Me too.

But at least something is different now. I have a built in pit stop in my life, called Yosemite Summit.

Every May, me and eight other children’s pastors (or ministry leaders) go to Yosemite National Park for a complete break-away from ministry to just fellowship with each other and focus on our relationship with God and our  relationships with our wives and kids. And nothing else.

and…

We WALK AWAY FROM IT ALL. I’ve had to accept that while I will always be working on it, I will never master getting my daily life or week under control. There is just too much to do all the time. But at least I can look forward to once a year, every year, when I walk away from it all for four glorious days when I just enjoy God’s incredible creation in THE most spectacular place on earth. (Seriously, it is!)

If you are stressed out and thinking you don’t have time for Yosemite Summit – than YOU are exactly who DOES NEED Yosemite Summit, and believe me, not only can you leave everything and it will be waiting for you when you get back – but you will be different when you return, and everything will be lighter when you pick it upon your return, for reasons I can’t explain until you join me there…. it’s kinda a secret until you arrive and experience what happens on this retreat.

There are only THREE SPOTS LEFT on Yosemite Summit 2010. I know the economy has been rough and many church budgets have been cut. I have to pay for these spots no matter what. So if you need a scholarship to attend this event, please contact me and let me know. I will personally assist you so you can join us. I want to see this event filled with eight children’s pastors who need this retreat. You have no excuse not to come – if you need Yosemite Summit – you need only step out in faith and register to attend.

Why not trust God and build this Spiritual Pit Stop into your busy life? Your family and your SOUL will thank you… and so will your Savior.

Why go back to Yosemite? I prayed about the opportunity and tossed it around for a while. Would this year match the experience I had last year? Would it be better? Would it not be as good? There were so many reasons to go back and really no reason to not go.

The number one reason to go back – I know that I need the time away. I love what I do, don’t get me wrong. But throughout the year, the emotional stress can wear you out. The “normal” people issues that come up can wear on your soul, especially when the people are not just bodies in the congregation but are your friends, your family, your brothers and sisters in Christ. I know that I need the time away to leave the work of ministry behind, to leave the daily tasks behind, and to focus on ultimately what is most important, my own personal relationship with Christ.

Words cannot describe the feeling you have when you are 8,000+ feet up, looking over God’s awesome creation and it is just you, Him and His Word. God revealed things to me during the week at Yosemite that I was not expecting.

The time away last year allowed me to refocus my life and set my eyes on what was most important once again. I am looking forward to the time once again to refocus my life and to continue to grow as a child of God.

The opportunity to get with other guys from across the country and share life together was amazing. We all shared the common ground of children’s ministry but it was great to get to know each other, pray for each other, and encourage each other in our personal walks with Christ. I am looking forward to that fellowship again this year.

The cost was an issue that I had to weigh out. But when it came down to it, I could spend the money going to conferences getting new ideas for ministry or I could spend the money and take the time away I need to grow in Christ and re-energize my walk with Him.

I don’t know about you, but I have so many ideas that I don’t know what to do with them all. And the thing is, if I am pouring my energy into ministry and not taking care of my own relationship with Him, those new ideas are not going to take off anyway. Over the last couple years I have been doing what I can to do what I have always known, to put my relationship with God before my ministry. This is easier said than done, especially during the day to day things of life. Yosemite Summit is a great way to get away to leave the other things behind for a week and focus on what is most important.

Whether we realize it or not, we all need this time away with God. We fool ourselves into thinking that it is not a good time. We tell ourselves that we have too much going on. The things is, when don’t we as children’s pastors have too much going on? When are we just waiting around with nothing to do? There is always something to do!

There is never going to be the “best” time in our eyes to leave things behind. But as I came to the conclusion last year and this year, I need this time more than I need to hold the next event for the children. I need this time more than the next new activity or idea for the children’s ministry.

I realized that I needed to trust God and that He would provide the way to get things done that needed to get done – He would clear the path even if issues came up while at Yosemite. So with that said, I look forward to the discussions God and I will have on that mountain top. I look forward to the time with Him. I look forward to the continued strength from Him and how I will grow closer to Him that week. It will be an awesome week. Don’t miss it.

- Pat, April 2010

Learn more about this retreat at www.Yosemite Summit.org
Only four spots remain for 2010

Let me share one of my favorite elements from lesson three, it is a routine I use with my puppet, Gus. Of course, in the curriculum Gus’ name gets dropped (Sorry Gus!) so that teacher’s can replace him with their own puppet, I remember this routine fondly for both the humor and yet the poignant impact this routine has made many times on children. It’s a description, not a script, but you’ll get the idea:

Puppet has a black eye, a broken arm, and bandages all over his body. Leader asks what is wrong and says, “I hope you didn’t try to fight sin to the death like you were talking about last week!” Puppet says, “Oh, no. I did this all by myself.” Leader looks shocked, “You did this yourself? Were you in some kind of terrible accident?” Puppet says, “Oh, no. It wasn’t an accident. I did it on purpose.” Leader is even more shocked, “On purpose!? You did this on purpose? But why on earth would you do this on purpose?” Puppet looks sad and solemn. “Because I’m such a bad puppet. I needed to be punished.” Leader looks very concerned, “Punished? Punished for what?” Puppet continues, “Oh, I’m too embarrassed to tell you. But you said last week to turn to God and I’d stop sinning. Well, it didn’t work. I sinned again. And since I know better than to try and fight sin, I decided to beat myself up instead. I wanted to teach myself a lesson. God can’t have bad people on His team, you know. I’ve got to knock some sense into myself—beat myself into submission, you know. I tried to knock myself into the middle of next week. What is today’s date, by the way?” Leader is shocked and sad. “Oh, Puppet, you don’t need to beat yourself up. God will forgive you.” Puppet looks up, “Oh, I know He did, but not again and again.” Leader says, “Yes, again and again, and then again and again and again and again.” Puppet asks, “And then … again and again?” Leader smiles, “And then again and again.” Puppet says, “And then again?” Leader says, “And then again.” Puppet asks, “How many agains?” Leader says, “Until you’ve lost track.” Puppet says, “I already have.” Leader: “Then you still have more agains left over.” Puppet, looking more cheerful: “That’s a lot of agains!” Leader smiles: “As many as you need—that’s how much He loves you.”

Jesus sure has given me a lot of “agains” and I know I have a tendency to beat myself up to. I recently was with a good friend and brought up a sin I had committed in the past and this godly leader cut me off, looked me in the eye and said, “Do you believe in the cross?” I said “Of course,” and this person said, “then don’t ever mention your sin to me again. Just keep moving forward and serving the Lord.” Wow. That’s far as the East is from the West! We need more Christians like that, don’t we? We teach this stuff to our children, but sometimes its so hard to live and believe it for ourselves!

What are you beating yourself up for? What do you keep reminding yourself of?

Jesus has as many “agains” as we have sins. Need another “again?” He’s got one for ya!

You are invited to be a part of the Fellowship of the King!

“The Fellowship” is simply a group of children’s pastors and ministry leaders I am gathering who desire to periodically disconnect from the busyness of life and ministry to spend time with God in His creation and fellowship with others who share in their passion for children’s ministry.

There is no cost. It is simply a list of guys who I will invite on day hikes.There is no obligation to attend any or all – I know that only a few may be able to make each hike – the Fellowship simply makes up the list of those who want to know when the hikes are so they can be invited to join us. They will be planned all over the state during all seasons. Most will be one day hikes, leave early in the morning and head home when the sun sets.

The first will be Thursday, April 1st. For more information contact me.

NOTE: If you REALLY want to get away and enjoy creation, join me in May in Yosemite! See www.yosemitesummit.org (only a few spots remain unspoken for!)

I know God! Like you, I started by knowing about Him, and then gradually getting to know Him more and more.  

Finally, I set my mind to get to know Him “personally.”  This itself was the light bulb moment – it was when I DECIDED that I was going to relentlessly pursue this.  And then I found Him, just as He promises us.  

He’s there in the stories of the bible … the things that make Him smile, the things that really piss Him off, and the things in between.  Some things He doesn’t like, but He tolerates … other things make Him so happy He brags about us!  

It’s all there in the pages of the bible.  I can show you how.  It’s the coolest thing ever, because He is SO real. And when He becomes that real, one can write something like the 23rd Psalm (written by another man who knew Him)… or pray prayers like John 17, etc.  

[Have you ever imagined what it would feel like to BE David - to be ABLE to write the 23rd Psalm, and have it be true?]

 Email me if you want, and we can “talk.”  
You’ll love it.     

Anyway, please take me up on my offer to show you how to get to KNOW Yahweh.  

