Laugh Loud Laugh Often

Today I got a chance to teach at our MCM Ministry School.  Here are some of my notes for the students:

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Small Groups Outside of Service Night

1. Doing them for 8-10 years
2. Hurtles
   1. Workers have to come out more than once a week

i. You have to count the cost

ii. If leaders can only come to one – make it small groups

1. 1. Plan for 2 services
2. Benefits
   1. More time for one on one ministry

i. Creates opportunity for more time together

1. More time together should = more influence

ii. Special events/trips

1. small group going out each week

2. entire group going out for fun

iii. Laid back atmosphere

1. 1. More options for students to come

i. Some won’t be able to make it the night you have service

1. 1. More opportunities for leaders to have ownership

i. Small group lesson writing – could develop into preaching

1. Average Night
   1. 15 minutes of hang out times – unorganized
   2. 30 minutes of small group time
   3. 20 game/activity
   4. Rest is hang out time – unorganized

The other day I was talking to a friend about setting goals for small group leaders and they said how much they hated that. I have been thinking about that alot. Here’s why I set goals for myself and my leaders.

In life it’s really easy to settle for less. The other day when I shoveled the ice off the driveway, I was about to stop about 10 ft from the end of the driveway.   But then I realized that I was settling for something less than what I did before. Not because I was tired but just because I didn’t want to. I realized that by doing that, it could cause a slight, very small pattern in my life of settling.    Not that I can’t or am just too tired, I’m just settling. I don’t want that in my life. So I set goals so that I don’t settle. So I shoveled to the line just to tell my will it must not settle.  I don’t want to settle. That’s why I set goals for myself and for my leaders. I don’t want them to settle because I know they can achieve more than what they want to. It’s not that they don’t have the time or energy, it’s because of human nature to just settle.

That’s why.

Today Corbin my youngest boy played his first Upward Game.  He did amazing.  He and his brother are on the same team.  They did great.  They won 28 to 18.   I have 2 superstars in my family.

Tonight we had a special service to kick off our week of prayer and fasting.  We sang the song “How Great Is Our God” which is nothing new.  Sang it many times before.  But tonight something struck me differently as I sang.

There’s a line in there that goes “sing with me”.  I really didn’t like that line because it just sounds odd.  But as  I was singing it, Holy Spirit opened my eyes to imagine the hundreds of middle school students here in the North Hills that can’t sing with me because they don’t know how great God is.  It’s not a matter of will they but a matter of they just can’t because they have no clue who God is or  loves them without strings.  They just think of Him as some dusty old guy in a cold church building.

I want to change that.  I’m going to make a difference even this week.  Here’s what I’m going to do;

• Challenge 2 students to bring friends that I have never met
• Send 3 cards to students I haven’t seen at 2Twenty for several months

Who want’s to join me?  What will you do?

Since I started working at Allison Park Church I have been in charge of many different large events.  Planning those large events can be one of the most stressful thing you do.  But with some careful planning, much of the stress can be elevated.  Here are some of my thoughts on what I do to help keep the stress down:

1. Start planning early.  For many events, I start the planning process about 6 months in advance.  This includes crafting the event in my mind, thinking of the things we want to accomplish at the event and who some of the major players will be in assisting me
2. Write everything down.  Learned early that if I don’t keep accurate details, I will forget.  If I talk to a vendor on the phone, I get their name, their direct line and all the details we talked about.  I also keep a doc on the computer called Info Sheet.  If I were to die the week before the event, someone could read this doc and still pull the event off.  That’s how detailed I have learned to become.
3. Spreading the load.  I have learned early on, I can’t do it alone.  I also am not afraid of some one doing it better than me.  If you want to have a successful event, don’t do it alone.  Gather a team of people who will help you.   But pick your team wisely.  Here’s some things to think about

• Find people who can have strengths where you have weakness.   If you are not good at decorations, find someone who likes that stuff.
• Make sure you have tried them before on other things.  You have to know you can trust them to carry it through and not dump it on you.
• Communicate often.  Have them give you progress reports.  You can only expect what you inspect.
• Make sure they can handle being told their idea is going to be canned.

We survived!  It was amazing.  We had about 400 people attend this year.  Students had a great time.  We tried several new things:

1. Online registration for students and workers through Google Docs.  From what we can tell, it was flawless.  Very little effort keeping track of registrations.
2. Built our own website using Google sites
3. We made online payment available to people who wanted it and about 3/4 of them used it.  First large event we didn’t misplace anyone’s money.
4. Added 4th inflatable, Joust.  Had one the longest line
5. Added 7th bus.  Could packed everyone into 6 but this was more comfortable
6. Got rid of most of the positions for adults @ FunFest so they could just roam around and have fun
7. Allowed for more adults to work with us who normally don’t on a regular bases
8. Used computers to do 1/2 of the check in.
9. Increased the balloon drop to 3500 from 1000 – the popping was an amazing sound!
10. Advertised in 5 schools – 3 of them were public!
11. Had a bunch of students help with set up – couldn’t have done it without them.

I found this from Jeff Leake’s Blog. It was really good.

I found this video very interesting.  Penn Jillette from the comedy team of Penn + Teller, talks about his encounter with a Christian fan who attempted to share Christ with him.  Penn is a expressed atheist.  But he acknowledges this man’s attempt to proselytize him as a very positive thing.

In fact, Penn says, “I don’t respect people who don’t proselytize, if they say they have faith.’  It is also interesting to see the key attitudes the Penn identifies as important to him in this man’s approach.  As you watch this account, I would be interested in hearing what you think?

This is one students I look forward to seeing each week.  He always comes up to me on Sundays and talks with me.  It’s always good to have a student who does not care what you look like or if you are cool or not.  Seth is that student for me.

Seth - the man - the myth - the legend

Just talked to my parents in Michigan and they have 46 inches of snow!  That’s taller my oldest boy!  Here in Pitt, we have none!!!!!!!  I HATE SNOW.

No this is not at their house but its close