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Bill, the Dollar Bill

What could be more fun than this? Grown men dressed up as dollar bills helping kids learn that money has power to help people in need. This great character, Bill, entered the Kids' City stage flexing his muscles full of ego about how his power could buy big houses, fast cars, and diamond encrusted toilet seats. Good thing our storyteller was there to help Bill understand that his power would be put to the greatest use if he used his strength to help people in need.

Bill left a changed note.

Hopefully hundreds of kids scattered across our 6 campuses got the point too.

This year in Kids' City we are using our offering money towards two special projects. You might have read in a previous post that last year we built a home for a family of orphan children in Rwanda. We're going to do that again this year. We've committed $1500 to help this family. Their parents died of AIDS. Right now they live in a one room shack with a hole in the roof.

We've also committed $500 to pay for an airline ticket to reunite a refugee with their family here in the United States. It will be later in the year when we find out who we are helping. What a great story that will be.

$2000. That's a lot of nickels, dimes, and quarters. But I'm confident God will use the kids in our church to help these people in need. And hopefully along the way we're planting seeds in their hearts to be a generous generation. That could really be powerful.

Birthday Presents

Joe called me today. My sister told me that a couple nights ago he came out of his room at 9:30pm and asked if he could call me to tell me that he wanted me to buy him a CD player for his birthday. Two days later he was still talking about it so she let him call me today...

Joe: Do you know what I want for my birthday? I want you to give me music. Will you give me music?

Me: I think I can do that.

Joe: And you have to come to my house and eat birthday cake and watch me open my presents.

Me: Well, I'd love to do that, Joe, but your birthday isn't until May. My birthday is in a couple weeks. What are you going to get me for my birthday?

Joe: Long pause. I'm going to get you a new shirt!!!

Me: A new shirt? You know what I would really love? I'd love for you to draw me a picture for my birthday. Would you draw me a picture of you and me?

Joe: Another long pause. But I'm going to buy you a new shirt.

My sister, overhearing all of this, said she might take him to Walmart and let him pick out a shirt for me all on his own. I wonder what kind of fashion sense a 3-year-old has? To be a good aunt, do I have to wear it?

Amazing Team

We had an all-staff meeting today. I love our all-staff meetings. Worshipping together. Praying together. Learning together. Just being together is a blast. Today Dave, our Lead Pastor, made 4 of the Campus Pastors compete in a game of tug-a-war to illustrate a point. It was hilarious to watch. Although I bet at least two of them are cursing Dave at this moment as they nurse their bad backs and ice the rope burns on their hands.

There were a couple comments today that gave kudos to Kids' City for the creative and programatic improvements we've made over the past year or so. We have come a long way. But although others might make guesses as to the reasons behind the progress I know the truth. God has brought together an amazing group of people. Let me introduce you to our Children's Staff in the order they joined the team.

Scott was a managment leader in Caterpillar. He left a high paying job with "climbing the ladder" potential for the sake of helping families find their way back to God. His heart beats for the unchurched. He has dreams of connecting with families through avenues like sports, arts, and education and then helping them find their way into life-changing community. He is amazing with people. And he brings his corporate language and business management theories into our Kids' City meetings (we love him for it...especially Robbin...she really likes the charts and statistics).

Robbin is amazing. Creative. Energetic. Compassionate. Committed. Relational. Determined. Those are a few of the words that come to mind when I think about Robbin. Robbin has helped us get better in so many ways. She brought tons of experience working with kids and the arts onto our team. But she also just brings a mature ministry perspective. I think every leader needs someone in close proximity who is a sounding board, a support, and at times a cheerleader (literally and figuratively in Robbin's case). Robbin has been that for me. And I am grateful.

Mary is an amazing leader. Mary and I have been in the trenches together since I joined the staff at CCC. She was one of two Service Coordinators I inherited when I became the Director at our Romeoville Campus. Mary knew me when I was afraid of children (well, I might still be a little afraid, but not like before). Mary did for me what I see her do for countless others... she believes in us and cheers us on until we become what she always says we were. Everytime I visit the campus she now directs I see evidence of her belief in the people on her team. They are having the time of their lives. Mary has called something out of them that is so good and purposeful. It's so encouraging to watch.

Shannon surprises me every week. I didn't know her very well when she joined our team, but every week I see evidence that confirms she was the right choice. I love that she's dreaming big dreams for her campus. And every team needs that person who loves beauty and will go the extra mile with special touches. I see Shannon as a bundle of potential that is just beginning to be unleashed. She has a teachable, hungry heart which is probably my favorite thing to see in a young leader.

I don't know if I've ever met someone who puts a more positive spin on every situation than Cathy. She's our resident "make you feel good about yourself" expert. She doesn't know this, but sometimes I eavesdrop when she's talking on the phone to a parent or a leader who has called with a question. I love that Cathy is the first line of contact for our ministry. She does such an amazing job of valuing the people she interacts with. And she serves our whole team with such a humble, "how-can-I-help-you" attitude. Cathy is all "in" and it shows every day.