He wants you to – He really does.

It took a lot of courage for Kirk to write this e-mail. He didn’t know me, he had come to my blog for the first time after someone recommended he look into my ministry as a way to sell a resource he is developing – imagine his surprise when this post was his first introduction to me! Here was my response to him:

Kirk,

Thank you so much for your note. You made my day! I was so much hoping someone would have the courage to respond to my challenge and e-mail me because I DO indeed believe we can know God, Scripture makes that abundantly clear from cover to cover!! And I do know God, as you describe. I was just so humbled as I always am by my smallness when I am in Yosemite and surrounded by the BIGNESS and GREATNESS of God, it is just so humbling and I think we need to never be too flippant or trite about what it means to know God, but yes, that is the Amazing Offer that God extends to know Him, it is the beautiful offer of salvation. I just think we throw that offer around to loosely at times… it is an AWESOME thing to say, “You can know God.” To stick that on a bumper sticker is almost… I don’t know how to say it… is our God not Big enough? Have we made him a size we can handle? I think if we truly understood Him, would we ever sin?

Anyway, I do believe we can know God, Scripture is quite clear on it, and I planned to follow up on my blog:

On one hand God knows us….

1 Corinthians 8:3
But the man who loves God is known by God.

But scripture also talks of us knowing God… (in addition to showing it as you described!)

Galatians 4:8
Formerly, when you did not know God….

Galatians 4:9
But now that you know God—or rather are known by God…

Ephesians 1:17
I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better.

1 John 4:6
We are from God, and whoever knows God listens to us…

1 John 4:7
Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God.

I was so curious to see if anyone would have the boldness to take me up on my challenge and email me and say “I know God!” THANK YOU for doing so!  I really thought I’d be challenged more for that post!  If no one did, I was really going to be disappointed. Perhaps more struggle with not feeling like they know God. I’m sure it is a struggle, because we do all fall short and feel that gap between where we are and where we want to be!

May I share your email on my blog, with only your first name? And I’d be happy to “talk” more with you – as I have plenty of room to grow and would appreciate any insight you have to share on how I can know God better.

karl

Then he replied:

Whew!  I’m so relieved to get this response … I was a bit concerned about being so bold.  But then it also occurs to me that’s a shame, too, isn’t it?  Isn’t it a shame that we should consider it bold to proclaim that we know our own Father? Wow.  Man, I love talking about God, thinking about God, fearing Him and loving Him.  HE is everything.  Two lines in your note below say SO MUCH (I’m tempted to write a book or two in response, but I won’t because you obviously already “get it”):  “Have we made him a size we can handle? I think if we truly understood Him, would we ever sin?”  I’m afraid we’re all guilty of making God in our image … sad. (….)

Kirk

I’ve since been enjoying some good conversation with Kirk that I’m sure will continue! In the end, I still stand by my original post – I’m not “taking it back,” the more we get to understand God the smaller we ought to see ourselves, and the greater God becomes and the more impossible it seems that we could ever “know God” my conclusions in that post stand – and YET at the same time, all the more amazing and incredible it is that THIS SAME GOD WANTS US TO KNOW HIM! And invites us to do so despite our sinfulness.

Feast on that!

These are images and journal entries from my Solo Sabbatical to Yosemite in January 2010. (Pictures are all from Day One, two more days yet to come.)

Day 1 – February 1, 2010

First Glimpse of Half Dome - Always Stunning

Knowing God.

Started thinking about this topic this morning – so been mulling it around all morning as I snow shoed around the base of El Capitan and Merced River taking pictures today. (Love snow shoeing by the way.) Really thought it would be a lot more laborious than it is, it’s easy and enjoyable. But anyway, “knowing God” – isn’t that the promise of the Christian life? We can know God!

I gave away my Badger Pass ski lift passes each morning (also included tour bus passes and other perks) at breakfast that came with my Lodge “all inclusive deal” because I didn’t need them, the meal vouchers were all I needed. I’m here just to hike and take pictures. I was offered money each time and just said nope, “they’re as free as God’s salvation.” I almost added, “I hope you’ll get to know Him like I do.” That’s what got me thinking about this. How well DO I know Him?

El Capitan Aglow in Late Afternoon

That’s supposed to be the big offer of salvation! How many Gospel tracts have on the cover, “You can KNOW GOD!” Then why don’t I feel like I know Him? (Should I not be admitting this?) Oh, I know a lot about him – probably more than most people. Try me. And not just on a biblical knowledge basis either, philosophically even. (Don’t ask me to explain, it’s complicated.) ;0) But know God? – come on,  are you serious? He’s GOD for crying out loud! How am I supposed to KNOW Him? What does that even mean?

Understand Him? Yeah, right. Predict His behavior? I wish. Anticipate His moves? Never. Influence His decisions? You could argue prayer – but that’s a stretch. Hang out with Him and shoot the breeze? I hardly think so. Worship Him? Certainly! (I’m doing that here in Yosemite!) But that isn’t knowing Him.

Brideveil Falls in Winter

I worship Him (especially here in Yosemite) precisely because I don’t know Him enough – how He created this place, etc. I understand what He expects, wants, and demands of me well enough – and how far short I fall – and I understand His mercy and grace, even friendship and salvation through the person and work of Jesus Christ — and have accept it!! BUT KNOW HIM?!?!?

El Capitan On Fire from the Evening Sun

I’m not so sure about that – and I’m not even convinced I’m supposed to KNOW HIM – just His TRUTH. The more I marvel at the wonders of Yosemite – the more I am convinced my purpose is not much different from that of Half Dome or El Capitan. I think I have about as much chance of knowing God as one of those Rocks! And only man’s pride tells me I have more chance of knowing God than a towering tree or a flowing river.

Seriously. The more I think about who God is – the more I see that I am just another of His creations. Sure – I’m MORE than a rock – I can talk, write in this journal! (or blog) I’m self aware – and aware that I’m self aware -  and aware that I’m aware that I’m aware and so on! I have a free will, and therefore the capacity for love as well as rebellion – I can be loyal to my Creator – or selfishly act independent of Him even as He sustains my very existence and breath. But know Him?

A Snow Covered Half Dome from Sentinel Bridge

I’d like to meet someone who claims to know God. Seriously. (email me if you do.) I’d like to know what that looks like. For me, I’d like to stop telling people, “You can know God personally.” I’m not sure that’s true. However, perhaps we can say, “God knows you personally, and you can be right with Him.” I think I want to give up trying to “know God” and instead focus on being right with God. Living a life of obedience that pleases God, honors God – and reflects His glory.

Half Dome from Sentinel Bridge After Dark (time lapse)

As I said earlier, my purpose, as a creation of God, is no different that these mountains here – it is to be a testimony to God. The only difference is that they are far more limited in what they can do, however they get to do it for for hundreds of years! I don’t get as long – but have been given much more ability to testify! With words – actions – love – attitudes – etc. HOW I LIVE, the testimony of my life.

I’m not sure my goal in life ought to be to “know God” – I think it is rather that others might be right with God too because they knew me.

Yosemite Fall Taken in Pitch Darkness with Open Shutter

I wonder every time I come here, how people can be in Yosemite and not believe in God. I ought to wonder how people can know me and not believe in God.

As though a conspiracy against my heart, the sermon series was tited “Out of Control.” Go figure. Who told them I was coming?

I talk in detail about this and its impact on me in the first Kidology Online Training video First Things First which many have told me has in turn impacted them. (Some have shared their feedback in the forum discussion for that video)

On the stage was a giant TV Remote control. Each button related to a sermon. Here is a QUICK overview getting to the point of this post:

Stop - Sabbath: Me? Guilty.

Fast Forward – Vision, living with the future in mind. Me? Oh, boy. I had that button stuck. All I used to talk about was Vision! I’m all about Vision, which is good, Great even! But I failed to live in TODAY. Guilty.

Reverse – Dealing with the past. Luckily, I got a break that week. This sermon dealt with dealing with childhood wounds and I had a wonderful childhood, and I really don’t have baggage there, so I was received. It was a good message, but I enjoyed a week of not feeling beat up.

Pause - Reflection – stopping to reflect on how is your walk with God is TODAY, your marriage, your relationship with kids, friends, etc. I was always about where I was going – I needed to plan periods to stop and ask, how are things right now? Guilty.

But the one that got me the worst – and that I didn’t see coming, and the point of this post, and the reason I am heading to Yosemite this week, and why my post says “Thank you Pastor Jeff Griffin” -

WAS PLAY: RECREATION. I totally did not see this one coming!

