Pastor Appreciation Month: How you can improve your church in October

     October is pastor appreciation month. While the endless and thankless job that church staff do needs appreciation way more than one month out of the year, there is a lot that can be done during this time to help out. I am also willing to bet that if  you actively spend the whole month showing your church staff they are appreciated, you will notice an impact in the church itself.
     Before we begin, I want you to take a look at a statistics. If you are a person with limited experience in the church or have never worked in a church before you may not be aware of the culture of a church worker. Now all churches are different, but there are also a strikingly large amount of similarities amongst different churches. Following are some statistics about church staff and tenure

• The average stay of tenure for a youth pastor is between 18-24 months (Church Executive)

     That's not a typo. That says months, as in two years or less. I want you to right now think about a person you see once, maybe twice a week. After a year a half, do you really know that person? Are they close to you? Someone you would feel comfortable confiding in, admitting your weaknesses and asking for help? I don't know about you, but for me that amount time is not going to cut it. So how can we expect our teenagers to be able to do something we wouldn't do as adults?

• The average stay of tenure for a senior pastor is between 3-4 years (Thom Rainer)

     Here we do see an improvement, however at this time span there is still not much buildup of a relationship. 4 years is the amount of time it takes to graduate high school. How much did you change during those four years? What about the four after that?

     "So what? you are probably saying that's not going on with my church." Well that is great, but a more accurate statement is "That is not going on in my church NOW", because at some point this will be a problem. As time goes one this is becoming an increasingly more common problem and will eventually lead to the depletion of those willing to work in the church. I say willingly because I believe many are called, however many are also not willing to fight people in the church just to have a job. 

    Here is what I mean by that last statement. The figures below are from pastor care, an organization committed to providing resources and support for those in service to the church. These statistics are derived from their experience uplifting pastors. 

• 80% believe pastoral ministry has affected their families negatively
• 75% report a a significant stress-related crisis at least once in their ministry
• 50% feel unable to meet the demands of their job
• 90% feel they were inadequately trained to meet the demands of the job
• 40% report a serious conflict with a church member at least once a month
• 70% do not have someone they consider a close friend
• 50% have considered leaving the ministry over the last three months
• 50% of those who go into full-time serve drop out in the first five years
• 94% of pastor families feel the pressures of the pastoral ministry
• 66% of church members expect a minister and family to live at a higher moral standard than they do

     This is feedback from individuals who have sacrificed in order to further God's kingdom, in order to shepherd God's flock, but have been beaten down by those same people. I know this is a difficult thing to understand, but please believe me it happens all the time. Even getting into a church position, often times the people they are going to work for know they are asking the impossible. The below quote is from an interview a young pastor had at a church

There was a whiteboard in the room, so I walked to the board and divided the board into the categories on the call sheet they had given me. Things like visitation, sermon prep, etc. Then I asked them for each category what they thought was a reasonable amount of time to spend on each area. Then, below their numbers, I wrote in the amount of time it actually took me to do some of those things. My point was twofold: first they wanted great sermons, but thought that a reasonable amount of time to spend on sermon prep per week was just three hours (I was expected to preach twice on Sunday, and once Saturday night).When I was done I pointed out that the actual amount of time that it would take me to do all of the things that they wanted me to do was in excess of 90 hours a week.They wanted to pay me $21,000 a year.They didn’t see any problem with that.

     Before we get to the good stuff, I want you to do two things for me. Please...see I asked nicely. First check out CHURCH STAFFING and look at a couple job posts. Do you see all those job requirements. Many pastors are doing the work of four people. Can you imagine doing the work of four full time jobs for four years? You would be ready to quit too, I guarantee it. Next read THIS from Thom Rainer. That is the kind of crazy stuff that happens to pastors all the time. If you are really brave go ahead and read the comments section and hear some more. I stopped when I read about the pastor who went in for chemo therapy and was told by the church leadership that the time was counted as his vacation time... Four years is starting to sound like a long time now isn't it?

