My Favorite Gift

Thursday evening (Dec 18) our staff held our annual Christmas party. It was fun tine with good food, lots of games, and a few small gifts. It is always refreshing to spend time with the folks you work with, outside the office. You can really get to know them on a different level. Of course some levels are best left unknown. Am I right Hot Pastor?

Toward the end of the evening we read several Bible passages about Jesus, and then we were asked to write down our favorite gift from God. We were all given a few minutes before being asked to share what we had written.

The first to speak was a husband of one of the staff. His answer was probably similar to many answers. He had written that his favorite gift from God was his wife. He went on to give a heartfelt explanation for his answer by explaining that everything was better with his wife.

I am sure that several people there wrote something similar. When asked about a favorite gift, our minds often turn to tangible things. Wives, children, ministry positions, or even material possessions would probably top the list of many people’s favorite gifts.

To be honest, my first thought was my family. I love my family and love to spend time with them. I find peace and solace in my home. However, before I could write that down I was urged by some inner nudge to look deeper. If we are truly looking for our favorite gift would not the answer we give be something along the lines of a redeemed life?

I know for me that had to be it. No other gift can do what the gift of redemption has done for me. Because of Jesus I now have a life that means something. I am working for a God who has eternal things on his mind. There can be no more significant work than work which has eternal consequences.

I see people everywhere that are striving for significance, but in the end are failing. The sad thing is they don’t even realize it. Wealthy individuals with philanthropic endeavors striving to make a difference in this lifetime will fall miserably short of true significance. Sacrificial servants who work in the underbelly of society, a part from God’s grace and redeeming message, will only change things for a short time.

True significance comes with the life redeeming message of Jesus Christ. The only change that lasts is the one that comes from the Savior. You may feed a child in Africa, but he will hunger again. You may create a vaccine for Aids, yet death will continue in other forms. These things are fleeting in their effect. God’s message of love will change a life forever. Jesus said; “Everyone who drinks from this water will get thirsty again. But whoever drinks from the water that I will give him will never get thirsty again—ever! In fact, the water I will give him will become a well of water springing up within him for eternal life.” John 4:13-14.

Now there is significance! My life has been transformed into a well that springs forth life, a well that not only provides life for me, but all who care to drink from it. I have now become an outlet through which God can bring life to others. Hey, do you need a drink?

Are you a Christ Follower?

How to be a Christ follower?

Summoning the crowd along with His disciples, He said to them, “If anyone wants to be my follower, he must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me”. Mark 8:34 (HCSB)

Step one, Deny Yourself

What does this mean to the Children’s minister? For me it means laying aside my plans for my life and the ministry that God has placed me over.

There was a time when I thought that I wanted to be more than a children’s minister. As if that position was not important enough or glamorous enough. I now realize that this is my calling from God and as such I can do nothing more important, nothing that has greater value than follow after God and his call in my life.

Now that I have embraced this calling, to deny myself means that I lay aside all preconceived notions that I might have of what a children’s ministry should look like. My plans have no place in God’s ministry. God’s plans for his ministry are my marching orders.

Step two, Take up Your Cross

Jesus gave this challenge directly after telling his disciples about his upcoming death. So imagine if you will how the disciples might have received this. Was Jesus telling them that they too must die a terrible death? Does this mean that all who follow Jesus must also die by crucifixion? No certainly not.

What Jesus was telling his disciples, and by extension us, was that a part of denying ourselves is to obediently follow in the path that God has ordained for each of us. Jesus was being called by God to literally pick up a cross and go to Golgotha for the sake of mankind. It was not a pleasant assignment to be sure but it was his to bear alone.

Each of us has our own cross to bear. We each have our own assignments from God. They are as varied as mankind itself. Each one uniquely fitted and designed for each life. Our days and our mission were planned out for us before we were ever born. We have a calling and a purpose. God has plans for us; our job is to follow him in that calling. It begins with denying our own wants and plans and then picking up call from God.