Pastor Jeff defined recreation as RE-CREATION. That which re-creates you.

Let me explain.

Up to that point, I had always said,

“I am so blessed that my occupation, my vocation and my recreation are all the same: children’s ministry!”

I couldn’t have been more wrong!

I mistook FUN for re-creation. It IS TRUE that children’s ministry is FUN – there is no more fun and enjoyable ministry than working with kids – but it doesn’t re-create me, it DRAINS ME! And I had been being drained for fifteen years.

This may come as a shocker to many who know me, but I am an introvert.

WHAT?!?!? But I am a public speaker and love to entertain and make people laugh and am comfortable in the spotlight. Yes, that is where my gifts and talents are – but I recharge and refresh and renew alone.

HERE’S THE POINT:

That Sunday Pastor Jeff challenged us to intentionally plan a way to be re-created explaining that this is the true nature of recreation. I leaned over to my wife, almost sarcastically, because at that moment, I thought his challenge was IMPOSSIBLE, and I said, almost bitterly, as I was so empty and drained and exhausted and hurt and in pain and said,

“The only way I could be re-created would be to go to Yosemite alone for several days with just my camera and worship music and be alone with God.”

Granted, in September 2006, I was in no place to do such a thing – but the seed was born and the idea took root and would not go away. A year later I got the courage to ask my wife seriously if she would let me pursue this dream, and she said if I would go with some other men. (She feared me falling off a cliff for the sake of a picture!) I also had shared with her that I knew I couldn’t be the only children’s pastor who needed this!

As a result, Yosemite Summit was born. Me and eight men have since gone twice. You can read and view pictures and video of the Summit of 2008 and 2009. If you need this event and can not afford it, a 100% scholarship has been given for this year.

But today, over four years after I heard that sermon, my dream of going alone for several days to Yosemite for a one on one with God in Yosemite is coming true.

I want to thank Pastor Jeff for that sermon. I also want to thank him for taking time with me for several meals and meeting during those two years of healing in Illinois. His grace, love, advice and belief in me was healing.

Some see me as some children’s ministry blogger or ‘guru’ or expert. Some have called me a ‘giant’ of children’s ministry – those words scare me. My other website may be giant, but I’m no giant. I’m a little man with huge flaws and I thank God for men like Pastor Jeff who saw only the man and who saw none the stuff around me and cared less about my ministry, and more about me and loved me into a new place of health and vitality that has equipped me for the next phase of life and serving God with new energy and perspective that is free from the old drive that while accomplished a lot, about killed me and my marriage.

I finally understand what it truly means to be dead to self, and alive in Christ.

Thanks Jeff – I’m in Yosemite this week, hangin’ with God because of you!

If you follow my blog or facebook or twitter (especially recently) it is no secret that I love the mountains! It is one of the reasons I moved to Colorado. But I was reminded by my mentor Oswald Chambers that it is how we live in the valleys that truly matters. Let me encourage you with his words:

The height of the mountaintop is measured by the dismal drudgery of the valley, but it is in the valley that we have to live for the glory of God. We see His glory on the mountain, but we never live for His glory there. It is in the place of humiliation that we find our true worth to God – that is where our faithfulness is revealed. Most of us can do things if we are always at some heroic level of intensity, simply because of the natural selfishness of our own hearts. But God wants us to be at the drab everyday relationship with Him…… when you were on the mountaintop you could believe anything, but what about when you were faced with the facts of valley?

I love going to the mountains, but I know I must live in the valleys. And I’ve been in some pretty deep valleys too. Some were just the natural valleys of life – others I dug myself! But I love having a view of the mountains now as a constant reminder that there is HOPE that I do not need to stay in the valley that there is a God who not only is in the valley with me, but who invites me OUT, and to go to the heights with Him!

You may not have a “mountain view” – just as I lived without the past twenty-three years, but all along, I knew they existed and it made valley dwelling easier. In life, there are valleys, but just knowing that our God is High and Exalted is enough to sustain us in the valleys. So look to the mountains for Hope, but live in the valleys honoring Him no matter what, for that is where your character shows and therefore where it really matters. Praise Him!

Luke Loves Rest Stops!

As we are driving across the country on our move from Chicago to Colorado we stop at almost every Rest Stop. Not only for the obvious reasons, but also to give our three year old a break from the car seat to run around a bit and play. We run, laugh and play. And while there is a part of me (that logical, practical, productive part I struggle to turn off) that can feel like we are wasting time and losing progress on our journey and delaying our ‘goal’ – the part of me I’m learning to listen to realizes that “getting there” is not always the goal. The quality of the journey is equally important, if not MORE so.

So the Rest Stops are not delays, they are enhancements – bonuses – perks! They are, in fact, the highlights of an otherwise boring trip. When our son begs to stay at a Rest Stop, that tells you something!

Time for Excersize!

We’ve all got goals and objectives in our lives and ministries, but in our eagerness to accomplish them, don’t blow past the Rest Stops. You need them! And not just for the obvious reasons, (prayer and Bible reading), you need regular breaks for other reasons too, just to enjoy life, to rest, play, laugh, learn, listen, read, whatever you enjoy!

And hear me: you don’t need Rest Stops when you ‘have time’ for them, it is when you DON’T have time for them that you need them the most! Just like a Rest Stop on the highway, they don’t have to be long. They can be a short nap, a walk, something entertaining for a good laugh, a phone call to a friend, a trip to Starbucks for a frapathingie or McD’s for a large Coke. You know what it is for you, it’s probably coming to mind right now. An excuse probably is too, why you can’t do do that. Zap that.There is no excuse. Be the boss of your brain. Be the driver of your life, not the stuff on the desk or in your in-box!

Hey, Rest Stop ahead in 2 miles, and you CAN stop!

Playing Samson with Daddy

I have a friend who travels a lot by car and I asked his secret to long drives and he said he has a rule, “Drive 50 minutes, stop 10, no matter what.”

Resting in the Leaves

I think that’s good advice in life and ministry too. Well, we are about to stop at another another Rest Stop, so I’d better stop blogging!

We’ll be arriving in Colorado tonight!

Looking Up to Daddy

On Top of the World with my Boy

I’m still feeling the effects of Yosemite Summit 2009. It is difficult to describe this event to someone who has not gone; it is truly a wonderful trip on so many fronts. But it is my prayer that some descriptions, some pictures, quotes from the guys and a video might help you get a glimpse of the unique experience Yosemite Summit is for the guys who take the time away from ministry to invest in their walk with God and a few other good men who share their passion for children’s ministry.

After the neat group of guys God brought together for the first Summit, I honestly was a little worried that the second year might feel different, but again God brought together a group of men who all got along great and seemingly instantly we were like old friends. I now get to pray the same for 2010!

There is simply no way to describe the grandeur of the vistas at Yosemite National Park. Pictures can’t even come close to capturing the awe of looking out from one vista to another across the sprawling valley below. It is like you can reach out and touch the presence of God.

One of the highlights of Yosemite Summit is getting some time alone in magnificent places to think, pray and journal your thoughts. All the usual distractions of life are hundreds of miles away… and somehow God’s voice is just so much clearer, if not louder.

Thanks so much for an awesome week! It was a real joy to hike with fellow CPs. I was blessed by each guy sharing each night and energized by the encouragement and new ideas shared. The spiritual challenges from Karl, were spot on and a great tool for God to work in my life. I look forward to continuing our new friendships. God Bless each one of you and may your lives and families and ministries never be the same!

We often were together as we hiked, but then had times to split up for some solo time as well. The balance between fellowship and solitude is not managed strictly, but seems to just naturally unfold as we hike at different paces, regroup at the most spectacular sites, and gather for meals along the trails.

How do you describe the feeling of standing at the top of a mountain? While we always stayed a safe distance from truly deadly or dangerous drop offs, you are often near places where the ground soon gives way to sky where hawks and eagles drift by. To be looking straight across at a water fall that is pouring hundreds of feet to a valley below you is awe-inspiring. While the falls seem distant, often you can still hear their roar as they crash into rocks thousands of feet away below and across the valley.

While much of what is experienced in Yosemite remains here or in our memories, the time invested in journaling helps take much of what God stirs within us back home. I love rereading from my Yosemite journal and then closing my eyes and remembering the place where I wrote those words.

Yosemite Summit met all my expectations and I came away feeling like it was one of the best things I could have done for my relationship with the Lord and my ministry.  I love the idea of allowing retreat, re-create times to rekindle my love for God, my family and my ministry.

