Stewarding Our Time

By Wil Moore: I was recently having coffee with a dad who has 3 incredible kids. One is in college pursuing a communications degree, one is about to graduate, and the other is a junior. Two of the three are incredibly gifted athletes. One will soon play Division 1 baseball and the other Division 1 basketball. 

After listening to him talk through their daily and weekly routine I was exhausted for him.

Their days are filled with early mornings rushing to practices, after-school private lessons, and multiple games a week. To say they are busy is an understatement. 

This reality is common amongst most families with teenagers. Whether it is because of sports, academics, drama, or music, parents are busier than ever. So, where does family devotion time fit into the busy schedule? How do we make time when time is the thing we seem to have the least of? 

My response is not mind-blowing or deeply rooted in hours of theological reasoning. My response is simple: You make time for what is important. 

My older brother and I had the privilege of playing baseball at the college level. Both parents followed me around until I was 22 years old. Go ahead and say it, “bless their heart”. 

Needless to say my parents fully understood busy schedules. However, my parents also understood taking time for what is most important. It did not matter if we were on the road to Tyler, Texas or West Florida, my parents would always make time to talk about what God was doing in our lives. 

The key here is “make time.” Think about it, we make time for everything else in our lives: Monday Night Football, The Amazing Race, social media updates, dinner, coffee, etc. So why not make time for family to discuss what God is up to? Our knee-jerk reaction is to say we are too busy, but I want to encourage you to remove that word from your vocabulary and think about the benefits of making time for family devotion. 

You have the unique opportunity to instill in your kids the importance of making time for Jesus. As a 35-year-old husband and father I often think back to the time my parents made for us to discuss the Bible and our relationship with Jesus. I am now replicating what my parents modeled for me as a child. The greatest thing you can model for your kids is how to make time for Jesus. 

I want to provide for you a few tips that may help as you navigate busy schedules and family devotion:

1. Look Ahead

Every Sunday look at your calendar and see when the best time would be that week to have a family devotion. Oh, and it may be on the road to a ball game or in a hotel room in between games. We did that a few times.

2. Have a Plan

Memorize a verse together, read one chapter a week as a family, write down prayer requests, have a different person lead each week. If you plan it, you will more than likely do it.

3. Be Consistent

Regardless of your schedule, make sure it happens each week. The best way to do this is to designate a specific day and time each week as your family devo time. My wife and I recently sat down and said Thursday is our family time. We had to do this or we would move it and not do it.

4. Take the Pressure Off

 Chances are you do not have a theology degree. That is okay. Take the pressure off of yourself to have all the answers. The greatest thing my dad would say is, “Son, I don’t know about that but let me find out.” The goal isn’t to have it all figured out. The goal is to make it important. You can figure out together how there was a talking donkey in Numbers 22. Good luck with that one!  

Remember, you can do this! You make time for what is important…so make time for Jesus. Your grandkids will thank you one day. 

Subscribe to the Discipleship.org email list here to get blogs like this delivered to your inbox each week.

By Wil Moore. Used with permission.

The post Are You Too Busy for a Family Devotion? appeared first on Discipleship.org.

Source: Are You Too Busy for a Family Devotion?

The post Are You Too Busy for a Family Devotion? appeared first on Passion for Planting.

by Dylan Young: My grandmother used to make a seriously delicious barbecue sauce. It has been used in many meals for years and years in the Young household. Everyone in the family loves that sauce and Praise the Lord my dad made sure he got the recipe from her before she passed away a few years ago. If he hadn’t done that we would never figure out the perfect combination of ingredients to recreate it. It wouldn’t matter how many times we had come together for a meal and poured that savory sauce on our plates, there would be no more barbecue sauce ever again!

This same principle applies to our spiritual life. No matter how many times our Discipleship Groups meet or how many verses we memorize, if we never share what we’ve learned with someone else then eventually there is no more Discipleship to be had!

If we fail to reproduce our Discipleship Groups we have missed the whole point. Paul encouraged Timothy to embrace a pipeline of equipping that never ends.

“What you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses, commit to faithful men who will be able to teach others also.” — 2 Timothy 2:2 (CSB)

In just that one verse we see at least four generations of disciples. Once you have spent time as a group member it’s time for you to find some people to lead yourself! Ideally the group you create is at least partially made up of people you have led to Christ. Reproduction is essential because if we don’t share the Gospel and bring new people to faith in Jesus, eventually there is no one left to disciple. Remember, we’re not in Discipleship Groups to pass an exam, we’re in them to be equipped to advance the kingdom.

All of the Discipleship Group Essentials don’t amount to much without the last one: commitment. A healthy Discipleship Group without commitment is an oxymoron, they just don’t exist. Group members have to commit to striving towards Christlikeness through the spiritual disciplines and to attending the group meetings. Why is commitment so vital to the health and success of your group?

