• Build a Good Reference Library
Building A Good Reference Library
Early on, at the beginning of my ministerial career I was challenged to collect volumes for my library that would contribute to building my own ministerial library. So I began seriously buying books as I could afford them. As I began my Bible School training I would always buy the required course books, but I would always buy one more on that subject to enhance my library. This collecting of reference works continued as I attended five schools of higher learning over an eleven-year period.
While entering ten years of ministerial staff positions in churches, I continued to add selected volumes to my academic shelves with the intention that they would serve me when needed in the years to come. Sure enough, I experienced their value in my ministry.
However, now with fifty years of collecting I am reevaluating my need for a vast ministerial library. For the last forty years I have lived next door to Biola University and Talbot Theological Seminary. The library next door has more volumes there than I could ever access or read. Plus, the world of library collection has virtually changed, so that most of the volumes that I need to reference are all available on line or in audio books. The Internet with computer access to the most serious academic works have rendered collecting of books practically obsolete.
So I have begun the process of downsizing my library collection. In 2011 alone, I donated nearly 70% of my library to a mission work in India. Our church sponsored a book/Bible drive to fill a forty-foot container to send written resources to help Bible Schools, Mission Schools and Seminaries in India. Thousands of reference works were shipped (mine too)
Recently, I heard a speaker talk about Building a Reference Library, not with books, but collecting memories of our experiences with God. Gathering a Reference Library from our life experience could provide us a source of information that could help us in dealing with future problems. As I reflected on his story I thought of all the times my problems seemed bigger that I could handle and how God solved those problems. After many years of walking with God, I testify that My Reference Library could be filled with volumes of God’s grace to me. Referencing my past experiences with God clearly could help me when facing problems in my future. So the speaker encouraged us to collect memories of God’s work in us.
Here is my Challenge to myself and to you:
• Pelican Cove Inn
Pelican Cove Inn, a Cool Bed and Breakfast in Carlsbad, CA
My good friends, Terry and Debby, engineered a three-day getaway from Tucson, AZ to this quaint ten room Bed and Breakfast Inn located in Carlsbad, CA, which is just 30 minutes north of San Diego. So I was invited to drive down to see them to have dinner with them, so I got to visit their romantic place. They really liked the feather bedding, the in-room fireplace and the great breakfast.
The Pelican Cove Inn is perfect for those who want to park their car and not drive again for the duration of their stay. They enjoyed strolling along the uncrowded beach, which was just two blocks from the Inn, an easy walk. Also the Village of Carlsbad is located just three blocks away— a vacationer’s delight, with shopping, and plenty of things to enjoy. The Pelican Cove Inn is a convenient distance away from several great local restaurants. So we walked to the Norte Restaurant for a fine dining experience. It was a fun time, at a fun place with fun friends. Who knows, maybe we will end up there again.
• Starlight Popsicles
Starlight Popsicles! Great Ideas for Papa to make for the Grand Kids
I ran across this nifty set of six Star-handled Popsicles. The brand name is Starlight, by Claris. I get them at a Dollar Tree. They are not very big. I figured they could be a taste threat to offer my grand kids when they come over. I have decided to be on a quest for things that my grand kids could enjoy that would be unique to me—things they only could enjoy when they come over to our house. Which also means, they do not have this treat at their house. However, as I pursue this, word is getting out what I have, and my children are wanting to incorporate my fun ideas for themselves at their own home. Boo. So the quest continues, I will keep trying to add to the specialness of being a grand parent. You can also find my other ideas on www.pinterest. Oh did I tell you, I bought it for One Dollar!
• Sublist: Deep & Wide
Sublist: Deep & Wide
Having a two dimensional Substitute List is the long-term solution to all your Recruiting needs. The chronic weekend cancellations of your volunteers can be adequately dealt with, if you have a Sublist that is both deep and wide.
A Deep Sublist is one that is constantly growing longer. It is a dynamic list that you are actively expanding every week. You are looking for persons: who you want on your team, who enjoy you, the church, children and those you enjoy—namely, you want a relationship with them.
