Encouragement

September 21, 2020

The Marathon of Mommyhood and Ministry

by Kimba Campbell

It was a typical Tuesday morning, and I had already been up since 5:00 a.m. It was my only time alone before the craziness started every day. I squeezed in a quick workout at home and sat with my Bible to savor the quiet. I remember many days reading about 2 verses in my Bible before I heard the tiny footsteps upstairs above me. I would say a quick prayer, and I knew the morning was off and running! Any mom out there knows the drill…breakfast for kids as you try to grab at least a few bites yourself, maybe try to load the dishwasher if there is time, try to squeeze in a quick shower while the kids are busy, etc. Then the never-ending packing of bags for preschool and school. Diapers, snacks, lunch, nap mat—the list goes on and on. I get the kids ready and then remember I forgot to pack myself a lunch as well. My oldest then reminds me that he needs a poster board for school today. The day is spinning as I am running around like my hair is on fire and probably yelled at my kids unintentionally. We managed to get out of the house just in time to drop my oldest at his elementary school. We drove about 15 minutes away to our church where I dropped off my other 2 kids at preschool. I gave a quick hug and kiss while my 2 year old was clinging to my leg crying. He cried every time I would drop him off at preschool at church even though he was at church so often. Insert “Mom Guilt!” Every mom knows what that means and feels like. I would then sprint to my office giving a quick “Hello” to other moms dropping off their kids. I would grab my laptop and notebook and off I went to a ministers’ meeting. As I sat down at the table in our conference room, I just wanted to cry. I loved my job, but I was worn out, exhausted and to be honest I was completely burned out. I had lost my focus on my “why” and just wanted to run away to the beach alone! The balance of mommyhood and ministry is overwhelming!

I managed to make it through the ministers’ meeting without crying as I was surrounded by men on staff. I didn’t want to break down and cry right then. The meeting ended, and then I sat down at my office desk. Although I had sat at this desk many times, God prompted me to look around my office. I saw a framed picture filled with tiny painted fingerprints of kids in my previous church and the child’s names written under each fingerprint. I then saw a picture my son had drawn of our family going to church using popsicle sticks for our bodies. I then looked at my bookshelf and saw my favorite cross hanging on the wall with a note of encouragement from one of my volunteers. God spoke to me right in that moment and reminded me of the calling He placed on my heart many years before that.

I have had many days in ministry since this day that I just wanted to quit! The struggle of balancing everything is overwhelming and exhausting. But…God is there. He gently lifts me up and fills me with His truth. I want to encourage you today. On days when you are struggling and just want to throw in the towel, I want to encourage you with a few truths God has given me.

Remain In Him

John 15:5, “I am the vine; you are the branches. The one who remains in me and I in him produces much fruit, because you can do nothing without me.”

During difficult days of ministry, we are called to cling to the One who created and called us. We must remember that He is the vine, and we can do nothing without Him. I think God allows these difficult days to remind us that we need to stay connected with Him.

Devote to Prayer

Colossians 4:2-4, “Devote yourselves to prayer; stay alert in it with thanksgiving. At the same time, pray also for us that God may open a door to us for the word, to speak the mystery of Christ, for which I am in chains, so that I may make it known as I should.

On days when I just wanted to quit, days that my attitude was nosediving south, were the days that I had neglected to pray. We must devote ourselves to prayer daily and continually.

Don’t Do It Alone

Ecclesiastes 4:9-12, “Two are better than one because they have a good reward for their efforts. For if either falls, his companion can lift him up; but pity the one who falls without another to lift him up. Also, if two lie down together, they can keep warm; but how can one person alone keep warm? And if someone overpowers one person, two can resist him. A cord of three strands is not easily broken.”

God reminds us that we are not created to live alone. God has given us each other. Surround yourself with people who can encourage and pray for you when the days are tough. Ask for help. Asking for help does not show weakness, it shows wisdom.

Remember, What You Do Matters

Colossians 3:23-24, “Whatever you do, do it from the heart, as something done for the Lord and not for people, knowing that you will receive the reward of an inheritance from the Lord. You serve the Lord Christ.”

We have the amazing opportunity to impact kids’ lives for eternity! Spend some time today praying, asking God to give you wisdom to lead, strength to keep going, and the will to give your all for His glory. Remember what we do every day really does matter!!

Kimba Campbell serves as the LifeWay Kids Publishing Team Leader for Bible Studies for Life. Before coming to LifeWay, she served on church staff for over 18 years in Texas, Georgia, California and Tennessee. Kimba is a Texas Aggie (Gig ‘Em Aggies!) and also earned a Master of Arts in Christian Education from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. She and her husband, Paul, stay busy with their three boys.

