Proverbs 20:4 (NCV) “Lazy farmers don’t plow when they should; they expect a harvest, but there is none.”

I find myself like that lazy farmer a lot.  It’s hard to part with old things.  They’re just comfortable.  I’m pretty sure you know what I’m talking about too.  What are those policies, programs, ideas, or people that are comfortable and are so hard to get rid of?  They’re like the old crops for the farmer.  We try and tell ourselves that we can add this new thing to the old thing, and it’ll be better.  Take this hypothetical classroom for example: you have an old, grumpy, generally angry guy teaching a class.  So you think, “Well, if I just put someone less grumpy in there with him, it’ll all be OK.”  The thing is, the problem is still there.  You’re just masking it.  You can throw fertile new young hearts out onto that soil, but few of them will take.  You haven’t plowed the problem.

Sometimes, plowing things up and getting rid of the old is painful.  It takes a sharp blade to plow.  You’ll make people mad.  It’s guaranteed.  I realize you can’t just go around offending everybody.  That’s poor leadership.  There’s also a point at which you let yourself be walked on too much.  That’s poor leadership too.  It all comes down to what’s more important.  Offending a few adults who have had years to grow in their faith, or turning an entire generation of kids with fertile new hearts (seeds) off to the Gospel because you weren’t willing to plow up the old stuff?  Take a look at your ministry today: what can you start plowing up?

No one likes the person who puts their seat back like that. Unfortunately, I spent three hours on a plane from Dallas to San Diego this week with a person like that in front of me. That person was more concerned with his comfort than the comfort of those around him.

If, in all your days of reading this blog you haven’t noticed that I like to use random things to make ministry analogies, this is going to be one of those posts. So what does it have to do with children’s ministry? Simple. Many times we, as humans, choose to ignore the comfort of others in favor of what makes us feel better. We come up with this “cool” idea that we are totally sold out to, but our volunteers aren’t. We just insist on pushing through with it, because we’re convinced it’s what we need to do. In the process, we totally alienate all of those around us and end up trying to run our ministries all by ourselves.

Sometimes you just need to take a step back. Let go of your emotional attachment to something and simply look at it through the eyes of another person. There may be this sudden realization that what you are convinced is good, is not really that good.

That’s not to say that you should ignore God’s will for the favor of man. That’s also a dangerous place to be. If you are sure, beyond a shadow of a doubt that what you are doing is right, do it. God will help you with that.

Let people know you really care about what they have to say. Accept input from others. It’ll really help for you to communicate with those you serve and that help you to serve.

Mark 2:15-17 (ESV): “And as he reclined at table in his house, many tax collectors and sinners were reclining with Jesus and his disciples, for there were many who followed him. And the scribes of the Pharisees, when they saw that he was eating with sinners and tax collectors, said to his disciples, ‘Why does he eat with tax collectors and sinners?’ And when Jesus heard it, he said to them, ‘Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. I came not to call the righteous, but sinners.’”

Luke 4:36-47 (ESV): “One of the Pharisees asked him to eat with him, and he went into the Pharisee’s house and took his place at the table. And behold, a woman of the city, who was a sinner, when she learned that he was reclining at table in the Pharisee’s house, brought an alabaster flask of ointment, and standing behind him at his feet, weeping, she began to wet his feet with her tears and wiped them with the hair of her head and kissed his feet and anointed them with the ointment. Now when the Pharisee who had invited him saw this, he said to himself, ‘If this man were a prophet, he would have known who and what sort of woman this is who is touching him, for she is a sinner.’ And Jesus answering said to him, ‘Simon, I have something to say to you.’ And he answered, ‘Say it, Teacher.’
‘A certain moneylender had two debtors. One owed five hundred denarii, and the other fifty. When they could not pay, he cancelled the debt of both. Now which of them will love him more?’ Simon answered, ‘The one, I suppose, for whom he cancelled the larger debt.’ And he said to him, ‘You have judged rightly.’ Then turning toward the woman he said to Simon, ‘Do you see this woman? I entered your house; you gave me no water for my feet, but she has wet my feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair. You gave me no kiss, but from the time I came in she has not ceased to kiss my feet. You did not anoint my head with oil, but she has anointed my feet with ointment. Therefore I tell you, her sins, which are many, are forgiven–for she loved much. But he who is forgiven little, loves little.’”

