Mark Harper

Magnify Your Ministry

2011-10-27T10:37:00.000-07:00

The Children’s Pastor - Part 5

“ I am speaking to you who are Gentiles. Inasmuch as I am an apostle of the Gentiles, I magnify my ministry,” Romans 11:13 NASB

A big part of your job as a CP is to recruit and train volunteers to minister to children. When I first started in children’s ministry I used to complain to my pastor that I didn’t have enough help. One day the Lord spoke to me “It’s not your pastor’s job to recruit your help. It’s your job.” Self-pity has never recruited one volunteer.

The best way to get people to follow you is to create a ministry that people want to be a part of. Paul said it like this “I magnify my ministry.” Paul was the apostle to the gentiles and sometimes the gentiles felt like second-class citizens. Peter and James saw the gentiles as a lesser ministry, but Paul did not see it that way.

There will always be people in the church who see children’s ministry as lesser ministry, but the only way for you to change that is for you to magnify your ministry. A church will judge the children’s ministry by how the children’s pastor represents it. If you don’t like how people view your ministry then you might need to change your self. People are looking for somewhere to hook up but they don’t want to get on a sinking ship. If you are passionate about children’s ministry your fire will run off on other people.

After thirty-two years in ministry I have only found two ways to effectively recruit volunteers.

Ask them. Jesus asked his disciples to follow him and you will need to follow his example. Most people need to be invited to join a ministry. You can ask them by email, text, telephone or face to face, but you are going to have to ask people to get involved. The good news is that once you get one excited volunteer he or she can help by asking their friends to get involved. It’s kind of like a giant multi-level marketing plan. You get more gold in heaven the more people you get involved in children’s ministry.
People will respond to vision. Ask your pastor if you can have ten minutes in the pulpit on a Sunday morning or maybe you can do a family service on a Wednesday night. If you get an opportunity to share in the pulpit do not beg for workers. Instead magnify your ministry.Talk about how important kids are to the Lord. Share testimonies about what God is doing in the kid’s lives. The Lord said it to me like this “Allow people to experience the anointing that is on your ministry and let me draw them to you.”

Next week we will talk about how to train all the new workers that you will be getting.

Helping Kids Make Friends at Church

2011-10-25T10:34:00.000-07:00

The Children’s Pastor part 4

“Two are better off than one, for they can help each other succeed. If one person falls, the other can reach out and help. But someone who falls alone is in real trouble.” Ecclesiastes 4:9-10 NLT

One of the responsibilities of a CP is to help kids make friends at church. If kids do not make friends at church during their grade school years then they will not make the jump to youth ministry. Teenagers want to hang with their friends and if they don’t have friends at church they won’t hang out at church. One of the best ways to insure that 'your kids' will not fall away during their teen years is to help them make friends at church.

You cannot choose their friends for them, but you can create environments that will help them make friends. I do this in three ways:

Small groups. One of the hardest decisions I ever made was to take 30 minutes out of my preaching and dedicate it to small group ministry. The primary reason I did this was I noticed the bigger the church got, the less connected the kids were. Church is not just about the relationship between the pastor and his sheep. The glue that holds the church together is the love we have for one another.
Create opportunities for kids to serve in ministry. When kids get involved in a ministry they are spending time with other kids who love the Lord and want to give of their time to help others. The payback that my leadership kids get is the lifelong relationships they develop at worship rehearsal and drama practice.
Plan social activities for families. I try to plan one social activity for families with grade school age children. Most of these are not drop off events but opportunities where families can hang together. Here is a list of the activities I have done:

Sledding party – January
Lock IN – February
Roller Skating Party - March
Easter Egg Hunt – April
Gym and Swim night at YMCA – May
Vacation Family Adventure – June
World’s Largest Squirt Gun Fight - July
Summer Camp – July
Zoo Trip – August
100 Foot Banana Split - September
Hay Ride and Apple Orchard - October
Halloween Alternative – November
Christmas Party and Gift Exchange -December

What is a Home Run to You?

2011-10-24T10:30:00.000-07:00

Children's Pastor Part 3

What is a home run for you? Monica is a home run for me. Monica was eleven when she started leading worship in Super Church. Today Monica is 35 and she sings in the sanctuary. She never left the church and she has always used her gift for the Lord.

Monica is just one example. Seth is my assistant in Super Church. Kelly is one of our youth pastors. Krista and Ginger teach in our Christian school. Jacob owns his own business and he is one of my best teachers in Super Church. Adrian is the producer of a TV show at a church in Georgia. These people were all kids at one time who started out on the puppet team or the worship team or AV team and they are still in ministry today.

Jesus told us to go into all the world and make disciples. According to Young’s concordance a disciple is a “taught or trained one.” The heart of a pastor is discipleship. A pastor gives people and opportunity to do things. If you are a one-man team you are not making disciples.

I have observed that people that get involved in ministry at a young age will stay in the church. Stop complaining that you don’t have enough help and start using the people that are right under your nose. Train them up in the way they should go and they will always be faithful to you.

They say that 20% of the people in our churches do 80% of the work. Why is that? Maybe it is because we tell them when they are children that they can’t do anything in the church and they continue to believe that, when they become adults.

So, what are some things that kids can do in church? I’m glad you asked that question. Here is a list of things that kids can do.

Take up the offering
Pass Buckets
Help new kids find a seat
Write out name tags
Run power point presentations
Create power point presentations
Pray for the sick
Teach an object lesson
Puppetry
Drama
Sing
Play the piano
Lead Worship
Run a Camera
Pray with kids for salvation
Pray with kids to receive the Holy Spirit
Intercessory prayer

In short, kids can do whatever you will take the time to train them to do. What are you waiting for? Pick one child and get started.

What is a Children's Pastor Part 2

2011-10-20T10:22:00.000-07:00

Feed the Flock

“Feed the flock of God which is among you” 1 Peter 5:2

The first thing Peter tells pastors to do is to “feed the flock”. This is the primary responsibility of a pastor. If you are going to feed the flock you need to feed yourself. Never stand up in front of a group of kids and read the curriculum.

I tell my volunteers they should minister out of their overflow. If you are preaching on prayer then look up scriptures on prayer and meditate on them. Find some good books on prayer and read them during the week. The more time you spend in the Word of God the better your preaching will be.

One trend that that really concerns me today is that many of today’s curriculums do not teach the deep things of the Word. The world is getting bolder with their message and the church seems to be more timid. Kids have to fight the same devil that we have to fight. Children don’t need less of God’s Word today - they need more. Jesus commanded us to “preach the gospel to every creature.” If it’s in the Bible you can preach it to kids.

Another thing we need to think about is that most children under the age of eight cannot read yet, so they are totally dependent on someone else to feed them. This is why what you do is so precious to the Lord. For many of the kids in your class the only meal they get is what you are preaching. Make sure you give them some meat and potatoes and not just the desert.

Here are ten practical steps for feeding your flock: kids the Word of God:

FOCUS on one message per week. What is the one thing you want your kids to do with the message you are preaching?
THINK LIKE A CHILD – If you are teaching on prayer, what types of things would a child pray for?
TEACH IN A SERIES – This will help your flock know where you are going.
BE VISUAL – Preaching to kids without something visual does not work. Use short films, power points, object lessons, games and dramas.
TELL STORIES – The best preachers are good storytellers.
KEEP IT MOVING – One child who breaks the rules is a discipline problem. If the group is not paying attention it’s a leadership problem. Change what you are doing every five minutes or so.
STAY CURRENT – If you package an eternal message in an old wrapper it seems like an old message.
BUILD A TEAM – Don’t be a lone ranger.
BE FUNNY – When people laugh it opens up their heart. Use the sandwich method. Funny, Serious, Funny.
REVIEW AND REPETITION – Kids don’t get it if you just say it one time. (Neither do adults)

Don’t miss tomorrow’s blog, what is a CP? part #3

What is a Children's Pastor Part 1

What is a Children's Pastor?