Because of today’s technology, it is wonderful to be able to have worship music playing in head phones as we hiked, journals, or just relaxed. At other times, walking in silence and allowing God’s creation to be the sound track was equally beautiful. With the distant roar of countless water falls, the chirping of birds, rustling of leaves and the occasional scurry of an animal broken only by the steady plodding of our footsteps, Creation offered us the most fitting background music.

I never in all my 20+ years of ministry had taken a “real” break away where I could focus on my relationship with Christ. Because of my time at Yosemite, I have committed that I would take a break regularly because of the impact this has had on my ministry, family and my relationship with Jesus. Yosemite Summit gave me the opportunity to refresh my soul, to renew my spirit and to come back home with a new resolve to fall in love with Jesus more, to serve  him with a wiser focus and to honor him with the way I lead my family and my ministry. – Tom

I loved seeing the guys relaxing and can’t help wondering, how often do they truly get to relax back home – where they totally and completely let go of everything and just enjoy the presence of God?

There is nothing like the opportunity to get away, on your own, with no distractions while you listen to God’s voice. The memory will not quickly fade. Jesus made many different times to get away. He even took 40 days before beginning his ministry. How much more do we need to get away and just be with God? Yosemite Summit is this strategic opportunity. – Steve

One of the ways I worship is through the lens of my camera. While no film can capture the majesty of this place, it sure is fun trying. At least you get to take glimpses of it home to enjoy over and over again. Around every turn is yet another “perfect shot” that for some segments of the trip, I had to simply put my camera away and soak it in knowing that being there is better than any picture from there.

While we don’t do any ‘real’ climbing with ropes and gear, there are plenty of rocks that whisper, “Climb me!” And once ascended offer either a better view, or simply a satisfying feeling of having accomplished something worth relaxing and soaking in.

Nothing makes the heart pound like being near the edge of a cliff. And while our wives may fear our curiosity, we were always safe and looked out for each other. But nevertheless, sitting near an edge is a profound way to realize one’s humanity and to appreciate every day God grants us to worship and serve Him!

One of the highlights of Yosemite Summit is a hike that will most likely be included every year, the Mist Trail. There is a stretch where you’d get drenched to the bone if you didn’t wear a poncho! The mist from the thundering waterfall becomes so thick it is almost blinding and the sound of the water fall thrilling. Plus, realizing you will soon be standing at the top at the very edge (behind a railing!) makes the countless stone stairs worth every step.

This is Taft Point, one of the highest vista look out points in Yosemite (and one of the few with a railing) where you can peer straight down over 3500 feet! It was while hiking back from here that I was nearly stuck by lightening in a hail storm that rushed in on us!

The time away at the Yosemite Summit gave me the encouragement I needed, the time I needed to confront the hard issues I had been pushing back, and the conviction to embrace who I truly am in God’s eyes.

Yosemite Summit is an event that will recharge you as a child of God, a husband of your wife and a father of your children.  The investment is worth it because the event will impact your walk with God and your relationship with your wife and kids.  I can tell you that this single week will have an impact on the rest of my life.

Yosemite Summit 2009 may be over, but it’s impact will last a life time. It is now time to start praying about whether God would have you join us for Yosemite Summit 2010!

Yosemite Summit was a huge blessing and a very worthwhile investment in helping me be refreshed in my relationship with God and helping to keep me centered in my relationships with my wife, kids and my church.  Walking by yourself part of a day through towering Sequoia trees praying to God and enjoying his handiwork after having spent time being encourage by and with 8 Christian guys is priceless! – Scotty H.

2009 Highlight Video:

Waking up in a hospital bed on Easter Sunday morning after a life-saving proceedure on your heart does wonders for your perspective on life. While family and some friends are quick (too quick) to jump on my diet or love of Dew, the reality is that while I certainly have to make some minor changes to my diet to eat more “heart healthy” and increase exercise, diet is not at the top of my list of the things I’m thinking about. I’m not devaluing the importance of these changes, I’ll make them, many I already was over the past few years, but facing one’s mortality so dramatically impacted me more in thinking about relationships, not food.

Months away from turning forty, I suppose everyone at some point truly faces their mortality, and the deep realization that truly every day is a gift from God. Perhaps they go through something like I did, or someone they love does, or it may just be a significant birthday number that hits them; “I’m getting old!”

While I’ve always known and believed that every day was a gift from God – when the events of the last 48 hours are such that TODAY is truly a gift, you know it to a deeper level than you could before. Questions like – Who am I? Why am I here? What is my purpose? What truly matters? How then shall I live? – suddenly take on a new and deeply significant meaning. I’ve always been very mission driven in life and Kingdom focused in my work (at times to a fault) but this event has really caused me to think differently about relationships, or at least think the same things with a clarity and focus I never imagined possible before. Has this episode changed me? Of course. Facing death in the middle of an otherwise normal and fun day – brings everything into crystal clear focus. If I could sum it up in one phrase, I’d say:

Suddenly, selfishness now seems so…. selfish.

I now want even more so to live each day – not to do, not to accomplish, not to gain, not to accumulate, not even to impact or serve – but simply to love. To love God, to love my wife, to love my son, and to love my family and friends like I may have intended before, but to a degree I never did before. I want to be more of an others-centric person. I want to go to bed every night knowing that if today had been my last, I had truly loved and lived that day, and that nothing left behind or left undone truly mattered.

So, yeah. I’ll drink less Dew, but there are things so much more significant in life than merely the acceptance that I now need to eat and exercise better. My “new” diet is simply what everyone should be eating anyway, as is my “new” exercise requirements. All that is “new” is being extremely convinced of their importance and the motivation to do them more intentionally!

If all I gained from this experience was a healthier or even longer life, than I missed the point. Long life is not the goal. A life truly lived is! Please DO NOT let my story merely encourage you to be healthier. Please. Instead, may it spur you on to live a life of love! To God, to your family, and to anyone God brings into your life!

If you and I both will do that, than my near death experience will truly have value!

My 3-year-old has entered a fun, new stage in life. In the past, any time I would ask him a question starting with, “Do you know…,” he would answer “yes,” even if he didn’t. Last week, I encouraged him to answer, “No, tell me,” if he in fact didn’t know an answer.

It has now turned into a game where he has me ask him questions, and loves answering, “No, tell me,” before I launch into explaining to him another aspect of our amazing world. He has discovered that if he asks, I will tell him things he doesn’t already know, and he LOVES learning new things. Plus, with this new openness to learning, I’m teaching him about things I otherwise probably wouldn’t have yet.

It got me thinking about my relationship with my Father. How often do I go through the day acting like I know everything, or at least, everything I need to know to get through the day. But my Father delights when I admit I have more to learn and ask him, “Tell me more.” There are many things He will show me when He sees that I am open and eager to learn. I may know enough to get through the day, but I want more. I want to learn more about Him, about His world, and about His plan for my life.

Maybe it is time to turn to your heavenly Father, and say, “Tell me more,” because He will!

(excerpt from the Kidology Newsletter 4-1-09. Don’t get this idea-packed newsletter? Subscribe today!)

When is the last time you took a leap of faith? When you stepped off secure ground and submitted yourself to the Hands of God by attempting something daring where you couldn’t see how the landing would be? Often we climb to great heights for God – and the view is spectacular on the summit – but perhaps God is saying it is time to stop enjoying the view and take a leap of faith.

I hear often from friends and collegues who feel trapped in there current ministry or life situation. Granted, life is tough, and the grass is always greener on the ‘other side’ – and it takes great character to stick it out in a tough situation. But there is another side to it. Perhaps you don’t have to stay stuck there. Perhaps the problems are God’s way of saying, “I have something else for you.” (Better doesn’t always mean easier, by the way, but better does mean excitement because you are depending on God!)

HOWEVER – I’m not speaking so much to those who hate where they are and daydream of being somewhere else. I’m thinking of those who are in a good place, a comfortable place, a place of acheivement and accomplishment, where it is easy to stick around and simply enjoy the fruit of their labor. Remeber when everything was a complete mess? How much you prayed and depended on God? And how exciting it was?

Perhaps it is time to take a leap of faith and ask God to give you the courage to step out into nothingless and let Him take you where He needs you next. I accept this challenge for myself as much as present it to you.

What daring thing is God asking you to do next? Take the first step into nothingness… and feel your heart begin to pound with anticipation!

God’s ways are not our ways. We tend to equate leadership with lordship; He equates leadership with servanthood. We want strength so we can help God with His work; He makes us weak so He can demonstrate His power. We advertise our credentials so others can be more sure of us; He lets us fail so they can see that apart from God we’re not much at all.