Seems not much has changed since Bible times. Two types of people no one likes: tax collectors and sinners. But that’s not my point.

When Jesus was alive, I think his daily schedule might have looked something like this :

6:00:00 AM- Wake up. Spend time with the Father in prayer.
6:00:01 AM- Overhear phone call: “Did you see Jesus praying? I can’t believe He has time for that!”
7:30:00 AM- Eat breakfast. Eggs and toast, nothing fancy. “Did you see Jesus eating breakfast? I figured Jesus would be a vegetarian.”
8:00:00 AM- Visit the homeless shelter. Serve breakfast.
8:00:01 AM- Overhear phone call: “Did you see Jesus at the homeless shelter? I can’t believe he was with those people!”
9:30:00 AM- Visit the sick in the hospital.
9:30:01 AM- Overhear phone call: “Did you see Jesus at the hospital touching the sick? I think we ought to buy him a keychain bottle of Purell.”
11:00:00 AM- Visit the movie theatre and witness. (They had those back then, right?)
11:00:01 AM- Overhear phone call: “Did you see Jesus at the theatre? I’ll bet He was seeing that R-rated movie.”
12:30:00 PM- Eat lunch. Share with 5000 people.
12:30:01 PM- Overhear phone call: “Did you see Jesus feeding the 5000? Let’s go see Him!”
12:35:00 PM- Preach a sermon. Lots of people.
1:30:00 PM- Heal the sick, tell parables, greet the kids, refuse to sign autographs.
4:30:00 PM- Done with healing. Go and hide.
5:00:00 PM- Eat supper. Pray until 7.
7:00:00 PM- Go walking downtown, see a prostitute running towards me, pleading for mercy.
7:00:01 PM- Overhear phone call: “Did you see Jesus with the prostitute? I can’t believe that he would do that!”
10:00:00 PM- Visit a bar and witness.
10:00:01 PM- Overhear phone call: “Did you see Jesus at the bar? He doesn’t seem like the drinking type. That’s just astounding.”
12:00:00 AM- Sleep, then repeat.

Okay, so this is a little exaggerated and modernized, perhaps, but it proves the point. Jesus was criticized. But he knew the will of His father, and so he continued even through trouble and persecution. In our ministries, how many times do we “criticize” those who visit the “undesirables”? I know I’m guilty, and pretty much every one of us is. But why? It’s human nature. Without choosing the right way of God, we can’t be truly non-judgemental. It doesn’t matter if the kids we minister to are Caucasian, African-American, Latino, short, tall, fat, ugly, challenged, or sick. It doesn’t matter if our volunteers are obstinate, simplistic, behind the times, old, young, or sometimes even downright annoying. We are called just the same to love and support them. That’s not to say we shouldn’t try to help our volunteers improve, or to allow contagious children into our classes all of the time, but it does mean that we should work with them whenever possible.

We also need to make sure that we aren’t judging those who are with those who are “undesirable”. Maybe they’re ministering. Maybe they’re just hanging out with them to make an impact on their lives. But we should still treat them the same. Gossip in the church gets started because of things people see and hear, but don’t get the full story. Don’t let “the gossip train” make a wreck of your ministry. It happens all too often in the church, and we don’t need more of it. Squash gossip when you see it. Go to the source before you start a rumor. But love all.

That seems to be the theme of this: Love all. It’s just that simple. Love all. Give this tidbit to your volunteers. Tape in on your wall. But just remember: Love all.