It’s a beautiful sunny day here in Dallas, Texas.  And do you know what I love to do on a day like today?

Read a good book.

Thankfully, my friend Kenny Conley asked me to read an advance copy of a new little book called “The Eric Trap”.  Perhaps you’ve already heard of it?

Written by Jim Wideman, Sam Luce and Kenny Conley and a whole team of experienced leaders in Wideman’s Infuse Group.  It’s a wonderful book that I highly recommend for anyone in ministry.  The trappings of Eric are not isolated for Children’s Pastors alone — they are very applicable for anyone regardless of your official title.

I love a good story and this book is set in the context of a fable.  The fable helps the reader stay actively engaged in wanting to find resolutions for all of the challenges that our main character faces.  This story walks you through a week in the life of a seemingly cursed leader named Eric Neuman.  He’s going through some really tough leadership lessons as a Children’s Pastor.

It’s very easy to find Eric relatable as he navigates through the many lessons that we all have experienced or are currently experiencing.  There’s a little bit of Eric Neuman in everyone.  The unfortunate thing for Mr. Neuman is that all of these lessons are condensed to one very bad, no-good week.  By the end, you are either rooting for him to pull out of the tailspin or yelling at him to wake-up.

This book is full of wisdom from experienced leaders who want to save you from some of the land mines that many of us have accidentally triggered along the way.  It is also a super easy, quick, engaging and enjoyable read.  (You will finish it in a few days if you are a slow reader.)

I hope that you will pick up a copy but even more so, my prayer is that the book would trigger you to do 4 things:

Answer the Questions

There are some excellent questions at the end of each chapter that are designed to help you process and apply what you are learning.  I hope you’ll take the time to actually process through your answers.

“It takes a lot of courage from a leader to assess current reality.”  Nancy Ortberg, Unleashing the Power of Rubber Bands

You can’t really cultivate a vision for what could be in the context of your leadership or ministry if you can’t take an honest assessment of your current reality.

Talk to your Staff and Volunteers

I hope this book encourages you to have some authentic conversations with your staff and volunteers.  Instead of talking about the tasks that need to be done, ask them how YOU can serve them better.  Send out an anonymous survey once a year and prioritize one-on-one conversations to dialogue about how your leadership is either empowering them or  possibly hindering them (ouch) from being “all in”.  Many of your leaders will express to you their desire to be promotable.  In your sincere conversations, you will likely discover the hidden strength of the people already on your team and new ways you can delegate well.

Be a safe place for feedback and proactively invite others to the conversation.

Seek out your Senior Pastor

This was a major conviction for me.  I hope this book encourages you to build an authentic relationship with your pastor so that you can lead from a position of supporting the overarching vision of the church instead of pursuing your own agenda.  Become the biggest fan of your Sr. Pastor.

Have a Heart to Heart

If you are married, I hope you will have a heart to heart with your spouse before things get to the point where our friend Eric Neuman found himself.  Let’s be honest, most of us in ministry are complete work-a-holics.  This  book has a great wake-up call to make sure you are honoring the right kind of priorities with your family.  If you struggle in this area, I would also recommend “Choosing to Cheat” by Andy Stanley.  It’s a phenomenal read.

So I highly recommend “The Eric Trap“.  It’s perfect companion for the sunny days ahead….

If you want to avoid the traps that Eric fell into, read the book!  And then start a conversation with others around you who can help keep you accountable and growing in your leadership skills and ministry.

My friend and I have had a long standing debate about who might be the last to make the changes necessary to reach a generation with their message:  The Church or Public Education?  Hear me, these two entities aren’t in competition, per se, with one another….but it makes for interesting fodder to consider who might turn the tides in first place.

What They Share

The reality is that both entities are holding onto educational practices that were birthed in the Industrial Revolution.  With technology evolving at a rate that is near impossible to keep up with, both entities are being forced to rethink how they are communicating to a generation who can Google the answer to nearly any question.  To compound the issue, both entities are competing for attention span amidst the iPod, iPhone, iPad and any other iDevice that might be vying for a child’s focus.  (Oh, remember the good ‘ole days when teachers only had to worry about passing notes in class? It’s a whole new world, baby!)

Tally the Score

There’s no doubt that real progress has been made in many churches by focusing on elevating relationships and application for children over hammering information that is disconnected from today’s generation.  For church leaders who are willing to bring down ratios to increase effectiveness, the impact can be exponential.