This blog is from our partner Replicate. Sign up here to get updates sent to your inbox about ministries like theirs so you can grow as a disciple maker.

Spiritual Disciplines don’t happen by accident.

All of them are much more likely to happen when you make a serious commitment to the environment of a Discipleship Group. If you’re not committed to the group you signed up for, you’re probably not committed to those disciplines either.

Commitment creates trust.

The group grows deeper in their faith as the group grows closer to each other. Trust is key in a discipleship group. People are willing to be vulnerable, ask tough questions and challenge each other when they trust one another. Committing to consistently meeting week after week builds that trust that leads to transformation.

Signing a covenant is extremely helpful for creating commitment. I’ve made the mistake of not having a covenant in the past and regretted it the whole year. As the group leader, you need to set the expectation for attendance and reading/memorizing on the front end. We want to show people grace but we also want them to grow! You can’t expect someone to be committed to something they didn’t agree to in the first place.

By Dylan Young

Originally posted on Replicate’s blog here. Used by permission.

The post Essentials of Discipleship Groups: Reproduction and Commitment appeared first on Discipleship.org.

Source: Essentials of Discipleship Groups: Reproduction and Commitment

The post Essentials of Discipleship Groups: Reproduction and Commitment appeared first on Passion for Planting.

by unSeminary: How do you start your morning as a church leader?

What happens in the first hour of your day that sets up where the rest of your day goes?

Have you ever wondered how highly effective ministry leaders begin their mornings?

Today on the unSeminary podcast we dive deep with Carey Nieuwhof, Jenni Catron, Dan Reiland, and Kadi Cole on how they kick off their days, and how you can launch your days more effectively.

Carey Nieuwhof – Pastor, Author and Leadership Expert. // The night before, Carey pays attention to what his upcoming day will look like so he is aware of what he’ll need for the day ahead and how to manage his energy. This starts most importantly with examining how much sleep he’ll need to feel good and have the mental clarity to tackle the tasks ahead. He aims for 2-3 hours of deep sleep each night and pays attention to anything that could disrupt that time from eating a large meal late at night to exercising in the evening or having an early morning flight the next day (which he tries to avoid). Most mornings Carey doesn’t set an alarm, allowing his body to determine when he needs to wake up. Once he’s up, the first thing he does each day is have his devotional time, usually for thirty to sixty minutes. This sets the course for his day. He also does some gratitude journaling as well as writing out things that may be frustrating him at the time, which helps him work through these situations while seeking to be thankful in all things. From here Carey moves into his day to start creative work whether it’s book writing, sermon prep, creating blog posts or so on.Jenni Catron – Leadership Expert and Founder of 4Sight Group. // Jenni’s morning routine is very important to her because she’s an introvert with a very extroverted job. Whether she’s meeting with clients or speaking at an event, her time in the morning sets the tone for the day and gives her the energy she needs for her work. It can be hard to fit everything in that she wants to do to prep for her morning, so Jenni gets up at 5am and spends about an hour and a half having devotional time and reading scripture followed by reading leadership development resources. Next Jenni shifts into her workout routine and finally showering and getting ready for the day, which takes another hour and a half. This three-hour-commitment pours into her so she comes out of it feeling engaged and ready to pour into others.Dan Reiland – Executive Pastor at 12Stone Church and Coach. // Dan is a night owl and so he doesn’t get up at 5am like others may do. The core of his morning is based on exercise and prayer, and even though he’s at a stage of life where he doesn’t have small children at home, these focuses still require intentionality, especially when Dan travels. For exercise, he does the same thing each day and runs 5K seven days a week. Meanwhile for prayer, Dan’s mind runs fast and so when something pops into his head he will write it down on a 3×5 card. This enables him to clear his mind and focus on prayer and the scripture he reads. He doesn’t make it a focus to read through the bible in a year, but rather moves around through the scriptures based on what’s speaking to him at the time and couples that with deeper devotional reading by authors such as Henri Nouwen or A. W. Tozer.Kadi Cole – Writer, Speaker and Consultant. // Kadi has found that the more she works on the predictability of her mornings, the more she can handle the unpredictability of her work life. So she starts working on her morning the night before by wrapping the day up and making sure things are organized. Kadi has her coffee set-up ready to go in the evening and will do a quick clean up of her space the night before so she can enter the morning not distracted by clutter or unfinished tasks. It’s very important to her that her morning starts hopeful and peaceful and so she does what she can to set herself up for that. When morning comes, she wakes up around 4:30am and will grab a coffee and a big drink of water along with spending time praying and focusing on God to get her heart right and relieve her of any anxiety or stress she might be feeling about the day. Quiet time for the first hour connects her with God and often includes reading scripture or journaling. Then she moves into family mode, making sure her teen is up and getting ready for school, and meets with her family for prayer time around 6:15am. After that a stretching program and listening to the morning news helps Kadi move into work for the day.

