I was sitting in service tonight flipping through my Bible on the awesome YouVersion iPhone app. I felt that I needed to read Ephesians 2. I flipped (or tapped) over there, and read these 10 verses:

¹ And you were dead in the trespasses and sins ² in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience— ³among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind. ⁴But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, ⁵even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ— by grace you have been saved— ⁶and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus,⁷so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. ⁸For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, ⁹ not a result of works, so that no one may boast.¹⁰For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them. (Eph. 2:1-10, ESV, emphasis mine)

I got done reading that and those two little words stuck out at me. “But God…” Those two little words are the turning point. “But God” changes everything.

We are all, by nature, sinners living in the passions of our flesh. Then God “but”s in. His rich mercy and love don’t just save us from Hell–a powerful thing by itself–but they raise us up with him and seated us next to him. All for what? Just so he could show us His grace. That’s it. He saved us just to lavish on us his grace.

Even crazier? Not 10 minutes after I got done glancing over this passage the pastor starts reading it from the stage. God had a message tonight! I pray that it might stick with you like it is with me. Go out and remember God’s “but”. It changes everything.

This evening I was reading through my devotional book I read every night, Extreme Devotion.  (It’s really great, and you can check it out by clicking its picture to the left.)  Today’s devotion was about a missionary who went to Korea in the 1800s with a Korean Bible in tow.  The missionary was killed before he ever spoke to a single Korean.  However, his Bible is still read today by Christians in the restricted nation of North Korea.  Over 150 years later, his action and subsequent death are still a testimony to Korean Christians.

You know what’s so cool about that?  He had nothing to do with the growth but planting the seed.  It’s kind of like he planted a garden then had to move away, so someone else started tending it.  That’s where the parallel comes in.

Sometimes (no, most of the time) we have trouble letting go of our “gardens”.  You know them: the ministries, events, duties, etc. that you’ve always done.  It might be camp, VBS, summer outreaches, or whatever you may do.  It’s your baby and you don’t want to let it go.  The thing is, sometimes in order for it to really grow, you need to let go of it.

The death of any great ministry can be a leader who won’t let go.  It’s just like a parent who won’t let go of their child once they’re out on their own.  God has put volunteers in your church specifically so you can let go.  I appreciate being able to serve under a children’s pastor like Ryan, who’s willing to let go of these projects when he can.  For instance, a good portion of our VBS planning has been handed off to one of our best volunteers, Carol, for several years now.  There was an opportunity to let go, and he took it.  It’s helped both Ryan and our VBS in the long run having someone with the resources necessary to really invest in the ministry.  He recognized that a volunteer was put in his path to be a great resource for him.

So what this summer could you hand off to one of your “resources?”  Look at the things you refuse to let go of, but could really use someone else to tend to them who has the time and know-how.  Use the amazing volunteers God has blessed you with to their fullest!  It is called “summer break” after all.

1.  Imagine being Mary and Joseph, lying in the stable looking the living, breathing Son of God right in the face.  Imagine the task of parenting a perfect child for the next 30 years!  (Most parents probably wouldn’t complain.)  He’d be courageous, relentless, and brave.  He’d love a world of sin.  Nothing we could do would keep us from the intimate love he would give.  He overcomes it all.  This is our God.  These are some of the ideas from the song, “This is Our God” that our choir shared tonight.  Remember that you serve a living Savior.  He came as a baby for you.  Even when you’re burned out, you have the knowledge of His unspeakable gift to you to drive you on.  That’s a crazy thought.  Here’s some of the highlights of the lyrics from this song:

Who is this child asleep in the manger?
Tender and mild, this intimate Stranger?
Recklessly, wildly loving a dangerous world
Who is this light invading our darkness…

This is our God, living and breathing
Call Him courageous, relentless, and brave
This is our God, loving and reaching…

Who is this One who will not condemn us?…
Nothing we’ve done will keep Him from giving us grace.
Who is this One we watch and we’re speechless?
God’s only Son embracing our weakness…

This is our God, love sacrificing,
All that is holy, accepting our cross…

Aren’t those powerful words?  You can pick it up from iTunes if you’d like to hear more of it.

