22/10/2011 by admin.

Do you recognise your own heartbeat in other people?

As I am a man I can be a little competitive. I speak in terms of my “best” friend rather than my “good” friend; or my “happiest” moment rather than the “great” time I enjoyed…  the difference is slight and in most situations is of no consequence but it does betray an underlying mindset. You will understand then when, reflecting on the work within my local Church, I started to think of who would be awarded the prizes if we ran a Kids’ Church Oscars Evening.
Would it be “so-and-so” for her incredible gentleness or maybe “bugalugs” for his infectious enthusiasm. I started to consider each person in turn and soon realised who would get my vote. The person I have in mind would not think of herself as a great children’s worker, in fact she wouldn’t consider herself to be involved in children’s ministry at all. She isn’t one of the Kids’ Church team, she isn’t one of the parents, she doesn’t have a role that directly relates to the children. But this lady gives her all in supporting any children focused event by working in the background. She makes refreshments for the team, she cleans, she sees things that need addressing then she steps in and makes things work better, she encourages others, she does it all and then more… She opens her home to the children in her neighbourhood and reads and prays with the children in her street. She even supports the local school by volunteering to help pupils with the work in their classes. She has the heartbeat of a true kids’ worker although she will not recognise it herself.

When you look to people for encouragement don’t just look at those in your team, there will be others around who have the same heartbeat you have for the children and families. People who pray, people who encourage you with their words and actions, people persuading others to get alongside you. Always have your heartbeat monitor switched on, you may receive inspiration and strength from people and  places you don’t expect to find it.

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12/08/2011 by admin.

I was struck recently by a phrase a friend of mine used in the middle of a very busy week. He was speaking about the need to rest and be refreshed and remarked that God gave us “a day of rest not a day off”. The point stayed with me. I know I am very poor at taking rest, bad at putting things to one side and seeking relaxation and refreshment. His words spoke to me powerfully reminding me that it is God’s call on me to rest. We don’t simply have a day from God each week where we do anything we choose, a day that can be wasted, it is a day that God has given us for a purpose, a day on which He requires us to rest. In the busyness of your ministry always put a special place in your weekly schedule for your day of rest.

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07/07/2011 by admin.

This past week my talks in the schools I visit have been centred around the truth from Romans 1:20, “There are things about him that people cannot see—his eternal power and all the things that make him God. But since the beginning of the world those things have been easy to understand by what God has made.” In simple terms, all of God’s creation speaks of His power and nature.
You and I are part of God’s wonderful creation , as we pray to our heavenly Father let us ask earnestly that our actions as well as our words shout loudly of God’s love and compassion and power.

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25/06/2011 by admin.

I have been taken by the thought recently that we are in this together…  By “we” I mean, me, the team members I work with and the children in Kids’ Church. Although in name I am the Kids’ Church Leader I actually receive more teaching and encouragement from those around me than I give out. I hope the others can say the same because if they do it means what we have is greater than the sum of the parts, and surely that is a definition of good teamwork, good family, good community. In his letter to the Roman Church Paul talks about travelling to encourage but also to be encouraged (Romans 1:12). I pray that wherever I go I will encourage and be encouraged by those I meet. Whether these people have the title of leader, are part of the wonderful team I work alongside or are simply a child on a path to a relationship with their heavenly Father we are in partnership.

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10/04/2011 by admin.

As I write this I am watching the Masters on television. The Masters is one of the world’s greatest golf tournaments. I could watch it just to see the wonderful scenery, it is so beautiful, what a majestic setting for such a fearsome battle of skill. And what skill there is! I am constantly amazed at the way the best golfers are able to get their ball to travel towards the small target, it is as if their ball is radio controlled. At Augusta where the Masters is held the grass on the greens is cut so short and the greens contain such severe slopes that it appears the golfer has to aim  in directions that are almost perpendicular to the direction of the hole to achieve their objective. The hole is in one direction but the golfer aims in an altogether different direction. As if by magic the ball invariable roles smoothly over the grassy surface, sometimes slowing down, other times gathering pace, moving left to right across the slope then eventually drops serenely into the cup. Of course it isn’t magic, it is skill, and hard work and experience. The golfer knows how to read the green. He understands the affect of the slope on the run of the ball. He watches the weather conditions and predicts the way they change the character of the grass. He uses his experience, he remembers the mistakes of previous years as well as the successes. It occurs to me that leaders of people need to be a little like good golfers. If we are to achieve what we want to achieve when leading people forward we need to understand the slopes, the twists and turns, the character of the surface, in other words we need to understand the people. And just like the different greens on the golf course each person is different, sometimes very different. If you will allow me I would like to change my sporting analogy for just a moment. Some years ago I went horse riding on a very regular basis. Each week I would go to the local riding school, I was taught to walk and trot and canter and gallop. I went over jumps and took part in dressage exercises, it was wonderful and it taught me so much. And the lessons weren’t just about horses, I truly believe that I never learned more about leading people from any conference, or seminar, or training course, or manual, or guide than I did from my horse riding lessons. Each horse was different. Each one had to be ridden differently. Some needed strong encouragement others were very sensitive. Squeeze your legs too much on the wrong horse and you were in danger of being thrown from the saddle, too light and you would go nowhere. Aren’t people just like that - different in character, different needs, different tastes, different circumstances. Leaders need to know the people they are leading. So how do we get to know people? - Well we talk to them, or rather we listen to them. And I do mean listen! We don’t chat to them and simply wait for them to finish their piece so they can hear what we want them to hear. We actively listen to what they are saying - saying with their words, with their body language, with their emotions, with the things they don’t say. We put ourselves in their shoes, taking on their likes and dislikes, assuming their circumstances, imaging their aspirations. Listening is not an easy skill to learn, it is hard work but it is a skill we need to develop if we are to be successful and effective leaders of people.