Tony and I entered children's ministry through the same door...because someone had to do it. The great thing about Tony is that you would never know that he was never intending to be part of Kids' City. From day one when his Campus Pastor told him they needed him to switch roles to become the Kids' City Director at our newest site launching this February, Tony stepped up and embraced the need and the vision. In just a few months of knowing him, I see amazing leadership and teaching gifts in Tony. I think God is going to use him in incredible ways to make a difference for the Kingdom. And who knows? Maybe Tony will find out like I did that although he wasn't looking for it, Kids' City is exactly the place he wants to be.

So there you have it. These are the reasons we've gotten better. And when I step back and realize that every one of these people was new to the staff in 2005, I know the best is yet to come.

Blog Friends

OK...I need to return some blog favors. Recently a couple of my co-workers started blogging and gave my blog a plug on their sites so I want to do the same for them. Check these blogs out...

Dave Ferguson is the lead pastor of our church. I have absolutely LOVED reading his blog since he started it a month or two ago. Dave probably has more on his plate than 99.9% of the people I know, yet he still manages to upload more posts than all bloggers in the state of Idaho combined. I'm learning a lot from Dave's insights on leadership and ministry. Follow the link on his name to check it out.

Over the past year or so Eric Bramlett has managed to weasel his way into becoming one of my favorite people on the planet. He is the head Arts Director on our staff and really is a creative genius. But please don't tell him I said any of this because it might go to his head and he might start acting all powerful or something. It's about time he started a real blog! It's new but I have no doubt it will be good. Check it out. Especially you creative types. And those of you who like the word "monkey."

The Right Niche

I love watching people serve in the right niche. There is something so full of joy, something so passionate and powerful about watching someone contribute in their area of giftedness. I saw it in the worship leader last night at our Romeoville campus. There is a difference between a song leader and a worship leader. Mary Kate was definitely the latter. Her efforts led to one of the most meaningful times of worship I've experienced in a while.

I saw it this morning in an elementary small group leader. I stood outside the door of Laura's room where I could listen but not be seen. She had 17 1st through 3rd graders. Too many, really, for a small group. Yet they were all captivated and engaged as she led them through the lesson. She skillfully planted seeds of spiritual growth.

And I saw it in Lupe as she worked her way through our children's ministry at the Shorewood Campus. Lupe is a Service Coordinator in our ministry which means she is a 5 hour/week paid staff member who is responsible for staffing, overseeing, and caring for an entire service of children's volunteers. We laughed together in the lobby when I told her she was doing a great job and we both reflected on how she ended up in her current niche. See three years ago Lupe was a leader in our preschool room. She was great with those 3 and 4 year olds. So great, in fact, that I asked her to take a step up in leadership and become a coach of other leaders. She said she'd pray about it. She did. And a couple weeks later came back and told me "no."

Now normally when someone tells me "no" I respect their decision. But during the next week I couldn't find any peace with her answer. So I did something I'd never done before and haven't done since. I went back and asked her to pray again. I told her that I couldn't come to terms with her decision to decline and felt like she needed to pray about it again. She came back a week later and said "yes."

That was such a pivotal moment for both her and her husband. That month they both took steps forward in their spiritual leadership and have blossomed ever since. It's been incredible to watch them grow and see the contributions they are making to the mission. I love it!

This afternoon I was watching the Pittsburgh Steelers beat up the Denver Broncos when my phone rang. It was Lupe. She said, "I just wanted to call to say thank you for seeing something in me three years ago that I didn't see in myself. I never would have dreamed God would use me as a spiritual leader."

Lupe is having the time of her life in ministry. And I'm having a blast watching her serve. And I can't help but imagine what the church would be like if everyone stepped up into their niche.

Thank you, Jesus

Jesus bought me a coffee today. Actually it was a tall peppermint mocha. No, not that Jesus. It was Jesus Quezada. He and his wife Theresa were in my small group for a while. We drove up to the local Starbucks at the same time and when he ordered at the counter he told the cashier he was going to cover my drink as well. Just a nice small gesture that was a blessing in my day.

Thank you, Jesus.

Cheese

Joe

Chipping

Can I just say that I love my co-workers? I stopped into our Romeoville Campus office around 2pm today. Other than a couple evening hours and sleeping, I'd literally been in meetings since 8am the previous day. I was kind of going nuts.

Me: I'm so tired of sitting and talking. I just feel like I need to get up and do something.

Scott: I wish I had a golf club. We could go out into the town square and have a chipping contest.

Me: I have golf clubs in my trunk.

Everyone in the office: I'm in! Let's go.