2.  Last night, I was reading Romans chapter 8.  I came across verses 17 and 18, which read (NLT):

But if we are to share his glory, we must also share his suffering.  Yet what we suffer now is nothing compared to the glory he will reveal to us later.

Those verses say it all.  You may be running on empty from all of the Christmas work that you’re involved in in your church and family.  Throughout your life, you may just get tired and feel like quitting.  You may lose your job.  You or a loved one may become extremely sick.  You can’t know the future.  Yet no matter how bad things get here, they can’t compare to the glory we’ll see in heaven.  They can’t compare to getting to worship at the feet of Christ.  The song the church choir sang this evening that inspired this section was All Rise, a great song by Babbie Mason.  Here’s the words of the chorus:

All Rise! All Rise!
Stand before the throne in the presence of the Holy One!
All Rise! All Rise!
As we worship the Messiah,
All Rise!

Remember, the reason you serve isn’t for praise and adoration here on earth.  Those are nice encouragers all of the time.  The real reason we serve is so we can stand shoulder-to-shoulder one day with the children we ministered to and face the throne of God, and rise up and worship.  Millions of believers from centuries past, all gathered together to worship in the glory and splendor of the King.  That’s why we serve.  That’s why we celebrate Christmas.  To be able to stand one day at the throne of the “Baby” Jesus and worship.  That’ll change your entire outlook.

I hope you’ve been encouraged.  Have a great Christmas with your families.  In the midst of presents and tradition, don’t forget the true meaning.  That’s the way I see it.

On November 30, a limousine was parked in front of Princeton Pike Church of God in Hamilton, Ohio.  No one knew why.  A week later, the members of the church learned something about that limousine: 9 celebrities had been inside that limousine.  Not the celebrities we would think of.  Not at all.  But they were celebrities in the eyes of the King.  That limousine had carried 9 homeless men to church that Sunday morning.  It just so happens that the owner of a limo service attends that church.  On November 30, he went out into the streets and found 9 homeless men and brought them to church.  7 of the 9 came to know Christ personally that Sunday morning.  That’s what I call a bus ministry!

To most limo owners, that would seem like craziness.  You don’t normally let dirty, smelly homeless men ride in your limo for free.  But that man saw something more important than their physical state: their spiritual state.  In his mind, they weren’t homeless.  They were sinners in desperate need of a Savior.

I’ve had the unique opportunity to grow up in a church (Liberty Baptist) with a inner-city bus ministry.  Every Sunday, we go into the inner-city and bring 250 boys, girls, teens, and adults to our rural, somewhat affluent, very Caucasian church.  Sometimes bringing “those kids” in is not a popular decision.  But Jesus loves “those kids” too.   I’ve helped on a bus route several times.  Some of the homes you see these children growing up in nearly want to make you cry.  Sometimes the kids smell funny.  Sometimes the kids aren’t exactly friendly.  Sometimes the kids aren’t dressed “right” for church.  Some of the family situations are despicable.    It’s not a pretty sight.  Yet I don’t look at those situations and see the depravity.  I look at them and see sinners in desperate need of a Savior.

I was a sinner in desperate need of a Savior.  I had parents to teach me that.  Some kids don’t.  As we approach this Christmas season, make it your goal to get yourself and the kids in your ministry in contact with some of the “overlooked and ignored”.  Show them that God’s love goes beyond the walls of a church, and provides for both material and spiritual needs.   Start a fundraiser in your ministry to raise money for an inner-city church.  Take your kids on a missions “trip” to distribute food and clothing to those in the inner city.  It’s a lot easier to make a trip downtown with a bunch of kids than it is across the world.  There are so many things you could do.  Take action.  Make yourself available.  Let Christ change the lives.  Help your kids to know that Christ loves humans, no matter their income level, color of their skin, cleanliness, or living situation.  He looks beyond their physical state.  He loves sinners in desperate need of a Savior.