     So, now we know undeniably that serving the church is tough, so what do we do? The great thing is the possibilities are endless. At the bottom I am going to list all the websites I referenced, there are some great blogs about how to help prevent burnout in the church. Directly below I am going to list a few different ways that YOU help to make sure your pastoral staff knows you appreciate them. (Yes, YOU!)

• Tell them: honestly you can not say enough times how much you appreciate them. When you are never sure what a church member is going to tell you after a service, there is nothing better than hearing someone be thankful for all the hard work you have put in to all you do. 
• An even better way to tell them is ask their spouse what their love language is and tell them in their language.
• Offer them a night out: Babysit their kids and give them a gift card for a restaurant, be forceful if you need too! Pool your resources with another couple or two and really make it a banging gift card!
• Send them a hand written note: Sometimes that one voice of thankfulness from a person is enough ti give you enough strength. P.S. this a great opportunity to teach thankfulness to your kids, have them also make a card or even do it as an activity in your children's ministry!
• Pack their fridge: This is a huge blessing for a family, bring in a big haul of groceries, especially for that pastor with a house full of teenagers
• Volunteer at the church for the jobs no one wants: The floors need to cleaned, the lawn mowed, the garbage taken out, spiders squished, coffee stains cleaned, furniture moved, if everyone leaves and it isn't done guess who has to do it? While many churches have a cleaning staff there are still little tasks around the church that "somebody" has to do, nine out of ten times that becomes a pastor. 
• Bring them lunch: Many pastoral staff work straight through meals in an effort to meet everyone else need. Drop off a nice hot lunch and you will be their favorite person for at least a week! My father-in-law would be the first person at church on Sunday mornings (other than the Pastor) so when the coffee was ready, my father-in-law would bring the first cup to the pastor. Sometimes he would get doughnuts for just the 2 of them.
• Fix something: Have a knack for handy work, be that neighbor who is more than willing to take a look at a problem, or get that heater working before winter comes. People like this can be such an incredible blessing to an already budget strapped pastor. The feeling of non judgmental help being just a phone call away is an incredible blessing! Not handy, offer to rack leaves or wash their car.
• Take them to a game: This one is a little ambiguous, but just realize that a pastoral staff person feels like their financial decisions are being watched by everyone, and you better believe they are going to hear about it from someone when they buy a new TV, a different car, or go see a baseball game (especially if they didn't take the youth group, wait can youth pastors even get into a stadium without bringing 40 teenagers?) Make taking that break a little easier by taking them or just paying for them to go with their family.
• Advocate for them: For some reason pastoral jobs tend to be open to evaluation from everyone, that is a very negative environment to have to work in. If you hear this kind of behavior or anyone talking badly about them stand up for them. You don't have to agree with everything a pastor is doing to support them and encourage them.
• Be a family blessing: Too many times I have seen church staffers try to balance the church lives and family lives. Do the simple things like offer to hold one or more of their kids while they are talking after church, be willing to watch them during church functions so they can have the opportunity to talk to others. Be the person who is just always there ready to help out with whatever their family may need and give them the security to allow their kids to be kids!
• Give: The pastor and the church entity are able to turn on the lights and the heat because of the money you take out of your paycheck. If you wished the pastor was payed more, then do it yourself. Want to be anonymous? Just leave an envelope full of cash taped to their door. You will probably never know how much they need it, but chances are they really do.
• Be reliable: Don't just show up in October with a thank you card and then disappear into the pews for the rest of the year. Be a friend to your pastor, someone who is willing to take on some needs of the church and shows appreciation for the growth they are receiving all year long. 