Encouragement, Kids Ministry

September 16, 2020

A Little Goes a Long Way

By Jeremy Carroll

“A little goes a long way.” That statement could be the motto of every kids ministry, I think. It could apply to so many things. But today, let’s use it this way: A little encouragement and a little (or a lot) of prayer goes a long way.

“And let us consider one another in order to provoke love and good works, not neglecting to gather together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging each other, and all the more as you see the day approaching.” (Hebrews 10:24-25; emphasis added)

Let me start by trying to encourage you a little. You have faced many obstacles this year. You have faced changing ministry dynamics at an incredible rate. You have faced technological challenges. You have faced challenges to your ministry philosophy and strategy. You may have faced personal loss or job loss. You’ve faced a lot this year.

“But God…” This is one of my favorite transitional statements from Ephesians 2 because it reminds us that God makes dead things alive. So yes, you’ve faced many tough challenges this year. And we don’t know how many more will come our way. But God, who is rich in mercy, grace, and love, has sustained you and will sustain you through it all. There is a biblical truth that we must not forget: God is not finished with you yet (Philippians 1:6); He is producing in you “an absolutely incomparable eternal weight of glory.” (See 2 Corinthians 4:16-18.) So take heart. Whatever you face, do not give up because He is with you and will never leave you. Even though you walk through the dark and difficult times, you don’t have to fear churn, change, or challenges that come your way because God has been, is now, and always will be near.

May God grant you whatever you need during this season of life. Peace. Comfort. Strength. Rest. He is able to do more than we can ever imagine.

What about the parents and kids you serve? They’ve faced, and likely continue to face, huge hurdles in their family life. With work, school, extracurriculars, church, and more in a constant state of churn, all of these have the potential of putting strain on their relationships. With honorable intentions, during 2020 many kids ministries have sought out print and digital resources to provide to the families they serve in order to promote family discipleship. These are good efforts and should be pursued. As the Lord leads you, continue to do this.

But what about encouragement? Is this a normal part of your ministry rhythm with parents and kids?

From what I am personally experiencing and observing in my community, one thing the families in our churches and communities need right now is encouragement. Let’s consider how we can encourage the families we serve this week. Here is one idea to help:

Pull up a list of families in your ministry and maybe a prayer journal.
Divide your list into smaller groups of maybe 3-4 or 5-10 kids/families. If you only have 5-10 families in your ministry, you can take one family per week to start.
Get out your calendar and schedule uninterrupted time to pray weekly (or daily if you wish). Don’t let anything become a conflict with this prayer appointment.
Designate each grouping (above) to a specific weekly prayer appointment.
A day or so before your prayer appointment, separately text or email each family you are committing to pray for this week to let them know you are praying for them. Ask if there are specific ways they can pray for you. As they respond, add these notes to your prayer journal.
In this text/email, be sure to offer a word of encouragement such as sharing a Bible verse or a reminder that God is at work in them, even if they can’t see it now. He is near.
Keep your appointment and begin to pray for the families in your ministry. Pray for them by name. Pray for them according to whatever specific details they’ve shared or that you know about their family life.
Next week do the same with another family group from your list.

Remember: the work you are called to is first and foremost spiritual work. So whether you have resumed in-person meetings or not, this “little” rhythm of prayer and encouragement will go a long way both in the lives of the families you serve and in your own personal spiritual life.

Encouragement, Kids Ministry

July 27, 2020

How to Keep Clean Amid the Garbage of Social Media

By Brian Dembowczyk

Social media is both a blessing and a curse. In this post six suggestions are offered to help leaders be wise in their media consumption and engagement.

GIGO is an old axiom of computer programming that stands for Garbage In, Garbage Out. Basically, if your coding is weak (Garbage In), the program’s execution will be weak too (Garbage Out). This axiom was crafted long before social media, but it certainly applies to it, doesn’t it? It seems that social media is full of garbage and it can be quite difficult to participate in it while staying clean. But as followers of Jesus, and especially as leaders in kids ministry, we have to. We need to protect our spirit and our witness before our kids and families as well as a watching world. How can we do this? NOGIGO. No Garbage In. No Garbage Out. Here’s how that works:

NO GARBAGE IN

Consume social media intentionally. For some, the answer is to abstain from social media. That is understandable and for some it might be necessary. But while social media can certainly be quite harmful, it can also be quite helpful. Not only is it a way to stay connected, but it is a way to keep a finger on the pulse of our culture and the church as well. It’s a way to see trends that might be affecting our kids and their families. Most of us, then, should begin by deciding why we are consuming social media and keep that purpose in mind.

Consume social media wisely. One of the dangers of social media is that it can be a black hole that sucks us in and takes us to bad places we don’t want to go to. Not only is there so much ungodly content, but there is so much bickering, slander, and misinformation as well. And I am not just talking about from our culture—that last part comes from the church too. We need to be wise in how we consume social media so that we can protect our minds and hearts. That begins with monitoring the time we give to it, but also includes the content itself. While we will want to follow diverse views, we shouldn’t follow toxic accounts.

