just about everything back then: reflectors, horns, pegs, and in my sister's case, a basket. Yes, it had everything but a light of its own.
     As leaders, we should be like reflectors. It doesn't matter if you teach Sunday school, a small group, or even pastor a church-we should be reflecting a light that is not our own.
     I have seen churches, youth groups, and small groups over the years crumble after a leader steps down. Why does this happen? Who is to blame? Both the leader and the followers share in this responsibility.
     Followers often put leaders on a pedestal and believe no other leader could fill his/her shoes. These"believers" run to the next vibrant and engaging speaker and do the same to him/her.
     As leaders, we often love to hear accolades of how good we are doing and how God is using us in someone else's life. We walk a tightrope between our own ego and God's glory. The glory should belong not to the one using the gifts but to the gift giver.
    We need to recognize that we will not always be around. Are we preparing our ministry for our eventual exit? Any of us could die this week.
    What would become of your ministry? Are your followers His followers? Your people need to be able to continue on without you. This means letting go and empowering your staff and volunteers to share more of the load. They need buy-in to change their point of view from helping with 'your' ministry to working in 'our' ministry.
    We must also help our followers to see that following you as a leader rather than seeking God through your ministry is idolatry. This false perception is perpetuated by us. When we give out fish rather than teach the art of fishing we enable our idol worshipers to continue looking at a light-less reflector. We are not God and need to practice continual glory shifting in order to keep pride from taking root in our life. Lead with Christ's legacy in mind. In fifty years people will be celebrating what God has done rather than mourning a dying ministry and wishing for the glory days when you were at the helm.
     Stop pedaling in the dark and ride toward His light. If it is always about Him, then it will be fine without you.

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10 Ways to Be More Effective as a Leader

      Here are a few things I have learned about leadership from being in ministry for the past ten years. These are not all new concepts and any truth that has been gleaned from life and/or experience was true before me. I pray this list helps you think through who you are as a leader. We can all grow as a leader whether we own; a company, lead a Boy Scout troop, teach a Sunday school class, or parent a child.


  1. Always model loyalty: Have the back of those in authority over you and your followers will have
      yours.
  2. Do not criticize an individual in front of others (even constructively). Do it in private and you will
      gain appreciation rather than resentment.
  3. When a staff member or volunteer is having a crisis write it down, commit it to prayer, and ask
      about it periodically. This communicates that you care.
  4. Do not micromanage: If you believe that your organization would be better if you could only clone
      yourself then perhaps leadership is not for you. Leadership is about empowering people. If you
      can't trust your people to run with an idea then they either need training or replacing.
  5. Notice exceptional achievement:  If a job is well done do not miss an opportunity to let the
      individual know. This simple accolade will hopefully lead to a trend in a higher quality of work.
  6. Admit your own mistakes. Others already see them anyway and it will help them appreciate and
      relate to you.
  7. Pray for your staff or volunteers daily.
  8. Explain your vision: If your vision is unclear to your followers then it will only be rooted in your
      mind but never gain legs in the real world.
  9.  Public appreciation for staff or volunteers: Never underestimate the benefit of this small gesture.
10. Pull up the anchor: Occasionally you will have to let someone go because they are holding your
      organization back. Do this with kindness but do it nonetheless. Do not put it off. Your
      effectiveness be limited until you do. Leaders must make the tough decisions.

     What principles are missing? What would you add to this list. Leave a comment and pass this article on to those it may benefit. I look forward to gleaning from what you have learned as I continue to grow as a leader.

Are You Playing it Safe?

Many of us play it safe.  We frequent familiar restaurants, sit in our "normal" seats at church, get up at the same time each day, and socialize with a certain group of people.  It is our routine and it feels safe.

It is safe because of the predictability it brings.  What a curious bunch we are.  People will bash a movie or stop watching a television drama if it becomes too predictable (sitcoms are another story).  We like the element of surprise, but not in our personal lives.

I have seen people visibly upset when someone is in "their" seat.  If there is one person at a six seat table at the coffee shop, we will wait for a table to open up rather than break the ice with a stranger.  On the flip side we feel a sense of comfort when a server remembers our usual or how we like our coffee.

Predictable people can still have joy in their lives.  They are not miserable for staying in the familiar, but they rarely make a lasting impact on society.  Try to think of a predictable person who made a difference.  If you can think of anyone, such as the lady who wrestled the ammo out of the Arizona shooter's hand, then it was only for her moment of unpredictability.

Do something different.  Crawl out of the box and then burn it.  Sit in a different seat, meet someone new, and see life from a new perspective.  Have a dream?  What are you waiting for?  Is it on your bucket list?  Don't assume you have time.  Live your dreams now.  Eternity is next on the agenda and you only have one shot to give this world something it will never see again.  You!

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The BP Oil Crisis

I have been pondering the BP oil crisis for quite sometime now. Trying to think of exactly what I can add to the conversation. Then I read my dad's blog on the topic and felt as though my mind had been read. You may say, "Like father like son", to which I would add, "Have you ever met the two of us"? Nevertheless his sentiments are mine. The entry below is completely my dad's from his blog: A Time For Truth. If you enjoy his writing I have a link to his blog below the article. The opinions expressed in the rest of his articles do not necessarily reflect the views or writings of Randumblog, but the one writing them has helped shape me into the man I am today. I love you Dad.

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No Leadership

Oil continues to gush into the USA Gulf Coast area, fouling everything it touches. Death and Destruction are visible on every side. Now for over 60 days the onslaught has continued and one must wonder how much longer before it can be stopped. A look at the US government response is eye opening. The main actions taken are lot of hot air and getting lawyers involved to see who can be held accountable along with possible criminal charges. The offers from other nations willing to help are ignored or just refused. Blaming BP for the problem and strong arming them into setting up a fund to pay damage claims run by the government seems to be the priority. Now nothing wrong with making sure damages are taken care of BUT the focus needs to be an all hands on deck approach in working to stop the oil from continuing to flow before it starts to cause damage to other nations and destroy the ocean's eco system for years to come. The sad thing is that the US government encouraged the deep water drilling with no viable data in how to handle a ruptured pipe problem at such a depth. Now we have the problem and no workable plan to fix it in a reasonable time frame. No leadership from Washington DC, and BP without the power and resources needed to fix it before it became a major problem. The one time a problem is large enough to actually need our government to step in to coordinate the containment and clean up effort and all we get is talk about paying for damages and who should be blamed. There is a time for everything and now is the time for action to stop the flow of oil and after that has happened THEN it will be time for blame, investigations, liability, and paying for the damages. If the government cannot answer the bell for this issue how can it be trusted to run the health care system effectively for over 300 million people. That is another nightmare waiting to happen. We vote in those who have not only had no experience in the real world, but no clue as to how to lead in a critical time. Is it any wonder why excuses seem to be the rule of the day by those who are blinded by their ideology even while walking in darkness. Interesting times are upon us indeed.

My Dad's Blog: A Time For Truth