2011-10-17T21:06:00.000-07:00

Have you ever heard that question?

I used to hear it a lot when I first became a children’s pastor in 1979. I was the only full time children’s pastor that I knew of, in the state of Michigan. Today there are literally thousands of CP’s but there still is a lot of misunderstanding of what a children’s pastor is.

The first job of a children’s pastor is to pastor the children in your local church. You are an extension of your pastor to the children under your care. In other words you are there to help your pastor. If you do not have a good relationship with your pastor you will not be effective as a children’s pastor.

Jesus is the chief shepherd, and the senior pastor is a shepherd under Jesus. Jesus is not physically here on the earth so he gave “gifts unto men”. He gave the gift of pastor to lead the local church just like a shepherd leads his flock.

The pastor cannot reach all age groups effectively so he hired you to help him. You, as the children’s pastor, are an extension of your pastor’s ministry. In other words, you have the same job that your pastor does, but you don’t have the same authority.

A good example of this is in Deuteronomy when the Lord told Moses to select 70 elders to help him so he wasn’t bearing the “burden of the people alone”. The 70 elders were doing the same job that Moses was doing but they did not have the same authority. Moses was still in charge.

You job is very similar to your pastor’s job so we can look at what the Bible says to pastors and apply those scriptures to children’s ministry.

1 Peter 5:3 “Don't lord it over the people assigned to your care, but lead them by your own good example.” NLT

The word example in webster’s dictionary means “somebody or something worthy of imitation” Are you living a life that you want other people to imitate? There is a huge accountability that comes with pastoring kids because children are so easily influenced.

You are not just a CP at church. Just like being the senior pastor, you are in the gold fish bowl.It’s a 24/7 job.

Another part of this word example is that you need to be present so that your kids and volunteers can see your example. There is a lot of administration that comes with the children’s pastor job, but you are not just an administrator. You are in the people business and people need to see you. They need to see you in the sanctuary too. Don’t spend all your time in children’s church. It’s not a good example.

We are just getting started. To be continued….

How do you change the method without changing the message

2011-09-04T10:07:00.001-07:00

Relevant Spirit Filled Children's Ministry Conference

Our culture is always changing because people are constantly changing and yet the Bible says, "Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and forever." Our challenge as Christians is to connect people (who are always changing) with a God who never changes. The apostle Paul said it like this, "I become all things to all men that by all means I might win some."

To reach this generation, we must create sophisticated tools and maintain the purity of the Gospel at the same time. In other words, change our methods, but not our message. That is what this conference is all about. We hope to see you at this conference. I have things in my heart for children's pastors and leaders that I have never shared before.

Pastor Mark and Debbie Harper

Conference Topics:

How to be relevant and Spirit Filled
Right Balance to live ministry and media
Train you kids to hear the voice of God
Creative attention getters
Developing leadership gifts in your kids
Spirit filled Preschool ministry
Recruiting volunteers

GRACE CHRISTIAN CHURCH

Pastors Jerry & Joy Weinzierl

33801 Van Dyke Ave. , Sterling Heights, MI 48312 586-258-4390

CONFERENCE REGISTRATION RATES

Registration includes lunch

Before Monday, September 26, 2011 Per Person.............................. $60.00 ea.

Group of 4 or More................... $50.00 ea.

After Monday, September 26, 2011 Per Person.............................. $70.00 ea.

Group of 4 or More................... $60.00 ea.

HOW TO REGISTER

Phone.................................800-798-4872 Online.................www.superchurch.com

CONFERENCE HOTEL:

Hampton Inn 36400 Van Dyke Ave., Sterling Heights, MI, 586-276-0600 | hamptoninn1.hilton.com

Rate: $84 per night (King or Queen Suite special rate)

Reservation request: "Grace Christian" (Book your room early. Rate is guaranteed until Friday, September 17-then rate goes up.)

Can Kids Hear From God?

2011-08-25T09:54:00.000-07:00

Does God speak to kids? Emphatically, yes! God spoke to kids in the Bible and He still speaks to kids today. When kids get saved and filled with the Spirit. The Holy Sprit lives inside of kids just like He lives inside of their parents. Many times kids are more sensitive to the voice of God than adults are

Think about Samuel and Eli. God spoke to young Samuel because Eli had consistently disobeyed the Lord. God used a young King Josiah to turn Israel back to God, after his father had led the nation into idol worship.

God speaks to us through our spirit. There are three parts of man: spirit, soul and body (1 Thessalonians 5:23). The Holy Spirit does not live in your mind or your body. The Holy Spirit lives inside of your spirit man.

God speaks to us through the inward witness. In fact, the most frequent way thatGod talks to us is through the inward witness. The inward witness is not a voice, it is an inward sense. The Bible says it like this, “the Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit.” It is like this, you may be thinking about doing something and it just doesn’t seem right or it may even seem wrong. It is kind of like an inward stoplight. You start to make a decision and you get a red light on the inside. What is that? That is the inward witness. Kids don’t need to wait until they grow up to get the inward witness. They have it right now. Many times kids are asking their parents to do something and they already know they shouldn’t do it, but they are just hoping mom and dad will say yes.

Learn to listen to the inward witness, because the Holy Spirit lead you through the inward witness.

Taken from Holy Spirit lesson #2

Other Simaler Blog posts:
Does God Speak to Kids?
Does God Speak to Kids Part 2?
Does God Speak to Kids Part 3

Forgive and Forget

2011-08-23T10:00:00.000-07:00

Ephesians 4:32, “…forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake has forgiven you...” (KJV)

Bad things happen to everybody. God doesn’t cause bad things to happen, they are a part of life. Sometimes strangers will be mean to us. Sometimes people we love will say or do hurtful things. Sometimes bad things just happen.

If somebody hurts us or sins against us we need to forgive them just like Father God has forgiven us. This can be really hard, but we need to remember that Jesus died for those people that sinned against us. When I think about it, Jesus already paid the price for their sin, then I don’t want to make them pay for their sin against me.

We need to forget the past. The Apostle Paul said, “But this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before.” Don’t let other people’s sin slow you down. Forget about the past, pick yourself up and keep running your race.

It helps us when we forgive others. God tells us to forgive others because unforgiveness will mess up your life.

Unforgiveness will hinder your prayer life (Mark 11:25-26)
It’s difficult to receive forgiveness for your sins when you are flowing in unforgiveness. (Matthew 18:23-35)
Unforgiveness is a sin that will slow you down.

The Holy Spirit will help you to forgive others. Admittedly forgiving others can be hard to do, especially if somebody hurt you that you trusted and loved. The good news is that you don’t have to do it by yourself. Even if it seems impossible, the Holy Spirit will help you forgive others.

When does Anger Turn into Sin?

The Ten Commandments of Networking

2011-07-21T10:27:00.000-07:00

The Importance of Networking with Other Leaders

PART 4

So, how do I do this networking thing?

I’m glad you asked. Here are the Ten Commandments of Networking:

Think Win/Win. Any relationship that God is a part of is mutually benefiting.
Lead by asking questions. (Come prepared with written questions.)
Think about the other guy first. What can you do to help him or her?
Listen more. Talk less. (Be quick to hear and slow to speak.)
Be a Giver. Find something of value that you can give away.
Avoid talking about politics and theological differences. You can learn from anybody, regardless of his or her theology.
Turn lunchtime into the most productive hour of the day.
Don’t be afraid to ask for help? My Mom always said “the worst they can say is no”.
Give people space. (Don’t be too clingy.) Meet somebody new and then meet somebody else.
Get outside of your circle. The body of Christ is a bunch of little circles. If you get to know someone in a new circle he or she can introduce you to many new friends.