     And now the absolute number 1 thing you can do to show them appreciation is: DO THEIR JOB! Now we all are not gifted and trained to be able to lead the church, but we all have absolutely everything we need to be a disciple of Christ. As long as we are longing to be Christ like, then by default we will be looking to be loving to the people around us, especially to those who are making sacrifices in their life in order to help us walk closer to Christ. So, to show them we appreciate this we must become the church. We must  desire to evangelize and help the discipleship of others, we must also help others grow closer to Christ. If we do this, we decrease the need for our pastors to do it all on their own. We should be doing this, it is our duty as Christians. Too many pastors become burnt out and leave because the church has put the responsibility of being a Christian on the pastor alone. If there is a need in the church it our job as a follower of Christ to meet it. Don't you dare shrug off another opportunity to be like Christ because "that is the pastor's job, its what we pay him for". 

     So with October here we have the perfect opportunity to help change some statistics. Make your church as hard to leave as possible. A church body who is supportive of its pastors in every way. 

“Will you pray for me as a minister of the gospel? I am not asking you to pray for the things people commonly pray for. Pray for me in light of the pressures of our times. Pray that I will not just come to a wearied end—an exhausted, tired, old preacher, interested only in hunting a place to roost. Pray that I will be willing to let my Christian experience and Christian standards cost me something right down to the last gasp.” — A.W. Tozer

References:

The tenure of ministry part 1

The tenure of ministry part 2

The depressed pastor

http://www.pastorcare.org/

Average youth ministry

Church Executive

Dangers of Third Year tenure

Do you appreciate your pastor?

Five ways to make an awesome Children's ministry lesson

     The second part in creating a Children's ministry lesson brings five ways that help make a lesson engaging and easy to learn. Anyone in education can tell you that presenting information to kids is no easy task and that goes double for the church. So how do we make sure our lesson will stick and have an impact? Check out the tips below for how to create a lesson that will really shine.


1. Pick a theme

     Themes help kids focus on a central idea or concept. It creates a base for children to learn on. It also helps with continuity. Even if you have to jump around some when it comes to the Biblical background (see previous post for why to avoid doing this), keeping a central theme allows children to relate different stories back to a central idea. Themes should last around 4-6 weeks, this gives kids enough time to focus on a single idea without becoming bored with it. Figure out one single point or main idea you want the children to learn and come up with similar lessons or verses that all explain an aspect of this idea. One theme I have used in the past is love, our memory verse was the great commission and we wanted to explain what it really meant to "love your neighbor". We started by explaining the different kinds of love (check our C.S. Lewis book "The Four Loves") and then ended with what actions we needed to take to be loving. Each kind of love was taught for one week with two weeks devoted to action steps. Before this we were learning about the different traits of Jesus, since being loving was one of his traits we were able to link the two themes together giving the children a base and then building on it.

2. Repetition works, repetition works, repetition works

     Repetition works, no really it does. This is very reminiscent of the way that kids learn in school. They go over a subject until they understand it. They also spent time reviewing or referring back to a previous lesson. When doing things like memorizing a verse or theme lesson, going over it multiple times with different representations helps a lot. Pick a memory verse for the month, give them a piece of paper to take home with the verse on it, open up your meeting time by reciting the verse, have them repeat the verse one on one at the end (a little candy goes a long way in this), come up with motions or a song to help them memorize the words. Make sure to stay within the 4-6 week time frame to keep children from becoming bored. Repetition is great but there is definitely a thing as too much repetition.

3. Pay attention to how children learn

     Children learn in many different ways. It's important to understand that not every kid can learn by sitting and listening. Children engage in learning by listening, seeing and being hands on. This is why having an engaging lesson and involving children are so important. Go beyond just passing out a piece of paper; cover the wall with your theme or memory verse, give them visual representations of what they are trying to learn, if they are learning about apologizing have them act it out. If you think back to your elementary days your favorite teachers were the ones who went beyond just reading a lesson, they engage you and taught in a way that made sense to you. Check out the links below for some more information about how children learn and how to teach in a manner that addresses these different styles.