For some it involves vocational ministry. For some our cross and calling will be played out in the trenches of everyday life. In the factories, boardrooms, and living rooms of this world. You may be called to dig ditches for God, revolutionize the banking world, or raise godly children in a loving Christian home. None is more important than the any other when we are following God’s call in our lives. Whatever our cross we must willingly deny ourselves and pick it up.

It takes daily devotion to this one calling. In the parallel passage in Luke, Jesus tells us to daily pick up our cross and follow after him. Daily commitment requires a daily decision to lay aside what we want for our lives and for the day that awaits us. Even after we have followed Jesus in a overall direction for our lives, daily following Him in his calling for the day is the requirement for being his follower. This leads us to the third ingredient of being a follower.

Step three, Follow Him

I have heard it said that if you think you are a good leader look behind you to see if anyone is there. If not then you had better find a different term for yourself. The word leader implies that someone is following. The same is true for those who claim to be a follower of Christ. The term follower implies that you are following. You can’t follow if you don’t know where Jesus is.

One of my favorite studies of all times has been Experiencing God by Henry Blackaby. The precepts behind this study are simple and yet profound. We must determine where God is working and then follow Him. You see you can deny yourself and decide that you need Jesus, pick up your cross by choosing to obey Christ for your life’s calling, but if you don’t follow after God. What good will it do?

I am a Children’s minister. My heart’s desire is to make disciples out of children and help parents live out their calling to be the spiritual leaders of their homes. Yet if I am not following Jesus in this ministry that he has placed me in, then I am turning it into my ministry. I would be off doing my own thing. Sure, I would still be considered a children’s minister. I can even come up with great programs that educate and motivate children and parents, but if I am not following after God I am not being as affective as I could be.

God has a plan for me and he wants to lead the way in that calling. There is great comfort in knowing that we are following Jesus. With Jesus right there with me leading the way there is no fear because He will never let me down. I will always remember following after God when he called my wife and I to leave everything behind in Illinois and travel to Texas to attend Seminary. I had to quit my job of fifteen years, sell our house, leave family and friends behind, and move our little clan 800 miles away without so much as a promise of a job when we got there. Yet there was no fear because God was with me. I was following after him and I knew He would not let me down.

What confidence there is in that truth. You may be called on to make some scary decisions in your life while following God, but you can make those decisions with confidence when you know that you are following in obedience. The alternative is not so sure. If we are blazing our own trail we can only be sure of one thing. We will be missing the blessings of God. We may be doing something good, but if it is not what God we miss the blessing.

When you are following someone you have to keep your eye on them at all times. If you look down they might move and you will not have noticed. Following Jesus means that you are in constant communication with him to see where he is leading. That is one of the reasons why the spiritual discipline of a daily time with God is so important. If you aren’t in regular communication, how do you know where he is?

That reminds me of a funny story that happened to me while in the Army while stationed in Germany. I was the driver of an M1A1 tank. My company was changing locations late at night, or early morning to be exact. We had been up for more than 20 hours. The column of tanks was moving very slowly and resembled a traffic jam on I35 in downtown Dallas. We would move for a little while and then set for what seemed like an eternity. Everyone else in my tank was asleep. I could tell because of the snoring coming over the intercom.

Inevitably one of the stops was just a little too long and I too succumbed to the sleep monster. I can only assume that the tanks behind us thought that we had broken down and went around us and no one contacted us because we were on radio silence. Whatever happened, when I regained consciousness the tank in front of me that I had been following was not there. The tanks behind me were no were to be found. We were alone on the road in the dark with no way of knowing where everyone else was. I put the tank in drive and poured on the diesel. What an eternity and a half past (though I am sure that it was not as long as it seemed) before we caught up to the rest of the company and we pulled into our new location right behind the last tank. Much to my relief, no one ever knew what happened.

But the point is I had taken my eye off the tank I was following, and I was lost, if only momentarily. A true follower of Jesus must stay in touch with him in order to remain a follower and not a sleeping talk driver separated from the rest of his company. Following requires knowing where the leader is.

So do you want to be a follower?

How Firm a Foundation II (adapted from Jim Widemans March leadership lessons)

It takes people for ministry to happen, the larger the ministry, the more people that are needed. This is demonstrated in the Bible in many passages. The first that comes to mind is Jethro’s advice to his son-in-law, Moses, recorded in Exodus 18.