A Wide Sublist is one that comprised of those who can sub in varying amounts of time. It includes those willing to visit, chaperone, help, assist, lead something, teach or be a utility player (one who is willing to help you with any group, anywhere, at almost any time).
What makes this Deep and Wide Sublist work is the deliberate weekly effort to expand and work with all those on this list. Some will rotate in and out of the lineup. Others will be assigned monthly, biweekly or even just quarterly. The goal is actively work on and monitor this list.
This is not an immediate recruiting solution. This is a long-term effort to move people towards more involvement with your encouragement and resources, so they become confident, trained and more responsible for some aspect of children’s ministry.
You may have to personally work with and supervise a volunteer for a while before you actually “recruit” them to fulfill some staff position, which requires a background check. This would be your preliminary assessment time for some, but for others (who are willing) they jump right into the background check. You just have to feel your way along, but under your watchful eye. This is the recommendation until you have Master Teachers who are assigned this evaluation process with new volunteers.
• Leadership: Recalculating
Leadership: Recalibrating (Take a Good Hard Look and Adjust)
Every leader must learn to evaluate themselves and their ministry. This process can be both introspective and challenging. If you are part of a ministry that values an annual Performance Review, then you are familiar with being evaluating by another. However, there is nothing more invigorating than taking a good hard look at your own leadership and process. This is not so much about judging poor performance, rather, it is more about being challenged to learn from our past performance…then we can recalibrate!
Recalibrating is, in my opinion, an evaluation
process whereby we challenge ourselves to higher standards and set in motion the process of measurable goals to achieve a new standard of excellence.
So here is your challenge: Take a good hard look at these twenty questions to access if you might need some recalibration.
• All Eyes Forward
All Eyes Forward: Getting the Attention of Kids
How do you get and keep the attention of kids in a large group?
We were running late by four hours on a Christmas short-term mission trip into Baja. We were bringing presents to the village children. There were nearly four hundred children of all ages waiting for our arrival. The children were noisy and restless from sitting on the concrete floor for many hours. It was almost impossible to get their attention—there was just such an undercurrent of noise from the younger ones. So how were we going to get their attention? The leader attempted to gain control and a quiet decorum, to no avail. He got frustrated with them, got angry and threatened to not distribute the gifts, if they failed to quiet down. Then he handed them off to me. It was nearly impossible situation. It was not their fault we were late, but now the blame was shifted to them.
Also, I have observed some well meaning, but inexperienced leaders hype the kids up and turn right around and scold the kids for being out of control. When children are hyped they are only doing what the leader wanted them to do. It is unfair to hype them up and then ball them out. This is wrong in my opinion. There is a skill to getting kids to respond. It is more about audience control, to bring them up and knowing how to bring them down or even how to turn their fun into seriousness with a purpose.
Here are my Top Eight Principles for Getting Attention of children in large groups!
- Getting attention is about getting the eyes of the children. If you can “get their eyes you can usually get everything else.”
- Give them something to focus on—an object, a picture, a puppet—any visual. What is this? What is this for? What can we do with this? Can you see it? Look closely! Have you ever seen one of these before?
- Singing a song can help, it can be something very familiar—like Jesus Loves Me. But once you try this be prepared to speak quickly or you loose their attention again.
- Some groups use counting to three, three being the most serious infraction. However, again, once you train them to respond, (and you can) have something to say important immediately after the count up works or you loose them again.
- Once you get their attention, do not break eye contact, or you loose the attention you just got, and have to start all over again.
- Begin a dialogue about what they are focusing on—you want something participatory to engage their thinking.
- How long do you see a visual until you have seen it? They will only watch an unanimated visual just so long and then they have seen it. What will they see next? Think about it.
- Large Objects, a Gospel Magic Trick or puppetry tends to work for me. They can quickly imagine that something special is about to happen. Costumes help!
Here are some do’s and don’t about working with large crowds of kids.
- Do not hype them up and then scold them for being hyper.
- Never yell at children to get their attention. This means you lost it.
- Once you get their attention do not break eye contact, move quickly into what you want to say. Animate and visualize. You can loose their attention as soon as you got it.
- You must be prepared to control their eyes! Watch this, by watching their eyes, you can notice when you are loosing their attention.