We are inclined to focus on personalities, to be impressed by the intellect, education, and strength of a leader’s will. Followers begin to believe that a particular leader can do no wrong. Such adulation, however, is nothing more than humanism—making a human being the measure of all things. What’s worse, it’s idolatry—centering our devotion on someone other than God.

So God lets leaders fall off their pedestal. Failure, indecision, and underachievement bring them to a humbling realization of their own inadequacy—and can cause followers to lose their illusions and overdependence on those leaders. This is a good reminder that all of us—leaders and followers alike—walk through life on “feet of clay.” Ultimately, the only good thing about any one of us is the goodness of God. That’s why we need to recognize that “our sufficiency is from God” (2 Corinthians 3:5).    — David H. Roper

(This is reprinted from Our Daily Bread, as discovered in the DiscipleLand Dispatch.)

Guys, we’re at the critical spot – there are ONLY THREE spots left for Yosemite Summit. If you have thought about this retreat, prayed about it, perhaps dreamed about it – don’t let it slip by! Register ASAP as it will soon be too late to join us for 2009, and there is no guarentee of next year. I hope to do this every year for the rest of my life, but I can only promise one year at a time.

There are not words to describe just how incredible this week is. Of course, I have tried on the Yosemite Summit site many times to describe both the natural and supernatural impact of this trip. But with only three spots left, let me share with you what some of last years guys wrote to me after getting home from Yosemite Summit:

It was great to begin new friendships and gain valuable ministry perspective from the stories of those in our group.  Furthermore the times I did get alone with God were especially rich and meaningful.

I needed a vision for the finishing of our new Children’s Building, God gave it to me on this trip.  I had a couple of other unanswered prayers and areas I needed direction on and I got them on this trip.  It gave me time to get out of the business of ministry and listen to what God had to say to me.

If you are having a hard time spiritually and personally, you need this trip.  It is a great time to be forced to get away from the business of ministry and life to listen to what God has for you.  We get so overwhelmed with the work/business of the ministry, doing it under our own power, we forget about relying on God.  God is our source of power, and strength.  There is no place better the Yosemite to see God’s power, strength and creation.  And there is no better group of people to share this with than guys who share your pain and blessings!

When I got back and met with my Senior Pastor he said he could see a level excitement and new enthusiasm.

The Yosemite Summit, exceeded everything I dreamed. As I walked through God’s creation, I could sense his presence more and more. Taking time away from everything and focusing on my spiritual health will only strengthen my daily walk, my family, and my ministry. It was a financial investment for my family to attend, but they have already said it was well worth sending me on. I cannot put into words how grateful I am to have been a part of the first Yosemite Summit. I know in my heart I will never really leave it.

Perhaps it will be YOU soon describing what an incredible week you had. Register today!

First, George Barna confirmed what those of us in children’s ministry have known all along – that the ripest spiritual field is children, and that the most strategic way to stop the disappearance of a biblical world view in our church is to renew our commitment to children.

Next, Larry Fowler established the biblical basis for churches not just value children, but prioritize ministry to children. Others then followed with a renewed call to broaden the scope of children’s ministry to include the entire family, the loudest voice being Reggie Joiner asking us to rethink ministry at the Orange Conference offering their virtue-based family time resources and strategy to incorporate complete families in the Sunday church experience.

Then Awana Clubs, long known for its success at reaching unchurched children and providing kids a solid biblical foundation surprised us by dramatically altering its approach and confessing its past “let us disciple your kids” attitude was insufficient and began to completely re-engineer its programs to better include parents in the process.

Soon many more, like Julia Duin in Quitting Church, began revealing stats showing just how poorly we are doing in translating Bible Quiz-Whiz kids into faithful disciples when they got old enough to choose whether to attend church or not.

While DiscipleLand has long offered a comprehensive home-based/church-supported curriculum strategy for discipling children, other companies all over the map are waking up to the need to engage the home rather than just keep adding to the programs and resources available at church. “Family Ministry” and “Partnering with Parents” are the buzz words appearing everywhere.

Then Larry Fowler was back with a strategy to build a comprehensive birth to high school strategy for preparing the next generation to be spiritually strong and healthy; to be “Modern Day Josephs” in an ever increasingly secular culture. Most recently, D6 (Deuteronomy chapter six) has splashed on the scene offering not only a family-wide church curriculum, but also devotional magazines from preschool through adulthood aiming to get the entire family in sync with what they are learning in the home.

Everywhere you look, from workshops at CPC to the newest children’s ministry leadership books, you are hearing a growing call: The spiritual formation of children must be done by parents, not for parents. The church’s role is shifting from one of serving and supporting parents to one of empowering, equipping and encouraging parents.

If you can’t feel the wave growing, you’ve either let it pass ahead of you – or should see the swell rising behind you. To best “surf” this growing ministry wave, you’ll need to carefully watch the swell growing, letting some of the smaller advance ones pass, position yourself in the best spot, start paddling in the right direction, and get ready to start pushing down at just the right moment. Soon you too can stand up and ride it in!

Perhaps you are convinced already. Children’s Ministry “as usual” isn’t cutting it. You’ve got to better partner with parents if you truly want to see children transformed into spiritual champion and modern day Josephs. But how?

Let me tell you this. The answer isn’t another curriculum, resource or program. That doesn’t mean you might not switch to DiscipleLand, send home FamilyTime CDs, encourage the use of D6 devotional magazines, or establish new programs or plan various family events. But these cannot be your solution. They can only be components of YOUR strategy. The solution for your church begins with you and your pastor.

As I wrote about in my article The New Deal, in the Jan/Feb 09 issue of Children’s Ministry Magazine, and expounded upon and detailed in my Kidology Leadership Lab: Partnering with Parents, the key is to start with a brutally honest and open conversation with parents as to what their needs, desires, frustrations, struggles, and hopes are for their kids and how they see the church helping  or hindering their efforts.

Next, I would suggest, you’ve got to step back and ask yourself three key questions about every age level in your ministry:

1.    What KNOWLEDGE do I want them to have?
2.    What SKILLS do I want them to have?
3.    What EXPERIENCES would I like them to have?

KNOWLEDGE: There is obviously a great need for teaching children the Bible and the truth it contains. Most ministries do this fairly well. Few can give you an overview of their strategy to ensure what their student will or should know at the various stages of growing up. A genuine strategy for forming disciples requires that the organizer of the process know what the long term goals are. As the old saying goes, “If you aim at nothing, you are sure to hit it!” Now extend this to families! What knowledge do families need to be successful? Do we run the risk of filling our kids with a whole host of biblical trivia and neglect giving families the knowledge they need in order translate what the children are learning at church into real life? Perhaps it is time to get out paper and pencil and start writing out what you believe your families need to know to succeed, and then start evaluating whether they do, how they can, and how you’ll evaluate if they do?

SKILLS: My experience has been that the vast majority of church, if they focus intentionally on what their children need to know, stop there. But knowledge alone does make a disciple. (James warns that even demons know the truth about God, and shudder!) A disciple is one who lives out the knowledge of God in their daily life, and to do so requires key skills. Bible skills, while often taught to children, are only the beginning. We all learned to drive a car while young, but would all agree there is much more to driving than operating a car. Likewise, being able to navigate a Bible is useless if one doesn’t know how to study, understand and then apply what is discovered to life. Have you listed, by age range, what you want your children, youth and parents to be able to DO as a follower of Christ?

EXPERIENCE: The third aspect touches on one of the weaknesses of church programming. In the creating of programs and planning of events, we are often quick to forget the PURPOSE of programs and events. They are not the end – they are the means to the end. The goal of a church ministry is not to create programs or events, it is to create life experiences that impact the spiritual growth of the individuals enrolled in the program or attending the event. This is an important distinction because not all experiences that a disciple needs on along their spiritual journey can be programmed or created via an event. Programs and events can only create a context for life experiences. So, again, I would challenge you to invest some time in asking and answering the question, what experiences do the children, youth and families of my church need to grow as disciples of Jesus?

One of the best things you could do for your ministry is to mentally set aside all your programs, events and plans and answer the questions above. Then, after having answered them, take a look at your programs, events and plans and consider the following:

1.    What is the best thing I could stop doing that doesn’t fit these objectives?
2.    Does my curriculum support these objectives? (Beyond just teaching Bible knowledge)
3.    How do my standing programs help or hinder these objectives?
4.    What events do I need to create in order to provide the needed life experiences?
5.    What events do I need to cancel because they may be good, but are no longer on target?
6.    What experiences can no program or event create? How can I foster those experiences?
7.    How can I help families develop the skills they need to keep growing?