Sometimes meeting new people can be a little scary, but the benefits are out of this world!

Some of the Benefits of Networking:

Make Friends with Like-minded people
Learn New Ideas
Stirs up your Creativity
Feels good when you help other people
Helps you think outside of your box
Helps you advance your career and the careers of others

What are you waiting for?

Make a list of people you want to meet.
Text somebody and invite them to lunch.
Decide which conference you want to attend.
Start networking today!

Don't forget to check out all the other parts on the Importance of Networking with Other Leaders

Part 1, It's all about who you know

Part 2, How do I get started?

Part 3, How I met my good friend, Jim Wideman

How I met my good friend, Jim Wideman

2011-07-19T10:20:00.000-07:00

The Importance of Networking with other Leaders

Part 3

*Jim Wideman, Roger Fields, and Myself at
Uncensored 2008 in Minneapolis.

In 1978 I was attending Bible School in Tulsa, OK. One of my teachers was a man named Willie George. Today Pastor Willie is Senior Pastor of one of the largest churches in America, (Church on the Move) but in 1978 Willie was Children’s Pastor at a local church in Tulsa. Pastor Willie taught a class on “Ministering to Children” that totally changed my life. One day in class I asked Pastor Willie if I could get involved in his children’s ministry. I went through the Pastor Willie’s training and taught in the 3-5 year old class for one year.

After graduating from Bible School I returned to Michigan where I served faithfully as a children’s pastor for four years. I loved what I was doing but I was not making money to live on. One day I called Pastor Willie to seek some counsel and he told me about a new church in Tulsa (Family Worship Center) that was looking to hire a children’s pastor. I met with the senior pastor, Dr. Ken Stewart and on Willie’s recommendation he hired me to be his Children’s Pastor. I was doing what I loved to do and I was making four times what I was making at the church in Michigan.

In 1986 I took a new position as Children’s Pastor at Living Word in Minneapolis. (Pastor Willie helped me get that job too.) One day I received a package in the mail from this guy named Jim Wideman. (Jim was Children’s Pastor at Evangel Assembly in Montgomery at this time.) I opened up the box and there were a slew of Brother Jim’s Puppet Trax tapes. I gave Jim a call to thank him for the free tapes. (Jim has always been a giver) I got some free tapes for children’s church and I made a new children’s pastor friend.

Four years later (1990) Pastor Willie gave me a call. He was starting a Bible School for Children’s Ministry and he was looking for somebody to head up the school. I gave Pastor Willie Jim’s name and phone number. Pastor Willie originally hired Jim to start the Bible School, but eventually Brother Jim became Children’s Pastor at Church on the Move.

Let’s think about what happened here:

I helped Pastor Willie by serving in his pre-school class as a volunteer.
In that one year I learned a lot by watching Pastor Willie and serving in a class.
Pastor Willie helped me get two children’s pastor jobs.
I got some free tapes and a good friend for life!
Jim got to be part of a really great church.
Pastor Willie got the services of one of the best children’s pastors in the nation.
Bother Jim helped Pastor Willie grow the church from 1,000 people to 17,000 people.

Here’s my point: God works through relationships. When networking is done right everybody wins.

Check out Part One and Part two of The Importance of Networking with Other Leaders

Part One, It's all about who you know

Part Two, How do I get started?

How do I get started?

2011-07-17T10:17:00.000-07:00

The Importance of Networking with Other Leaders.

Part 2

The Ability to network with other leaders is a key to success in your own ministry. How do I get started with Networking?

I am glad you asked,

Start with the leaders in your own church. Make a list of the most influential leaders in your church and have coffee with them or take them to lunch. Make a concerted effort to get to know them. Great leaders know how to work with other leaders.
Participate in events at your church that are not sponsored by the children’s ministry. Attend the Ladies Meetings and the Men’s Retreats. If the greeters don’t recognize you, don’t blame them. Maybe you need to get out more. (Just a thought.)
Connect with other children’s pastors in your state. Every lunch is an opportunity to meet another like-minded leader.
Visit other churches. Ask around: Who has a really good children’s program? Go visit those churches. If you can’t get away on a Sunday, do it on a Wednesday night or a Saturday night.
Participate in networking sites. Take advantage if web sites like CMconnect, Kidology, and Face Book.
Go To Conferences. By far, the best place to meet like-minded people is at Conferences. Three things happen at conferences, Training, Product Sales and Networking. All three are valuable but my favorite part is networking and meeting new people

In his excellent networking book “Never Eat Lunch Alone”, Keith Ferrazzi says, “True conference commandos aren’t restricted by the agenda that they receive at registration. Who says you can’t arrange your own dinner while at the conference, or put together an informal discussion on a particular topic that matters to you.” In other words create the conference within the conference.

Chances are you will meet someone who went through something that you are going through right now, and they know how to help! Or, maybe you have info to help them!

If you enjoyed this, you should read 'It's all about who you know' to learn why networking is so important.

It's All About Who You Know!

2011-07-15T15:24:00.000-07:00

The Importance of Networking with Other Leaders.

PART 1

Networking means different things to different people. According to Webster’s Dictionary networking is “The developing of contacts or exchanging of information with others in an informal network, as to further a career.” I asked my daughter, Missy, What is networking? Missy said, “It’s like making friends”. (I like both definitions.)

Networking is the intersection between work and friendship. For the purpose of this article I am defining networking as “Building friendships with like-minded people where you can help each other fulfill your goals.”

“It’s all about who you know.” I first heard this statement from a pastor’s wife. She was commenting on how (in her opinion) her denomination was too political. The inference was that people were promoted to positions of leadership, not based on their character or abilities, but simply on whom their friends were.

Admittedly this does happen on occasion, however if you receive a promotion simply based on friendship, and don’t have the necessary abilities, you won’t have that job for very long. On the other hand if you don’t have any relationships, you may not ever get a shot at job that you really want. It doesn’t matter how good you are at something if nobody knows about it.

The truth is that “who you know” is a key part of what makes life work. My best friends are people I work with at my church, or have met at a conference somewhere around the country. These are people that I genuinely care about. I want to see them succeed and they want to see me succeed.

Networking is like breathing. It’s not the only thing that matters, but if you don’t do it, you won’t last very long.

Take a moment and think about the various jobs that you have had. Ask yourself: How did I get this job? My guess is that there is good chance that either you knew the people that hired you, or that your boss knew a good friend of yours that recommended you.

What are your thoughts on networking?

How do you get started with networking? Well, come back in a couple of days and I will tell you!

How did Jesus handle uncommitted volunteers?

2011-07-05T08:59:00.000-07:00

Jesus always raised the bar of commitment, he never lowered it. According to W.E. Vine, a pastor is “a shepherd, one who tends herds or flocks, not merely one who feeds them.” A pastor gives people an opportunity to serve. The biggest thing I look for in a volunteer is commitment. Commitment is first base. Jesus raised the bar of commitment

You can’t train somebody who doesn’t show up for the class. You can’t train somebody who misses all the training sessions. Jesus expected commitment from his disciples: “Follow me and I will make your fishers of men.”

Raise the bar of commitment and you get more committed people. “Yes, but I am going to lose a lot of people.” You just lose the uncommitted ones. It’s not good stewardship to pour a lot of time into people who don’t want to be pastored. Jesus taught the multitudes, but He was selective about whom He put a lot of time into.

On the other side of the coin, make sure you praise your volunteers when they do well, especially new volunteers.The first two weeks is very important when training volunteers. Don’t just give them instruction and correction, but make sure you catch them doing something right and praise them for it.