May it be my prayer and yours that one day every child in your ministry today will look up into the glory of the King and hear Him say, “[When you reached out] to someone overlooked or ignored, that was me—you did it to me.”

Initially, I kind of just brushed the statement off.  Then I really got to thinking about it.  It’s really true, and very applicable to our ministries.  Our world has lots of visionaries.  They’re really smart people who tell us what the world could be like if we did this, or how the world would change if only this happened.  They’re fascinating to listen to, and we’re enthralled just hearing what they have to say.  Leonard Sweet is one of the first visionaries that comes to my mind.  (He has an interview in the November/December issue of K!)  Visionaries are pretty cool people, in my opinion.

However, for as much as I love our visionaries, they don’t do much.  They spend their lives in “what if’s” and “could be’s”, but it’s up to us to actually make it happen.  Go back to the Picasso quote.  Imagine if Picasso had just spent his life talking about what his paintings could look like and what would happen if he painted them.  Needless to say, Picasso certainly wouldn’t have been quite the art celebrity he became.  Picasso found success because he acted on a vision.

And that leads very nicely into these two points:
1.  Get a vision.  I know what you’re thinking.  ”But Evan, you just told me to be an action person and not a vision person!”  No, I said not to be just a vision person.  Action without vision is almost as bad as vision without action.  It’s like trying to drive from your hometown to Mexico City without a map.  Chances are, something is going to go wrong along the way, and you’ll end up frustrated.  But it’s even more serious for you.  The lives of children are at stake.  You’re not on a road trip.  You stand between those children and their eternal destiny.  Get a vision.  Know what God wants you to do, and how He wants you to do it.

2.  Be an actionary.  If someone who has a vision is a visionary, then someone who acts on a vision is an actionary!  (I learned that one in my homeschooling!)  Now, you’ve got a vision.  You’re not just running blind.  Now don’t just make that vision and stick it away in an office drawer.  Post it on your wall, or burn it into your mind.  Every action you take centers around the vision.  That’s how you’re successful and God-pleasing in your ministry to kids: action.

Why are you still sitting here reading this?  Go DO something!  Change a life this weekend.  The whole KidzMatter staff is praying for you.

Guideline 1: Will my family, friendships, or daily God and I time suffer?

This is one of the first things we need to think about when dealing with doing all to the glory of God.  God is not glorified through something if it causes our relationships with others to suffer.

Jesus had a crazy schedule.  Massive crowds followed Him everywhere from morning ’til night.  But somehow He still found time to have a deep relationship with His 12 disciples.  He set an example for us.  Yes, He was very busy doing God’s work.  And that was good.  Yet He never let the rest of His life suffer for it.

We need to do the same.  Make sure that taking on that new responsibility or helping someone with something won’t take the place of your family, friends, and God and I time.  Those are some of the most important things in the entire world, and it is a horror to lose them.

That’s just the first question we need to ask ourselves.  Come back tomorrow for another guideline for doing all to God’s glory.

At Starbucks, their one thing is obvious.  It’s coffee.  Yes, they do pastries, tea, and other things too, but coffee is who they are.  It’s what they excel at.

Each of us need to have our one thing.  The thing we’re great at, our passion, our way of life.  For me, my personal one thing is passionately sharing with children not only what Christians believe, but why we believe it.   Our church’s children’s ministry’s one thing is raising kids to be their best physically, mentally, and spiritually.  KidzMatter’s one thing is to partner with churches to help them to make an eternal impact in the lives of kids.

You would be amazed at how many people don’t know what their one thing is.  They may be able to give you a general answer like “Jesus” or “children’s ministry”, but lots of people have those one things.  You have to personalize it.  You have to make it about the thing you are singly most passionate about.  It’s just like choosing your topic for a paper or speech back in high school.  Children’s ministry is a much too wide topic.  But if you limit it down to something very specific, it creates something much better.