Consume social media graciously. Perhaps the greatest danger of social media is that it can easily strip a person’s humanity away. It’s easy to forget that behind every 280 character tweet is an image bearer of God. Instead, we can easily reduce people to viewpoints, and if we reject the viewpoint, we find ourselves rejecting the person as well. Social media feeds the sinful binary proposition of “us against them.” There surely is a binary “us and them” presented in Scripture—the church and the world—but notice the middle word is “and” not “against.” Ephesians 6:12 says that no other person is to be our enemy. Rather, we should love all people and desire that all come to repentance of sin. As we consume social media, we need to do so with grace and compassion, not condemnation and intolerance. We need to fight sin in our hearts and strive to think the best, not the worst, of all others.

NO GARBAGE OUT

Engage in social media intentionally. Just as we need to be wise in what we consume, we need to be wise in what we post. Before we post, we need to consider if what we are about to say is righteous, honoring, helpful, and humble. One of the dangers of social media is that it easily creates modern day Pharisees. Saying something right with the wrong heart makes it not right. Just as saying something wrong from the right heart doesn’t make it right. We need to make sure that all we post is right and that it comes from the right heart. Or else we don’t post it.

Engage in social media wisely. Another danger of social media is that it feeds the ego. It causes us to think that our perspective is critical and that everyone needs to hear every idea we have about every issue. That simply is not true. Rather, we need to be wise in not only how to engage, but when to engage and when not to engage. There are some squables that are not worth wading into. There are some subjects that are better left alone. Sometimes social media is the worst possible way to work through subjects. We need to be wise and humble to know when to abstain from clicking “post.”

Engage in social media graciously. Just as there are times when wisdom calls on us to abstain from posting, there are times when wisdom demands that we do. But even then we need to be gracious in what we post. We need to be fair to anyone we are responding to and not misrepresent them. We need to be gracious in recognizing the validity of positions that others hold that we disagree with but that can be supported from Scripture. We need to abstain from demanding that only people who agree exactly with us on every position are godly. Basically we need to remember that our goal is not to win Internet debates, but rather to be winsome servants of King Jesus displaying His fragrance among what is often the putrid stench of social media.

Brian Dembowczyk is the managing editor for The Gospel Project. He served in local church ministry for over 16 years before coming to LifeWay. Brian earned an M.Div. from the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary and a D.Min. from the New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary. He and his family live in Murfreesboro, Tennessee.

Encouragement

May 27, 2020

Give Thanks for Broken Things

By Chuck Peters

Sometimes God Grows Things by Breaking Them

Sometimes God grows things by breaking them. We tend to spend a lot of our time hoping and praying that things in our lives and within our ministries won’t break. Most of the time we are justified in doing so. When the car doesn’t run or the refrigerator stops making ice, we have to deal with the cost and inconvenience of getting them repaired. When valuable volunteers walk away or budgets are cut we scramble to make our ministries work. Sometimes we become angry and frustrated with God for allowing “our” things to fall apart. Broken things are a hassle that we dread and hope to avoid. But sometimes broken things are part of God’s perfect plan and purpose for our lives. I know it sounds crazy on the surface, but sometimes God grows things by breaking them.

When Jesus and the disciples found themselves on a remote hillside with 5,000 hungry men (plus unnumbered women and children), the Savior takes the limited resources they have in hand, gives thanks for them, and immediately begins breaking them. As He tears apart the little boy’s lunch He hands the broken pieces to His disciples who distribute them to the groups who have been gathered on the grass. After the crowd had eaten and was satisfied, the disciples gathered up 12 baskets of leftovers. No one would have expected that Jesus would feed 5,000 people with 2 fish and 5 loaves of bread, but something remarkable took place when that single meager meal was given to Him. I find it interesting that He didn’t take it and giganticize it. He didn’t expand the tiny fish and little loaves into whales and wheat fields. No. Instead, He takes them and He breaks them. And somewhere in the breaking God brought about miraculous multiplication.

Later, when Jesus and His disciples reclined around the table in the upper room, He again took bread and broke it. This time He explained that the broken bread was a picture of His body that would be broken for their salvation. Isaiah 53 foretold that the Messiah would be pierced for our transgressions and crushed for our sins. That the punishment that brought us peace was to be upon Him, and that it would be through His wounds that we would be healed. His broken body and spilled-out blood were necessary to pay the full price for all the sin of all mankind for all eternity. God provided the greatest gift of all through the breaking of His Son, Our Savior, Jesus Christ.