Thank You for Tuning In!

There are a lot of podcasts you could be tuning into today, but you chose unSeminary, and I’m grateful for that. If you enjoyed today’s show, please share it by using the social media buttons you see at the left hand side of this page. Also, kindly consider taking the 60-seconds it takes to leave an honest review and rating for the podcast on iTunes, they’re extremely helpful when it comes to the ranking of the show and you can bet that I read every single one of them personally!

Lastly, don’t forget to subscribe to the podcast on iTunes, to get automatic updates every time a new episode goes live!

Thank You to This Episode’s Sponsor: INJOY Stewardship Solutions

Craft customized church capital campaigns to fund new facilities, up-fit existing facilities, buy land, and pay off debt.

Find out how much your church could raise in a capital campaign led by INJOY Stewardship Solutions.

Webinar: 7 Key Giving Systems for Your Church in 2020

Source: How High Capacity Church Leaders Start Their Mornings with Carey Nieuwhof, Jenni Catron, Dan Reiland & Kadi Cole

The post How High Capacity Church Leaders Start Their Mornings with Carey Nieuwhof, Jenni Catron, Dan Reiland & Kadi Cole appeared first on Passion for Planting.

by Leadership Network: As you journey into developing as a leader, you will find so many great resources. From podcasts to books to conferences and beyond, there are tons of materials out there, many of which we recommend and use ourselves. With all of those tools right at our fingertips, however, it is easy for us to become somewhat mechanical in our development. Our nature lures us towards “5 Steps to…,” or “6 Ways to Become…,” etc. Those things are bad, per se, but I want to talk to you today about the status of your heart.

Where is the Holy Spirit in the process of your development as a leader?

The most important factor in your development as a leader is your relationship with God (the complete trinity). You’ve likely read and preached on scriptures like Matthew 6:33 which says, “But seek first His kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things [all that you need for life] will be given to you as well.” Take a little personal inventory. Have you allowed these passages to lose their luster in your life? Have you become complacent in this area of seeking Him first? If so, realize you are not alone. Ask the Spirit to give you a new revelation of these passages.

Are you truly spending time with God and growing?

There are so many ministry leaders who read the Bible for the sole purpose of creating their message for the week or in preparation for the weeks ahead. Worship leaders fall into this trap as well. You get caught in the trap of listening, singing, or playing worship music for the sole purpose of finding the next song you’re going to introduce to your congregation. Am I right? Understand that your personal time with the Spirit has to be set apart from your church preparation. It just has to. Your intimate relationship with God is the first thing!

Is the Spirit flowing through you?

As a leader, you likely have several spiritual gifts and many talents as well. I’m going to tell you right now that you can use those gifts and talents and hold steady. But ask yourself, do you genuinely want a move of the Spirit in your church, or are you ok with emotionally manipulating your congregation to get a particular response? I know that’s is a difficult concept to wrap your mind around, but think about it. If you are leading on empty, you might just have enough charisma to keep people coming back and listening to you. But genuine spiritual growth may not take place in the lives of those you lead, and you will eventually burn out from leading through your own power and not His.

The far better alternative is keeping your eyes and your heart tuned into the Spirit. You will grow in your love of God. His Word will be like a fire in your heart just ready to burst forth, not only on Sunday but all week long! Just imagine the possibilities if you decided to truly partner with the Spirit in everything you do! Your church, family, and other relationships will be forever changed.

What does it really mean to seek first?

Ultimately, it all comes back to those spiritual disciplines: prayer, studying the Word, fasting, giving, etc. You have to get back to practicing those things regularly apart from ministry preparation time.

I want to encourage you to get this right. No matter what you have to do, whether it means setting your alarm 15-20 minutes earlier or going to bed earlier to be fresher in the morning, refuse to allow another thought to enter your mind until you put your mind on Him. Seek Him first by praying even before your feet hit the floor if you have to. Surrender the day and your time to Him at the beginning of the day and throughout it. And get some precious moments alone in His Word. Choose days to fast and make it about spending time with Him.

These are all things you likely know already, but we have an enemy who doesn’t want us to do incredible things to build the Body of Christ. If he can get your eyes focused on anything and everything besides Christ, he will. He wants you to be distracted, frustrated, and distraught. But he is not your King and Master, and God has given you the ability to overcome!