Visual, Auditory and Kinesthetic Learners

Different learning styles

4. Write it yourself/Use your voice

     One of the things I can't stress enough is the importance of writing the lesson yourself. So many churches hand volunteers a piece of paper to read and then wonder why there is no growth in their children's ministry. Do you learn more by listening to a presentation or by giving a presentation yourself? If you know you are going to be teaching a lesson go over it yourself first and add something to it. You don't have to write the entire thing yourself, but you have to add something personal to it. That way when you teach it, your not just reading from a piece of paper but sharing something from yourself to others. Just like every other relationship, you have to give something of yourself to grow the relationship and to find common ground.
     Your voice is absolutely the best tool you have at your disposal. What you are going to be doing the most of is talking, so its important to know how to use your voice to engage kids in learning. First, kids will mirror your energy. If you are starting out or need to get their attention, using a slightly louder faster paced voice with help. When you need to make a point, pause, then speak slowly in a deeper voice. This catches their attention and lets them know what you are saying is important. Your voice is unique and it will take personal experience to understand what works best for you. Check out this video below on getting some tips on how to use your voice.

How to speak so that people want to listen

   
5. Be a model

     No no, you don't need to do turns on the catwalk (please don't) but you should be living your life as an example. Children's ministry is the neediest ministry in the entire church when it comes to volunteers. The more leaders that are around the better. One thing that helps a lesson go smoothly is enough people around to meet the needs of the children. When you have extra leaders handy who can ask questions, take time to pray or go over a verse it makes learning so much easier and children are able to see a demonstration of the things they are learning. And not every kid relates to the same adult the same way. Some kids connect best with a male adult because they lack one in their lives, some kids relate best to the older women because they are kind and have candy! Having different kinds of leaders just make children's ministry that much richer and successful.
     The children are looking up to the adults to understand what they are supposed to do and how they are supposed to act. If you look like you are bored in church, kids are going to see that and be bored too. If you are unenthusiastic reading a lesson line by line, they are going to copy that energy (or lack there of) and get distracted. Be excited about teaching and they will be excited about learning.


     Practice is of course the best teacher and the more times you get in front of a group of children the better you will feel about. The more time you spend with children the greater your relationship will be them. When their teacher is someone they recognize and trust, it goes a long way in helping them pay attention and take to heart what is being said
    It is also important that children's ministry extends to beyond just lessons and I'm not talking about mid week programs or church pick-nicks. Children need to see that you are passionate and dedicated to being in the church. Children also need to know that they are important to you outside of the Sunday school classroom. This is how your children's ministry grows. We need to take the time for everything, from writing a good lesson to showing our support outside of the church. In order for our children to grow, we must first prepare the way for them, showing them everyday what being a follower of Christ looks like.

Best of all we get to impact children s lives for God's glory and have fun doing it. 

Five ways to make a terrible children's ministry lesson

     Children's ministry is something you can find in one form or another in almost every single church. Whether is big time high energy adventures or a simple classroom and some chairs, laying a spiritual foundation for children is something all churches can agree on. Unfortunately when it comes to lesson time, children's ministry is given little importance. The majority of churches have a revolving door of leaders reading from a prepared lesson that they had no hand in making. Just because kids are not able to respond to lessons in the same way as adults doesn't mean they deserve any less time. Everyone has a different approach and has different skills for reaching children but children's lessons usually become either too complicated to understand and or have so little content they are no longer useful. In this two part post, I am going to start out with Five ways to guarantee you have made a terrible lesson. This is a little tongue in cheek so if you don't like sarcasm we probably can't be friends, you probably won't like it.