But now the race gets interesting.

Enter onto the scene, Ted Ed.  The extremely popular TED lectures has plans to expand into the classroom in the very near future.

Ted will be hand selecting topics and providing engaging presentations in 10 minutes or less.  My favorite part?  They are focusing more on the “why” these concepts are important rather than the specifics of how to derive a solution to a problem.

Tapping into the “why” inspires kids to be curious about how to dive deeper into learning.  And at the end of the day, both the education community and the church have the same goal in mind:  to inspire a love for life long learning.

There is a reason why we talk about a person’s “journey” with Christ.  There is no end destination until we draw our last breath.  So perhaps the key to unlocking a generation who will passionately pursue their relationship with Christ is to inspire them to be life long followers…students of Christ….rather than focusing on creating theology scholars.

Will it be a photo finish?

What do you think about the potential of an initiative like this?  Do you think churches view themselves too unique to buy into a collaborative initiative?  Or could the church unite to bring the very best to a generation?  Do you think teachers will ultimately want to transition into more of a tutorial role or embrace the attempt to inspire kids into life-long learning?

Recently I was at our kickboxing class and noticed a new person who had joined us for the night’s torture (ahem, I mean workout).  There is a core group of us who regularly attend this class and so it’s fairly simple to spot the newbies — they are usually crying after the first 15 minutes.  (Not really, but you know what I mean.)

After slugging a punching bag until I could no longer breathe, I turned to said newcomer and introduced myself.  We exchanged just a few bits of information and carried on with our hour of pain.

As we gathered up our belongings the newbie turned to me and said, “You’re an awfully friendly person.”

That struck me as interesting “feedback” from the workout.  I had been gritting my teeth all the time and I’m pretty sure I flashed some very evil looks toward our instructor.  But really, isn’t everyone friendly?

Later that week at the nail salon, the techician told me his story of some relationship stuff he was going through. I was really amazed by how much he chose to share about his dreams for a family and a new person he was dating.  I asked him some questions about his new relationship and recommended a resource and he was so grateful….He told me I should be a counselor.  Well, maybe an incognito counselor….?

Are you giving enough away?

I saw this TED talk and couldn’t help but be reminded of the powerful hope we all have to give away.  We may not be able to save a life everyday in ministry– but everyday presents opportunities to affect the lives around us.  For good or bad, our interactions with others will have some sort of affect on their day.  That’s pretty remarkable in and of itself.  But, what struck me even more deeply was a comment in the thread on the original post of this video.

Don’t you think this person just needed someone to point her in the right direction?  Show her what kind of impact she could make?  Perhaps no one bothered to ask her to join the mission?  Maybe no-one “gave away” the opportunity to impact the people who were right around her?

Empower Others to Be the Hero

Recruiting volunteers is not a secret science.  It’s quite simple actually.  You have the unique privilege of giving others opportunity to affect lives….for eternity.  Just like the Fire Captain had to give directions to his volunteer fire fighters, as leaders, so must we give direction to others and provide opportunity.  But that’s not where our responsibility ends.

If you watch the short video (and I hope you do!), Mark Bezos didn’t realize his impact until after the event.  There was solid feedback to let him know that his act, while seemingly non-heroic, had a great impact on a woman who was loosing everything….which actually made it, ironically, heroic.

Feedback is absolutely essential for anyone to know if they have made an impact.  What’s the best way to collect feedback?  Through stories of life change.  The sweet newbie in kickboxing gave me feedback that I was going out of my way to be nice.  The nail technician gave me a little hope that I might of said something had affected his day in a positive way.  That helps me do more of the things that seem to have impact in the little world around me..

What’s our Feedback?

This past week we hosted the Orange Tour Online event.  You can watch a recap of the sessions HERE March 12-31.  In the twitter feed for the event, one very savvy leader asked a really important question:

“How do we know we are on the right path?”

Measurements of effectiveness are very important in ministry but what do you measure?   If you aren’t already doing this, you will be tempted to measure tangible things like the number of students attending on Sunday or Wednesday night.  Or how many different messages you are delivering every week.  If you focus on those types of numbers, you will miss the real indicators of your effectiveness every time.