This week, in particular, as we come to Good Friday and Easter, focus on Jesus and His resurrection power! Many of you will be telling that story on Sunday. For the next few days, tap into the reality of the Gospel–the incredible truth that our Father loves us so much that He sent His Son to die in our place. We know the story doesn’t end there. Three days later, Jesus’ lungs fill with air and His heart begins to beat again, and for 40 days He revealed is resurrected self to the world around Him. And because of all of that, we become the adopted, chosen children of God!

The post Leadership Development: The First Thing appeared first on Healthy Growing Churches.

Source: Leadership Development: The First Thing

The post Leadership Development: The First Thing appeared first on Passion for Planting.

by Tim Lafleur: In his book Spiritual Disciplines For The Christian Life, Donald Whitney says that God uses three primary catalysts to grow us:

People

Circumstances (especially adversity)

The Spiritual Disciplines

The first two catalysts can help to change us from the outside in; but the spiritual disciplines work to change us from the inside out.

People

God uses people to help grow us and make us more like Christ. As the writer of Proverbs says, Iron sharpens iron, and one person sharpens another. (Proverbs 27:17, CSB)

It seems just the right people come into our lives at just the right time to mentor and invest in us. I love how Paul and his coworkers nurtured the new believers at Thessalonica in verses 8 and 9 of 1 Thessalonians 2: “We cared so much for you that we were pleased to share with you not only the gospel of God but also our own lives, because you had become dear to us. For you remember our labor and hardship, brothers and sisters. Working night and day so that we would not burden any of you, we preached God’s gospel to you.”

These men were not only teaching God’s Word to these new believers but they were spending time among them modeling before them the truth of the Gospel. Most of us can look back and see that at times of accelerated spiritual growth we were walking alongside a godly mentor or a group encouraging one another to grow spiritually.

Let me also point out that some people come into our lives and model “how not to do it.” They live life in such a way that we look at their lives as examples of what not to do. Whether it be the way they treat people, an apparent blind spot, or a bad attitude, we examine their lives and think, “I don’t want to live that way” or “If I want to honor God with my life I must not have this attitude.”

Circumstances

God will also use the circumstances of our lives to grow and mature us. He will use all of the experiences of life, both the good and the bad, to grow us. He will especially use adversity in our lives.

You probably know the story of Joni Erickson Tada. When she was an older teen she dived off a dock, hit her head, and because of her injury has lived the rest of as a quadriplegic. You can only imagine how this athletic, beautiful young woman felt when she realized this would be her lot for the rest of her life.

In those early “dark days” a friend shared a truth that would help to shape her life. “God sometimes permits what He hates to accomplish that which He loves.”

Consider these verses from James and Peter:

Consider it a great joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you experience various trials, because you know that the testing of your faith produces endurance. And let endurance have its full effect, so that you may be mature and complete, lacking nothing. (James 1:2-4, CSB)

You rejoice in this, even though now for a short time, if necessary, you suffer grief in various trials so that the proven character of your faith—more valuable than gold which, though perishable, is refined by fire—may result in praise, glory, and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ. (1 Peter 1:6-7, CSB)

God will use adversity to bring us to a place of total dependence upon Him. When things are going great and all is well if we are not careful we soon forget that we need God and can develop a “self-dependent” attitude. But when we are faced with trials and trouble, we get to the place where we desperately need Him. And because we need Him, we rely on Him, abiding in Christ and receiving all the life-giving resources we needed all along.

Spiritual Disciplines

We’ve seen how God will use People and Circumstances to grow and mature us. Check out this post, where Tim explores how He uses the spiritual disciplines to grow us.

See the original post on Replicate here. Used by permission.

by Tim Lafleur

Tim Lafleur served as the campus minister for 20 years at Nicholls State University in Thibodaux, LA. He pastored various sized churches for 30 years, many even while at Nicholls. Tim was the Disciplemaking pastor at Brainerd Baptist Church for 4 years. He assisted in expanding the discipleship ministry from 12 the first year to over 1200 in 2015. He currently serves as the Equipping Pastor at Long Hollow Baptist Church to equip and empower members to do ministry. Tim is married to Chris LaFleur and has a four wonderful children, and ten amazing grandchildren (making holidays very fun exciting)! Tim enjoys reading books by John Piper, and pastor Robby Gallaty. His hobbies include watching the LSU tigers play or going fishing for the day. Brother Tim lives to be obedient to the call of God, and is reminded of God’s strength through his favorite passage of scripture, Colossians 1:28-29.

Photo by John-Mark Smith on Unsplash

The post Principles of Spiritual Growth: The Three Catalysts God Uses to Grow Us appeared first on Discipleship.org.

Source: Principles of Spiritual Growth: The Three Catalysts God Uses to Grow Us

The post Principles of Spiritual Growth: The Three Catalysts God Uses to Grow Us appeared first on Passion for Planting.