Maybe, just maybe, we shouldn’t stress out so much when things fall apart. Maybe we should stop exhausting ourselves by striving to keep holding everything together all the time. Perhaps we need to be reminded to give those things to God and trust Him to handle them according to His will.

Now, I’m not suggesting that every broken thing is from the Lord. Satan is a real adversary who actively seeks to disrupt, discourage, divide, and destroy those who belong to Jesus. We live in a fallen world that has been broken by sin. I believe that this kind of brokenness breaks the heart of our Father. Yes, sometimes God breaks things, but other times our great God takes broken things and puts them back together. Praise His name!

The point is to not merely assume that every broken thing is alway a bad thing. We need to respond to the challenges we face by looking for God’s hand in every situation. James instructs us to consider it pure joy when we encounter various trials (James 1:2). Paul teaches us to give thanks in every circumstance (1 Thessalonians 5:18). The assumption is that we will face trials and we will face challenging circumstances. And sometimes these things are actually blessings from The Lord that we should welcome with thanksgiving.

May we hold our possessions and our relationships and everything that we cherish with open hands, trusting God to do with them as He pleases for His glory and for the advancement of the gospel. Even if it sometimes means breaking our things. After all, they aren’t really our things at all.

Chuck Peters is Director of Operations for LifeWay Kids. Before his role at LifeWay, Chuck had an extensive career in television and video production. He is a 3-time Emmy Award Winning producer, director, writer and host. A graduate of Columbia Bible College, Chuck, and his wife, Cris, have served vocationally & voluntarily in Student and Children’s Ministry for many years. They have four amazing children: Tally (21), Tristen (20), Tyson (14) and Tate (11).

Encouragement, Reaching

April 29, 2020

Loving Your Neighbor While Distancing

By Kids Ministry 101

By Bekah Stoneking

COVID-19 has changed nearly every aspect of our lives. The ways we connect with our church families, pursue education, and even the ways we grocery shop has been affected by this virus and the safety protocols surrounding it. Another significant part of our lives that has been altered is our obedience to the Great Commandments—particularly the one about loving our neighbors as ourselves.

Arguably, one of the most loving things we can do for our neighbors during this time is to practice social distancing. But social distancing doesn’t have to mean sacrificing relationships. Here are some ideas for ways you can harness time, technology, and a little tenacity to build relationships and share the joy of Christ with your neighbors.

TIME

Vulnerability manifests in many ways. Consider ways you can give your time to care for your more vulnerable neighbors. Providing yard work, car washes, or grocery delivery are practical ways to use your time to love the vulnerable around you—including the elderly, single parents, the immunocompromised, and families who may be missing a parent who is an essential worker. Single people or others who are living alone would also be blessed to have someone help carry some of these tasks.

Or, if you don’t have an abundance of extra time, remember that little things can go a long way. Picking up an extra pack of toilet paper or can of Lysol and leaving it with a neighbor can be a significant act of service!

You can also use your time to intentionally pray for your neighbors. The next time you go outside for some sunshine and exercise, go on a prayerwalk around your neighborhood. Pray for your neighbors by name as you pass their homes. Pray for the essential and frontline workers in your community. Ask God to help you see the needs around you and to help you think of ways you might meet those needs.

TECHNOLOGY

As our churches gather online or in other creative ways, invite others to join in. Then, invite your neighbors to grab a snack and have a casual conversation over Zoom. Talk about the sermon, action points, or any questions people may have. Ask God to work through you to build a connection between your unchurched neighbors and your local congregation. And, as you do this, involve your church and the resources you have access to in helping to meet the physical, relational, and spiritual needs in your community.

Another way to harness technology to love God and others is to share encouraging Bible verses online. Consider including pictures of activities your kids are doing to learn the verse or pictures of your family putting the verse into action this week. Build community by inviting others to share photos of their own. Create a neighborhood hashtag for your neighbors to use when sharing content online.

Use this hashtag to gather neighbors together for other online activities, like read-alouds of your children’s favorite books. Older children can practice their reading fluency by leading read-alouds of their own. Or, coordinate with other parents to purchase several copies of a book and create online book clubs for teens, kids, or entire families to participate in together.

Hosting an online talent show is another way to gather your neighbors. Invite the kids who have missed dance recitals, band concerts, or other performances to don their uniforms and costumes and show off their talents. Use Zoom or have parents upload short videos to your neighborhood’s secure Facebook group. Use this space to cheer on the talented youngsters in your community.

Some other fun ways to connect with your neighbors online include:

Posting a silly, serious, or thought-provoking Question of the Day on your neighborhood Facebook page to spark new conversations and connections
Creating an editable Google spreadsheet for local business owners to share details about their products and services
Setting up a secure Google Doc for your child and her friends to write stories or keep a journal together
Have theme days and encourage neighbors to dress-up and share family photos in a central location

CREATIVITY
Get creative with sidewalk chalk. Draw pictures and create beauty for others to enjoy. Write Bible verses and encouraging words on your driveway. Take your kids to their friends’ houses to leave fun notes on their driveways or sidewalks.