Your effectiveness is measured by where you are leading people.  These are probably the two most important questions you can ask yourself when it comes to sheepherding people:

1.  Where do you want them to go?

For most of us, we want kids to be in a small group.  A consistent group of peers who believe what they believe and a leader who believes in their spiritual potential.  If change happens in the context of relationship (and it does) then you should do everything to make it super simple for kids to connect with a consistent leader.  (That probably means you have to stop asking them to come back to church on Wednesday in order to be “discipled”.  Disciple them the first time around, when you have them on Sunday.)  Your feedback comes in the form of how many kids are connected to a leader who believes in their spiritual potential and is intentionally investing in them.

2.  Who do you want them to become?

Who you want them to become affects every aspect of life, doesn’t it?  It affects their relationships, their jobs, their integrity…. You can teach the Bible chronologically, backwards or topically — but if it doesn’t prompt a child or a teen to actually do something, what good is the information?  James 2:17 reminds us that faith and action are symbiotic.  And how do you know if what you teach is effective?  By stories of life change.

If you want to be heroic, stop trying to be the hero.  All that super programming and 3 messages you are preparing every week won’t yield the results you think “more of more” will accomplish.  Less is more.  It’s more for kids and it’s more for their parents.  Empower other leaders to play the role of the hero.  Focus on finding small group leaders who will play a leading role in rescuing a generation and structure your ministry so that everyone .  And collect stories of impact to know that you are heading in the right direction.

Now, here’s that TED talk.  It’s less than 5 minutes and totally worth it!

There are so many things that go into getting ready for Sunday.  We want the help but have a tendancy to fall into the “I should just do it myself” syndrome instead of delegating well.

Many leaders struggle with systems and delegation.   You have to be comfortable with giving up control over the way you would do it.  But the huge pay off is that you are inviting people to own personal ministry.

One area that I see many people struggle with is their activity prep and distribution process.  I’ve seen storage rooms overstuffed with so much that it makes a hoarder feel better about what’s in their living room.

Mid-week prep can be an “on ramp” opportunity for someone who is limited in time on Sundays but wants to contribute.  It can turn into accepting more responsibility down the road but it is a great team to start volunteering with.

Sara Scott is the curriculum coordinator for Bent Tree.  Recently , we were at Bent Tree for our annual Dallas Orange Tour and I pulled Sara aside to give you a sneak peek into thier incredible system for activity prep and distribution.

• Once the curriculum is edited, Sara hands off the supply list to a coordinator who orders all of the needed items for the month.
• Received supplies are put in a general supply bin for the month.
• Sara has a team of volunteers who prep the materials for each craft.  Check out this previous post on “Ministry in a Box” for ideas on how you can create a team who will be a mobile missionary for your ministry!
• Once the activities are preped they are put in the appropriate week’s bin
• A separate volunteer team will take the weekly bin, remove the previous week’s small group activity supplies and then put in a new bag of supplies for the upcoming week.

This bite-size approach to activity prep and distribution may sound counter intuitive to you since it requires more volunteers.  But the easy win and team concept opens the door of opportunity for volunteers who want to contribute to the ministry but are not available to lead a group of kids on Sunday.

For more information on the activity prep and distribution process for birth through elementary at Bent Tree, you can connect with Sara at Sscott@benttree.org.

Have you heard?

My friends at Worlds of Wow are giving away TWO tickets to the 2012 Orange Conference!

I know that many leaders I talk to want to go to the conference but are limited by budget or personal finances.  Now you can enter to win tickets for F-R-E-E!  And, here’s the kicker:  If you read the fine print, you can double your chances to win with two submissions!

Leaders are learners.  And this year, we are making the Orange Conference power packed with as much information as you can take!  Check out the latest news about what is in the works for YOU this April:

The Orange Conference Partners with International Network of Children’s Ministry andYouth Specialties

The Orange Conference, designed for entire family ministry teams, has a number of new exciting announcements for this year’s attendees, the biggest of which are partnerships with International Network of Children’s Ministry (INCM) and Youth Specialties (YS). To be held April 25-27, 2012, in Atlanta, this event gathers children and preschool leaders, student pastors and senior church leadership called to understand the changes influencing this new generation.

INCM and YS will each present a specialty track at The Orange Conference 2012.  Orange will be a two-conference-in-one experience this year!