I still remember my first sunday volunteering in children's church. To read more about it go to this link "Ready to quit before getting started."

Other entrees about Pastoring your volunteers:

Feed YOUR Volunteers

2011-06-29T08:28:00.000-07:00

Feed your volunteers. I’m not talking about coffee and donuts. I’m talking about ministering to your volunteers. Jesus told us “to go into all the world and make disciples of all nations.” The word “disciple” means “a taught or trained one.”

We can’t only train volunteers. We have to feed our volunteers the Word of God. If children’s pastors would pour themselves into their volunteers with the same passion they pour themselves into their kids, then people would know that the leader cares about them personally and we wouldn’t have any recruiting problems. You have a responsibility to minister to your volunteers not just your kids. Your job is more than putting names on a schedule or getting someone to help do a skit. You are to pastor or feed your volunteers.

The spiritual growth of your kids is limited to the spiritual growth of those volunteers that are ministering to them.

Other "entrees" on the menu about pastoring your volunteers:

Are you getting shot at?

2011-06-23T10:06:00.000-07:00

"When Eliab, David's oldest brother, heard him speaking with the men, he burned with anger at him and asked, "Why have you come down here? And with whom did you leave those few sheep in the desert? I know how conceited you are and how wicked your heart is; you came down only to watch the battle."

I Samuel 17:28 NIV

Sometimes the first thing that happens, when you step up to lead, is that people will criticize you.

David’s oldest brother, Eliab, got mad at him because David wanted to fight Goliath. Eliab said to him, “I know your pride and how wicked your heart is. You came down only to watch the battle.” David knew his heart was clean. He didn’t let the criticism stop him. The only people who get criticized are the people who are leading. Criticism comes with the territory, so get used to it. Make sure your motives are pure and keep leading.

Know who the enemy is. Eliab wanted to start a fight with David, but David just ignored him. David knew that his brother was not the enemy. Goliath was the enemy. Usually the people that are shooting at you are not the enemy, so don’t shoot back. The Bible says, “We war not against flesh and blood.” Satan is the enemy.

Stay focused on the cause. David’s response to Eliab was, “Is there not a cause?” Goliath was the enemy, but he was not the cause. The cause was, “that all the earth would know that there is a God in Israel.” For us the cause is “rescuing souls from hell.”

Jesus said it like this, “I will make you fishers of men.” Some battles are not worth fighting. If David could whip Goliath, he could have whipped his older brother, but that wouldn’t accomplish anything. Never take revenge on the people that are hurting you. That is not the cause. The cause is reaching people with the gospel.

What did Jesus mean by, "I will make you fishers of men?"

2011-06-06T09:46:00.000-07:00

"Follow Me and I will make you fishers of men." Matthew 4:19 Most people would say that Jesus was talking about evangelism. It’s true that He was talking about evangelism, but I believe that fishing for men is more than evangelism.

Think about it. Why was Jesus calling the disciples?

He was gathering His future leaders. Jesus knew that in three years He would be in heaven and He needed some leaders here on earth. Jesus could have said it like this, “Follow Me and I will make you a leader.”

Leadership begins with following. The first test that Jesus gave His leaders was the test of following. If they had refused to follow Him, they never would have become leaders. God wants humble leaders who know how to obey Him,but God is also looking for leaders who are willing to follow other people. The Bible says it like this, “If you have not been faithful in that which is another man’s, who shall give you that which is your own?” Luke 16:12 (KJV)

The two-way flow of leadership. Following and leading are connected. Everybody needs to be following somebody. If you stop following you stop leading. People are always watching you to see how you respond to the leadership in your life. If you won’t follow the leaders that are over you, then why should others follow your leadership. The Roman Centurion in Matthew Chapter Eight understood this. He was under his leader’s authority and he had soldiers under his authority. This man understood how to lead and how to follow and that is what caused God’s power to flow in his life.

Are you teaching your kids to be leaders?

2011-05-31T09:10:00.000-07:00

In June of 1986, I witnessed one of the most powerful services I have ever been in. A friend of mine, Bill Bush, was the speaker at our summer kids camp. Right after praise and worship on the second night, I introduced Bill. Bill didn’t do a puppet skit or drama skit. He just stood up at the front of the chapel with a rock in his hand.

“Boy’s and girls,” Bill said. “Tonight the Lord spoke to me to stop and pick up this rock. He told me to tell you that some of you are like this rock. You have a hard heart.”

“Some of you don’t think you can have a hard heart unless you’re lost, but you can have a hard heart toward God. How do you know if you have hardened your heart toward God? Do you have a hard time going to church? Do you have a hard time lifting your hands during worship? If that is you, you have hardened your heart toward God. I want you to come down to the front, repent and ask God to forgive you."

For about five or ten seconds nothing happened. It was very quiet. You could hear a pin drop. I thought to myself, “Maybe Bill missed it. That was kind of a hard word."

Chris was a twelve-year-old boy who was the class clown. He never took God or church very seriously, but he was well liked, popular and a peer leader. Chris suddenly stood up from the back row and ran to the altar. When Chris ran to the alter something swept into the room. A spirit of prayer and repentance fell on the chapel. Everyone, adults and children alike, began to weep and repent for having a hard heart.

Now, here is my question for you, was Chris leading or following?

Words are Powerful

2011-05-24T11:32:00.001-07:00

Ephesians 4:29, “Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up..” (NIV)

Words are powerful. (Read James, chapter three.) Words are like tools. We can use our words to destroy people or we can use our words to build people up. If someone has spoken mean words that have hurt you, you may be tempted to say mean things back to them. You may want to punish them with
your words.

Not only does God want us to forgive people that hurt us, He wants us to say nice things back to them. This is really hard to do, but it is what God does for us and we have the Agape kind of love inside of us.

The love of God never participates in gossip. Never talk bad about somebody behind their back. This grieves the Holy Spirit, because they are His kids too. (Ephesians 4:30) If someone has hurt you, it is good to talk with them to resolve the conflict, but it is never right to talk about someone behind their back.

Speak words of love. You can do this. Choose to say words that build people up, especially if you are tempted not to. You can always find something nice to say about somebody. The Bible says that pleasant words are like a honeycomb. This is one of the simplest ways to walk in love. Say nice things. Speak words of love.

What are your Dreams?

2011-05-18T12:53:00.001-07:00

Vision is a plan or a dream for the future. Vision is a picture of something you see yourself doing in the future. God has a plan for your life. You are not here by accident. God created you and He has a plan for your future.

“For I know the plans I have for you” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” Jeremiah 29:11 (NIV)

The Bible calls this plan “vision.” Vision is a picture of what you want to do in the future.

If you want to be a leader, you must know where you are going. Ask yourself these questions:

What do you see yourself doing?
Where do you see yourself going?
What are your goals for the future?
What are your dreams?
What is the next step?

If you cannot answer these questions, you are not ready to lead yet. You might have leadership potential, but people will not follow you if you don’t know where you are going. How do you find the answers? Take time to talk to God about your future and listen to Him.

Is your vision a heavenly vision? The apostle Paul said, “So then, King Agrippa, I was not disobedient to the vision from heaven.” Acts 26:19 (NIV)

If your vision comes from heaven it will not be just about you. A selfish vision is not a heavenly vision. A heavenly vision is one that includes other people.

You need to ask yourself this question, “Why do I want to do what I want to do?

When Does Anger Turn To Sin?

2011-05-09T20:07:00.000-07:00

WHEN DOES ANGER TURN INTO SIN?