1. Think like an adult 

               Something I see far too often in Children's curriculum is adult thinking. Leaders will find a subject matter and break it down but they forget to think like a child when they do this. Children need specific and concrete examples. They do not understand convoluted metaphors and analogies. Saying things like "God's love is like a blanket" to a child might sound nice as an adult, but in a child's mind it is essentially gibberish. When creating a lesson for children, you have to understand the limitations they will have in regard to the subject matter. That doesn't mean you should not teach certain things (I did a lesson with k-4th grade on the trinity and it went fine) but you must understand HOW to teach those things. Be as clear as possible, keep your reasoning simple and concrete. Instead of saying "God's love is like a blanket" say something simple like "God will always love you no matter what" or "God is always there for you when you need him"

2. Don't use continuity

     While there are many great curriculums out there for children, one common downfall for many of them is the lack of continuity. You simply cannot expect children to be able to handle large jumps through the Bible and be able to understand the connection. If you have a lesson on Moses one week, next week's lesson shouldn't be about Jesus and the disciples. Children will not be able to understand the different implications of these points in Biblical history. When doing a lesson try to plan out at least six weeks worth of lessons in a similar time frame or background. This amount of time allows for kids to get a complete grasp of what is happening and prepares them to move on to something new.

3. Make sure the children don't get involved 

     Having the children sit quietly and not participate is a great way to ensure that they will learn nothing. The simple act of having some children come up front and get to be a part of the lesson will automatically increase their grasp of the lesson 1000% (margin of error + or - 3%). Children learn when they get involved. Start easy, have them hold a sign or a picture. Think you can't do a Greek/Hebrew word study with children? Think again! Put the word  you want on one side of a big piece of cardboard paper then the Greek word on the other side. Give that paper to one of the kids and have them shout the meaning every time the paper is flipped over. Boom! If you want to be advanced then have the kids represent people in the story. Or do some extra work and give them a Bible verse or story of their own to share. Kids teaching kids, what could be better than that?

4. Don't be relational

     If your goal is to NOT reach kids be sure that what you are teaching them has no impact or relevance in their lives. One of the ways I have found it easier to connect with kids is to talk about yourself as a kid. This lets them know that what you are learning has a point. There is something you can do with the lesson you learned. In one church I was at, we made forgiveness a big theme of ours. We spent a month talking about what forgiveness means and why it is important. We talked about it and had them demonstrate how they say sorry to a sibling. This is something every kid with a sibling has to do (sometimes multiple times a day). When we connect forgiveness is the Bible to forgiveness with their families it clicked. All the kids were able to understand when you say sorry 1. you have to mean it 2. you have to try and not do that thing again.

   
5. Don't have fun

    The last on our list is a gimme. If you want to make sure children stay un-engaged and uninterested then don't have any fun. These are kids we are talking about here, they survive on fun. If your ministry whether in its lesson, rooms, or programs isn't any fun then they are not going to learn. Kids also know when YOU'RE not having fun. If you don't want to be there, it shows. If you are unprepared or uninterested in your lesson, it shows. If for some strange reason being around kids and teaching them Jesus isn't enough to be exciting to you, maybe children's ministry is not for you. Enjoy your time with these kids. Get excited about learning about God. These kids are looking up to you and are watching you to understand what is expected of them. You are not having any fun then are not going to either.  Also, its important to know the difference between fun and entertainment. The main goal should be for children to learn about God and enjoy it. When making sure the kids are not bored for even a second, it is usually the lesson time that suffers.

     This list isn't all inclusive but it does cover issues that can be seen in many ministries. While none of us can be perfect, we need to really understand who we are serving and why. Children's ministry requires a lot of thought and dedication. Until we are ready to become childlike ourselves we will continue to miss the mark when it comes to reaching kids for Christ. It is our dedication and our example of joyful learning that will inspire children to grow in their faith. 

