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I’m Helvetica!

April 23, 2009 in Blog, Everything, Uncategorized with 1 Comment

So, I took a quiz about what font I am.  It told me I was Helvetica.  It’s pretty accurate, but it’s a bit like a horoscope: so broad, it could fit anybody.  ;)  I am quite fond of Helvetica though, so regardless, I like the result.  What font are you?

You are Helvetica

You fit in well to most situations. You’re not flashy, and prefer clarity to knocking people over with your style. A tad quiet perhaps, but not stuffy, and you’ve got very strong opinions under there somewhere. When you get drunk, you start looking more like Impact.

Take the quiz on BuzzFeed.com


Two Sides

April 22, 2009 in Blog, Everything, Uncategorized with 3 Comments

If you’ve read this blog very long, you’ve probably realized by now that I love Starbucks.  I love their coffee, and I love writing about them too.  One of Starbucks’ core values is something called legendary customer service.  Legendary service means that your customer service is so great that people remember it.  Trouble is, a lot of Starbucks stores don’t have it.  Why is this?

The main reason–legendary service begins with knowing that there are two sides of the service counter.  Not only are behind-counter tasks important, so are things on the front side of the counter.  This means cleaning and forming conversations with customers.  A lot of Starbucks partners have forgotten this fact.  They, quite frankly, don’t care about the other side of the counter.  It makes them just like any other fast food employee.  It’s not legendary.

No, I haven’t forgotten I’m writing on a kid’s ministry blog and not a business blog.  Just give me a second.  We as kids’ ministry people (and ministry people in general) have a tendency to barricade ourselves.  Behind the stage, on the stage, in a back room, in a sound booth.  Instead of heading out before the service and hanging out with the kids, we’re too busy “hiding”.  Yes, I realize you have to prepare.  I get that.  But don’t forget that you’re serving those kids.  Your ministry is to share the love of Christ with them.  You have to spend time with them to do that.  They’ll remember you more.  They’ll connect with you more.

I’m far from innocent in this area.  I feel that most of us are probably that way.  Make a special effort to talk to some kids this Sunday.  Don’t make them come to you.  Go talk to them.  Remember- there’s two sides.

The Leftovers

April 8, 2009 in Blog, Everything with 0 Comments

Today, I ran across one verse in three different places.  Typically, that means I’m supposed to be paying attention to something.  There’s something important God is trying to show me.  So here’s what I read:

“Our children will also serve him.  Future generations will hear about the wonders of the Lord.  His righteous acts will be told to those not yet born.  They will hear about everything he has done.” Psalm 22:30-31

In the 4th century AD, a man named Eusebius (wacko Roman names) wrote a book titled The History of the Church.  He wrote every single thing down that happened to the early Roman church.  Persecution, growth, penalties, doctrines.  It was all in there.  To this day, it’s still the most respected source of extra-Biblical early church history.  Eusebius left a manuscript behind for those not yet born.  He told us about everything God did for them.

We’re called to do the same.  We’re called to leave a legacy for those that aren’t even born yet.  Over 1500 years later, we’re still reading Eusebius’ history of the church.  Will people still care about anything I’ve done or affected in 1500 years?  It’s not not necessarily about me- it’s about letting Christ work through me.  I don’t care if people remember me in 1500 years.  I care about if they know Christ more because of the life God empowered me to live.

We all leave something behind.  I want to leave a better world.  A healthier world.  A more responsible world.  A greener world.    A more Christlike world.  What’ll be left over when you leave?

Make It Personal

April 8, 2009 in Blog, Everything, Uncategorized with 2 Comments

Volunteer appreciation is a term that gets thrown around a lot.  You know you need to appreciate your volunteers, but some children’s leaders forget what it means.  That’s what I want to address today.

Appreciating your volunteers is important, especially in younger generations like mine.  We like to know that we’re really being helpful and doing good.  It’s important to us in any area of life.  There’s an issue though.  In a lot of ministries, “volunteer appreciation” means a sheet of paper that says “You’re a lifesaver!” with a mint in the middle.  The thought is appreciated, but it usually doesn’t mean much.

When was the last time you shot off a phone call or email to a volunteer just to say, “Thanks for changing the life of a child”?   Better yet, when is the last time you took your volunteer to lunch just to say thank you?  Make volunteer appreciation more than a cheesy candy gift.  Make it something real- something a volunteer can walk away from and feel encouraged and cared for.  Make it personal.

#237 Revisited

March 18, 2009 in Blog, Everything, Uncategorized with 1 Comment

I kind of accidently stumbled across a simple post I first wrote shortly after the inception of this blog.  It was simply a quote from a Starbucks cup (you know the ones), but I thought it was worth repeating here nearly 2 years later.

“It’s relationships, not programs that change children. A great program simply creates the environment for healthy relationships to form between adults and children. Young people thrive when adults care about them on a one-to-one level, and when they also have a sense of belonging to a caring community.”

-Bill Milliken, founder of Communities in Schools
The Way I See It #237 off a Starbucks Cup

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