Ephesians 4:26, "...don't sin by letting anger control you. Don't let the sun go down while you are still angry." (NLT)

Anger is a normal feeling that we all get. Anger alerts us when someone has crossed our boundaries. It is okay to protect yourself from getting hurt again. But it is wrong to use our anger to punish somebody.

Do not let your anger turn into sin. Is it possible to be angry and sin not? I asked the Lord once, “When does the sin begin?” He said, “The sin begins when you open your mouth.” Have you ever been really, really angry? Like red hot angry. If so, it is best to keep your mouth shut. Never use your words to punish people.

Do not let anger control you. Have you ever done something while you were angry that you regretted later on? When you were mad it felt good, but after the anger was gone, you felt ashamed. If so, then you let anger take control. God wants you to be in control so never give the steering wheel to anger. Exercise self control. In others words stay in control of yourself.

God wants us to do three things with our anger.

1. Overlook the small things. Forgive one another.

2. Don’t let anger take control. Wait until you calm down.

3. Deal with it. Don’t go to bed if you are still angry. Talk to whoever you are mad at, but be nice about it. Never use your words to punish people.

I'm walking out one of my dreams

2011-03-15T14:22:00.000-07:00

I'M WALKING OUT ONE OF MY DREAMS!

For the past ten years we have been producing short films for churches. Three years ago we began to dream and talk about producing a feature length film.

We came up with a father, son story about a preacher's kid. It would be a faith-based movie, but not real preachy. We wanted to tell a story about a ministry family and let the story do the preaching.

Like everyone else our biggest hurdle was money. A friend of mine gave me an idea to seek private investors for the money, which is what we did.

After three years of hard work, "Prodigal" is completed. The premiere of the movie is Tuesday, March 22 at the Champlin Mann Theatre in Champlin, Minnesota. If you live in Minnesota, I would love to see you at the premiere.

I want to encourage you to keep running your race and pursuing your dreams. The best years of your ministry are in front of you.

PRODIGAL

VIEW THE TRAILER CLICK here

JOIN US ON FACEBOOK HERE

Does God Speak To Kids Pt. 3

2010-12-26T07:00:00.000-08:00

Does God Speak To Kids Pt. 3

It is very important that children learn how to listen to their conscience and obey God in the small things. First Timothy 4:1-2 tells of those who have had their conscience "seared with a hot iron." These people once were believers, but now they'e "departed from the faith."  If you disobey your conscience repeatedly, eventually your conscience will become seared to where you can't hear God and you don't know right from wrong. I've met so-called Christians who have no problem lying; in fact they believe their own lies. Proverbs 20:27 says, "The spirit of man is the candle of the Lord." When your conscience becomes seared, the light goes out.  Even very young children can learn to listen to their hearts.

Children can how to listen to their heart - even as young as four years old! It's good for children to obey their parents, but it's better if they learn how to hear God's voice and obey God on their own. Mom and Dad won't always be around, especially when they grow up and one of their friends says to them, "How would you like to try one of these little green pills?"  Sometimes Christian kids grow up and never disobey their parents, but then backslide when they get to college because they don't know how to make decisions. Mom and Dad always told them what to do, and they don't know how to hear from God for themselves. You still hold veto power, Mom and Dad, but begin to let your children make some decisions on their own. Teach them how to pray about things and listen to their heart.   

Number Three: The Voice of the Spirit of God Another way that God speaks to us is through the voice of the Spirit of God. This voice is also an inner voice, but it is much stronger and more authoritative than the voice of your spirit.  When God spoke to the child Samuel, I do not believe that it was an audible voice. If it were an audible voice, Eli would have heard it too. Yet, the voice was so strong inside Samuel that it seemed audible to him. This is the voice of the Spirit of God. You will hear this voice much less frequently than the voice of your own spirit.  

Number Four: Visions (Seeing And Knowing) Another way God speaks to us is through pictures or visions. Many times God will show us a picture of something in your spirit.  For example, once during worship, I saw a picture of a bicycle in my spirit. I wasn't sure what that meant so I asked, "Is anybody here praying for a bicycle?"  I found a boy who had been praying for a bicycle for some time, and I encouraged him to keep believing in God. The next day, the church office got a phone call from a little boy in my class who had bought a new bike about two weeks earlier, and then won another new bike in a sweepstakes.  He wanted to give the sweepstakes bike to the boy who had been praying for a bike. Praise God! I didn't know that the boy with the two bikes was in Super Church that day, but the Holy Ghost did!  After you have taught your children to hear God speak to them, it is really important that you teach them to obey His voice and do whatever it is He has told them to do. Whether it is to give out a word of prophecy, to share the gospel with someone, to lay hands on the sick, or to forgive a person who has wronged them, it pays to obey. God's way is always best!

Does God Speak To Kids Pt. 2

2010-12-19T20:58:00.000-08:00

Last week we talked about the number one way that God speaks to us is through the inward witness which is a "spiritual feeling." This week we will cover the second most frequent way that God speaks to you is by the voice of your own spirit, which is the voice of your conscience. Your conscience comes as a still small voice (1 Kings 19:12).

Number Two: The Voice of Your Spirit. If you have been born again, your conscience is a safe guide. If you're not born again, your conscience is not a safe guide. The inward voice is a little different than the inward witness in that you actually hear words on the inside of you - you hear a still small voice.  I've taught kids to listen to the voice of their spirit by putting them in real-life situations. "How many of you have ever been tempted to steal a candy bar at a grocery store, but you heard a voice say, 'No'?" Or, "How many of you have ever walked past your bedroom, and seeing it all messy, you heard a voice say, 'Remember, Mom told you to clean up your room'"? That is your conscience—the voice of your spirit—sometimes called the inward voice.  

 Spiritual Exercise  To teach children about the inward voice, have everyone worship for about five minutes, then ask everyone to bow their heads and close their eyes. Say, "Listen to your heart." Wait about 60 seconds and just listen. Then ask, "Did anybody hear anything?" As children raise their hand, have them come forward and tell what they heard. (This helps give the children confidence to stand up and give out a word or a prophecy if the Holy Spirit gives them one.)   Children often say things like: "Jesus loves me." "He told me to tell my friends about Him." "He told me to be nice to my sister."  Tell them, "That is the voice of your spirit, your conscience talking to you. Your body has a voice. It tells you when it's hungry. Your mind has a voice, the voice of reason. Your spirit has a voice too, your conscience." (This same exercise can be used at home during devotions.)  As your spirit talks to you, sometimes you will hear words that Jesus wants you to share with everyone. That's what we call a prophecy. If the Holy Spirit gives you a prophecy, then He will also anoint you to share it with others.  Most people who miss it with prophecy do so because they try to prophesy something that was just for them. (For example, you would never stand up and give out a prophecy like, "Thus saith the Lord, clean your room." No, that was message was just for you.)  

Does God Speak To Kids Pt. 1

2010-12-19T20:40:00.000-08:00

Before we can teach children how to hear the voice of God, we need to teach on the three-fold nature of man. In 1 Thessalonians 5:23, we see the three parts of man: spirit, soul, and body. I like to put it this way: I am a spirit; I have a soul; I live in a body.  It's important for kids to know that God speaks to us through our spirit. If I told a group of children, "God spoke to me," they would think I heard an audible voice. (Sometimes God does speak in an audible voice, but most of the time He talks to your spirit with a still small voice.)   There are four ways that God speaks to us through our spirit.

Number One: The Inward Witness  The most frequent way that God leads all of His children is when the Holy Spirit "bears witness" with our spirit (Rom. 8:16).  With the inward witness, you don't hear anything. It is a "spiritual feeling" that you have in your gut. It's a red light or green light. You may be watching a TV show and you get a yucky feeling on the inside. That's the red light, the inward witness, telling you to turn it off.  Sometimes you'll hear people say, "I've got peace about that." What they are saying is, "I have a green light; the inward witness is telling me to go for it."   

