#WhyIDoWhatIDo: Confessions of a Children's Pastor

It's that time of year. Time for the tree to come down. The decorations to go away. Time to think about losing some weight. Time to realize it's gonna be 3 long months before the weather starts getting warmer. Time to hang a new calendar. To see how long it will take me to stop writing "2018" on things. Time for baseball (almost) - spring training starts next month! And, time to set some goals for 2019. Goals are important. They help remind us of where we're heading. Of what's important.  In a sea of things demanding our attention, goals help us know what to focus on. What to say "yes" to. And when to say "no". Let me share 3 things that I'm going to be focusing on in 2019. 1. Sunday Attendance.  I know what some of you are thinking. "It's not about the numbers;  it's about ________."  Lots of options for that blank. Discipleship. Caring for one another. Going deep...

As I was preparing to share something from the Sermon on the Mount with kids last weekend, I had an "ah-ha" moment. And it has something to do with my daughters.   My daughters do some amazing things. And, like most kids, they want to share their amazingness with me. My oldest daughter, a junior in high school, is taking college  calculus (proud dad moment!). She likes to start conversations like this: Did that help me understand? Uhhhhh ... no. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- My next daughter is a freshman, and she is a spectacular artist. Last year, she worked on digital smudge painting (didn't even know that was a real thing!). Her explanation of what she was doing sounded something like this: " Now we’re going to get rid of some of the over-sharpened parts by making the more homogene areas blurry while letting the contoures remain in the photo. We’re going to...

"If it weren't for these residents, this job would be easy." Once upon a time, I managed low-income housing communities. Sounds glamorous, right? One of my responsibilities was to lead & support the teams that interacted with residents and applicants. Folks like leasing agents. Site managers. Maintenance staff. Cleaners.  And, every now and then, I'd hear the quote above. If it weren't for these residents . My reply was always the same. If it weren't for these residents ... you would be out of a job! -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- If it weren't for these residents. It's a ludicrous statement, right?  It wasn't (always) uttered by a poor team member. It's definitely a thought born out of frustration. And, ultimately, the issue is one of service. Or, rather, forgetting who is supposed to be doing the serving. When someone makes a statem...