CONTINUING EDUCATION UNITS

As if the power packed partnership wasn’t enough, there is more!  For the first time at an Orange Conference, attendees will be able to accrue continuing education units (CEU’s) according to the standards of the International Association for Continuing Education and Training (IACET), without being members.

125 DISTINCT WORKSHOPS AND BREAKOUTS

Last year the conference offered over 80 workshop and breakout options. In 2012 there will be over 125 distinct offerings with over 80 percent new material!

NEW RECOMMENDED TRACKS

In addition to presenting recommended tracks by age group ministry and role, there will also be tracks based on the categories of training most requested by previous attendees. So whatever role or area of responsibility in a church, attendees can feel like the conference was created specifically for them. Tracks include Preschool Ministry, Children’s Ministry, Student Ministry, Senior Pastors Forum, College Ministry, Special Needs Ministry, Navigating Change, Worship Leaders, Small Groups Leaders, Investing in Your Volunteers, Middle School Ministry, Getting Parents Involved, The Start Up Church, Family Experience Nuts and Bolts, and Social Media in Ministry.

FREE BONUS WORKSHOP

This workshop will be available on Wednesday afternoon. Any attendee may join in at absolutely NO COST.  (We love Free!)

CONVERSATION GROUPS

Key speakers and leaders in family ministry will offer the opportunity within a small, relaxed gathering to ask questions, network and brainstorm with attendees and speakers. This will be an up-close and in-person environment.

The Orange Conference was a total game changer for me in ministry and I know it will be for you too!  So enter today to win your FREE TICKETS from Worlds of Wow and make plans to join us in Atlanta this April!  Act quickly, submissions will be accepted until January 31st!

Recently I was speaking to a leader who was having difficulty with a couple in his ministry who were…well, shall we say, a little set in their ways.  They had been Sunday School teachers for decades and were finding the shift to a Small Group strategy very difficult. They were used to owning it all.  The lesson, the activities…  In their minds, the way things were worked for so long, why wouldn’t they work now?

The pastor wanted to honor these volunteers.  They were committed to the mission but not entirely confident in the new methodology.

A friend once told me jokingly, “Ministry would be great if you didn’t have to work with people!”  All kidding aside, we have all been there at one point or another.  I’ve often maintained that if you don’t have a clear understanding for why you do what you do, then plenty of people will step up to the plate and insert their opinions about what should be done instead.

The truth is, making the change from Sunday School to Small Group / Large Group can be a difficult shift for many Sunday School teachers. Here are a few principles that may help you help your leaders make the smooth transition.

Assume Nothing

Your volunteers have no idea why you are making a change.  If you read and listen to the embedded podcast from my previous post, you’ll learn why it’s so important to strongly communicate the “why” behind your “what” to make an emotional connection to the part of the brain that controls decision making.  By activating the emotional side of the brain, chances are higher that your volunteers will decide to follow you in this new strategy for ministry.  Be aware that you have the “curse of knowledge”.  You know way more than they do about changes that need to be made in the context of our ministries.  Don’t assume that they understand all the details that you do.

Secondly, don’t assume that you know where they want to serve in this new reality.  If you are changing up the job description, that means there is a renegotiation of responsibilities.  How would you feel if you showed up to work Monday morning and your boss informs you that you are moving into a new role?  No questions asked.  No negotiation.  You would likely be upset, wouldn’t you?  Sit down with every volunteer and let them know their options.  You might be surprised that a few of your Sunday School teachers want to be your Storyteller — because they enjoy TEACHING.  Honor that by giving them the opportunity to move into that role if it’s appropriate.

Identify the Win

If a Sunday School leader decides to move into a Small Group Leader role.  Take the time to vision cast the win for the role.  Sue Miller said that when it comes right down to it, the primary thing that separates a Sunday School Leader from the Small Group Leader is their primary focus.  Because Sunday School Leaders typically lead classrooms of 20+ kids, they are forced to focus primarily on teaching information.  Small Group Leaders have smaller ratios, (8-10 kids for every 1 leader), which allows them to shift their primary focus from teaching information to building relationships.

Both types of leaders have the best intentions:  they want to serve their church, they want to see changed lives for kids, they want children to fall in love with Jesus.  The real difference is in the win.  What is the goal?  In a small group / large group model, we put our most powerful communicators up in front of everyone to creatively present the information (lesson) and empower our small group leaders to focus in on relationship and application.