In order to develop a ministry-wide strategy of making disciples, you must start to not only include parents in your considerations, but make them an essential ingredient. This will take effort, creativity, and a willingness to accept; even initiate change. “Ministry as usual” is certainly easier, but if long-term results are what we are truly after, then we must be willing to make adjustments now. If only one degree of change now can have incredible long-term results later, imagine the eternal impact of being more strategic now. Most ministries probably need more than one degree of change, but we’ll have all eternity to enjoy the results if we don’t hesitate. It all starts with asking the right questions. The answers to these questions will be different in every church. But if you don’t ask, you’ll never enjoy the results.

Because Jesus Loves Families,

Karl Bastian

	Here are some helpful resources from Kidology.org to help you address this growing need to include parents in children’s minisitry.
Download The New Deal (PDF, 316k) Discuss Partnering with Parents (Kidology Network Forums) Watch Leadership Lab #4: Partnering with Parents (Kidology Online Training) Purchase Leadership Lab Download Kit (Kidology Store)

Ladies – I know how hard you work, and how incredibly needed you are in your ministries – I’ve worked with the best of you for my entire ministry. But sometimes, you need to take care of yourself, and take a well deserved break!

When I started inviting men to Yosemite Summit in 2007, I got many e-mails from women asking me to offer the same thing for women – that they need it too – that they need it more, a few suggested! Well, obviously, I can’t personally provide a retreat for women (not sure my wife would appreciate that!) so I went to the best female children’s pastor in the country, Kim Bobb, and asked her to prayerfully consider putting together a similar event for women, and she responded to my invitation, and the need, for an event for women to disconnect from ministry, and focus on their walk with God while enjoying the fellowship of other women who share the same passion for ministry to children.

The event is called Unbridled, not because you’ll be riding wild horses, but because it it time to throw off all that is tying you down, even if only for a few days, to enjoy some fun, fellowship, laughter and meaning conversations with God and some other women who share your struggles, your joys, your frustrations, and your needs.

Let me encourage you to prayerfully consider joining Kim Bobb on this once-in-a-lifetime event. This may be the only year this is offered, so don’t miss out assuming you can go some “other” year.

Please visit YosemiteSummit.org and visit the WOMEN TAB at the top of the page. You’ll be glad you did, and it may be just what you need to get some peace and sanity back into your life. You will be glad you did, and so will your family too!

And Guys, if you are stil snooping and reading, maybe it is because you need to come join ME on the men’s retreat… it will be amazing.

As I write this, I’m hangin’ out at Ace Hardware w/ the boy to get some keys made. He’s been cooped up inside for a week due to the extreme weather so we gave him an early birthday present just to discover it needed D batteries – of which we had none! But it was a good excuse to get out, seeing as it was a warm day today at 18 degrees. (Warm compared to this past week.) I’m standing in line, so why not blog?

Anyway, turned out everybody and their mother-in-law went to Ace today for keys. (Perhaps I’m not the only one with the “buy 1 get 1 free” coupon!) But waiting in line and watching the Ace Man make the keys reminds me of when I worked at True Value in high school and got trained on key machine. It’s a pretty simple machine. There are clamps that hold two keys against two wheels. The only difference is that one wheel only rides the original key and the second wheel is a grind stone that cuts the blank. Both wheels are attached so as the operator runs the first wheel up and down and over the original while pushing down, the second wheel cuts into the blank key making a perfect duplicate.

Kinda reminds me of how God is working to make me in the image of Jesus.

I am in the process of being made into a duplicate of Jesus, at least in His character. However, in order to be changed, I must submit to a process of being made in His image. There is some pain involved, but what is cut away is only that which does not exist in Jesus. And in order to be cut, there must be pressure into the nature of Christ – the Holy Spirit is the one running the machine, but I have to be willing to be clamped in and not to resist His guiding process. If I resist the downward pressure of the blade, I will miss out on being made more like Jesus. We’ve probably all had to return hardware store made keys for not working – a perfect match is careful work. In the same way, if I mess with God’s process by disobeying or not submitting, I will be a poor match to my Savior. My life won’t work right, just as a key half-made wouldn’t fulfill it’s purpose either.

As I stand here watching, I realize, it would be nice to start out as a blank, the reality is that there are a lot of influences in this world that have already cut notches and grooves into the character of my life, many of which don’t belong. I need to be willing to head to the “helpful place” and let God continue doing some cutting into my life. Often times He is correcting what has already been cut incorrectly. It may be uncomfortable at times, but in the end I’ll be a more useful tool for God and I’ll have the key to eternal life!

When it was finally my turn to get my keys duplicated, I saw a sign that said, “Ace is the Helpful Place” and I couldn’t help smiling as I thought, “Actually, Grace is the Helpful Place.”

We are in the midst of difficult times and difficult decisions. Every day we are hearing from the news reports and those we know personally that times are tough and the consensus seems to be that it will get worse before it gets better. The answer? It isn’t politics or government solutions. Even though I am frustrated with how much of our current economic problems are a direct result of our government’s meddling, the reality is that even if our economy was hummin’ along, we would not be free from problems and we would still have storms. Focusing on the current economic crisis is a distraction because the goal isn’t economic prosperity, it is spiritually prosperity.

There are four aspects of the Christian Life that we often focus on in our desire to be a better Christian: Faith, Humility, Love, and Holiness. In church this morning, the pastor speaking suggested that instead of trying to have more faith, be more humble or loving or holy, we instead ought to focus on living what he called a God-Centered Life. He defined it this way:

“A God-Centered Life is a life lived wholehearted for God without any consideration for our own needs.”

A life lived like that would, as a result, increase our faith, require humility,  encourage a loving response to those who around us and produce holiness. These would become results of God rather than results of our striving and efforts. And it would produce a life that had the favor of God. Imagine that – a life with the favor of God?! Nothing could be better to gain in all of life. It fit well with my church’s theme verse:

For the eyes of the Lord range throughout the earth to strongly support those whose hearts are fully committed to him. 2 Chronicles 16:9

Why do we find it so difficult to step out in faith and live a completely God-Centered Life? He suggests that FEAR is the culprit. We were challenged to consider five Basic Needs that we all seek, that are best described in a key question we ask, and that are motivated by a core fear. There are:

5 Basic Needs / Driving Question / Core Fear

1) Provision
Question: Will I have enough?
Core Fear: Scarcity

2) Protection
Question: Will I be safe?
Core Fear: Pain

3) Pleasure
Question: Will I be happy
Core Fear: Emptiness

4) Prestige
Question: Will I matter?
Core Fear: Worthlessness

5) Popularity
Question: Will I belong?
Core Fear: Loneliness

In reviewing each of those I hope I’m not the only one who sees the hidden motivators that interfere with my desire to follow God without hesitation. He made the point that in marriage counseling he often has couples start their first session by saying, “Well, we started out 50/50 but now….” and that is where he cuts them off saying, “Well, that’s the problem. Marriage isn’t 50/50, it is 100/100. If each of you are giving the other 100% effort, focusing entirely on what is best for the other, trusting that the other is doing the same, that is the secret of a healthy marriage.” Well, the same, he pointed out, is true with our walk with God!

We need to give 100% effort toward living a God-Centered Life trusting that God will also give us 100% at the same time and can meet each of those needs, answer each of those questions and calm each of those fears.  I love when Truth hits me from several directions. Later today, I was reading the next chapter in The Shack, (blog post on that later after I recover from that book), the opening quote in chapter sixteen was:

An infinite God can give all of Himself to each of His children. He does not distribute Himself that each may have a part, but to each one He gives all of Himself as fully as if there were no others. – A. W. Tozer

The Bible passage for the sermon was the story of Jesus walking on the water and inviting Peter out to join him. A familiar story, no doubt, and yet I appreciated a new thought along with the telling this morning. Before Jesus appeared, Peter was focused on the storm and surviving the storm. But after seeing Jesus walking on the water, he desired what Jesus had – power over the storm. We often focus on Peter sinking when he got his focus off of Jesus, as many of us have done, but that also means that for a time, he DID have his focus on Jesus, and while he did, the storm became irrelevant.

I grabbed my Bible and wrote in the front cover, “When in the storm, Jesus invites you out onto the water. Focus on Him and walk toward Him, and the storm will become irrelevant.”

That is my desire as I head into an uncertain 2009. That I would not be focused on the storm and including God in the process, but would be solely focused on God and allowing Him to deal with the storm. In the image above, you see the choice – GOD centered, storm small and off to the side, or STORM centered and God down and off to the side. The choice is ours, every day.

I have no idea what this year will bring, but TODAY I can focus on Jesus and living a God-Centered Life, and I’m aiming to do the same tomorrow as well. Join me in trying to shift my focus away from the storm and toward Jesus.