You really need to read the story for yourself, but, here is a brief recap of the events. Jethro comes to visit Moses and watches as Moses works tirelessly to be the judge of disputes for the entire group of Israelites. Remember there were more than 1 million of them by this time. Jethro saw that Moses was exhausting himself and told him to find men who could help him with this monumental task.

A New Testament version of this principle is found in Jesus Himself. Jesus desires to spread the gospel beyond His realm of influence, so, He chooses, trains, and sends out twelve disciples for the job. The early church called and sent out missionaries to expand the gospel even further.

The concept is simple if you need, expect, or want your ministry to grow, to enlarge your structure. This is what I am trying to communicate to each of you. I believe that God is beginning to do some great things here at Southcliff. In the past few weeks more than 25 people have indicated making a major faith decision. This is evidence by their taking the Next Step boxes from the foyer.

Your church staff has been evaluating and reassessing everything we do to ensure that we will be good stewards of the people that God sends our way. I believe that we are on the edge of a large sustained growth pattern for Southcliff. And like I said earlier, more people means more preschoolers. We must be ready now and not play catch up later.

This is what I am proposing: I want to break down the preschool area into three age groups. Those would be Babies, Ones and Twos, and Threes and PreK. I want to place a leader over each area. These leaders would be responsible for the classes in that area. All the teachers in each area would seek out the leader over their age group with questions, concerns, and suggestions. That leader would in turn interface with me for things that they cannot provide on their own.

Remember, we are preparing for the major growth that God will bring, not what we have now. If we have 200 or more children in the preschool ministry and have to find new locations for classes we will need this kind of structure to maintain a consistent level of excellence.

I will continue to be there for each of you as you have need, and don’t think that you cannot come to me with anything. However, I am trying to put into place a structure that will ensure that no matter how big we get, no person or problem will go unnoticed.

As Vince Lombardi once said “As we strive for Perfection, we shall surely attain Excellence”. Join me as we strive for perfection to attain excellence in the preschool ministry.

How Firm a Foundation I (adapted from Jim Wideman March Leadership lesson)

“Therefore, everyone who hears these words of Mine and acts on them will be like a sensible man who built his house on the rock. The rain fell, the rivers rose, and the winds blew and pounded that house. Yet it didn’t collapse, because its foundation was on the rock.” Matt 7:24-25 (HCSB)

I have been told, though it is yet to be confirmed, that the preschool building was built with the structural capabilities of adding a second floor. Now, you can’t just take any old building and add a second floor. You must make sure that the foundation and structure are solid enough to build on for if you don’t, the building will collapse under the added strain.

Your life is like the preschool building. If your foundation isn’t strong enough, the added strain from life’s stresses can cause your life to collapse. However, with a foundation that is built to take the added stress, you are built to undergo these stresses without wavering. Jesus says that if we build our foundations on His teachings then we will have a foundation able to withstand any stress that the world adds. We can weather the storm and come out just fine on the other side. And, just so you know, He also told us that these stresses will come. So, it would be wise to be ready by being in His word.

I want to apply the same principle to the internal structure of Preschool Hall as one would apply to the external structure. For me, that means that we need a structure that will be able to withstand added challenges we may face in the future. This is why I want three leaders in every room. And each of those leaders needs to be grounded on the rock of Jesus’ Word.

The goal of Southcliff is to double in attendance. If that happens, then it only follows that we will likely double in attendance on Preschool Hall. So, following this line of thinking, we need to have a structure that will allow for growth. If we fail to prepare, the system may collapse under the weight of added children.

I will expand upon this idea in my next entry.