     Check back for the second part of this post which will be "Five ways to make an incredible Children's ministry lesson"

     

What your Church's family ministry is missing

     The past few years I have spent a lot of time (no, really, A LOT) looking at churches. Working in ministry, there is time spent looking for jobs, searching for partner ministries, checking on comparable programs, and even a little curiosity to see exactly what that Methodist church across the road is up to.
     The one thing that every church really loves promoting is their "family ministry". The problem is, I don't think over the hundred, maybe even thousands of churches I have looked into I have seen one true example of family ministry.
     Alright, before you never read this blog again, let me explain. You see lots of churches do things for the family. They have some form of children's ministry, at the very least you see a nursery program. They probably have a cool youth group that maybe even has its own room. There is a parent support group or parent training's throughout the year. Then there is Sunday school, Wednesday night programs, and family picnics.
     Now that list seems nice, and I can admit that these programs are good. They are very beneficial and are important to reach out, train, and uplift children and families. But the point is that none of this is family ministry. Family ministry occurs when the family, as a unit, is learning, praying, and growing together.
     One time during a phone interview I remember asking the question "what does the church do for families"? They were very happy to list the many different programs including their crown jewel of Wednesday night or "family night". The only problem once, in all of the church there was not one single thing that was solely for families to do together. You can't call it family night if the family spends no time together. Would you call it "family night" at your house if everybody stayed in their own room and didn't talk to each other? 
      A family goes through life together. They struggle and succeed side by side. The church is becoming an crucial resource for families. This makes it all the more important to do our best to support and grow families in the church. So how can we ensure we are doing all we can?


1. Keep the family in the service. 

        Yes, younger children can go to the nursery, but anybody who complains about a child moving or making noise during a service REALLY needs to read Matthew 19. Elementary aged students need to be in the service so they can fully understand what being a church member means. There is a lot to be learned simply by being in a service. They get to witness worships, prayer, communion, tithing, and how to respond to teaching. Instead what happens is that children are told to sit at the "kids table" and go to children's church to be babysat during the service. Then when they are teenagers and are supposed to participate in the service they feel awkward and uncomfortable, so they do everything they can to get out it. They will sit up front with all their friends play on their phones the whole time stay up till 3 AM the night before so they don't have to go. Keeping young children out of the service ensures they will not attend the service when they grow up. Removing our kids from service contributes to removing them from church all together.

2. Family night must have some time dedicated to the entire family

    Wednesday night program are great. They often provide a great community outreach and can be very uplifting for busy families. However, there must be a portion of the time that involves the entire family. Have a meal before hand. Start out with everyone together and spend some family worship time before everyone goes to their own group. Have a community time at the end where the entire family gets together to eat cookies (and that unidentifiable red drink, punch maybe?) and talk about what they learned. Want to get even crazier (well why not)? How about having a home work time. What about having groceries or freezer meals ready for families to take home. Maybe even a family fitness event. Provide service opportunities the whole family can do together. 

3. Inter-generational ministry

     There are some incredible things that can happen when an entire family is dedicated to the same goal. Grand parents helping parents, parents helping children, teenagers helping preschoolers. When everybody is contained and there is no interaction between the generations so much wisdom is lost. This is why the whole family must have ministry time together. Those who have learned the lesson or have gone through the trial are able to uplift and encourage those who need it. It also creates a duality of responsibility and dependability. The older generation feels a responsibility to help those younger than them and the younger generation can count on someone in the church to help them. When those younger people grow up, they will help others just like they were helped (P.S. this also keep our young people in the church).

4. Everybody helps

     Service and responsibility in the church keeps people there. There are always service opportunities sure, but how many service opportunities are your children invited to? How many missions trips does the entire family go on? Children and teenagers especially need to know they are wanted and needed in the church. So, if we are creating opportunities in the church for the entire family to spend time together (point 2) then have families be responsible for running those nights. If you have a homework night, children will come, if you have a family in the church running homework night, then families will come together. 

5. Dealing with judgement

     The family is facing some seriously tough times. One issue that the church can demolish is mom-shaming (what Dad's don't get any shaming?). A simple picture on facebook or any other media can for some reason invite a litany of unhelpful-helpful comments regarding parenting. The church needs to be seen as a safe and encouraging place for all families. We all struggle. We all go through difficult times (this also applies to church staff and their families). The church needs to be a judgement AND GOSSIP free zone. When we as the church passionately desire to love and grow families as Christ did, we will accomplish so much more than any Wednesday night program ever has. 

