The other day, I had the privilege to be in an interview for a position at our church.  Of course, I was told to ask any questions that came to my mind.  So…I did.  There was one question impaticular that I was glad I asked.  Not only to hear the person’s answer, but to ask myself this question.  

The question was, “In ministry, there is always something else to do, always something coming around the corner, always another phone call or letter, or email to write.  Your time will always be filled with something to do.  What is it that you enjoy doing that is a “release” for you?”

We get tired, which can lead to burnout if we are not careful.  Don’t always go and go and go and go that you end up neglecting everything else in your life.  This is something that I MUST be careful of in my life!  

Although, every night when I am going to bed and I am tired from a good day’s work, I am still thinking about ministry.  I am still thinking about my students.  

Recently, I started running (supposedly to train for a half-marathon) which has become a release for me.  Needless to say, that when I run, I am thinking about ministry.  Last week I was running on Wednesday and I remember finishing up my sermon for Sunday while I was running.  I am constantly thinking, dreaming, planning for ministry.  I can’t stop thinking about it!  Some would call me possessed, some may call me stupid, but I pray that it is seen as PASSION; passion for Jesus, for the lost, for middle school students, for the church, and so much more.  

At the end of the day, I am glad that I spent my energy and gave it my all, but I am so glad that I don’t get “weary, sick, tired” OF ministry!  Sometimes, it is so easy to get sick OF ministry.  I pray that when I get physically tired that I rest, but I also pray that I NEVER get sick OF ministry.  May God continue to swell up a passion in me that continues to grow and burn!  Thank you Jesus for allowing us to be a part of your Kingdom work!

I had the awesome privilege to meet with the greatest Middle School Ministry Staff in the world! Andrew, David, and John do a great job at serving our students! So many awesome things are coming our way. I have been doing a lot of brainstorming about our ministry and how we function. In the future there will be changes to our volunteer leader structure, follow-up procedures, service evaluation, volunteer leader evaluation and interviews, and much more! That is a whole lot of stuff. The great thing about it is that God is totally in control of everything.

Andrew is the quiet, humble leader. He does an awesome job of leading the band and our students in worship each week. He takes time to prayerfully choose each song, work with me on set list, and spend as much time with students as possible!

David is all over the place. He is primary responsible for our follow up procedure. Each week he makes sure that all of our new students get a letter, phone call, handwritten letter, etc.! He also shares most of the responsibility for the care of our volunteers and campus group planning with John!

John is MR. CAPS LOCK! JOHN ALWAYS WRITES IN CAPS LOCK. IT QUITE A THING TO READ. JOHN IS OUR NEWEST ADDITION TO THE STAFF. JOHN SPENDS A LOT OF HIS TIME WRITING SKETCHES FOR VIDEOS, BRIANSTORMING ANY WILD IDEA THAT I COME UP WITH AND MUCH MORE. He also shares most of the responsibility for the care of our volunteers and campus group planning with David!

Both David and John are also preparing to speak at IGNITE in the very near future! John will be speaking on August 27th and David on September 3rd. They are going to do a great job!

All these guys are great! Thank you so much for your dedication and loyalty to Jesus Christ, NewSpring Church, the Middle School Students, and to me.

I look forward to see where God takes us in the future and I thankful to know that I have the right pieces in the right place and the right time for God to take us there! Keep up the GREAT work!