Drew Boswell

a place for us to share ideas, talk about life, and learn together.

2013 In the Rear View

FE_DA_NewYear2013_122012_425425x283There are two times a year when I get more introspective than normal. In the summer months when I go on vacation, I ask “Lord, am I where I am supposed to be?” In other words, how’s my relationship with the Lord, and is His purpose and plan clear in my mind? The second time of the year when I ask myself questions is at the end of the year. It is during this time that I ask, “Lord what did you teach me this year?”

“Progress, far from consisting in change, depends on retentiveness. When change is absolute there remains no being to improve and no direction is set for possible improvement: and when experience is not retained, as among savages, infancy is perpetual. Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.”

George Santayana

I have found it be essential to stop and consider what the Lord has taught me in the previous year (just as it is essential to stop and “sharpen my ax” in training). There are some people who are not adding experience to their lives, they are simply repeating the same year again and again making the same mistakes again and again. The following are some of the highlights from 2013. Because sometimes life’s lessons come with a scar, involve people (with feelings), etc.,  they are intentionally brief and without much commentary.

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1.  Invest in people before you invest in possessions. Physical property will break, technology will fade, and eventually every ‘thing’ will need to be replaced. People, on the other hand, are an investment that has limitless dividends. For example, if you help a person become a teacher (or a better teacher) then not only do you help them, but you influence all the people they will eventually teach.

We as Americans like to hold things in our hands. We think that we have security in our possessions. We find comfort and limited peace in our bank accounts and retirement. But our true wealth is what we cannot hold on to – the lives of other people. A Christian leader’s life long job is to invest in and equip others in order that they can be sent out to do ministry. So it is a lifetime of letting go (in love), not of holding on.

Don’t get me wrong we need stuff to do ministry and life, but people should always come first. If you only have a dollar then buy a friend a cup of coffee and spend time in conversation.

2.  Know and learn to love the culture where you minister. If you are a children’s volunteer then you need to be able to enter a child’s world and know what the child likes. You should know what they are doing when they play in their homes.

If you are a youth volunteer you need to know what youth think is ‘cool’, ‘righteous,’ ‘sick’, ‘ill’, or whatever. If you are on staff at a church then you learn to love whatever the culture you find yourself. If you don’t, then you always stand outside the circle making commentary on things you don’t understand or appear to appreciate. This is an issue of immersion. You must immerse yourself in a culture (dress, language, food, customs, etc.) and actually adapt them to your life.

3.  Respect and Honor Other’s Investment in the Ministry Where You Find Yourself. Rarely are you the first to ‘till the ground’ and ‘reap the harvest,’ where you minster. Usually there is someone (or even many others) who have come before you. These are people serving in your church who have been doing it longer than you have been alive. Thank God for them, give them what they need to do their ministry, and leave them alone.

4.  React. Do something when someone comes to you with a concern. You do not necessarily have to do what they want done, when they want it done, but if someone has taken the time to set up a meeting with you, then they are expecting you to take some kind of action.

It is not good (in the eyes of your relationship) for you to develop a plan, pray about it, and begin to work the plan if what you are doing is not communicated with the person who initially brought you the concern. If you have not communicated with them, then they assume you are doing nothing, do not value their concerns, and they get very frustrated (especially when needed change takes time).

5. Keep people “in the loop.” especially those on your staff. When ministry gets hectic, stressful, and you feel attacked from all sides, information is more precious than gold. But it seems that this is exactly when people get guarded, protective, and keep things to themselves. Earn trust in the good times, because you will need it in the bad times.

6.  Invest in Friendships. If you want to have a friend, then you have to be a friend. Quit sitting around and waiting for people to come to you (who are you that people should revolve around you?), you make the effort, take the risks, and build the relationship. No, they won’t all work out, but some will.

Take some time and ask yourself the question, “Lord what have you taught me this year?” I would love to hear your list!

 

Six Month Review — How Are We Doing?

I just passed six months as the new Children’s and Family Pastor at First Baptist Church Valdosta. Just an aside — How long will I be the “new” Pastor of Children and Families? I think you have to be at FBCV like ten years before they throw you a banquet, so six months may get me a high-five. The first half of the first year was filled with figuring out how “things work,” where things are located, who I need to talk to deal with various “issues,” and settling into exactly what my job/ministry entails. There are always what is expected and once you begin in a new place, there are many unexpected job responsibilities once you get there. I can honestly say that the church has been a place of acceptance and regular encouragement. With only half the year under my belt, we still have some pretty big events coming up like VBS, a family mission trip, Centri-fuge, Children’s Retreat, Miss Patty Cake, (yes I did say, Miss Patty Cake!) etc. But if these events were like our Fall Festival and Christmas season then it will be spectacular. No worries.