Meet in the Middle

Some leaders have strong feelings about what is most important for them to do in the context of their time with kids.  When you meet one on one with your volunteers, ask them what they feel the most important things are.  If there are some non-negotiatbles, wouldn’t it be better to see if you can work that into their huddle time rather than fight them on a hill they are willing to die on?  For some traditional leaders, it’s a big deal to open up the Bible and read the passage with the kids.  Empower them to prioritize that activity as long as they are committed to trying one of the prepared application activities as well.  If you can meet them in the middle, they will be more willing to be on your side for bigger issues.

If you are leading ministry, you are in the development business.  People development.  Your primary focus should be on equipping the body to do the work of the ministry.  When you have a spirit of empowering the people that God has given you, it causes you to slow down, to make sure no one is left behind and that they are all serving in their passions and giftedness.  Every change gives you the opportunity to remind your leaders of what is most important — what is core — which will help them make the upgrades necessary to help a generation run passionately after the heart of God.

What about you?  How do you come alongside seemingly stubborn volunteers?

Have you ever wondered what separates the great vision casters from those whose messages fall flat?  Perhaps the most gifted communicators are born with a silver spoon in their mouth?  Umm, probably not actually.  What is more likey the case is that inspired leaders simply discover what is universally true about the human spirit — or more importantly how our brains make decisions.

As it turns out, understanding the brain gives you a significant  advantage in the game of persuasion.

This TED video from Simon Sinek simplistically explains how true leaders inspire action.  Action is something we all want in our ministries and organizations.  Whether it’s for our message to prompt the listener to DO something in response to the information, or a vision cast that prompts a prospective volunteer to take steps toward serving, or personal advice that you want to do more than ring in the ears of your loved ones.  Yes, inspiring action is something leaders aspire for.

What’s the trick?

According to Sinek, many people and organizations know “what” they do and even “how” they do it, but the breakdown happens at the “why” level.  When we leave out the passion/purpose factor, the result a flat, unemotional message about what you offer or make with no reason why it even exists.

Inspired organizations and individuals understand that the real power in a message is to focus on the “why” to elicit the emotional connection to the purpose of the “what” they do.  What is your purpose, cause or belief?  Why does your organization exist and why should anyone care?

What would this look like in, let’s say, volunteer recruiting?

The Uninspired Ask

The natural tendency when recruiting new volunteers might be something like this:

“We have a fun and exciting Children’s Ministry. (what)  We make it easy to serve on Sundays and connect you to other adults and kids. (how) We have a huge need for more help.  Will you join us?”

Meh. Maybe?

Kinda lukewarm, right?  The generic massive uninspired ask resounds with sound of crickets.

The Inspired Ask

The inspired leader might say something like this:

“We believe God is preparing this upcoming generation to lead the church into a season unlike anything ever we have ever experienced.  We challenge the way ministry has always been done because what worked yesterday doesn’t work today and masses of kids are walking away from the church at the time when they should engage and lead. (why) Everything we do is designed to link kids into authentic community so that they have a team of Christ followers cheering them on for all God has called them to be and do.  (how) No matter how you are wired or what your passions are, God has a unique purpose for you and wants you to be a part of the bigger story He is telling through this ministry.  What is your passion? Let’s use it for God’s purpose in reaching this next generation. (what)”

I’m in!  (Aren’t you?!)

Is it that easy?  Maybe.

“The goal isn’t to do business with everybody who needs what you have.  The goal is to do business with people who BELIEVE what you believe.” Simon Sinek

Here’s why:

If you listen to Sinek, you’ll discover that this is all grounded in biology.  The limbic brain is responsible for all of our feelings like trust, loyalty and is responsible for all human behavior, all human decision making and it has no capacity for language.  When you communicate from the “inside out”, you are communicating directly to the emotional part of the brain responsible for decision making.

When you communicate with facts and figures, you are communicating to the neocortex which is responsible for rational, analytical thought and language.  So people can understand the facts, but the neocortex doesn’t drive behavior. The LIMBIC brain does.

If you want to lead a revolution, communicate what you believe.  Stop trying to find warm bodies to fill vacancies. Communicate in such a manner that finds people who believe what you believe because those people will want to join your cause.