If you live in a cul-de-sac or on a quiet street, use sidewalk chalk to create a giant hopscotch game or a fitness path including differently-shaped lines to follow, circles to jump in, and blocks with challenges like, “10 jumping jacks” or “20 squats.” Invite your neighbors to add on to the courses you create. Enjoy hanging out in your yard and watching others as they play on your paths.

Play in your windows. Dress them up with window chalk paint. Have theme weeks where everyone decorates their windows with a similar motif. And, if you have really fun neighbors, celebrate Christmas in spring! Put up your lights and lawn decorations and enjoy a walk or car ride with your family to admire all the lights.

Another way to use creativity to bond with your community is to work together to encourage essential workers. Hang posters and banners thanking frontline workers in your neighborhood or provide a basket of treats and essentials for delivery workers. Work together to collect supplies for these baskets, or food and supplies to share with your church’s food pantry.

Also, be on the lookout for ways to encourage your neighbors who are reaching milestones. For example, you can honor graduating seniors by creating door hangings, mailbox decorations, or yard signs for them to display. As your neighbors miss out on important celebrations during this season, show them that they are remembered, celebrated, and loved.

RELATIONSHIPS

Social distancing doesn’t mean our relationships outside of our homes cease to exist. Encourage your family members of all ages to send snail mail to neighbors, friends, and extended family. Beyond cards and letters, you might especially brighten someone’s day by mailing pictures to color or beautifully illustrated Bible verses.

Also, make sure to get some face-time. And beyond regularly connecting with others on video chat, have a little fun by having a theme night with another family. Select a theme, encourage everyone to create their own costume to match the theme, then sit down to dinner with your friends (via your phones, tablets, or computers) and enjoy everyone’s goofy outfits.

Then, take the fun outside. With your porch, balcony, or driveway as your stage, play music, perform skits, host read-alouds, or simply enjoy your own, personal activities outside at the same time someone else is. Sometimes, simply seeing another person is just the mental and emotional boost someone may need. Scheduling some driveway hangouts where everyone interacts from a distance or even sings worship songs together can be a great display of how the love of Christ reaches us and extends beyond the walls of a church building.

Whether you are overflowing with love and hope, itching to release some pent up creativity, or you’re in need of a dose of goodness, yourself, this season is ripe with opportunities to think outside the box and love your neighbors, create joy, serve others, and cultivate connections while social distancing.

Encouragement, Leadership

April 22, 2020

HOW ARE YOU? I MEAN, REALLY?

By Klista Storts

I know you.

You’re anxious.

You’re worried.

But not for yourself. You’re concerned instead for everyone around you—your family, your volunteers, kids in your ministry, the world.

I’m sure you’ve heard the advice from flight attendants saying in case of loss of oxygen to put on your own mask before helping those nearby—even your own kids. I’ve often wondered if I could do that. (Praying I never have to find out!) But it makes sense. If you’re gasping for air, you can’t help anyone. Even if you want to.

Many times, those who serve in ministry feel neglectful and even guilty when taking time to care for themselves. But if your goal is to be like Jesus, and I’m pretty sure it is, you need to model even your selfcare after Him.

Jesus took time to be with those closest to Him. To rest. To talk with the Father. Yes, He was Emmanuel, God with us, but He was also human. Jesus knew if He was going to carry out what His Father had planned, He needed rest. Time away. Encouragement from His Father.

These past few weeks have been hard. No doubt that the ministry side of you kicked in and kicked in big time. You’ve been searching for ways to carry on your ministry. In fact, you’re most likely consumed with it.

Stop. At least for a bit. Even if it’s just a few minutes each day. Stop.

Consider choosing one or more of these ways to care for yourself so that you can be at your best to care for others.

· Sleep late!

· Exercise

· Read (for fun and inspiration – not work!)

· Allow others to minister to you

· Seek time with the Father

That last point. Look at it again. Especially the first word—Seek. Even with all the time in the world available right now, if you’re not intentional about seeking God, it won’t happen. Listed below are very few of the many, many verses given to us for “such a time as this.”

Jeremiah 17:7-8

Mark 6:31-32

Mark 1:35

1 Peter 3:4

Philippians 4:6-8

John 15:4 (My version of this is: “Apart from Him I’m just a stick.)

I’m sure you have your favorites, and I’d love to read them. Please share! We’re all in this together. Take care of yourselves, my friends. We need you!