- Reading to a large group of children is usually perceived by children as an invitation to look elsewhere. You broke eye contact. This can even happen with extended Bible reading. So read in smaller portions.
It is one thing to get their attention. It is quite another to keep them attending. The secret is good preparation and planning. Many express surprise that I am able to hold the attention of children for 45 or 60 minutes. They think children have short attention spans, and they are right. However, if you keep introducing more to attend to, they will attend longer.
• The Magic Challenge Winner
The winner of the $5 Christmas Magic Challenge is….drum roll please, Joel Smith
The Magic Challenge for my students was to Create a New Magic Trick with no more than $5 from a Dollar Tree, 99 Cent Store (or comparable store). The new Christmas Magic Trick made with props and things purchased. Contest was over by Dec. 13th. Entrants must submit a photo of themselves with the trick and a written description of what the magic effect is and does. Of course, a Christmas message would impress the judges. The Winner will be posted on my website and receive a magic book for your library.
The bag is shown here with nothing in it…the secret pocket is really hard to spot, when opened up to show the kids. And after the magic word, a couple silks are produced out of the empty bag. So what do you want for Christmas?
Shhh! Don’t tell how it is done. Congratulations Joel, you are the winner! You will receive a new Magic Book for your library.
• Confessions of a Stuck Leader
Leadership: Confessions of A “Stuck” Leader
After forty, plus, years in the ministry experience, I must confess I have been “stuck” many times. “Stuck” for me, is a kind of muddy quagmire experience that I can “wallow in” that basically renders me immobile to forward progress. It comes when I am over committed to big events. I try to recover by being too busy with missed maintenance of my routines. It feels like I am trying to catch up by doing yesterday’s business and not future stuff.
For years, I have unsuccessfully fought, what I call the All or Nothing Syndrome, which means I pour all my energy into something (usually an event) so much so, that I neglect other really important relationships and routines. Then I play catch up, which seems like another big event. This is when I get stuck in awkward time.
One solution, I have found is to work farther ahead, and break the project, event, or task down into more useful or manageable units of daily work. This helps me to not have so much to do at the last minute. This is the hard work of pre-thinking, anticipating, brainstorming, fact-finding, working with the calendar, writing things down, making a “to do” list—the paperwork of planning ahead.
Another solution I have found is to keep moving forward. I must have a transition time—a recovery period. But I must start moving again, not aimlessly, but it needs to be “a deliberate step,” that recalculates my short-term goals and moves me forward towards my vision. If I have a grand “impossible” vision, knowing how to make “daily progress” is the “art of accomplishment” and the sure way to avoid the Stuck Syndrome. I tend to sink when I tarry too long.
The third thing that helps me get back into the game is to talk about what is happening. If I can tell some trusted person what I am experiencing, it seems to help me get more objective about my experience and see my process better. Just the fact I can share my state of being stuck, somehow can re-orient me, so I can re-calibrate my routines and jump-start a restart. I find in this accountability of sharing motivates me to start moving forward again. I guess it involves the admission that something is not working. I know I can do better than that.
Lastly, Look for the next step Up. Ask yourself what are steps, tasks, persons to call and decisions that can make this happen? It is not about just being busy. It is about doing “daily” intentional and specific tasks, which turns out to be my strategic plan. Make “To Do” lists that challenge you to a higher standard.
Here are four things that might free you up from being a Stuck Leader too:
- Work farther ahead! Break the tasks down into smaller parts.
- Keep moving forward! Do not work on one thing too long.
- Admit your situation! Being open, and accountable with others can help motivate a restart.
- Look for the next step Up! Let your “To Do” List challenge you.
We are stuck when we are caught in the All or Nothing Syndrome.
• Brown Bags for Baja Kids
Brown Bag Ministry
This Christmas Whittier Area Community Church is helping provide Christmas to children of Migrant Workers in Ensenada, Mexico. They provide items for children that will only fit inside of a regular brown lunch bag, stapled shut. This generous program has been going on for several years and has grown with adult Sunday School Classes supporting the effort. Today (12/4/11) was the Pack Day, where hundreds of brown bags were filled for the children. All kinds of practical gifts were packed, items like: school supplies, small toys, items for boys and girls and even some Christmas candy. Every bag will be a surprise, with the exception, some bags are for boys and some for the girls. Some bags are mothers with young children. Even a few bags are prepared for local Pastors and their families.