Spiritual Exercise  Here is a tangible way to communicate what the inward witness is to your kids. Lead them in a worship song, then have them worship in tongues for a few minutes. Next ask the kids to bow their heads, close their eyes, and just be still and listen. Then make positive statements that agree with God's Word like, "Jesus is your healer." Also say things that disagree with God's Word like, "God put this terrible sickness on you to teach you a lesson."  Then ask the children, "What did it feel like inside when I said, "Jesus is your healer?"  "A good feeling," they will say.

Then ask, "What kind of a feeling did you get when I said, 'God put this sickness on you to teach you a lesson.'"   They will say, "A bad feeling" or "A yucky feeling."  Tell them that's the inward witness. It's the same inward witness that will help you decide who to be friends with, who to marry, and what you're going to do when you grow up. The inward witness is not as spectacular as a dream or a vision, but it is supernatural.  

What Are You Believing For Your Kids?

2010-11-29T19:47:00.000-08:00

I Samuel 1:10-11

“10 Hannah was in deep anguish, crying bitterly as she prayed to the Lord. 11 And she made this vow:"O Lord of Heaven's Armies, if you will look upon my sorrow and answer my prayer and give me a son, then I will give him back to you. He will be yours for his entire lifetime, and as a sign that he has been dedicated to the Lord, his hair will never be cut.”

This story is biblical proof that God does use children in a powerful way. I am still amazed at how many parents and even preachers don’t believe that God can use children in a supernatural way when the Bible has many stories of God using kids and teenagers.

Let’s take a closer look at this story of Samuel. In chapter one of 1 Samuel, we see that Hannah was barren; she had no children. One day Hannah went to the temple and poured out her heart to God. Hannah made a promise to God that if He would give her a son, she would give him to the Lord for the ministry. God answered Hannah’s prayer. She conceived and gave birth to a strong healthy boy. Hannah named him Samuel, which means, “asked of God.”

When Samuel was weaned (my guess would be between the ages of 3-5), Hannah brought him to the temple and gave him to Eli to train for the ministry. Who knows what Eli thought of this – maybe he thought Hannah was trying to get free day care. This was not an easy thing for Hannah to do, but Hannah was very determined about keeping her promise to God. Hannah sent Samuel to Bible school when he was five years old. She saw something in Samuel that other people didn’t see.

Here is the challenge to parents and Christian leaders. What are you willing to believe God for? Whether it be for your own children or the children you’ve been entrusted with at church. Think about this, where are you setting your standard? How far are you willing to go with God? What will you make a stand for?

Leading Up - Part 5

2010-11-21T05:00:00.000-08:00

Never correct your leader. David respectfully disagreed with Saul. Saul told David he was too young to fight the giant. David told Saul about the lion and the bear. It’s okay to respectfully disagree, but never tell your leader he is wrong.

That’s not your place. In other words it’s okay to offer a different opinion, but never put yourself in a position of authority over your leader. It’s best if you do this privately. Many pastors are strong-willed people. (They have to be.) Strong-willed people like to be in control. Always give the multiple choice test. Never present your solution like, “You have to do this” as if it is the only choice. Instead offer several choices to pick from.

Fight The Giant

2010-11-14T08:00:00.003-08:00

Don’t try to lead up unless you are willing to fight the giant. It’s easy to figure out what the churches problems are. It’s another thing to solve the problem. Be a problem solver and you will always have a job.

When I first came on staff at Living Word in 1986, we had staff meetings about twice a month. Pastor Mac was the first pastor that I worked for that would ask for my opinion. I have never had a shortage of ideas, so I didn’t hesitate to speak my mind.

Pastor Mac would respond with, “Mark, why don’t you fix that?” It took me about three staff meetings to figure this out: don’t bring up any ideas unless I am willing to take on a new project.

David was willing to take on Goliath. He saw what the problem was and was willing to meet the challenge. He knew his motives were right and with God's help he knew he would succeed.

Also, never come to your pastor with a problem without offering several solutions. I find that senior pastors like multiple choice tests. In other words never present your solution as if it is the only one. Be a problem solver and you will be a tremendous source of strength to your pastor.

Pure Motives

2010-11-11T09:46:00.000-08:00

Make sure your motives are pure. David’s brother Eliab wanted to start a fight with David. He accused him of pride, "I know the pride and how wicked your heart is. You came down only to watch the battle."

But David knew that his motives were pure. He knew his heart was clean. “Is there not a cause?” was David’s response.

You will get shot at if you try to lead up. Your peers may question your motives, but don’t let that stop you. Don't allow criticism to stop you. David ignored the comments and taunts that Eliab said to him. David knew the enemy was not his brother. The people that are shooting at you are not the enemy. If it seems like your purpose is to bring attention to your ministry, you will lose all credibility. You job is to help your pastor..

Open Doors

2010-10-28T18:58:00.000-07:00

Know when the door is open. You need to know your pastor well enough to know when he is open to new ideas and when is closed. In other words, don’t try to knock the door down, wait until the door is open.

David knew that the door was open for three reasons.

1. Saul was offering a reward.
2. Saul sent for him.
3. Saul was asking questions.

All pastors have problems and are looking for people to help solve the problems. The best way to know if the door is open is to notice when your pastor is asking questions. Be prepared with a list of ideas for when he is looking for answers and new ideas.

Seek First To Understand

2010-10-21T11:42:00.000-07:00

The first step when Leading Up is to SEEK FiRST TO UNDERSTAND, THEN BE UNDERSTOOD*. Most leaders only approach their pastor when they need something, or to get their pastor to see their point of view. Ask yourself this question, "What does my pastor feel when he sees me?"

In others words, if you notice your pastor duck when he sees you in the hallway, then you have a problem. Instead of trying to change your pastor, purpose to be a blessing to him.

A fellow children's pastor once said to me, "I'm frustrated with my senior pastor because I'm really organized and he is not." My response was, "Maybe that's why God sent you there."

All leaders have weaknesses. (Some people think they are real spiritual if they can figure out their leaders weakness.) My pastor always says, "Hire to your weaknesses." My job as an armor bearer is to be strong where my pastor is weak. Take time today to write out a list of things you can do to help your pastor.

*Habit #5 from "The Seven Habits Of Highly Effective People" by Stephen Covey

Leading Up

2010-09-21T21:42:00.000-07:00

"Leadership doesn't always start at the top, but it always manages to affect the folks up at the top." Seth Godin

The most effective way to increase your influence is to Lead Up. When I say "Lead Up" I'm talking about having influence with those that "out rank" you, especially your pastor.

The biggest challenge that most children's pastors have is their relationship with their pastor. It's surprising how many children's pastors have a dysfunctional relationship with their pastor. There are two extremes that I see in the local church.

1 - Intimidation - Many children's pastors are intimidated to bring new ideas to their senior pastor especially if they have a different opinion. If you are intimidated by your senior pastor then your children's ministry will suffer.

2 - Disrespect - In the other ditch are those people who become disillusioned when the figure out that their pastor isn't perfect. A few years ago I read this on a children's ministry blog, "I love my church, I love the kids, I love the parents, I just don't love my pastor." WOW! the Bible tells us to "love our enemies." If God wants us to love our enemies, I'm quite sure that He wants us to love our pastor.

The other day I was reading the story of David and Goliath in 1 Samuel 17. I saw something I had never seen before. The story of David and Goliath is a good example of Leading Up. We will talk more about this next time, but in the meantime, take a few minutes to read I Samuel 17. What are your thoughts? How did David use his influence to Lead Up!

