Ten Ways to Breathe Easier in Ministry

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Leading a ministry can be tough work. If you’re not careful, the week-to-week effort can become routine and exhausting. Here are ten ways to breathe easier in ministry.

1. Get the monkeys off your back. A monkey is something that hangs on your back day and night and won’t let go. Too many leaders procrastinate and in the process end up carrying around too many monkeys. Deal with problems and don’t let them weigh you down! It’s a lot easier to walk without a dozen monkeys hanging on your neck.  Continue reading →

22 steps to adultery

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Am I getting R-rated on our blog? I guess so… but for a good cause. Tonight Beth and I were talking about yet another pastor who was unfaithful to his wife. I’m getting tired of hearing these reports, as I’m sure you are.

I’m convinced more than ever that the devil loves bringing church leaders down. One of the biggest things that will destroy your ministry is sexual sin. I remember being a senior in high school and the devastation that I experienced when my youth pastor was caught in a sexual affair.  Continue reading →

A children’s pastor on death row

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God is opening up some big doors at Awana. One of those doors is prison ministry. Awana has a ministry in prisons all around the country – one being the largest maximum security prison in America, The Louisiana State Penitentiary at Angola. This prison was once known as one of the bloodiest prisons in the U.S. Today, under the leadership of Warden Burl Cain, it is considered by many to be one of the safest and most productive in terms of moral rehabilitation.  Continue reading →

To everything there is a season

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In Ecclesiastes 3:1, wise Solomon said, “To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven:”

Webster defines the word season as “a time characterized by a particular circumstance or feature” or “a period of the year characterized by or associated with a particular activity or phenomenon” (Merriam Webster.com).  Continue reading →

I love small towns.

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I love living in a small town. We have one stop light. It takes me 5 minutes to get anywhere in town. The postmaster knows me by name. We have a supermarket without an express checkout. I drop Luci off at school in the morning and am comfortable leaving my car running in the parking lot. I know most of the teachers in our school district by name. Yep, I like where I live.

So, what’s it like where you live?

Prayer Changes Everything

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Recently in our KidzMatter staff meeting, I had the opportunity to lead devotions and the topic was prayer.  Prayer is a way of life and part of our culture at KidzMatter.  Our whole team prays together regulalry for each aspect of our ministry and for each other. For me this is one of the greatest blessings that come from being a part of this amazing team.

Since prayer is so central to what we do, I decided to create a prayer wall where our requests could be posted.  I painted one wall of our copy room with chalkboard paint and put up a vinyl decal that says, “Prayer changes everything.”  Each request will be dated with the day it was posted and the date that God answered it.  I am looking forward to this wall being a testimony to our awesome God and the amazing work He is doing in us as we serve Him!

 

 

Leaders who make a difference: Aquila and Priscilla

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Paul said, “Greet Prisca and Aquila, my fellow-workers in Christ Jesus, who for my life risked their own necks …” (Romans 16:3-4).

I love discovering leaders who made a difference. Today I want you to get acquainted (or re-acquainted) with a family that did life and ministry together. They were tentmakers who traveled extensively throughout the New Testament world. We don’t know much about their background, but we know they struck a friendship with Paul. The three of them worked together as tentmakers. Aquila and Priscilla went on to be great leaders and mentors in the church.  Continue reading →