Monday (12/5/11) I will join an advance delivery team with three other men, who will drive the boxes of Brown Bags to Ensenada to be held in storage for the Short Term Mission Trip Team to arrive on Dec. 16-18th. This ministry to the those in need has grown over the years. This year I will have been asked to share a gospel message at each of the stops our team will make. So I am planning to return. Sharon and I were involved with the packing, as you can see by the first photo. Anyway, if you think of us this, we would appreciate your remembering us in your prayers for safe passage and open-responsive hearts to our message of the good news this Christmas. Our passion is to see Kids come to the Savior, doing what we can, where ever we can, with God’s help.
• Creating a Barney’s Blizzard
How to Create a Barney’s Blizzard
Please read these instructions before trying this at home.
- First you need to find a thick, firm coffee mug, not a glass or thin coffee cup. Then you need the best ice cream, of your choice. You might try plain flavors at first, those without nuts or any additive variations. This is the “pure essence” of a Barney Blizzard.
- Now is the time to scoop the gourmet ice cream into the thick mug. You want to fill the mug, but do not pack in the ice cream too tightly, so that it is packed too firm. Leave some nooks and crannies. Once the mug is full of ice cream, pour your choice of milk into the cup just over ¾ full. You can use, whole milk, 2%, low fat, or non-fat milk. All types of milk work fine. (We do not recommend that you use water.)
- Take a teaspoon and gradually move the ice cream around in the milk, so the ice cream dissolves in the milk. Be careful not to spill the milk. This makes a thick mixture, like a milkshake, only thicker. If you have too much milk, drink a little out. Do not use a blender here, or you will loose the total effect of the Barney Blizzard.
- As you continue to work the ice cream, you are breaking down its consistency so that it becomes “mushy thick” in the milk. Prepare for the secret Barney move! When the ice cream is all mixed into the milk, let it sit a few seconds without stirring. That’s it! The milk freezes in that very instant and the ice cream gets very cold. Now, you are ready to eat it by the spoonful. It should be too thick to use a straw, which is not the Blizzard way.
- By continuing to turn the mixture as you eat it, you will continue to refreeze the milk in the cup. Slowly enjoy this cold Barney Blizzard treat, eating it by the spoonful, until gone. Savor every scoop. It is good to the last drop. Yummy and cool all the way down!
- Variations on the Barney Blizzard might include: adding nuts to plain vanilla or vanilla bean ice cream. You can add a little topping of your choice. You can buy a topping called “Colossal” at most grocery stores near the ice cream section, which consists of broken cone, nuts and crunchy candy bits that can add something special to any flavor Blizzard, You can add fruit, nuts, jam, jelly or small marshmallows, if you like that sort of taste.
- Foster Freeze stores also feature a Blizzard that is merely, a thick milkshake. The Barney Blizzard differs, in that, it is blended slowly the old-fashioned way, hand turned, slowly perfected with a spoon, which allows the milk to freeze ice cold. The blender breaks up the ice crystals and keeps them smaller. The gastronomical sensation to the pallet with larger ice particles is much preferred. You will never want to return to eating ice cream without milk again. Getting spoonfuls of ice crystals captured in your ice cream is the Barney Blizzard way. Those watching you eat will wonder why you have that smile.
- Remember to accept “no cheap” imitations with the Blizzard. Only the handiwork of a spoon and the slow deliberate turning of the ice cream in milk will provide you the satisfaction of a Barney Blizzard. It takes years of practice to perfect this technique, but with every cup you will experience the cool refreshing taste of this “Artic Blast from the Past,” called a Barney’s Blizzard. Try it! We think it is the best way to enjoy ice cream!
Just one word of caution: it is considered “poor etiquette” to eat a Barney’s Blizzard at the end of a formal dinner. Your host may frown on this “unorthodox” manner of eating ice cream. You might not get invited back, so “go with the flow.” It does not work well in China Cups anyway!