Encouragement, Kids Ministry

April 13, 2020

When Good Comes from Bad

By Brian Dembowczyk

5 Good Things God Might Bring from COVID-19

The COVID-19 pandemic is bad. This deadly virus is preying on the most vulnerable among us, wreaking havoc on people’s lives, and jeopardizing the world’s economy. And yet, from this great evil, God may just bring greater good.

“You planned evil against me; God planned it for good to bring about the present result—the survival of many people.” (Genesis 50:20 CSB)

In 121 characters—what would be a brief tweet—Joseph provides us with one of the most beautiful and important verses about God’s sovereignty and how God can bring good from anything—even evil. What Joseph’s brothers did was evil, but God is not stymied in His pursuit of bringing glory to Himself and good to His people by anything, including evil. It’s a message that we need to take to heart always, but even more so now in the confusing days we are in.

The COVID-19 pandemic continues to march its way across the globe, leaving dead, sick, bewildered, confused, frightened, and unemployed people in its wake. This should go without saying, but there is nothing good about COVID-19 in and of itself. It is evil—it is contrary to God’s design, a result of sin’s impact on the world. But as we see in the last quarter of the Book of Genesis and even more clearly on the cross, God is capable of bringing good out of even the greatest evil. COVID-19 is no match for God’s glory. Here are five ways God might bring incredible good from the incredible bad of COVID-19.

COVID-19 has given us the opportunity to slow down. This is perhaps the first opportunity we have begun to see. We are all spending a lot more time at home and many of life’s usual distractions have vanished—sports, entertainment, etc. The result is that we have been forced to slow down. While this is a struggle for many people right now, we need to pray that we take advantage of this opportunity and learn from it. We are all too busy. Life is too fast. We multitask too much. Perhaps we are now seeing that life should be less of a brisk race and more of a leisurely walk because a virus has hit the brakes on each of our lives.
COVID-19 has given us the opportunity to reconsider priorities. While people have hoarded toilet paper, it has been encouraging to see sacrifice displayed even more. Remember that sheltering in place is not because COVID-19 is highly lethal for everyone, but rather for the most vulnerable among us. We are sheltering not for our good, but for the good of others. And that is beautiful. We have seen generosity—people and businesses sharing abundantly. And social distancing has helped even the staunchest of introverts appreciate relationships as never before. Needing a global pandemic to help us reconsider our priorities—what really matters—might be extreme, but what an important lesson we are learning.
COVID-19 has given us the opportunity to innovate ministry. Remember when ministry was consistent—reliable—comfortable? Not any more. COVID-19 has forced us all to innovate new ways to minister. We are all scrambling for ways to care for kids, and to continue teaching God’s Word. It’s still early, but as days stretch into weeks of not being able to gather and weeks potentially stretch into months, we will need to innovate even more, such as ways to baptize new believers and celebrate the Lord’s Supper. Is this challenging? Sure. Is it difficult? You bet. But is it good? Without a doubt. Some of us may have been too comfortable before. Some of us may have been stale. Some of us may have wanted to innovate but we were too busy or too afraid to even try. But now, we have not just been allowed to innovate and get creative, we have been forced to. And that’s good.
COVID-19 has given us the opportunity to strengthen families. We all know that kids ministry is vital, but family discipleship is more so. We know that God has designed the home to be the primary arena for discipleship. And we want it to be. We want to help families make it that. But, again, because of the frantic pace of ministry, most of us have not been able to prioritize family discipleship. We have given it our leftovers. Not today. Now this gets our first fruits. And we are already seeing family discipleship begin to thrive. Both the home and the church will be stronger when this is all said and done. Thanks to a virus.
COVID-19 has given us the opportunity to develop leaders. There will be a day when “normal” returns. Sure, because of innovation, normal will not be quite like what it was before. It shouldn’t be. But kids ministry after COVID-19 will look more like it did before COVID-19 than it does now during COVID-19. Our programs and events will get back up and running. And what will they all need—what do we tend to struggle with the most in kids ministry? That’s right, leaders. We have too few leaders and those we have are often worn out. Not only are our leaders getting a rest, have you thought about what else is going on right this moment? As families amp up discipleship, many using the curriculum resources that normally are used by teachers, we are giving dads and moms, grandfathers and grandmothers, guardians and older siblings experience, and, may we pray, passion for kids ministry. People who have not served are learning to serve and even growing in desire to serve. What a gift! Right now, kids ministers need to be lining up our “asks” and preparing new leader training for when this is all over. God willing, we will see a shower of prepared, enthusiastic new leaders jump into ministry with joy, wanting to continue what they have been doing in the home during a pandemic.

COVID-19, we will rejoice when you are gone, but may we rejoice more in how God might advance the gospel through you.