Getting Christ Back into Christmas Your Ministry

There is a danger in ministry that is easy to miss. During the Christmas season, we often hear the phrase, “keeping Christ in Christmas,” or reminders that He is the “reason for the season.” But these sentiments have as much to do with our ministry all year long as they do with the celebration of Christmas. While it is certainly disappointing how little of Jesus we see in our culture’s celebration of Christmas, and frustrating to see our Savior being systematically squeezed out more and more every year, there is something far more gradual and eternally dangerous than seeing Christ steadily removed from Christmas. And it is happening every month of the year. It is the slow and unintentional removal of Christ from ministry – or at least the removal of a vibrant relationship with Jesus in the midst of Christ-centered ministry.

I have no doubt that children’s ministry leaders and volunteers will keep “Christ in Christmas” during this season. I am more concerned about whether we will keep a relationship with Jesus at the center of our life and ministry. Christmas serves as a perfect object lesson on this topic because Christ slips away from our ministries the same way He slips out of Christmas. When it comes to the purpose and focus of Christmas, it is true that there are those who are intentionally and strategically trying to remove Christ from Christmas – but they are easy to identify. However, there is a more subtle attack at play. Too often Christ gets lost, not because of overt attacks, but because He just gets drowned out in the midst of many other good things. Shopping for gifts to express love is a good thing. Decorating to make the world a brighter place is a good thing. Cooking up special recipes to make life taste better is a good thing. Playing with children, volunteering to help the poor, giving to the needy, playing music focused on joy, and promoting peace and expressing love are all good things. They aren’t “bad,” and they even please Christ – but at the same time, they can distract us from the very One who inspired them.

The same is true with our lives and ministries. We do have an Enemy who seeks to remove Christ from the center of our lives, and often his distractions or downright seductions work – and we sin. But more often, it is all the GOOD in our lives and ministry that can cause Jesus to be lost in the shuffle. We are about so many good things! Creatively teaching the Bible is good. Getting kids to come to church is good. Making the environment fun and inviting is good. Preparing fun games, engaging crafts and yummy snacks is good. Providing resources is good and staffing our classes and programs is good. Developing safe policies and creating attractive bulletin boards, brochures and websites is all good – and most of it is inspired by our desire to lead children into a saving relationship with Jesus. But just as Christ slips out of Christmas while we are busy sipping the eggnog, so Jesus can slip out of our ministry while we are restocking the resource room with apple juice.

Here a few warning signs that Jesus may have gotten buried in the busyness of ministry:

• You haven’t read the Bible for yourself in awhile. (Lesson prep doesn’t count!)
• If you pray, it’s at meals, or when you need something for the ministry.
• Your spouse or kids are starting to resent the ministry. (Or perhaps you are.)
• What used to bring you great joy now seems like a burden. (If you are honest.)
• You aren’t really as happy as you appear on Sunday. (You thought no one could tell.)
• You can’t remember the last time you got to lead someone to Christ (one on one).
• You are feeling stressed and overwhelmed with the ministry. (His burden is light.)
• You are exhausted most of the time.
• You feel unappreciated, undervalued and overworked.
• You don’t like who you are becoming privately.
• You have sin in your life that if anyone knew…

How does it happen? How can you be doing so much GOOD and seeing LIVES CHANGED and have so many people impressed and pleased with you… but Jesus seems like a stranger to you?

It is because your ministry has become central, when it is only supposed to be an outgrowth of your relationship with Jesus. It’s what you do; it was never intended to become who you are.

Let me tell you a true story about a member of Kidology.org. Jean was an extremely active and talented volunteer in her church, leading many aspects of the ministry. So when the church decided to hire a children’s pastor, she asked me to pray as she eagerly applied for the paid position. At the culmination of the search process, the church leadership decided to evaluate the final outside candidate and Jean at the same time. As she describes it, they flew in a “superstar” applicant who they would interview and evaluate along with Jean. “I was scared big time” Jean says, “and failed the interview miserably. I was so frozen with panic that my husband started answering the questions for me!” Jean was sure she wouldn’t get the job. She lacked the education, the experience, and frankly she knew she didn’t answer all their questions very well. Jean was accepting with grace the fact she probably wouldn’t be chosen but was happy to continue serving as a volunteer under whomever the church leadership eventually hired. That was why she was so surprised when the church leadership called her in and offered her the position as the new children’s pastor. Surprised, she asked, “But I thought I gave all the wrong answers?” They replied, “You did. But you also talked about Jesus in all your answers and how you and He would figure it all out. We’d rather have a leader who is in touch with Jesus and working with Him, than a leader who is depending on their education, experience and expertise to lead.”

I applaud Jean’s church leadership for recognizing what truly matters most in a children’s ministry leader – an active trusting relationship with Jesus. She is now getting the experience and education that will only make her a better leader. No school or conference or church can offer her the most important thing for the job: a vibrant relationship with Jesus.

Where does Jesus fit into your life and ministry? Do you have all the right answers? Or do you have Jesus? Are you relying on all your expertise and experience or are you leaning on Jesus and allowing Him to lead you as you lead the ministry?

Friend, Jesus is not only the “Reason for the Season,” he is the Reason for your Ministry, too. “Keeping Christ in Christmas” is not the main challenge – keeping your relationship with Him central in your life and ministry is! Perhaps you need to take some time away from ministry and spend it with Jesus. Show him He is still #1 in your life and that ministry comes only after the relationship. Thatwill give Jesus a Very Merry Christmas indeed!

Discuss this article
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If you could benefit from some time away from ministry to focus on your relationship with Jesus, please take a look at Yosemite Summit or Unbridled. Yosemite Summit is a four-day retreat for men in Yosemite National Park, while Unbridled is a three-day women’s retreat in Ohio. Information on both can be found at YosemiteSummit.org

Below is what I wrote in my journey the next morning, and I was thinking perhaps others who are already saved might want to consider getting saved again.*

I dare you to PAUSE and reflect on each of the questions below… it’s not easy, I know.

WHAT IF I GOT SAVED TODAY?

What would change?

What would I do differently

What would I give up?

What would I stop doing?

What would I start doing?

Who would I ask forgiveness of?

Who would I choose to forgive?

What would I give away?

How would I spend my time?

How would I spend my money?

How would I arrange my life?

How would my relationships be impacted?

Where would I go?

Where wouldn’t I go?

What would others notice about me?

How would I start my day?

How would I end my day?

What would be different throughout my day?

If Jesus was LORD of my life TODAY?

Go for it – get saved TODAY – see what happens!

* Please don’t comment or e-mail me about theology of the saved getting saved again – if you do, you’ve missed the point. The point is to ask, how is your salvation impacting TODAY? Theology is only valuable when it intersects with real life. That is the point.

Nope. He saw a cow. (don’t laugh)

I came in the room, “Daddy’s here, everything’s O.K.” to see his fear filled eyes looking to me for salvation. He reached out to me like someone drowning reaching for the life guard. I scooped him up, and seeing that nothing was physically wrong, asked, “What’s the matter, Lukie?”

“Cow!” he whispered in my ear as he pointed up toward the ceiling. “Cow up in the sky.” I put his head on my shoulder so he wouldn’t see the smile I couldn’t resist. My voice remained deeply concerned but my face couldn’t hide the silent laughter at such a cute fear. I was so happy the scariest thing in his little world is a cow in the sky! He clung to me as I tried to gather more info through simple questions. I learned that the cow was in the sky, that he had a white nose and was black. That’s about all he could tell me with his limited language skills. What seemed cute and silly to me was terrifying to him.

I’m not sure where the evil cow image came from. We haven’t watched any slasher cow movies lately and I’m not sure we have even exposed him to the cow that jumped over the moon. (I was just glad he didn’t say Darth Vader or I’d have been in big trouble!)

I held him for awhile and then put him back to bed but 30 minutes later the scary cow returned as did the tears. So I spent the night in the guest room holding my boy close so he could finally sleep assured that no cows were going to get him as long as he was snuggled up to daddy. Daddy slept fine. He knew there was no danger from cows in the sky, but to my boy the threat was real until he was in his daddy’s arms.

It makes me wonder…

How silly do my fears look to God? What things do I worry about that God has to hide his smile, how silly and cute they are from His perspective? But how loving and patient and caring my Abba Father, my Daddy is, who will come to me at any time, running even, when He hears my cries, and he will hold me. And listen to me, and wrap His loving arms around me and say, “It’s O.K. I’m here.” And if I need it, He’ll even spend the night with me. He has nothing to fear, and when He is close, neither do I.