     Most importantly the church must encourage the family to grow at home. No matter how good a church's program is it can not compare to the influence and teaching that happens in the home. Parents must demonstrate a Godly lifestyle. Children need to be taught the Bible and why their parents behave the way they do. Many families (especially millennials) are looking to the church to help them with raising spirit filled children. The youth that turned away from the church is getting marries, settling down, and having children. Now that there is a responsibility they are looking for spiritual guidance. Our church needs to meet these families where they are at and provide them with tools and resources to practice faith in their home. 

     No one thing is perfect. There isn't any all inclusive church program that solves all the families problems. We must continue to rely on God's grace and love in all things. 

It's quiet in the pit

     For a long time I have always lamented the telling of Daniel in the lions den. Sure as a child it was always fascinating (isn't every story about lions fascinating as a child) but when I became an adult something about it always bothered me. People always seem to tell this story like it's a happy one, but it's not. Daniel had already overcome and incredible amount by this point in his life. His home had been destroyed and he was taken captive into Babylon, he gave a nutrition class while in jail, his friends faced the heat of the furnace, he interpreted dreams and graffiti, and he worked so hard that even though he was essentially a slave he was given an incredible amount of respect and authority. Pick just one of these stories, any one of them and you already have an amazing example of faithfulness and God's protection.
     And yet, for some reason that wasn't enough. God ordained that it was necessary that Daniel not only be tested again, but that he should be an example to the entire kingdom. Most of us are familiar with the story and how things went downhill for Daniel. There were many men jealous of Daniel in the kingdom. They were tired of his ways and wanted to be done with him, but since he was such a faithful man they were unable to actually find any fault with him. Let that sink in for a moment. That long list of things Daniel had already gone through, he felt no contempt for god, no bitterness or anger of having suffered. So much so, that he was so upright that even though he was followed and spied on no one could catch him doing anything wrong. In fact he even purposefully took time to acknowledge God and pray three times a day. So in order to get rid of him, they had to make something up. They talked to the king and tricked him, making him sign an order that if any one else prays to any one; person, rock, cloud, or God, they would be killed by being fed to the lions.
     Daniel being faithful ignored this law and continued to pray to God. I believe he knew very well about the law and probably even knew this was trap. Not only that, he more than likely knew the individuals who were trying to get rid of them. Did he call on God to smite them? Did he call them out of being terrible human beings who couldn't run a fruit stand let along a kingdom? Nope. He did what he did every day like nothing changed. he went to his room and he prayed.

"Now when Daniel learned that the decree had been published, he went home to his upstairs room where the windows opened toward Jerusalem. Three times a day he got down on his knees and prayed, giving thanks to his God, just as he done before" Daniel 6:10 NIV

 He prayed knowing full well there would be some kind of trouble in it for him. He didn't hide it, didn't try to go underground with his faith. Because of this, everyone in the city knew something was going to happen.
     The jealous men brought Daniel before the king and informed him of his misdeed. They reminded the King that he signed a decree that he was not allowed to change. This actually comes up a few times in the text. I think this was purposeful, kind of a poking the bear situation when it came to dealing with their King. These men didn't just want to get rid of Daniel, they were also letting their King know that they could get what they wanted if they really needed to. So the King had no choice. He gave the order. Daniel was thrown into the den with a large stone over place and then sealed shut.

     Now this is the part I really want you pay attention to. Read this next part real slow and out loud

"Then the king returned to his palace and spent the night without eating and without any entertainment being brought to him. And he could not sleep. At first light of dawn, the King got up and hurried to the lions den. When he came near the den, he called to Daniel in an anguished voice, "Daniel, servant of the living God, has your God whom you serve continually, been able to rescue you from the lions?" Daniel 18-20"

     When trying to brainstorm they always say that there are no dumb questions. This might be the dumbest question in history. Who is the king talking to? Daniel is a dead. He probably died the second he hit the ground. There is absolutetly no reason what so ever the King should think that he is still alive.  Here look, please indulge me, this is what I want you to do before you read any more. Follow this link below, make sure your speakers are up to at least 50%.