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28/03/2011 by admin.

A few days back I had the pleasure of attending a Kids’ Fun Day comprising of craft activities, games and lots of music. I watched in delight as the leaders used their musical gifts to lead the 250 children in worship and praise. As I drove home that evening and thought of my total lack of musical ability I pondered with myself “what wouldn’t I give to be able to lead worship like that…”. Immediately God jumped in on my conversation.
“Ok what wouldn’t you give?” He said. “Would you give up your ability to engage with the children in the fun way that you do?”.
“No, I wouldn’t give that up” I replied.
“Ok” God continued, “Would you swap the gift you have of getting alongside the quieter, more nervous children?”
“No, not that, I wouldn’t want to lose that.”
He didn’t need to say anymore. I understood what He was saying. It was a telling off that I fully understood. God has given me the gifts I need and I should use those fully to gorify and honour His name. If I need anymore gifts He will provide them but I must never underate or undervalue the gifts God has already given me to use for Him.

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07/12/2010 by admin.

The weather at the moment is colder than I can ever remember. The frost is thick and the snow has fallen. I was driving through the countryside yesterday and was stunned by the spectacular scene. Every blade of grass sparkled, each twig and branch was covered by an icy coat and gleamed in the sunlight. As I looked in awe I found myself saying “this is just like a beautiful Christmas card”…  And then I realised my mistake and stopped myself. The wonderful sight was not like a scene on a card, quite the opposite, a picture on a Christmas card copies the countryside scene. It is there to represent creation’s display. I was mistaking the real for a copy and a representaion for reality.

When we talk to the children about Jesus we represent Him. We can only talk about the life we spend with Him and describe and display the way He impacts our life - it is at its best a picture of a life with Him. It, of course, may be a wonderful, glorious representation but is always a way of saying “this is what He is like”. It must always be our aim to introduce the children to Jesus Himself, we don’t want to offer them a secondhand copy but a real, personal relationship with the Son of God. Let us ensure we encourage the children to meet with Jesus first hand, to talk with Him, listen to Him, meet with Him.

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21/11/2010 by admin.

Some time ago I remember being in a group of people who were asked “If you could be anyone in the world, who would you be?” The people with me talked about Mother Theresa and Desmond Tutu as well as other “greats”, I think Nelson Mandela was mentioned by someone. When it was my turn to speak I happily said “I would be David Beckham”. Although nothing was said I could sense the derision at my choice, “Why choose him?”, “How shallow” and other comments were, I am sure, swirling around the heads of my colleagues. My choice was based on one thing only; not his wealth or his family or his sporting ability; it was based on his capacity to make people feel better by walking into a room, or lightening a mood by a simple smile or wave of the hand. Nearly everyone I know would have their spirits lifted by just being able to say “I met David Beckham today”. That is the positive power of celebrity, the power to raise spirits. A few weeks back I experienced, in a very minute level, the ability to make people smile by merely saying “Hello”. Leading one of the teams and being on stage at the New Wine conference has meant being a minor, minor celebrity for the week. Each trip I made between the kids’ venue and my tent resulted in shouts of “Hello Philip” or waves of small hands and smiles from six year olds as they passed me with their families. I must admit I enjoyed it, but I recognise it is a very dangerous situation. Any time we accept this type of adoration we are in danger of taking it away from the One who deserves it. Of course it is good to be thought well of or to be welcomed warmly but we should always remember that we have nothing but what He gives, we are nothing but what He is through us and we must never get between God and His children. I do thank everyone for their good wishes but I will always get more pleasure from seeing one of these children in prayer or praise to Him than a hundred applauding the fun on the stage.

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21/11/2010 by admin.

It is good to be good but better to lead people to a God who changes lives. Do you find yourself working hard at being kind and caring? Is it important to you to be well thought of and respected by those around you? Of course we are called by our heavenly Father to be compassionate and loving and faithful and gentle and kind and full of all the characteristics that come from a close walk with Him but to me that sometimes doesn’t seem enough. I don’t want to be simply a nice person I want to see people’s lives changed as they learn about God’s love for them. I don’t want my Kids’ Ministry just to be a place of fun and warmth it must be a place where we see children challenged and grow as they seek the Father’s will and as we support and encourage them in their spiritual walk.

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