One of the main goals of my ministry these past few years has been to equip parents to have faith discussions at home. Given their crazy family schedules and all of the things that our kids are bombarded with on a daily basis, I was led to create "Journey to the Summit" a retreat for pre-teens and their parents.

Journey to the Summit is a curriculum developed for you, the church leader. In it you will find three sessions complete with teaching lessons and discussion guides. Each session is also designed to have families participate in their own family group small group with parents who are actually leading. 

The summit is capped off with a summit ceremony in which parents give kids written blessings, families develop family covenants, and media standards for families are agreed upon. Not just kids--but parents setting the example for the kids in their homes. Powerful.

The event theme is a rugged climbing theme that will appeal to all ages and guys as well as gals. It includes take away ideas to give families life long ways to remember principles learned. Fun family games are also included as a supplemental piece.

My hope is that churches will go all out. A retreat setting with parents and kids committing to lives of purity with mom and dad leading the cause.

I'm excited to be launching Journey to the Summit very soon! I'd love to hear your thoughts and questions before I officially launch.

My life as a mom is often controlled by hurry and  worry. I am consumed by what could be, what should be, and what would be. The pace at which I run many days leaves little time for me to experience the gift of rest. Ever feel like that?

Jesus says in Matthew 11:28 to bring our worries and concerns to him. He wants to bring me the relief I long for. He promises me that if I will come and lay down my burdens and worries, He will be faithful to bring me the rest I need.

In order to truly experience rest, I've got to first of all RETURN. Return to Jesus, the one who gives rest. Jesus gives
instructions on how we should find rest and He says, "come to me" (v 28). Jesus doesn't ask us to do the impossible. He asks that I simply come to Him knowing that He knows what I need. He is enough. 
 
When I am in the presence of Jesus, I trust Him to REDIRECT me. He knows that I've been carrying a weight I was never intended to carry. He knows that my focus has been on the wrong things. He knows that I'm tired trying to keep it all together. I trust Him to redirect my thoughts and to place my focus where it needs to be. 

How about you? Are you a tired mama? Do you do well at finding rest? What do you need to do to "come to  Jesus?"


 
 

 "A single arrow is easily broken, but not ten in a  bundle."--Japanese Proverb

Ministry is not only lonely alone, but will not produce the same kind of results. If you want to develop your ministry to be all that it could be, you must build a solid team. Once you have the dream team in place, it's your job to keep them there! How is this done? 
 
1. Have fun. One of the reasons people join volunteer ministry is because they want to become a part of a group. Create opportunities and experiences for your group to play together. This is one of the areas in ministry that, if you're not careful, will fall from your radar all together. After all, play time can wait. But it can't. When your volunteers are gratified and experience true commrodory, they will be more inclined to stick around. 
         
**Plan bi annual outings for the entire Kidmin team. Host an "Amazing Race" party for them, a fun cookout, or an evening at Pizza Hut. 
              
**Plan a holiday time thank you banquet with fun, food, and a brief challenge to unite them for the coming year. Decorate the tables with pics. of volunteers doing fun things with kids from the past year. They will enjoy talking about and celebrating all of the victories over the past year. 
          
**Do something silly on a Sunday morning (Wednesday night) as volunteers arrive. Give them a fun five minute challenge and offer a prize to anyone who is able to complete the challenge. 


2. Build unity and create team. Volunteers need to know that they are part of a bigger picture. That they are helping to accomplish the end result. Spend time developing them as leaders and you'll will achieve this. 
             
*Defining the win. Help them know what the "win" looks like for your team. Put this in front of them often. Celebrate big when you reach small goals. 
             
*Budget funds to attend a conference together. Host a retreat at a B & B with your entire team. Spend time training them, casting vision, and  playing together. (to see how I could help you in this area follow this link www.imaginefamilyministries.com/training    )
           
*Use things like ministry t-shirts, etc. to create a sense of team. To look around and see just how many others are part of the team creates a sense of cinergy. 
           
*Include team members in planning/dreaming sessions. Allow them to offer input. Nothing says "I value you" like listening to someone else.
 

3. Intentionally develop them spiritually. Many times in ministry volunteers feel that they're not being fed. What can you do to see that this isn't the case in your ministry?
           
**Hold devotions before the Sunday morning service. Ask staff to arrive 15 min. earlier than you need them and gather the entire team together for a small time of worship and prayer. 
            
**Don't be afraid to ask the question "How's your relationship with the Lord?" I know it's bold. But it really does say you care. (this is done after a relationship has been formed!)

            
**Ask team members "How can I pray for you this week?"
            
**Offer devotionals to your team free of charge. Then, shoot a text, Tweet, or email that day about the message in the devotional that you're all reading together. Allow them to weigh in and offer feedback. 
 
"Talent wins the games, but teamwork and intelligence wins championships."--Michael Jordan

What other ways have you intentionally developed your dream team?  

In the day to day of living as mom I'm required to plan meals, keep a house from destroying itself, keep kids from destroying each other, and many other insurmountable challenges. In the midst of what is constant chaos, I sometimes lose sight of what's really important. Instead, I focus upon the immediate or temporary situation. 

If I were to focus, instead upon what matters, how might I parent differently? If I were to really think about what matters most, I'd narrow it down to four things. In sight of these four things, everything else
pales in comparison. 

1.To be in an intimate relationship with Jesus Christ. I don't want them to just know about Him, I want them to walk with Him daily. I have to model this way of living if they are expected to grasp it for themselves. I don't want them to obey Him out of a sense of duty or obligation, but instead, out of a deep love for Him that drives their behavior. The girl drama we will
with won't last but knowing and loving Jesus will. I have to find ways to remind them of this daily. 