Scott, Kerry, and I proceeded outside into the unseasonably warm 54 degree day. Soon Tim B, Jim, and Tim C joined us. We then proceeded to spend the next 15 minutes using my pitching wedge to aim at various targets. The sewer drain. The pine tree. A patch of mud in the ground. We never came close to hitting any of them. I'm sure the people driving by and those that lived in the apartments surrounding the square thought we were nuts. Someone from our church walked by and asked, "Is this what you guys do when you are working?"

We managed to play about 6 or 7 rounds of "who can chip the closest" when Tim B and Jim came up with the bright idea that they were going to try to hit an electrical box that was about 100 yards away. Jim swung through the ball and we all gasped in horror as we realized the ball he hit was going to sail at least 125 yards. It bounced on the sidewalk, to the left of a car, and took several more hops into an apartment building.

That ended our game. Tim C asked if I would wipe his fingerprints off the club. Jim and Tim B started heading over to retrieve the ball and make any necessary apologies. And the rest of us headed back into the office to sit again at our computers and in meetings.

Nothing like a round of town square golf to revive a person.

"Crowd"

Then he said to the crowd,

"If any of you wants to be my follower, you must put aside your selfish ambition, shoulder your cross daily, and follow me. If you try to keep your life for yourself, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for me, you will find true life.”

--Luke 9:23-24

Jesus makes big asks. Put aside yourself. Take up your cross daily. Follow me.

Today I took 20 minutes or so out of our Children's Ministry Director's Meeting to have my staff spend some time in prayer. I'd set up a room with 6 prayer stations. These verses were written out on a page at one of them. I wanted to remind them that the mission we are on will take every part of them. Nothing can be held back. But I also wanted to remind them that Jesus makes big asks. And as his followers we need to make big asks. We need to call people to the mission. We need to call them to put aside themselves. We need to help them find their lives.

What struck me the most as I prayed at this station was the word "crowd." Jesus said these words to a crowd. Not just his close disciples. Not just a select few. He said it to the crowd. He called everyone. He made the big ask of everyone.

There are no excuses. The big ask is not reserved for a few. It's not just people in full-time ministry or people with big leadership gifts or people who have a lot of free time. The big ask is for the crowd. It is for everyone.

Will you sacrifice that for the Jesus mission? Will you become this for the Jesus mission? Will you trade your life for the Jesus mission?

I think sometimes we let people off the hook. They're busy. They have a job. They have young kids. They are gone too many nights as it is. But it's not our hook to let them off of. It is Jesus' hook. And he says, "Put yourself aside. Take up your cross. Follow."

He called the crowd. I think that means everyone.

Money

It's about time for the rumblings to start. In a couple weeks we'll be starting a 4-week series on money at my church. I've already heard some of the "We're spending 4 weeks on money!?!" comments from staff members who are in the know about topics coming down the pipe. I have no doubt that there will be attenders who complain. I wouldn't be surprised if there are people who leave our church each year when we address this topic. And what do I think? How do I feel about taking an entire month out of the year to talk about tithing and spending and stewardship and sacrifice?

I applaud.

I'm convinced that money is the greatest common stronghold in our American Christian culture. Sure we struggle with other sins; but greed, selfishness, and waste seem pretty common to us all. I know I struggle with it. I don't make a lot of money. Other than my mortgage, I don't have any debt. Most people would probably look at my financial picture and think I live pretty responsibly. For the most part on paper I do. But I struggle with money every day. I struggle with wanting and coveting and temptation to spend more than the dollar amount on my paycheck. I feel the pull towards instant gratification...wanting to charge things rather than saving for them. I salivate over things I don't need. I feel the resistance to sacrifice.

And I know I'm not alone.

Over the years I've noticed that often the last thing to give in a person's commitment to Christ is their wallet. I've known people who have been Christ-followers for years, who serve tirelessly in their church, who are leaders in their congregations...yet who don't drop a dollar of their money into the offering plate to contribute financially to God's mission. There is something weird about that. Something illogical. Honestly, something wrong. There is something held back. And holding back from God is never a right choice.

One of the challenges in breaking this stronghold? Somehow we're under the notion that money is a private topic. It is culturally taboo to talk about it. Never mind that Jesus and his disciples stood in the temple and watched close enough to notice the exact amount that the poor widow put into the offering. Never mind that the early Christians came and laid their offerings right out in the open at the apostle's feet. Could you imagine what would happen today if someone was confronted about the amount of their offering the way Ananias was? Where did we get the notion that we shouldn't talk about these things (don't quote the Matthew 6 passage to me... secrecy here is about checking your own motivations not about keeping others out of "your business")?

If we're serious about helping each other grow, then we have to bring what is in the dark into the light.

We have to fight for each other's hearts.

We have to care enough to attack the strongholds.

That's why I applaud the teaching team at my church. They are not afraid to go where people don't want them to go. We need them to go there. I need them to go there. A 4-week money series? I say, "Bring it on!"