Knowing Your Preschooler (part 3)

Spiritual Characteristics
Children at this age
• have a growing sense that God is very special and real rather than pretend.
• tend to have a very literal concept of God, perhaps as a “grandfather” figure who lives “up there.”
• readily accept what you say about God.
• sense that God loves them and cares for them.
• enjoy some Bible stories, especially about Jesus; want stories retold often.
• can develop attitudes of love and trust toward Jesus and God.
• do not yet have a built-in control (conscience) that nudges them toward right behavior for its own sake; do the “right thing” out of fear of punishment or to win approval.
• sense that “church” is a good place to be..
• recite simple prayers ; in some cases may add own ideas to “form” prayers.
Tips for Leaders
• Above all, let the children know that God loves them and cares for them; teach this in the context of common childhood experiences with which the children can identify.
• Let these little ones sense your own wonder and awe about who God is and what God has done.
• Focus on attitudes and actions that exhibit faith.
• When do you teach religious concepts, keep them simple and few: (God loves us; we love and obey God; God is good; Jesus is God’s own Son); repeat them often.

Knowing your Preschoolers (part 2)

Social Characteristics of the Preschooler

Children at this age:

• are blissfully egocentric; see the world through their own eyes.
• are developmentally incapable of understanding another’s perspective or emotions.
• are self-centered, yet are significantly influenced by others, especially mom, dad, teachers, other significant adults.
• are on the verge of experiencing a wider world of people; many young children still want to play alone and must make a real effort to have any meaningful play with others.

Tips for Leaders:

• Accept the children’s developing concepts of themselves without judging their apparent egocentrism.
• Emphasize the theme that we are special to God: we’ve been created by God, belong to God, and are dearly loved by God.
• Recognize that you are a role model for your little ones, someone who is a picture of God’s love and care.
• Encourage cooperative play with others, while remaining sensitive to individual needs for attention and recognition.
• Do your best to make the learning fun; make your room a “safe” and friendly place where kids will want to be every week.

Knowing your Preschoolers (Part 1)

As the teacher, the more you understand the children you are trying to teach the better job you can do. Knowledge of what a preschooler can and can't do also leads to less frustration as we understand more about their abilities. With this in mind, I want to provide you with some charactereisitcs of preschoolers. The following are taken from the Walk With Me Coordinator's Handbook, © Faith Alive Christian Resources, www.faithaliveresources.org Used with permission.

Intellectual Characteristics

Children at this age:

• think very concretely and literally, not abstractly or figuratively as youth and adults do; to a preschool child, things are as they appear to be.
• are not capable of reasoning or organizing abstract faith concepts along logical lines.
• learn through their experiences at home, church, preschool, caregivers.
• learn with their whole bodies; love to taste, touch, move, explore, smell, watch, and wonder.
• are just beginning to develop some literacy skills; some can write their own name, recognize the letters of the alphabet, and count to twenty.
• love to use language to please adults; “right answers” do not necessarily indicate comprehension.
• enjoy being told stories and read to; repetition an important way to learn.
• are often easily distracted from staying “on task.”

Tips for Leaders:

• Try for a reasonable balance between times of quiet listening and active, “hands on” participation
• Relate learning to the experiences children already have or to new experiences you can share with them.
• Give your little ones plenty of opportunity to move around.
• Keep games, stories, and other activities short, with transitional periods that enable movement from one part of the room to the other.
• Provide a variety of learning experiences: stories, art, music, words, numbers, group interaction, etc.
• Avoid using figures of speech, symbolism, analogies.
• Remember that each child develops at his or her own pace; nurture each child’s strengths.

Look for social and spiritual characteristics in the next two articles.

Super Service is the Secret to Success

Have you ever been to a restaurant that had bad service? You probably have. But the real questions is have you ever been to a restaurant with bad service twice? Chances are you haven’t.

Preschool hall can be a make or break area for church growth. When a mom and dad are visiting for the first time and come to drop off their child, mom’s radar is working overtime. She is undoubtedly asking questions like; Is my child safe here? Is the teacher friendly? Will my child be loved?

Furthermore, beyond first time visitors everyone needs and deserves good service. With this thought in mind I want to give you ten steps to good service that will make a great impression on visitors and members alike.