"The Kids Are A-Changin"

2010-09-12T20:45:00.000-07:00

Our challenge as Christians is to connect people (who are always changing) with a God who never changes. The apostle Paul said it like this, “I become all things to all men that by all means I might win some.”

If we want to reach Christians with the gospel then we must speak their language, and the language of children speak today is “technology.” The following is a quote from the October 2, 2005 edition of USA Today entitled, “Four Hurdles For Disney’s Iger.” In 2005 Robert Iger replaced Michael Eisner as CEO of Disney.

“Disney’s key audience of children is changing faster than technology. In a trend known as “age compression” children are exposed to edgy entertainment earlier and outgrow innocent fare such as Winnie The Pooh or Mickey Mouse of younger ages.” Kids also leave behind traditional toys sooner, clamoring instead for video games, iPods and mobile phones. Rivals for Disney in the kid market now include companies such as Sony, Apple and Nokia.”

In the church, we have a similar challenge that Disney has. Kids have changed a lot in the last thirty years, but the Gospel has not. We must create sophisticated tools to reach this generation and maintain the purity of the Gospel at the same time.

In other words change our methods, but not our message. It seems to me that churches get in one ditch or the other. A lot of churches are refusing to change. They are still using the same tools they used fifty years ago. If you thought it was cool when you were a child, its unlikely its cool today. On the other hand, a greater concern is churches that change the message to be relevant today. A good friend asked me the other day this question, “Can a church be cool and Pentecostal?” I believe we can.

Bob Dylan was pretty quick to “throw out the old.” I admit that some old things need to be replaced to reach this generation but some old things work with every generation.

Despite the differences in generations aren’t you glad that Jesus died for all generations?
The blood of Jesus is just as powerful today as it was for believers in the first century.
The Word of God works for this generation just like it has worked for all generations.
When kids get filled with the Holy Spirit they don’t get filled with a “junior” Holy Spirit. They get the same Holy Spirit that Peter and John received 2000 years ago.

In the last days our kids don’t need less of God’s Word, they need more of God’s Word. The enemy is after our children. We have a responsibility to give this generation the tools they need to fight the enemy. It is not the time to back off of the spirit-filled message. Yes, you can be cool, relevant and Pentecostal. This generation needs the Holy Spirit. It’s time to experience the supernatural again.

What's Up with Super Church Curriculum?

2009-12-03T13:21:00.000-08:00

It's a new decade and it's time for a change!

For the past year we at Mark Harper Ministries have been busy reinventing Super Church. We have written new interactive object lessons & drama skits. We have created new media elements including short films and something I like to call the "digital comic book".

Two new elements, that I am really excited about, are the "small group curriculum" and the brand new "partnering with parents" newsletter.

Our new curriculum will be a digitally based curriculum called "Club Hero". For a small monthly fee you will receive four new curriculum lessons (via e-mail) that are fresh from the burner and tested with my kids. We will be launching Club Hero with the start of the new decade. (January 3, 2010)

When we launch "Club Hero" we will discontinue all the older versions of Super Church. (After January 31, 2010 you will not be able to purchase the original Super Church Curriculum.) In order to bless our regular customers we are running a "Clearance Sale" of all the original Super Church Curriculum at 40% (while supplies last). If you plan to purchase any of the original volumes of Super Church do it now.

We will still be offering Kinder Church and the Ignite curriculum.

Looking forward to a great year in 2010,

Pastor Mark

Turning The Tables On Your Kids

2008-03-30T21:00:00.000-07:00

Have your kids ever reminded you of one of your “sermons”. It’s quite convicting, especially if you are not practicing your own preaching. When this happens I feel like saying something like “It’s not your job to preach to me" but I usually end up eating humble pie. Here's my point: When you preach the Word it forces you to be a doer of the Word.

Why not turn the tables on your kids? Ask your kids to lead devotions from time to time. Let them decide what Bible Story to read. Let your kids do the preaching. It’s a little bit risky, but it’s worth the risk. When your kids preach the word it forces them to be doers of the word, and you can have great fun turning the tables on your kids when you challenge them to live their sermons.

Running You Race - Step 4 & 5

2008-02-03T21:36:00.000-08:00

Step # 4 Talk To God About His Plan.

The Bible calls this “vision”. Don’t allow circumstances to direct your life. God has a plan for you and the only way to figure it out is to spend time with God. When you ask God make sure you take time to listen. Don’t do all the talking during your prayer time. Half of your prayer life should be spent listening.

“When you pray, use not vain repetitions as the heathen do: for they think they shall be heard for their much speaking”

Step # 5 Write Down Your Vision

“Write the vision, and make it plain”

Writing down your vision is the first step of obedience. One reason to write it down is so you can communicate your vision with other people. (Chances are you are going to need help in accomplishing you vision) Write down vision every area of life.
• Personal Goals – discipline, weight loss, devotions ect.
• Family Goals - relationships, parents, kids ect.
• Financial Goals - Do you want to get out of debt? Write down you debts.
• Ministry Goals – What does God want you to do this year?
• Career Goals – What do you want to accomplish this year

After writing down your goals take time to review it at least once a week. Try to get it on one page so its easy to review. If it takes too long to read, you won't want to take the time to review.

Step #3 - Learning To Forget

2008-01-19T11:35:00.000-08:00

“…This one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before….” Philippians 3:13

The past is possibly the biggest hindrance to running your race. We need to be quick to repent, quick to forgive and quick to forget the past. The quicker we can learn to forget, the faster we will run our race.

When I think about being quick to repent (change) it reminds me of a time I was standing in line at the grocery store with my children. Mark was 4 years old and Missy was 2 years old. My son Mark was provoking Missy to try and push her buttons as we were standing in line. Like a “good parent” I was trying to ignore them hoping they would solve their own conflict. All of a sudden 2-year-old Missy just balled up her fist and punched Mark right in the face.

Mark looked up at me with that pitiful “what are you going to do Daddy” look. Before I could respond, Missy (who saw what was about to happen) wrapped her arms around her brother and gave him a big hug. Everybody in line started laughing as the man behind me said “She sure knows how to handle a man doesn’t she” This is a funny story, yet it is also a powerful illustration of how quickly God wants us to forget the past and get on with doing what we know he wants us to do. (Missy didn’t wait for her father to correct her, she just instantly did what she knew I was going to ask her to do.)

I find that most people who quit serving in ministry do so because somebody hurt them.
Everybody gets hurt in ministry. If you quit the team gets weaker. It’s time to forgive yourself and others who may have hurt you. Forget about the past and get back in the race. We need you!

Ten Steps For Your Running Race

2008-01-18T23:46:00.000-08:00

#1) The First thing you need to do is to Evaluate Your Past Year. What are you doing that works? What were your victories? Celebrate your victories with your team and thank God for them. (It really gives confidence to your team members when they see you accomplish your goals.)

#2) Ask yourself and your team: What were our failures? Why did we fail? Make the necessary adjustments. The question isn’t: Do you make mistakes? (Everybody makes mistakes.) The right question is: Do you learn from your mistakes?

#3) Now Forget The Past. Forget about the your past successes and your past failures.
The Apostle Paul tells us in the book of Hebrews to “lay aside the weights and the sins which slow us down.” The past can be a weight, which will slow you down in running your race. If you are thinking about the past you are not thinking about the future.

Are You Running Your Race?

2008-01-01T18:47:00.000-08:00

I love New Years Day because I have a day off to pray, set some goals and get a vision. (Dreaming is one of my favorite things to do.) It is really important to set goals for the new year, but they can't just be any kind of goals. So, my question to you is: Are you running "your" race?