“What you do simply serves as the proof of what you believe.” Simon Sinek

Try communicating from the inside out and see if it has a different affect on those around you.  Focus on the WHY instead of the what and you’ll be more effective at triggering that part of the brain that is driven by emotion and responsible for making decisions.

In case you would like to see the innovative and inspired message in action, here’s a little inspiration from a little well known company that has created such a revolution that consumers will camp outside for a product launch to happen. What makes Apple so innovative and successful?  What’s make them different?  It’s in their message.

Do you ever wonder where your life is going?  Will the sum of your days create something meaningful?

I’ve never had a “life plan”.  Some people grow up knowing exactly who they want to be or what they want to do.  Not me…. my strategy was more of a trial and error approach to life.  If I’m honest, probably mostly error.  Maybe you can relate.

I went to college because having grown up in a single parent home, my mom advised me to have a degree in case “marriage didn’t work out.”  I studied business economics for the first 3 years because my dad was a CPA but changed my degree the summer before my senior year.   (It turned out that balancing spreadsheets was not my idea of a good time.)  I took hodge podge jobs after college because I didn’t have a career plan.  At the end of the day, I had an eclectic resume of everything from waiting tables to working at the Governor’s office.  When I look back on it all, it very much feels like a Forest Gump-esque story.

I think we all have a wandering period of trying to figure life out.  My wandering was just, well, longer than most dare I say.

The one constant among my childhood, young adult-hood and beyond was music.  No matter where I would wander in other areas of my life, I would always have that constant thread.  And it brought me joy.

God wove that joy into purpose when I was hired for my first church staff role as a children’s worship director.  That role was a labor of love and I put my whole soul into helping kids enter into authentic worship while equipping youth and other adults to join the journey.

Like many journeys, I came upon a few detour signs directing me into other areas of leadership.  I vividly remember the day I let go of the worship director role and stepped into a larger leadership position.  I walked into the worship center of our church and cried like a child.  I felt like I let go of the very essence of me.

Several years later, when I stepped down from my time as a children’s director, I immediately stepped right back into the place I loved and felt most called to….worship.

What about Seth Godin?

About a year and a half ago, I read Seth Godin’s book titled “Linchpin” and started on a journey of rediscovering the purpose for which God might have me here for.  And there were four specific things that I couldn’t help but but act on after reading his book:

Make a Choice…..to follow your inner voice, instead of the heard of sheep.

So many times we can become detoured in doing what we think we should do or what others are doing instead of paying attention to that tiny inner voice that is prompting you to march to the beat of your own drum.  If I was honest with my inner voice, I would have to recognize and embrace that God has wired me uniquely.  And that perhaps that giftedness could be something He could use to help others around me.

View Your Work as a Gift of Art

Artwork isn’t just about canvas and paint, it is about doing your best work.  Viewing your work as art ultimately makes you happier because it is an extension of who you are.  It brings you satisfaction and happiness for creating the very best work you can.  It is far superior, and more rewarding, than completing a task because your boss told you to.  Even if your boss does tell you to do it, you should approach it as a work of art rather than a required task.

Triumph over “Lizard Brain“

The “Lizard Brain” is a prehistoric part of your brain that is in charge of survival, fear and reproduction.  When it is activated, it sabotages you.  It is the one that wants you to conform, not ask questions and is content with you being a cog in a system so that you don’t stand out.

I’ve wasted countless days, months, even years, yielding to the Lizard Brain and I’ve spent the last year and half telling it to be silent. Too many people need help and it would be better to fail than to do nothing to help them.

Complete the Task and “Ship It”

Last week, I “shipped”.  I launched a new website called KidzPraise for children’s leaders to find practical help with their praise and worship time.  Too many churches are opting out of teaching kids what it means to worship, or even including a time to corporately sing songs together on Sunday.  You can read more about that HERE.

Donald Miller’s “A Million Miles in a Thousand Years” has been one of those “game-changer” books for me these past few years.  As I look back on my life, I can’t help but ask myself what would I re-write or edit about the story I am living?  Honestly, I wouldn’t change a single detour that I took in this journey because I have learned so much.  But his book has encouraged me to think about the story I am living and how I am helping others tell better stories along the way.

So let me introduce you to my latest labor of love:  www.KidzPraise.com

What You Can Do

First, you can go check out www.KidzPraise.com, share it with people who value praise and worship for kids and those who need a little helping hand.