1. Treat others the way you want to be treated.
Consider the needs of others as more important than your own. (Philippians 2:3)

2. Smile. (even if you don’t like to smile or don’t feel like it)
Joy comes from the Lord and the promise found in Him, not from your circumstances. (1 Peter 1:8)

3. Greet everyone like they are special because they are!
God loves everyone, shouldn’t you? (John 3:16)

4. Maintain a Christ-like attitude no matter what. (WWJD).
We are called to have the Attitude of Christ. (Philippians 2:5-11)

5. Think kind thoughts about others. (The ministry is all about people)
Love expresses itself by keeping no record of wrongs. (1 Corinthians 13:5)

6. Take responsibility for your mistakes.
People want answers not excuses.

7. Be a good listener.
We can often learn much when we choose to listen first. (James 1:19)

8. Look for ways to go beyond what’s expected.
This is a fundamental teaching of Jesus (Mat 5:40-41).

9. Use wisdom.
Look to God for wisdom and he will grant you your wish. (Proverbs 2:1-6)

10. Brag on positive behavior to the parents.
Everyone wants to know that his or her child is loved and wanted. Find one thing good to tell the parents about their child.

Teaching Tips

Here are a few tips for Preschool teachers that I have gathered from various sources. Feel free to add your own by leaving a comment.

• When directing behavior, always keep the expectations successful for each child. i.e. Some kids can wait successfully for 5 minutes while others can wait only one minute.
• Positive reinforcement is the key to behavior guidance as well as prevention.
• Think about what you could change in your environment, routine or even yourself before thinking about changing a child.
• Have fun yourself. If they see you having true fun they will too.
• Support your fellow teachers. Give each other a boost once in a while.

Tips for painting and Art projects

• With young children it is the process, and not the product that counts.
• Art is a time for exploration for young children. Do not be surprised if that cutting project you begin ends up with lots of little snips of paper (Remember it's the process, not the product!).
• Take small plastic sandwich bags and paint containers with lids. To make clean up easier, put a small plastic sandwich bag inside the paint container. Make sure the top of the bag hangs over the edge of the container. Snap the lid on to secure the plastic bag. Just pull out the plastic bag and throw away -- no need to wash the dried up paint out of the container.

Be Positive!

“No rotten talk should come from your mouth, but only what is good for the building up of someone in need, in order to give grace to those who hear.” Eph 4:29 (HCSB)

Did you know that you always have an audience? Someone is always listening to you. Even if that someone is God, you are never alone. Why is this important to remember? The way you talk and the things that you say influence those around you. If I only have negative things to say then I will rightly be labeled a negative person. If on the other hand my words are positive and full of affirmation and hope then I will be seen in a different light.

I am actively searching for more leaders to come and serve in the Preschool area. This can be a challenge because of misconceptions about things experienced on the hall. Preschool can be a challenging place to work and some days are filled with rowdy children and crying babies. But I hope for you the joys far outweigh the challenges, and that you will allow those joyous times to become a part of your language when talking to others about serving in the Preschool area. If we are excited about our ministry others will be too.

I am not asking you to be phony. I hope that you genuinely enjoy serving with us in Tiny Cliff Towne, I think that you do. But remember that one complaint about a bad experience registers more than 10 good reports to those considering serving alongside you.

Even beyond preschool, we should be a refreshing presence to those around us. We are Christ followers, and yes from time to time we face hardships and trials that challenge us and sometimes we have downright crappy days. But we have a hope that comes from God that no one can take away. Remember these words found in the book of Hebrews:

“Because God wanted to show His unchangeable purpose even more clearly to the heirs of the promise, He guaranteed it with an oath, so that through two unchangeable things, in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have fled for refuge might have strong encouragement to seize the hope set before us. We have this hope—like a sure and firm anchor of the soul—that enters the inner sanctuary behind the curtain.” Heb 6:17-19

Welcome Leaders

Hello everyone, and welcome to Southcliff's newest resource for Preschool leaders. My desire is to provide useful resources to you the leader, so that you can be more effective in your calling to the preschool ministry. In the near future I will be posting leadership articles, devotions, and lesson helps. Feel free to leave comments, suggestions, and helps that you have learned from your time teaching and loving your students. Together we will make Tiny Cliff Towne a phenomenal preschool ministry that glorifies God and creates a buzz in the Baptist world.