2. To hate what is evil. I pray that my kids will all be disgusted at the sight of evil. I want them to look at situations in life and be able to tell the difference between good and evil and to be drawn to the good. I must discover ways to have conversations regularly about sin and the way it effects people. 

3. To know that their life is not their own. This means that they learn that their future will be all that it's supposed to be only if they learn to surrender the details of it to the Father. If/when He wants them to marry. What he wants them to spend their adult lives doing, etc. are decisions that I want them to understand don't really belong to them. Sometimes, we don't like the answers He gives us but, we know that He formed us for a purpose and plan. I must find ways to help them live this out even now. 
 
4. To settle for nothing less than a Christian man. Above all, if it's God's will that they marry, I want them to know that they need to marry someone who loves God more than he loves them. Not just a guy who "goes to church" or is "a good guy". But one who will be able to lead them spiritually. This one thing is a game changer and is that important to me. I must find ways to work this into conversations now so they begin to understand early. 

When I'm tempted to bemoan the fact that my house is a mess or my kids have been fighting all day, I need to remember that these are not the things that matter long term. I pray that God would help as I seek to instill these 4 things in the lives of my kids. When I dedicated each of my babies before the church and God, I stated that I understand these kids were not mine. I must live as though I really do believe this. These gifts are not mine, but belong to God Himself. I need to focus upon what He'd have me to focus upon rather than the day to day of parenting as I'm so often tempted to do.

How about you? What are the non-negotiables when you think about the things you need to teach your kids long term? 

Ministry, like any other "job" has it's good days and bad days. Believe me, I'd rather have a million good days because one bad one can seem to cast a giant shadow across any good ones I've had recently. 
 
Ministry isn't for the faint of heart. There are days when you feel as though no one is in your corner, no one really cares how many hours you're putting in, or why you do what you do. As much as we love what we were called to do, there are days when it's really tough to put one foot in front of the other. 

I know it doesn't even feel right to say this but,  bad days are critical to the continued success of our ministries. We need to walk through periods in ministry when it seems that we are getting nowhere.
       
1. We need to be reminded that God's power is made perfect in our weakness. (2 Cor. 12:9) Sometimes we need to be reminded that it's not really us who is in control. 
        
2. Walking through trials allows others to see what you're made of. It provides confidence in the leader. 
        
3. Humility is a trait that leaders need to possess and, all too often, we don't. Bad days remind me that I'm very much human and, without Jesus am unable to lead the ministry He's called me to.

4. Just like a beautiful piece of pottery is made in the heat of the kiln, we are often changed for the better during times of trial. (....perseverance produces character..Romans 5:3) None of us likes to admit it but, in hindsight we often see that the fire we've just walked through has purified us. 
         
5. True moments of creativity are often birthed as the result of problem solving an issue at hand. Many of our best ideas come while on the front lines of battle.

While none of us would choose the bad days and periods of trial over the great days in ministry, the bad days are beneficial to our continued growth as a leader.

How about you? What good things do you see that come as a result of bad days in leadership? 

Sometimes I'm a jerk. Just ask my kids. Like one day last week when I was asked by my daughter to apply hair spray to her hair. Not aware of her plot to lure me into her trap, I foolishly applied said hairspray to her cute up-do. "You ruined it" she shreeked. Followed by "It looks horrible now" as she ran off leaving a trail of tears and me, the jerk who, once again, had ruined her day. 

I am not sure how many times in a week I am really a jerk or am just perceived to be by the pre-teen girls who's emotions run rampant in my home. 

The thing is, I'm ok with being a jerk............if I'm seen as a jerk it means I'm doing my job.

What is my role as the co-lead jerk in my home (yeah, dad can be a real jerk too)? 

"Just because" mentality doesn't fly. Just because my kids friends are allowed to have Facebook pages or own the latest cell phone doesn't mean that mine will. Just because other kids are allowed to watch certain movies doesn't mean mine will. This sometimes makes me a jerk. 
 
Enforcement is priority. Yep, when we have a rule, we stick with it. I admit there are many times when it breaks my heart to see my kids suffer the consequences of their actions. There are lots of times when it would be easier to let things slide. To do that would get me the title of friend rather than jerk but it's not what I've been called to do as a parent. If I teach my kids
it's ok to bend our rules, I am teaching them there are no absolutes in life and that it's ok to bend God's rules too. 

Realize what's at stake. Sometimes I get caught up in a moment and am tempted to think "well, it won't hurt for them to do that this once" or "it would be much easier to let her do this than to engage in an argument where I am, once again, presented as the jerk." As a Christian parent I must consider what's at stake and must think about decisions made in this moment affecting the long term. 

Knowledge: Knowing that there will be days when my kids don't like me helps. I don't expect them to like everything I say and do. Yeah, it'd make things easier on me today but would be doing them harm in the future. As a parent having the mindset that it's ok for my kids to not like me somedays helps. I'll be a jerk today if that's what it takes. 
 
There is no other relationship in my life that's a tenuous as that of parent....I can't win some days. And, as hard as that is to accept sometimes, I really am ok with being a jerk. I know that one day it will be worth it.


How about you? In what ways are you a jerk to your kids?! 
 

In classic Egermeier fashion, the Bible Storybook for Beginners presents the Bible in story fashion. This book is a perfect Bible for kids ages 3-7. 

The illustrations are outstanding and definitely appealing to younger readers. Egermeier does an outstanding job presenting the Bible as a whole that can easily be understood by even the youngest reader.

If you've never used an Egermeier Storybook before, you need to get your hands on one. If you're involved in ministry in any form, this is an outstanding resource that you must add to your library.  

This book would make the perfect gift for parents of young children. One story per night before bed is the perfect bedtime story. 
 
What's your favorite Bible Storybook for small kids? What's your favorite pre-school teaching resource?