theCore – Part 2

Do you love Jesus with your whole heart? Can the people you shepherd see your passion for Christ? Is there an expectancy deep within for the Lord to move in power with every time you gather?  Even at a parent meeting?

It never fails… when I have a God moment in my quiet time, it always comes out in my preaching or when I’m having a conversation with someone. I can’t imagine doing ministry without having a close encounter with the Savior weekly if not daily. Sadly many pastors and youth pastor give of their time out of a dry well. They seek the Lord publicly in their ministry but never seek Him privately. Today, I’d like to talk through some of the core disciplines within a minister that I believe are necessary if we desire for the people we serve to experience Christ in very real and tangible way.

The truths God teaches you privately reflect publicly.

So let’s establish some good habits now as we begin our ministry that will sustain us and carry us on. When I first started in ministry 20 years ago, my youth pastor and mentor, Bryan Hall gave me a book, Intimacy With the Almighty. by Charles Swindoll. Admittedly I didn’t just pick it up immediately and read it, but several months after he gave me the book I picked it up to read it. What an impact it made on my personal life! Swindoll shared his heart as a pastor of pastors and provides some really great insight for us about how our private moments reflect publicly. I would recommend anyone to pick up this book and allow the truths found within it to encourage you and light your fire!

Let’s talk through some of the points he makes in this book about how we can establish four disciplines of our private life.

• Simplicity. The pace of ministry is tough fast… many time too fast. And to be honest most of the time its our fault. The pressure to constant fill the calendar or provide more opportunities in ministry. How is the pace of your private life? What about the pace of your family? If you’re too busy in those areas of your life, we can pretty much guarantee this is the pace as which you will do ministry. Trust me, I’ve been there done that, and no one can sustain a feverish pace in ministry… you will burn out! No matter how many interns you have working with you. Our students need to understand we serve and love a God who is not in a rush! Slow down. Be intentional with your ministry opportunities. Allow some margin within your ministries for the Lord Almighty to do His greatest work. Remember, if it doesn’t begin within the heart of me, then it will not happen within our ministry.Action step:  Look at your schedule for the week. How busy are you? You control your schedule. Make a commitment to slow down. Say No or postpone a couple of appointments.

• Silence. I have found this to be one of the greatest times when His presence and voice speaks to me. When I turn off the radio in the truck on the way home from Wednesday night church. Don’t know about you, but around my church Wednesdays are a big deal. When I take the time to simply be silent… not barking out prayer requests, but simply being still, His voice speaks loudly. How about your ministry? Are you teaching our busy culture to be silent and listen? Last fall, our ministry had our annual fall retreat. I was so pressed by this fact of we have busy students, I decided to put the brakes on the pace for the students who came. We did not program the whole day… but simple gave our students permission to take a nap. To sit and visit with friends. The hang out after dinner around a camp fire. It was amazing! Our students felt more refreshed and energized after the event and if you ask any of them what did you learn from this event? They’ll say, “I learn that God is my refuge. I need to rest in Him.”Action step: Shut up. Be still. Don’t talk. Let your mind wonder.

• Solitude. I believe for the youth pastor, this looks like strategic vacations and moments of reflection. Get in the habit of using your day off as a day off! It doesn’t have to be every week but take your day and walk in the woods. Go for a hike. Ride a bicycle. Find a place where its quiet and you can have honest reflection. I remember early on in ministry in East Tennessee I had the luxury of living 45min away from the Great Smoky Mountain State Park. Almost once a month I would take a back pack, with my Bible, a journal and a snack and spend the day in the mountains. I found a really cool spot alongside the river about halfway up the mountain. It wasn’t one of those publicly travel spots but it was quiet (except for the roar of the river over the mountain rocks). During these moments I would pray out loud, read, and allow my mind to wonder. I have never felt more alive than in these moments of solitude. As youth pastors, we have to shut the voices of culture off in our hearts. Yes, youth ministry is fast paced and full of distractions and constant pressure to know the latest technologies, or the latest trends BUT we have to unplug or we won’t survive.Action Step: Take a couple of hours this weekend to unplug. Find a quiet place (not in your home) and open your heart to experience solitude with the Lord.

• Surrender. This is probably my favorite discipline Swindoll talks about. When I surrender to the Lord privately, I’m going to lead my students to surrender! Several weeks ago, I was reading a great book, When the Heart Waits by Sue Monk Kidd. In one section of her book she talks about the heart of Mary during the Angel announcement. At the conclusion of the angels announcement of the coming Messiah, Mary simply says to the angel, and to God, “Let be according to your Will.” This phrase is ringing in my heart. Can I honestly stand before the Lord daily and say, “Let it be…” In my opinion this is one of the most authentic examples of surrender found in scripture. There are times in my ministry when I have tried to control and manipulate environments for students… that’s not surrender. Many times when I’ve walked on the stage and crafted the coolest, most awe inspiring sermon only to fall on my face. BUT, the moments when I surrender myself and my ministry completely are the moments when the Lord shows up! Before any event or ministry opportunity, are you calling yourself, your leaders and your students to surrender?Action Step:  Having a heart of surrender takes time to develop. Look throughout your week of ministry. Change your prayers about this events coming up. Instead of “God I need…” let’s pray “God… whatever.”

If you want passion in your ministry, pray for it! I believe all of us want to lead a passionate, Jesus filled ministry. In our hearts this is what we got into this ministry to experience. In our hearts we have this picture of us saying the word, “Jesus” and every students falls flat on their faces in repentance and surrender. But you and I both know, that doesn’t happen very often. Many times, the students who are in front of you will look at you with a weird face! But, I have to ask… are you on your face privately in surrender, solitude, and silence. Are you leading your private world in simplicity… leaving margin in your life and family for God moments? Jesus was a busy man for 3 1/2 years, but what about the other 29 years? He was living his life in surrender, solitude, silence and simplicity.

Im sure this is not an exhaustive list of private disciplines but Swindoll is right, if we begin with just these four it’s a powerful combination that can lead to powerful moments in ministry.

I want to lead my ministry with passion and zeal for the Lord. I desire for the students within our ministry to “get it.” To love and follow the Lord. To be so overcome with God’s grace that it overwhelms them. If I desire to see these things happen within our ministries, then it needs to happen within me first! “Let it be…”

**Footnote: Inspiration for this blog taken from: Intimacy with the Almighty by Charles Swindoll. GREAT BOOK! MUST READ.