"...let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which easily beset us, and run with patience the race that is set before us." Hebrews 12:1

You have a particular race that God has set before you to run. It has to do with the divine destiny God has planned for you to fufill. You are not to run someone else's race, for God has a specific race for each of us. (Sometimes it is really easy to look at what somebody else is doing and think we should be running the same race.) It's good to ask friends for counsel, however our "vision" comes directly from God.

"For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." Jeremiah 29:11-13

As you set goals for the New Year, take time to pray and ask God about His plans for your life. I find that whenever God asks me to do something new, it is almost always something I don't think I can do. His plans are always better than our own! He always has bigger plans for you than you do for yourself!

Role Reversal

2007-11-26T12:56:00.000-08:00

My children are in the process of becoming adults. They are 19 and 21 years old and their lives are in transition. As their lives change my life changes as well. (For one thing it's alot quieter around the house.)

My son Mark is attending college and my daughter Missy is doing an internship at a national ministry. On Thanksgiving night Missy wanted to go shopping at the local outlet mall for their "midnight madness" sale. (To be totally transparent, the last thing I wanted to do was go shopping "all night" on my little vacation.)

After much deliberation I decided to go shopping with Deb and Missy on Thanksgiving night. Why - because I want to spend time with my daughter. It's kind of a role reversal. If I want to have a relationship with my adult children I need to let them do the planning and be willing to do things that they want to do. (I think alot of people still see their adult children as kids. In other words they don't know how to relate to their children as adults.)

We approached the freeway exit for the outlet mall and traffic was backed up for two miles on the interstate. We waited in "line" for about 45 minutes to get to the parking lot. Once we got into the stores the check out lines snaked around the entire store so it was difficult to move around, look at product or even to just stand still.

I think every high school girl in the state of Minnesota was there. We finally got to bed at 6:00 AM. We had a blast, found some good deals and starting schemeing about how to do it better next year. The best part though was I got to spend time with my 19 year old "baby" girl. I learned a valuable leadership lesson: If you love someone you will let them lead some of the time.

Sometimes I Don't Feel Like Giving Thanks

2007-11-21T11:56:00.000-08:00

I don't know about you but right now we are going through a budget crunch at our church. For just a moment I was tempted to have a bad attitude about "Thanksgiving" this year. It's moments like this I am gald the Bible says "In everything give thanks". Sometimes you have to give thanks by faith not just when you feel like it.

On the other hand when I do a quick examination of what I have to be thankful about it's a pretty long list. On my deathbed I don't think I'm going to be saying "I wish my childen's ministry budget had been bigger," I will be thinking about what really matters;

* I have the most awesome wife in the world. We have been living in the same house for 24 years and she still likes me.
* My daughter, Melissa, graduated from high school this year. Missy is serving God through an internship called "Go Ministries" (She is having the time of her life).
* My son, Marky, is an awesome worship leader and attends Northwestern College in Minneapolis.
* Deb and I are empty nesters this year so we have more time for each other. :)
* I am part of the leadership team at totally awesome church with a lot of really good people and friends.
* I am washed in the blood of the Lamb. (Without Jesus I would be dead or in prison somewhere)

What are you thankful for?

Are you a Lone Ranger?

2007-11-11T20:09:00.000-08:00

One of the greatest enemies of Children's Pastors is the Lone Ranger Syndrome.
Do you feel like the whole church is backslid because somebody moved your DVD player?
(I know I've had that thought before.)
Do you have thoughts like this:
"The other leaders in the church do not have a vision for reaching children."
I've had to battle these thoughts my whole ministry.

The other day the Lord asked me "Do your support their vision?"
To be totally honest, I had to answer "no I didn't".
With my words I supported the other Pastors and Leadrs in my church but my actions told another story.
When I thought about it, the only ministry I was involved in was children's ministry.
(Like everybody else, I have lots of really good reasons to not help other people with their vision.)

I did something this weekend that I have never done before. I attended our Men's Advance at a resort in Gradn Rapids, MN.
(That's faith language for men's retreat)
It's hard to believe but in 30 years of serving in churches I have never attended a Men's Advance.
I had a graet time, rewewed some old friednships and (by my participation) I communicated to the other Pastors in the church that I support their vision.
I heard a Preacher say this once "great leaders know how to work with other leaders".
If you have been running with your vision and it seems lile you have hit an invisible wall, maybe it's time to support someone else's vision.

First Fruits

2007-11-08T12:17:00.000-08:00

The first step in teaching our kids about "being thankful" is to teach them about tithing.
I find it simply amazing how adults think we should not challenge kids in the area of giving. They reason; "kids don't have much money so we shouldn't ask them for the little they have".

It's interesting to note that in the Bible, Jesus encouraged the widow woman for giving the little that she had. He didn't rebuke the people who took up the offering. If we don't teach our kids about tithing and giving they will grow up with a "feeling of entitlement" which is very deadly

Deb and I always sat down with our children when handing out their allowance. I would say to them: "There are four things you can do with your money; tithe it, save it, spend it or give it away -and you should practice all four. We would divide their allowance into the four evelopes and invlolve them in the decision making process. (When they turned 17 they both had over $5,000 in savings they they used to buy a car with.) I didn't buy them their first car - they did by saving partof their alowance every week.

As a Pastor I teach the kids in my class about bringing their first fruits. One object lesson I have done involves eating a banana while I am teaching. When I was a kid I would spend my most of my allowance as soon as I got it. First I went to K-mart and bought some candy. (take a bite form the banana) Then I would go buy an ice cream cone( Take another bite)
Then I went to the drug store and bought some comic books (take another bite) When I got to church on Sunday I would reach into my pocket and say "Sorry God this is all I have left" (throw the banana peel into an offering bucket) I was giving God what I had leftover. The Bible says God wants your first fruits, not your leftovers. Also your tithe should come form your money not your Mom's money. Alot of kids will ask Mom for money for the offering - that's ok, but you still haven't paid "your tithe" yet.

Tithing is first base when teaching your kids to have a "grateful heart' When you bring your tithe to God you are saying "Thank You God! I reconize that everything I have belongs to you!

An Attitude of Gratitude

2007-11-07T19:59:00.000-08:00

One thing that I am thankful for is: Thanksgivng comes before Christmas. This gives us (parents and pastors) a whole month to teach our children "how to be thankful" before they recieve all their gifts on Christmas. This way we can set up our children for success on Christmas morning. Success in our gift giving is not only giving the gifts, but recieving them with the right attitude. (We spend alot of time buying Christmas presents, but how much time do we spend thinking about what we are going to say when we recieve our gifts).

My children are both attending college now, but I still remember whem my daughter Melissa was a pre-schooler. I loved watching her open presents on Christmas morning. It didn't really matter what was inside the wrapping paper, Melissa would jump up and down saying "It's Barbie! It's Barbie!"

Children are not born with an attitude of graditude. We have to train them to be thankful just like we train them in other areas and here-in lies the challenge. In America we love to buy gifts for our children. If we give lots of gifts without teaching our children to be thankful we are actually giving them a "feeling of entitlement" which can be very deadly.

The bottom line is "I'm more happy when I'm thankful" If we want our children to be happy it's actually more important that we teach them to be thankful than to give them lots of gifts.

Hallelujah Harvest

2007-11-06T13:36:00.000-08:00

We had our best Hallelujah Harvest ever last Wednesday. (oct 31st)

We had games which went from 6:00pm - 7:00pm
Family Service in the sanctuary from 7:00pm - 7:30 pm
Games again from 7:30pm - 8;30pm

We also did a Kids Studio live action (disney style) thrill ride with special effects and candy falling on the kids at the end.
It was a big hit. (find out more info about kids studio at kidsstudio.org)

There was about 3,000 people in attendence with 50 people responding to the alter call.
Can't wait till next year!