I’ve never done this before, but I went to post a comment on Commander Bill’s wonderful article yesterday called “Lessons from the Lawn,” and the comment got so long that I decided to post it as a follow up to Bill’s original article.  Yesterday Bill drew three great lessons from comparing taking care of his yard and doing children’s ministry.  It got my mind racing, and I came up with so many other similarities that I though I would post them here.  Hopefully my wife will miss this post because the idea of me writing about lawn care is likely to set her on a path of uproarious laughter.  Nonetheless, it struck me that there are other similarities. Like…

1) No matter how well you treat your lawn, there is always going to be a patch or two that require a little extra attention. You care for and fertilize the whole thing, but you spend a little extra time with those two patches that aren’t doing so well.  You plant extra seed, you water it regularly, and you do what you can to make sure those patches catch up with the rest of the yard.  So, are those rough patches your ministry kids or volunteers?  And, what are you doing to help them grow?

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A few years ago I moved into a new development. So new that when I moved in, the grass had not yet been planted. Being a home owner for the first time, I now needed to care for the lawn. Suddenly the parable of the seed falling on good soil had a whole new meaning. But that wasn’t the only lesson I’ve learned from my lawn, there are several.

1) It’s true, the grass is always greener on the other side. I look at my neighbor’s yard across the street, who moved in the same weekend I did, and his yard looked good compared to mine. It is the same way in ministry sometimes, being bi-vocational, I often wish I had the time others have who are in full-time ministry. I need to be content with where God has placed me at this time and not look at others’ ministry. You see, as I look at another’s lawn, when you look close, you see that it has imperfections that you may not see from a distance, and so do others’ ministries. There are no “perfect” ministries or opportunities, the only perfect one is the one where God would have you serve.

2) A good looking lawn needs a lot of attention. I have used a lot of fertilizer, grass seed and water to get my lawn healthy. If the lawn is neglected, weeds grow, and grass dies. In ministry, and our personal lives, we need to keep in the Word, in prayer, and working on our relationship with God. If we neglect that, “weeds” will grow and the lawn (our ministry) will suffer.

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Thoughts On Graduation Sunday

In Virginia, “BACK TO SCHOOL” for public school is the Tuesday following Labor Day. Due to the late start, our promotion Sunday at church isn’t until mid-September. But when you teach Sunday school (sorry for the old term – I think they’re called PLUG-IN groups) every other month – and you’re scheduled to teach on EVEN months – your last Sunday with your class is comes the last weekend in August.

As I write this article, that means that this coming weekend is the last weekend I will have with this current group of kids.  That realization really makes me sad! I have really grown to love my current class of 5th grade kids! That is more than just kind words, I really mean it.  I am truly going to miss each and every one of them! We have had such a good time growing in our faith together! I come to church each weekend excited to teach, and they respond with a genuine excitement for learning!  In this article, I would like to reminisce a little bit and share about my time with this particular group.

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This week has been one of the worst for me emotionally and Spiritually (in a very long time).  I started to write an article for our blog on Tuesday, but made the decision NOT to complete it (OR post it).  Remember my previous “story” – with the character Flower?  Well, everything fell apart in our office last Monday-and my post sounded way too negative to complete or post.  It was absolutely awful.  For the entire week, my co-workers didn’t speak to one another.  My boss, who I hoped would address the issue, didn’t.

Today, while teaching my 5^th grade class the story of Nabal, Abigail and David, I HAD to share my real-life story with the children (without names, of course).  Our virtue this month is peace and today we talked about how you don’t have to be one of the parties IN the argument to make a difference to the outcome (just as Abigail saved Nabal from David’s wrath).  How God can use US to help resolve others’ issues.  I was able to befriend both girls and point out the fears of the other person.  They still aren’t speaking, but I have hope.  Friday evening, one of the ladies made the first step-and the second responded with how deeply she had been hurt (and wasn’t angry).  I continue to pray for God’s healing and will check back in on Tuesday (I’m home tomorrow-LOVE THAT).

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Well, we’ve been up and running here at Kidmin 1124 for almost two months now.  We have been astonished and humbled by the response thus far.  We really do appreciate all of your kind words and the fact that you come back day after day to read the site.  It occurred to me today though, that I have never done a post to explain where the name for this site came from in the first place.  There’s a brief explanation over on the About page, but I thought it warranted a post as well.