Encouragement, Family, Kids Ministry, Parent Helps

March 25, 2020

How to Have a Family Worship Experience at Home

By Jana Magruder

Many churches are pushing pause on gathering their congregants for weekly worship services during this season of coronavirus risk, including children’s ministry classes and groups. While many of us might be tempted to enjoy a break from church, that’s the last thing we really need. At times like this, we desperately need God’s Word to reassure us that He is in control; we need to sing songs that remind us of His power; we need worship.

The Bible teaches us to “watch out for one another to provoke love and good works, not neglecting to gather together (emphasis mine), as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging each other, and all the more as you see the day approaching.” (Hebrews 10:24-25, CSB) We know, as Christ followers, that we are called to gather together as the Church—the bride of Christ Himself. However, as we retreat to the safety of our houses under city ordinances and precaution, we should look around and recognize that the very people we live with in our homes are part of that same calling—our family. We should continue (or start) to gather together to worship as a family.

Whether you are a parent, a grandparent, aunt or uncle, or friendly neighbor, you can still gather together for a worship experience. This may sound intimidating to you, like something you are not equipped for, but it doesn’t have to be difficult. In fact now is the perfect time to start doing a family worship time, and to keep doing long after coronavirus leaves us.

If you read the portion of Deuteronomy 6 sometimes referred to as the Shema, it’s easy to see that family discipleship is a scriptural command: “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength. These words that I am giving you today are to be in your heart. Repeat them to your children. Talk about them when you sit in your house and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up (emphasis mine).”(Deuteronomy 6:5-7, CSB) So, let’s face it. Many of us will be “sitting in our houses”—with our kids or other family members—for longer periods of time than we are currently used to, as some schools may close and workplaces may go to a temporary remote work model. Chances are, your family might be experiencing some anxiety in this unprecedented situation. Use this extra time wisely and talk about God’s Word—the ultimate soother of our souls and healer of our hearts!

Try this to get you started: read, pray, sing—repeat! In his little book, Family Worship, Donald S. Whitney gives a simple formula for how to have a family worship time. Most of us are capable of doing this. Just gather your crew, open your Bibles, read a chapter or two aloud, say a prayer, and sing a song!

Read: You might choose to go through one of the Gospels together, or read a Psalm and a chapter from Proverbs. The ages of your children might dictate the content you choose. If you have younger children, consider grabbing one of their Bible storybooks and selecting a Bible story to read aloud while showing pictures. Older children and teens can help read aloud portions of Scripture. Everyone can add to the discussion by asking questions and offering comments. And guess what? If you don’t know the answer, that’s ok. Acknowledge the great question and offer to do some research and report back next time. Of course kids and teenagers are really good at asking questions that we would all like to know, but simply won’t have the answer this side of Heaven. It’s okay if that’s your answer too.

Pray: End your Bible reading and discussion time in prayer. You can ask your family what they would like to pray for. Are they worried and fearful about the coronavirus? Are people you know in your community actually sick with COVID-19 and need prayer? Is anyone in your family lonely and feeling isolated from friends and classmates? Is there too much sibling conflict from being cooped up? Offer prayers of hope and encouragement, repentance, and intercession.

Sing: Close your family worship time by singing a song or two. Singing together might feel strange if you’ve never done so before. You might start by playing a worship song your family is familiar with from church worship or the radio. Ask everyone to sing along. Or, sing simple hymns that everyone knows—no accompaniment necessary.

Now, repeat the routine. It will get more comfortable each time. Try gathering weekly and work up to bi-weekly or even daily. This habit could change your family forever.

It may be inevitable that your church cannot gather for one or more weeks, but that does not mean you shouldn’t gather as a family and experience the one true God together through His Word, through prayer, and through song. As an extension to your family worship time, my team at LifeWay Kids has put together a family worship experience for you, which includes a Bible story video and life application videos, as well as a discussion guide and activity sheet to download. Simply follow the steps below.

Step 1: Go to digitalpass.lifeway.com.

Step 2: Register if you are a new user or log in if you already have an account.

Step 3: Look for LifeWay Kids at Home and LifeWay Preschool at Home in the “Watch Now” section

This article originally appeared on Christianity Today.

Encouragement, Kids Ministry, Parent Helps, Parenting

March 16, 2020

4 Truths For The Discouraged Parent

By Michael Kelley

Parenting is hard.

Newsflash, right? While nobody who has ever had a child is surprised by that statement, what has been consistently surprising to my wife and I is that raising kids seems to get harder rather than easier. We thought it was hard when we had a kid in diapers who needed constant monitoring. Then we thought it was harder when our kids started going to school and we were worried about everything they would encounter out there in the big, wide world. Then we thought it was harder when our kids began to move into the teenage years as we tried to help them navigate the social and societal issues they found in middle and high school. At every stage, we have looked at each other, sometimes in exasperation, and said, “I thought this would get easier.” But it hasn’t. And I suppose it doesn’t.