Coming from a smaller church to FBCV I am reminded that human nature is the same wherever you go. For example, a blurb in the bulletin like “help is needed in (enter whatever ministry need)” gets little, if any response. A human conversation and “face time” (no, not the iPhone kind) is required in order to make projects move forward. Personal interaction and spending time with people is still very important (even in the day of Twitter and Facebook.) Also, people are busy no matter what the size of the church. So when we ask them to give up their time to focus on an event, teach a class, or serve in some way, it should be apart of a bigger plan where we are making families stronger and leading children toward Christ.

We all need to be reminded of the reason why we do what we do. Why is Church important? Why should we attend regularly? Why is Children’s Ministry important? Why can’t Drew do everything, isn’t that what we pay him for? (luckily, I have not had to deal with the last one). But is still begs the question of what staff should do and what the expectations of the congregation should be.

I have enjoyed eating dinner with my family and various others on Wednesday evenings, and I have relished seeing my children learning about music and singing to the Lord. There are many other blessings the Lord has poured out upon us in our short “tenture” at FBC, and I know that there are many more to come.

So in light of what I have experienced so far and reaching toward an awesome “second half” of the year I sit and prayerfully consider the rest of the year. The following are a few thoughts and ministry directions so you can pray for me and our ministry (and perhaps be the most awesome person on the planet by volunteering to do more) —

* I need to visit more families (so call me and invite me over), and kids at their school (so you may be getting a letter asking for your “ok.”).

* There needs to be a parent planning team (to chart out the year and help with various projects). I need a group of people who say, “How can we help?,” and “have you thought about (enter fantastic idea) and I will help put this together!” I am not really looking for people who readily identify problems but have no desire to help solve them. Having said that, I do welcome all loving, gentle, and well thought out constructive criticisms, just solve them first.

* We need to begin to focus on “tweeners” (5th and 6th Graders) — once we have a Youth Pastor in place I will ask for him to make it an initial top priority. The puppet ministry gig is still open — just saying.

* I need someone to help with weekly administrative tasks so I can focus on visiting families, elementary schools, hospitals, etc., and other “pastoral” duties. Note: see earlier note about broadcast requests not working — so I’m looking in your general direction right now.

* I need to put some things in writing (like a mission statement, a ministry manual, a yearly calendar, etc.), and make sure everyone on our team, and all parents know what it is and why we are doing ministry the way we are. What are trying to accomplish? It doesn’t help you or your family if it’s all in my head.

* How can we be more outward focused in our children’s ministry? How can we regularly reach out to new families? We need a plan.

* Does anyone want to get a CDL in my place?

Well, just a few ideas that I thought of in-between sips of a grande vanilla latte at Starbucks.  Thoughts?

 

 

Planning Your New Year

Is It Too Early To Begin Planning? 

I know that the second week of December seems a tad early to begin discussing the new year, but I typically use the down time between Christmas and New Years to contemplate the next year. But with new responsibilities and ministry planning, the next year already weighs heavy on my heart. So as I prepare to spend time with family, finally buy my Christmas gifts, and celebrate Christ’s birth, I also begin to think about the new year.

God in His grace gives us newness; new days are given after a night’s rest, new growth is seen as the seasons of the year change, and new years are given to be used for His glory. If you have not had a good year, or if you seem to be reacting to life instead of moving the rudder of your life’s ship, then consider the following as you approach the new year:

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Six Items To Consider As You Prepare For a New Year

1)   Pray. It seems obvious, but God already has your year mapped out, so why not see what he says about your next year. Are there things that you find yourself foolishly repeating year after year simply because you didn’t spend time with the Lord? Before we begin to plan our next steps, we must consult the Lord and His plans for us.

Jeremiah 29:11-13 “For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare2 and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope. 12 Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will hear you. 13 You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart.”

2)   Develop Your Calendar. It has been said, “If you don’t control your calendar, then your calendar will control you.”  As you chart your next season of life, begin by taking your yearly calendar and adding all of the big annual events (vacations, ministry events, family events like anniversaries and birthdays, and conferences).

Once you have yearly events, then move to monthly, and then weekly. But before you add all the events from last year to the calendar for this year, you must prayerfully consider each one. How will you evaluate if you need to do this or that event again, on the same scale, or the same way?

Make sure you put as much information as you know on the calendar. There will be events that you do not have a specific date for yet, but try to place it as close to the date of where you think it will be held. By having all your events on the calendar before you, you can also evaluate if there will be simply too much going on, or if more things can be added to the calendar. Perhaps, an alternative is to move events around until you find the balance between the two.

3)   Along with your events, simultaneously, develop your budget. How much will you need for specific events, trips, or ministry efforts? You may find that you need to scale down an activity or that you have the ability to do something else or to do the event on a larger scale than you once thought possible.  Like air in a clown’s balloon, you can twist all the links into it you want, but there is only so much air and the balloon can only stretch so far.

