Virtual small group
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Life (and ministry) is tough
Here is an article of the life and ministry struggles of a man who was pastor of the church I attended during my college years, First Baptist Church of Lakeland, Florida (now The Church at the Mall).
This man was an amazing pastor and preacher who loved everyone. After I graduated from college, I moved to New Orleans to begin my graduate studies. He encouraged me in my journey. As I was nearing the end of my first semester of Seminary, I contacted my pastor about a summer position with the church’s summer camp program. He put me in contact with the Children’s Minister at that time, and I was hired as the Summer Day Camp Director. It was an amazing summer of experience and learning and ministering to school-age kids. After that summer I returned to New Orleans and completed my graduate degree a year and half later. My graduate studies and my next children’s ministry positions were strengthened by my experiences that summer.
Not long after that summer position, he left the church in Lakeland and moved to Shreveport, Louisiana. I lost contact with him for much of this time, although, was aware that he returned to Florida to minister in Brandon at the same time that I resided in Tampa. However, it was too far of a commute to Brandon from my location to attend church and invest in people and ministry.
Just a few months ago I re-connected with him on Facebook through a mutual friend (gotta love social networking) and yes, he remembered me well, and my parents, who were also active members of First Baptist Lakeland. I was puzzled when reading his profile page and saw what looked like recent struggles with his family and personal life. Now he is ministering in a new church in the Brandon, Florida, area. It looked like things were going well but I was concerned about what happened with the first Brandon church plant and what happened to his family that I knew in Lakeland.
This article is interesting and explains how many ministers are burdened and pressured and suffer from challenges and struggles yet have little to no place to turn for help. We need to be friends with ministers in the church and treat them as real people. After all, they are real people and have real, everyday challenges. Take them to lunch. Invite them over. Spend time with them. Don’t expect them to do all the “ministering.” They need to be ministered to as well.
SBC news
I don’t usually post comments about the SBC from the national convention meetings, but here are some thoughts from trusted leaders.
Got faith?
We can learn a lesson on faith from the classic Andy Griffith Show. Opie meets a new friend but nobody believes him from his description of the man. He walks in trees, wears a silver hat, has 12 extra hands, and blows smoke out of his ear. Just before Andy punishes Opie for lying, he looks at his son’s sincere face and says the following line:
“I guess it’s a time like this when you’re asked to believe something that just don’t seem possible… that’s the moment that decides whether you got faith in somebody or not.”
Sometimes it is hard to believe that God is working. We’re looking for something. We want to see something. We want to see proof. The truth is… God gives us proof in the little things. God is working. We may not understand how or why at the current moment but God is working in every moment of our lives, even the little moments and the challenging times. Those are the moments when we must decide if we have faith.
Got faith?
Others watch
Others are watching. This commercial from an insurance company is a good example of doing good things for others and lending a helping hand to them. Life is hard and sometimes we all need help. Each one of these people in this commercial is doing something good to help another person. They are being Jesus even if the ad doesn’t mention His name.
Sit in groups
Imagine a jar of marbles — how many marbles does it take to fill a jar?
Imagine of glass of water — how many tablespoons of water does it take to fill a glass?
Imagine a crowd of people — how much food does it take to feed a crowd of people — 5,000+ people?
Mark 6:30-44 is the story of Jesus feeding 5,000+ people with only 5 loaves of bread and 2 fish. Notice at the beginning of this story that Jesus and his disciples were trying to talk and eat together but a massive crowd of people continued to hang around them, around Jesus. Jesus instructed his disciples to go with him to a “lonely place;” however, they were unable to get away by themselves. Wherever they went, people found them and gathered around. They needed something, someone.
The disciples told Jesus to send the people away to their own towns to find something to eat. There was nothing available in this “lonely place.” But Jesus wouldn’t have it. He instructed the people to sit in groups …of 50 or 100 …and He fed them, all of them, from the only food available: 5 loaves of bread and 2 fish, and He had 12 baskets of leftovers.
People want groups. They want community. They want relationships. These people were following Jesus for help, for community. Things happen in groups. Jesus provided food for them in groups.
Like the jar of marbles: It’s not a jar of marbles with only one lonely marble in the bottom of the jar.
Like the glass of water: It’s not a glass of water with only one drop in the glass.
Like the crowd of people: It’s not a crowd of people with only one person. We need a group or groups of people to have community and seek Jesus. He provides when we follow Him. We do best when we follow Him as a group, giving each other support and encouragement.
Where God guides, God provides
News stations report the news of a failing economy, unemployment, foreclosures, and all around financial struggles. People of all ages wonder where the income is to pay their bills. The money goes out as fast as it comes in; sometimes the money is out even before it comes in.
I read this article in the local newspaper with encouraging words from Jesus. Jesus says, Life is more than food. God knows your every need. God knows your ever hunger for your daily bread. God will provide. With firm compassion, Jesus reassures us. Then just a few verses later…aims carefully and hits a spiritual bull’s-eye: ‘Strive first for the kingdom of God’ (Matthew 6:33). Rather than inviting us to sing, “Don’t Worry, Be Happy,” Jesus engages our minds and our hearts, our priorities and our allegiances.
Remember to Seek His Kingdom First and all else will be added to you. Yes, it is hard when the bills pile up, but God will provide to those who reach out their hands for His hand.
Rethink church
Many church leaders and ministry leaders struggle with how to do church and what activities and ministries to plan. The church leader in this article said, “The greatest need is to rethink church.” Why do church the same way every time?
We must come up with creative ways to meet the needs of all people and keep things new and interesting while maintaining the basic elements of the message of Christ.
It takes a church
I wrote an article recently on Children & baptism in response to a Children’s ministry Think Tank question.
Yesterday I read an article from a denominational perspective where a leader talked about the low number of children baptisms. One of his responses to boost baptism rates was for church members to have more children in their families.
Today I read an article from a children’s ministry perspective talking about the church drop-out rate of kids during their first semester of college.
In response to these perspectives, it takes a church…the entire church…working together to minister, train, and disciple children throughout their lives from the younger preschool classes through the college years through the adult years. It takes everyone in the church, all leaders, working together. Everyone is on the same team, God’s Team. Christian education is the ultimate responsibility of the child’s family, but the church family has the responsibility to train and disciple each individual family, equipping them to train their smaller families.
Online ed to online grad
In this Google world, you can earn your degree, almost any degree, online. So why not attend graduation ceremonies online, too?