That can be discouraging. I know it has been for us at times. So as I sit and write this morning, I’m thinking about some things that might have been encouraging for us to remember during those moments of fear, anxiety, and apprehension. What might be encouraging to the discouraged parent this morning? Here are four, if that’s you:

1. None of us really know what we’re doing.

Instagram is not to be believed. Despite the well posed pictures and cute stories of kids making a mess and parents not getting frustrated, none of us really know what we’re doing. We are all, as moms and dads, just trying to figure this thing out one step at a time. That doesn’t mean we can’t glean wisdom from people who have been parenting longer than we have; it does mean, though, that even the most seasoned parents don’t have it all figured out.

Now on the surface, that reality might seem to add further to our discouragement. After all, what hope is there for us if nobody knows the great secret to raising kids who love and are committed to Jesus? But the opposite is actually true. It’s an encouraging thing to remember that if we are confused, if we are questioning, if we are even afraid, then we are not alone. Not by a long shot. Even further, if we recognize that none of us really know what we’re doing it gives us the freedom to lean on each other’s prayer, council, and support and actually try and parent together rather than in an isolated kind of shame.

2. Time is the best gift, and a great ally.

One of the reasons we get discouraged as parents is that we don’t know what to do for and with our kids. Should we give them the piece of technology they want? Should we buy them new clothes? Should we take them on great vacations? What should we give them, and what should we do with them, that won’t mess them up? We can easily drift into decision paralysis, constantly analyzing all our actions to see if we have done more harm than good.

Here’s the encouraging word in this respect – time is the best gift we can give our children. Of course, it’s also one of the hardest gifts we can give. It’s a lot easier to give our kids a phone than it is to carve out uninterrupted hours with them. But nothing will ever replace, I believe, the simple gift of time we are willing to spend with our children. When you accept that as a fact, it simplifies a lot of things. Namely, it means that throwing a ball, or having a conversation, or building a Lego house, or listening to music, or whatever we can do that helps us spend focused, consistent time with our children is never the wrong choice.

Even further, time is not only the best gift, it’s a great ally. I know it can also be discouraging when it seems like time is slipping away from us and our kids are getting older quicker than we are ready for them to. But when we administer consistent discipline, when we say the same things over and over again, when we provide a constant safe space for our children, time is not our enemy – it’s our friend.

3. Principles are more helpful than prescriptions.

Let’s say you read some kind of parenting book. It’s written by an expert with a pristine track record in raising humans, so you naturally try to take everything the author says and implement it in your home exactly as you read it. How’d that work out?

Yeah, not great for us either, and the reason is simple:

Your kids are not the author’s kids. Neither are mine. We are all raising humans, not pets. And because we are raising humans, it means that implementing every detail of someone else’s home is at best, unrealistic, and at worst, destructive, because we are failing to account for the individual personalities, traits, and gifts in our own homes. Or to put it even more harshly, doing so is taking the lazy road of parenting rather than actually doing the hard work of thinking about how these practices would fit into our own homes.

Principles are good. Very good. Things we can learn from. But prescriptions are bad. If you are discouraged as a parent because someone else’s prescriptions don’t work in your home, then see if you can isolate the principle behind that prescription. Think deeply about the end game, and then rather than adopting the practice itself, contextualize that principle into your own household.

4. Jesus loves our kids more than we do.

And then there’s this. This beautiful truth. This life-giving reality. This hope-restoring bedrock. Jesus loves our kids more than we do.

One of the reasons we get discouraged as parents is because we have to daily recognize our own limitations. We want the best for our children, but ultimately, these are people who will – and should – make their own decisions. We are frighteningly limited in the end in terms of how much we can manufacture in our kids. But Jesus is not.

Jesus is unlimited in His love, wisdom, and power. And just as He gave His life for us, so also He gave His life for our children. He can do everything that we cannot. When we feel the weight of our responsibility in light of our lack of personal resources, we can look to the Son of God who loves our kids more than we do.

Parents, we have a hard job. One in which we will daily feel ill-equipped to perform. But take heart today. Lift up your eyes. Let that feeling of discouragement point you to the source of our adequacy and sustenance, and ask the Lord for another piece of daily bread.

Michael Kelley lives in Nashville, Tenn., with his wife, Jana, and three children: Joshua, Andi, and Christian. He serves as the Sr. Vice President of Church Ministries for LifeWay Christian Resources. He is the author of Growing Down: Unlearning the Patterns of Adulthood that Keep Us from Jesus, Wednesdays Were Pretty Normal: A Boy, Cancer, and God; Transformational Discipleship; and Boring: Finding an Extraordinary God in an Ordinary Life.

Encouragement, Kids Ministry, Teacher Appreciation, Volunteers

February 12, 2020