4)   Consider your own personal goals and need for growth. If you are finding yourself feeling “burned out” spend some time asking the Lord, “Why am I feeling this way?” or “What am I doing regularly that is negatively impacting my life?”

It may be that you are spending too much time away from home, or not enough in devotional time. It will be different for everyone, but now is the time to plan out how you will not continue to do these same things. You don’t have to feel tired, depressed, worn out, etc. all the time.

This is also a great time to consider the needs of your family. Just as the seasons change, so do the needs of family. Each year brings its’ own set of problems and challenges, and so as you prayerfully plan your budget, calendar out events, and set your personal goals, also consider how your family has changed in the past year. Avoid excessive activity, and build in family time, or special time with a child that may need some extra attention. Your first responsibility is to your family, and then to ministry.[1]

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New Years Resolutions

For a person to keep a New Years’ resolution it has to be rooted in the person having a genuine need and the person seeing the benefit of keeping the resolution. Your praying, planning, budgeting will bring needed resolutions to your attention that if you make these changes will help you to be healthier, happier, more rested, and growing as a person.

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5)   Review the past year. I keep a journal where I record detailed notes of meetings, planning lists, journal entries, ideas etc. and I when I go through this time of planning I review these journals from the previous year. I am reminded of ideas that I had forgotten about, people I need to develop relationships with, projects that have been completed, or even goals that have been met.

These journals are encouraging because I am able to see how God has answered prayer, provided what was needed to complete various ministry projects, and carried me through one more year of ministry. They are a reminder of God’s faithfulness.

Unlike a previous year’s calendar, a journal reminds me of thoughts and feelings. There are some items and information that I will transfer from an older journal to a new one, but for the most part each journal is a step forward into a new year.

Regardless of your method, how will you review the previous year?

6)   Contentment but not Satisfaction. This is not about “we had 20 last year, so this year I want to have 40.” Or “we had 6 groups last year, so this year I want to have 12!”  Wanting more people, money or “equipment” simply because that’s how the world measures success is not a good way of determining a direction in ministry. This method is rooted in pride and will be quickly abandoned when things get difficult.

We should be content with where we are, being the person we are in Christ, and in the position we hold, but we should never be satisfied in our level of quality and service to the Lord.  So, we are not to look for the next bigger and better thing, instead we are to look for ways to constantly improve what we are doing for the Lord.[2]

[1] 1 Timothy 3:4

[2] 2 Corinthians 12:10; Philippians 4:11; 1 Timothy 6:8

Review and Repetition; The ZIP PLOP Method by Daryl Dale

Daryl Dale is a children’s pastor in CT and was very influential to me at Children’s Pastor’s Conference that I attended in 2002. He placed the following article in his curriculum for the years while he published his own curriculum. Since it is out of print, and defiantly worth reading by all educators, I have reprinted it below.

“The human brain remembers what it understands and what is repeated. Bible stories and concepts are selected on the basis of the child’s ability to understand the primary truth in the story. It is through teaching the child learns the real meaning and application of the Bible story. It is through repetition learning is stored in the child’s long term memory and retained. It is almost impossible for a child to remember our Bible lessons without repetition and review.

Those who study how learning takes place in the brain describe our minds having two parts: a short term memory and a long term memory. The short term memory remembers new facts and concepts for about ten seconds and then forgets them unless they are repeated. When you hear a phone number, person’s name or directions to a store that information will be lost unless you write it down or repeat it in your mind several times. Each time we repeat the information in our mind we will remember it a little longer. With repetition and use new knowledge is moved into our long term memory and remembered for months or even years.

The ZIP PLOP method of teaching is all too common in church classrooms. Imagine the child’s brain as being a tunnel that stretches from ear to ear. This tunnel is three inches square and nine inches long. Pretend each Bible lesson is a three-inch-block. Every week we teach a new lesson and push a new three inch block into the child’s head.

However, after three blocks are in the child’s brain, what happens when the fourth lesson is put in? It plops out. If week after week the teacher continues to push new lessons into the child’s brain without review, the material almost literally goes in one ear and out the other. However, each time a Bible concept is reviewed it is prevented from escaping the mind and stored more securely in the long term memory of the child.

Sometimes the review and repetition may seem cumbersome and unnecessary. However, with review the learning of the children will be multiplied many times. Remember this little poem:

If it is important enough to teach,

It is important enough to review.

It is important enough to learn,

It is important enough to remember.”

A suggestion is the get the sentence strips at educational stores and write your review items on them, (part of the item on one side, and the conclusion on the back). By adding a few every week during a particular topic of study, you will greatly improve your students recall of specific items of study, memory verses, names, places, etc. It only takes a few minutes to do, and you can make it fun.

"Your greatest life messages and your most effective ministry will come out of your deepest hurts." Rick Warren

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