Second, you can go “like” the KidzPraise Facebook page…..

Third and most importantly, share with me what your story is telling you.  What is your work of art?

Have you ever thought about how everything has a expiration date?  We update our homes, our cars, our appliances, our gadgets…even our wardrobe!  (Well, most of us update our wardrobe….others just hold onto it all until the style comes back around.)

The bottom line…..We change.  We adapt.

This year, our school district adopted a BYOT (Bring Your Own Technology) policy.  Classrooms are being equipped with Wifi and students are encouraged to bring devices to help them research and use technology to enhance learning.  As parents, we were ecstatic to hear about the new guidelines….until we realized our 6th grader would be begging for a iPad.  We’ll adapt….but we’re trying to figure out the appropriate responsibility in this new high tech era.  (Advise??  I remember when Al Gore invented the internet….  Who knew we would be here?!)

The bottom line is that things are changing.  Thankfully, our school district hired an outside consultant to help kick start a community wide dialogue on education reform.  I attended a community education summit and was pleasantly surprised to see the room packed to capacity with educators and parents anxious to welcome a new day for our local schools.

One of the most impressive illustrations from the summit was a pictorial representation of the evolution of education.

Education 1.0

Notice how the educational setting mimics the agriculture and artisan culture.  Education happened in cooperative small group work and embraced an apprentice mode, similar to what was happening in the work places.

Education 2.0

The Industrial Revolution brought about a “Manager model” of education that focused on rote memorization, one-size fits all teaching designed to sort and track students and ultimately turn them into efficient factory workers.

Education 3.0 (t.b.d.)

If our schools will ultimately model our work environments, we will need collaborative environments that promote critical thinking,  initiative and divergent thinking all while embracing the ever evolving world of technology.

Are our classrooms adapting fast enough?

What model do you think Sunday School was patterned after?  You guessed it….Education 2.0.  It’s time to upgrade.

For more fascinating thoughts on the needed reform in education, check out this Sir Ken Robinson RSA video.  It is well worth the time to watch it.

In the meantime, what do YOU think?  What would you change in your Sunday environment to better relate to what kids are experiencing outside of the traditional classroom?  Who do you think will be the slowest to adapt — public education or our churches?

Have you ever tried to intentionally stop thinking about something?  The more you try to “not” focus on it, the more it occupies your every thought.  Have you ever been in the middle of a meeting or delivering an important message and suddenly that inner voice begins to sabotage your focus and shift it straight to doomsday?  Chances are if you give in to that inner voice, doomsday is exactly where you will wind up.

We’ve all been there at some point.  Our mind wanders to a place we don’t want it to go….and suddenly we are there.  That very place we didn’t want to land.

We plan out our day and suddenly our time is sucked into a vacuum of busyness that leads to nowhere.  All opportunity for true productivity is zapped by a bunch of urgent instead of what we know to be important.

This week, a few friends and I were sharing things we were learning from different books we are reading.  My very wise friend, Julie, shared something so insightful, yet so simple, it has captured my focus — in a very good way.

While reading “Hungry for God” by Margaret Feinberg, she read about a principle in Mountain Biking that says this:

“Don’t ever look where you don’t want to go.”

Simple, right?

Think about it.  When you’re riding alongside a precipice…the last thing you want to do is look downhill because guess what, you’ll be headed that way.  Looking where you don’t want to go occupies your  focus.  We’ve all been there — and not just while mountain biking.

If you are in a position of leadership, you have so many things that can occupy your focus.  You can pollute your mind with negative self talk…and begin to believe it.  You can start to wonder if anyone wants to work with kids…and talk to people in such a way that they affirm your preconceptions.  You can doubt your vision for the future and dwell in the past.

You can even take on a new job that side tracks you from creating the art that you were designed for.  Or, start well intentioned “good” programs that ultimately take you straight off the charted path of an effective strategy and into the peril of the mountainside.

As a leader, you need to have a plan of action with an end in mind.  You need a vision of an ultimate destination to where you are leading others.  It is only in that crystal clear strategy that you will begin to filter out things that are not a part of getting there.

It’s a principle we could all benefit from:  Don’t ever look where you don’t want to go.  It occupies your focus.  Stay focused on where you want to go, stay positive about your journey, and fight to stay in your sweet spot.