Your one thing doesn’t have to be exclusive.  You can have other passions and things you do well.  But you need to have a main thing, your greatest passion.  It’s what makes you remarkable; it’s what makes you, you.

So think about what your one thing is.  Share it with us in the comments.

P.S.  Sorry I’ve been strangely absent the last month or so!  I’ve been taking some early college classes at a local university, and it’s made life a little bit crazy.  I’m back now, so look forward to hearing more from me soon!

In talking about idols, our senior pastor made this remark:
“Anything that comes between you and Christ is excess.  An idol.”

He went on to talk about how anything can become an idol: family, friends, socializing, even ministry.

“But wait!  Ministry as an idol?  But I’m doing it for God!  How can it be an idol?”  I know I’ve said those words.  And if I were a betting man, I would bet you probably have in some form or another too.  Maybe it was just that one more program you figured wouldn’t be a big deal.  Just one more night a week, right?  On top of that, it’s for God, so it can’t be bad.  Soon though, you’re finding those late night study sessions are becoming more frequent.  Prayer and Bible reading?  Well, you’ll have time tomorrow, right?  Ooh, you missed that birthday party you promised to go to.  Oh well, just send them a nice card and apologize, an it’ll be OK.

You know what I’m talking about.  I can see it in your face.  (OK, I really can’t, but I can see it in mine, so…)  I like to call it Ministryholism.  And no, I don’t intend to start Ministryholics Anonymous any time soon.  It is an important topic though.  Thousands of pastors and volunteers have followed the same track: work, work, work, boom.  You’re done.  You can’t take it anymore.  You start doing things that shock even yourself.  You are physically, mentally, and spiritually exhausted.  You just quit.

Don’t follow in that path!  ”No” is the single most important word in the English language, yet it seems to be the least used!  Learn to understand when your plate is simply too full.  I like to run everything through this filter:
“Is the time I will devote to this going to cause my relationship with Christ, my family, and those close to me to be strained?  Will I have time to devote to my prayer and study of God?”

Obviously, sometimes there will be special commitments you simply need to do that will make life insane from time to time.  That’s why you always want a little extra room on your “plate”.  That way if you have to cram something in, you can.  When there’s nothing there, it’s just great free time to spend.

Have no worries if you aren’t getting it right.  I’m learning right along with you, as is just about every other person who serves in a ministry anywhere in the world.  So go ahead.  Take that little quiet time.  Go on a vacation with no electronics. (it’s hard for me too!)  Just let God work in His mysterious, wonderful ways.

Doesn’t Satan do the same thing to us sometimes?  We’re getting ready to do something great for God.  We’re stoked about it, and have prayed and prayed and prayed about it.  Then we look up, and see Satan’s “spider”.  It’s that great distraction that’s thrown in our way.  Maybe it’s a difficulty with the computer for Kids’ Church.  Maybe it’s an unexpected bill in your personal finances.  Maybe it’s the sinful fall of one of your personal mentors.  No matter how big or small the crisis, it’s all part of Satan’s mission to push you to sin.  To stop your program or event.

Strength from the Lord is vital to surviving these “spiders”.  Thankfully, you’ve been given a free pass to the throne of God.  Hebrews 4:16 (NASB) tells us, “Therefore let us draw near with confidence to the throne of grace, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.”  God has given us an assurance that when Satan dangles those “spiders”, he’ll be right there to help us push past them and to carry out his will.  No matter how hard the time is that you’re facing, God has the ability to help you.  Take heart, and don’t worry.  That’s the way I see it.

I’d just like to share a short little quote with you:
“The great use of life is to spend it for something which will outlast it.”
-William James

As you go into your Sunday morning, you may feel exhausted.  You may feel like it’s more exhausting than it’s worth.  But it’s not just about what you’re doing today.  The work you do today is impacting these kids today, absolutely.  Kids you touch today influence today.  Those same kids also form the future.  Who knows?  Maybe that nerdy semi-socially secluded boy will know something that would be of use to you, and might just get a calling to minister to children.  He might end up just like someone who happens to write a very good blog you read.