Have you hugged your God today?

D = Develop a Relationship

“And He walks with me and He talks with me;
And He tells me I am His own;
And the joy we share as we tarry there;
None other has ever known.”

Every notice that Jesus’ primary method of discipleship was based upon relationships? Jesus didn’t establish schools, write curriculum, or host seminars. While He certainly did teach the masses – he discipled in relationship with those who were close to Him, and it was THOSE disciples who turned the world upside down after He left them.

As I look back over some fifteen plus years of professional children’s ministry and many more years of just life ministry, it is those I discipled relationally who I see producing the greatest fruit. They are ones in Bible college, becoming missionaries, and going into ministry. While I am NOT assuming any credit for their godly choices, I am saying that being discipled prayed a part in their spiritual formation.

If you want to be a discipler of children, it is no secret that I recommend DiscipleLand if you are a church leader and would be delighted if you used Awesome Adventure as a tool for one on one studies, but the first thing you need is NOT curriculum – it is to build some relationships with kids that are deeper than the educational or “fun” level.

It may just be that some of your best disciples you never formally “discipled” through printed lessons – you just walked with them and became a part of their spiritual journey.

Whether you lead an entire children’s ministry with hundreds of children or teach a small class or volunteer in a club with a small group – pray through your kids and ASK GOD TO SHOW YOU A CHILD YOU CAN HAVE A DEEPER RELATIONSHIP WITH. And become their friend, not just their leader or teacher.

Jesus is my Master, my Lord, my Redeemer, my Savior, my Creator and my Guide, but best of all He is my Friend – and it is that relationship that spurs on my spiritual growth. Yoy may be many things to the kids in your ministry, but when you become their friend, you begin to truly impact their spiritual walk.

What does a friendship with a child look like?

• You know their name
• You know about their family
• You have some common interests
• You pray for them
• You look for them
• You ask them relational questions
• You get together with them
• You remember their important dates
• You love them unconditionally

Take some time and think through the kids God has brought into your life – is there one or two that you could pour your life in to? A few you could become a friend to? That you could disciple intentionally? The impact on their life is indescribable!

GO FOR IT! What are you waiting for?

We want God to look down from heaven, see what wonderful things we are doing for Him, and to bless what we are doing.

I was challenged to reconsider this common practice by my written mentor, Oswald Chambers, when he wrote: “Many a Christian worker has left Jesus Christ alone and gone into work from a sense of duty or from a sense of need arising out of his own particular discernment.”

This does not necessarily mean we are “sinning,” but that WE are generating the spiritual activity ourselves. Though as we get busy and drift from God, sin certainly can result! Oswald referring to our Christian activity, “There is no sin in it, and no punishment attached to it; but when the soul realizes how he has hindered his understanding of Jesus Christ, and produced for himself perplexities and sorrows and difficulties, it is with shame and contrition he has to come back.”

It sounded so spiritual, the old saying I latched onto as a kid: “God can’t move a parked car.” But in the end, this attitude of fast-paced service, disguised as a sense of urgency for the lost, is a deadly and unbiblical and has led many a sincere Christian worker to get going so fast and furious in their flurry of Christian work that they end up crashing due to a blind spot around a corner on the super service highway of spiritual achievement. What good is all your “work” if it takes you away from the very one you are supposedly serving so passionately?!? I know that I have been driven since a very young age to be “Busy for God” – and yet I am discovering that God is not in as big a hurry as I am. When I get stressed out I am learned to breath deep and release it all remembering, what God wants done will get done (with or without me) and what I never get to, He probably isn’t concerned about – as long as He has ME.

God has been at work throughout the ages, and is quite capable of accomplishing His goals and purposes without me being all stressed out. I get so worked up over all that “needs to get done” when God says, “It’s all done already, just walk with Me.”

Mark chapter eleven, in the Message, records Jesus saying, “Embrace this God-life. Really embrace it, and nothing will be too much for you.” When we are stressed, we are ahead of God. And He doesn’t hurry to catch up to us, I believe He often stops, and waits for us to notice we are alone, and to come back to Him, and then He will continue on with us at His pace. Jesus continued, (in the Message) “That’s why I urge you to pray for absolutely everyting, ranging from small to large. Include everything as you embrace this God-life, and you’ll get God’s everything.”

Oswald writes, “…get into the habit of steadily referring everything back to Him; instead of this we make our common-sense decisions and ask God to bless them.”

My challenge to myself first and foremost is this: Do not ask God to bless anything. If it is of God, it is already blessed! To ask God to bless it, is to hint that it may not be of Him to start with, even if it is a good thing.

Think about it, if God has asked you to do a thing, how silly to ask Him to also bless it! It may border on an insult to Him. And if He hasn’t asked you to do it, why would you want His blessing on it?

Instead, ask God what He would have you do, and then pray for the courage and strength and persistance to see it through despite any obstacles or resistance you may encounter as you obey. Now there is a prayer God can answer!

• Don’t miss the video at the end, and click any picture for a larger view.

It’s hard to believe the Yosemite Summit 2008 is over. It’s been several weeks, but it still feels like a part of me is still there in the Sierra Nevada. It’s been fun sorting through the 5000+ pictures we took and reliving the fun memories. Not only the incredible PLACE we were, but the awesome friendships that were formed and will continue to grow in the years ahead.

It was an amazing time together and God did some incredible work in our lives. For me, my soul comes alive in this place and I finally feel truly free. We started our first day watching the sun rise at Glacier Point. The views are simply spectacular!

It was a time to leave the busyness and noise of normal life behind and just listen to God. There were times we could just sit and soak our souls in the presence of God as well as walking with Him on the incredible hikes.

There is just something powerful about reading God’s Word and praying when you are in a place where His handiwork is so much on display. The rocks indeed did cry out – God is real, and God is here.

The hikes themselves were indescribable. The first day we did a solitude hike (each separated by about five minutes so we could hike alone with God) and then on the second day we did the Panoama Trail which took us on an incredible hike around the rim of the valley, through many types of landscape and ended with the Mist Trail which goes to the top and then down the side of two thundering waterfalls. In the picture below we are near the starting point and in the background you can see the waterfall we would be at some seven hours later!

By the third day we did some easier hikes that had incredible views of the valley, some with a few straight down of seveal thousand feet! Below is one of the few railings due to the incredible drop straight down over 3500 feet!

The hikes were challenging – but the views breathtaking and like nowhere else on this continent. Not only can you not believe what you are seeing is real, but when you are hiking, you can’t believe “I’ll be there in a few hours” or “I was there yesterday?” We hiked through areas that at times looked like Narnia in winter – under the shadow of huge trees walking on several feet of snow while at other times we were out on barren rock checking out lizards. The scenery and climate changed constantly. We’d be hot and enjoying cold water to cool off, and later getting drenched from the mist of a raging waterfall. Like I often say, “This is the place God just showed off.”

I have been to MANY National Parks and NONE have the views and variety and splendor of Yosemite. I’ve often said the Grand Canyon is a yawner if you’ve been to Yosemite. We ran into some guys who were at the Grand Canyon just two days before (doing a cross country hiking trip) and they said Yosemite outdid anything they had seen at the Grand Canyon. They were in awe and said Yosemite far exceeded even their high expectations!

Yosemite is a photographers heaven. My wife was a little worried that I’d fall off a cliff in pursuit of a great picture and end up in real heaven. So I told her any time I saw an awesome, but dangerous, photo opportunity, my motto would be WWSS. (What Would Sara Say?) That motto cost me many potentially incredible shots… but also brought me home alive.

I have been dreaming of doing some of the serious hikes at Yosemite since I was a boy. Coming on this trip, and bringing a group of fellow children’s pastors with me was a dream come true. At one point I asked Yosemite had lived up to my grand descriptions of Yosemite before we arrived – and they all said no. One guy said, “You didn’t do Yosemite justice. You can’t begin to describe this place.”

There were people there from all over the world. (I was surprised there weren’t more Americans – or are we too used to having entertainment pumped into our homes?) I don’t know how anyone comes to this place and doesn’t leave with an awed sense of having been in the presence of the Creator. Everything here points to one thing: GOD.

I still have a lot of photo and video editing to do to create the “official” highlight video, but I decided to give you a small taste of what Yosemite Summit was like. It was truly a time of experiencing God in a place where his creative power is on full display and where his Voice is more easily heard. Men, as you watch this video, whisper a quiet prayer asking God if He is calling you to join us next year for Yosemite Summit 2009.

I just booked the lodge for 2009 and updated YosemiteSummit.org with next years dates!