The Kidmin part it is easy.  All of us who contribute to Kidmin1124 are passionate about reaching kids for Christ.  We all either volunteer, or serve bi-vocationally, in children’s ministry.  If you asked any of us, we would tell you that children’s ministry is a vital part of our lives and our spiritual journeys.  So, why kidmin rather than children’s ministry – because it’s shorter and easier to remember.

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Originally loaded to Flickr by _setev.

I shared these thoughts on my personal blog. With your indulgence, I would like to share them with you here as well.

A few years ago I traveled to Lima, Peru on a mission trip. I met a wonderful Christian lady there who was ministering to the children in her neighborhood. She would pay their bus fare so they could attend church when she could. Other times she would teach them in her tiny home on a dirt hillside. That is where I met her, with her house full of kids and tracing color sheets with a pencil and carbon tracing paper one at a time. Her only other equipment was her Bible.

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Recently I filled in for a teacher who had to be out. My 15 yr. old granddaughter (Paige) was helping me with the class. When the children were busy on their individual tasks, Paige shared with me her desire to become a Kindergarten teacher. We began a discussion of what my favorite classes were and the projects I had compelted when I was in college. One of the young girls who had apparently overheard our conversation approached Paige and whispered:

Be careful. Those Kindergarten boys are mean!

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When people ask me how I’m doing, I have to admit that I usually say “things are well, I’m just busy.”  While that is true, I may actually be inadvertently driving them away with that answer. For example, I generally try to make time to watch children in their various activities, school, sports, and whatever else. The hardest thing for me to do is get schedules, and I have had parents tell me that they didn’t want to bother me because they know I’m busy.  This, despite the fact that I try to stress that I really do want to see their kids in their activities.  The parents’ perceived level of my busyness actually keeps me from being able to do the thing I really want to do.  Regardless of how busy I actually am, or what I tell them about what I want to do, in the end, it is their perception of my level of busyness which is most important.

Then I think back to a time when my daughter was in a serious car accident and was taken by a Medi-Vac helicopter to the Shock Trauma center. Because of the accident and the events that followed, we found ourselves in a situation where we began to seek out an attorney. We spoke to three different potential lawyers about the case. One of the attorneys that we spoke with had us actually come into to his office to sit down and meet with him. This turned out to be a “critical error” on his part. When we arrived, he had two cell phones strapped to his side, and if that wasn’t bad enough, he took us back to his office where his desk was covered in paper and folders related to various cases. He even mentioned to us that he likely wouldn’t even get to one of the folders, which was on the bottom of one of the many piles, for quite a while.  One of the other attorneys we spoke with came to our home to talk with us the first time, and even when we visited his office to meet subsequently, we never actually went back to his office.  Our meetings with him were always in a conference room. So, even though I am sure that he was busy as well, he never gave the impression that he was too busy for us.  He never tried to impress his busyness upon us to the point that we could feel like he might not have enough time for us.

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Let me begin with how honored I am to be a part of this amazing group of Leaders!  I thought I would start with what motivated (and continues to motivate) me to grow children’s faith in Jesus Christ.

As a child, I remember wanting what my mom had.  The problem?  I wasn’t sure what IT was or HOW to get it.  I may be dating myself, but all I wanted in life was to look like Farrah Fawcett!  I couldn’t understand how my mother could be so joyful without achieving the same goal.  She was not what you would characterize as beautiful, but ALWAYS had a smile on her face.  In my entire life I NEVER heard her say a mean word about anyone (and that’s the honest truth!).

Many years after my mother passed away, I finally figured out what IT was – Her personal relationship with Jesus Christ!  I’ve been on a mission ever since to achieve the same for myself and to share the tools that work for me with all the children, tweens and teens that I come in contact with.  I don’t TELL them what to do or what Spiritual Discipline will work for them.  However, I do explain WHO provides the joy in life, and I encourage them to cultivate a daily relationship with Him (as that’s what sustains it).  I also explain that there is no short cut to developing this amazing relationship -and that it takes time to cultivate, just like earthly friendships.  I remind them over and over to spend time with Him every day, and explain that I don’t know HOW it works – but just that it DOES!

In the digital age that we live in, sending a handwritten note or card is a lost art. We can now send an email, text, or even a facebook message to say what we once would say in a card. I personally love writing notes and sending cards to people for various occasions.

Thank you cards are a wonderful way to let your volunteers know how much you appreciate them. In these notes, I point out something incredible they did during the Sunday experience and it becomes a way to celebrate with them.

Birthday cards are a favorite of mine. I love sending them to the kids in Summit Kids. I know how much fun it is for them to receive mail and it is a fantastic way to let them know how special they are to you.

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