Lion Roar


     Now I'm not going to get into a debate about Babylonian lion den architecture alright, but what that link should demonstrate is that was one lion. A den of lions (plural) would be much worse than that. Daniel is dead and the king is a babbling idiot if he thinks he is still alive. Can you image all of the other people there that morning hearing their king talking into a death trap thinking his friend is alive?
     Now this is the part I don't like. I know that the ending sounds nice, but when I hear people tell this story they paint this stupid cute picture of how Daniel was petting the lions, maybe he even curled up next to them like giant pillows. What absolute garbage. That may be something that is acceptable to tell a child who needs to not be scarred by the horrible death of being eaten alive by a lion, but let me paint a more accurate picture.
     Daniel stands before the den, or more accurately, the pit. Even standing outside the pit the stench of rot and decay is overwhelming. Many of the guards have their faces covered to not breathe it in. Daniel prays quietly to himself begging for God to intercede. This isn't really a new position for him as he has faced danger and hatred many times in this foreign land. His friends made it through the furnace alive, God would spare him not too. Even if he didn't, the entire city knew he did no wrong. His sacrifice would still mean great things to kingdom of God. Daniel looks over to his friend the King. He doesn't look back, although he does look sad. Daniel realizes that he will not save him, and that its not his fault. He continues to pray. He listens to his friend somberly say the words "put him in". He closes his eyes and is unceremoniously pushed from behind into darkness. Before he can stand up, he hears the rock cover the entrance. Daniel is in the pit. God did not save him. What reason is there to believe that he would be saved now.
     He is in complete and utter darkness, he can't even see his hand in front of his face. The smell has intensified. The urge to vomit has become unbearable at this point. He can't see anything, but he can feel the bones and torn bits of clothing (hopefully) under his feet. This is a pit of death. Then worst of all, he hears it. Go ahead and queue up that lion roar track again, good, now imagine that inside ten of those are inside the room you are in. Its dark, you can't see anything, but you can hear just how many of them are trapped inside with you. Daniel backs up slowly until he hits a cold dirt wall. He slumps down against it, praying again and waiting for was is going to happen.
     This is the truth of what happened to Daniel. Now we all know the rest. God sent an angel that shut the mouth of the lions and he was sparred. Please don't embarrass us both by saying that after the angel came it was a peaceful night for him. He didn't sleep. He kept aware of the constant danger lurking around him. Now I don't how angels show up. Maybe he couldn't even see anything. All he knew is that he could hear the lions, but they weren't eating him. Maybe he could see the angel and they spent all night playing I spy. When we get to heaven we can ask. But anyone who says that every second inside that pit wasn't agonizing is turning the Bible into fairy tales.
     Now we all know the rest of the story right. Daniel was alive. His faithfulness to God showed again through this experience and many people throughout the kingdom heard of this and began to worship God as well. Even the king gave up worship to himself and gave it to God.

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     So what then, why the bubble bursting? Well, I write this to tell you that I am in the pit. I feel alone, trapped, and facing a lurking danger. In April I was asked/volunteered to leave a job I loved. No matter my input, the place I was at needed healing, the kind only God could provide. We knew our time was coming to a close, but it didn't make it any less frustrating when it happened.
     In this job I grew more than ever before. I gained so many skills that I had yet to master. I was running a business and a ministry at the same time. I was analyzing a years worth of finical data broken down into weeks and extrapolating trends to helps us be prepared to finical hits. I was managing over twenty staff and one hundred children on a daily basis. I was organizing to be on top of every meetings, every email, and every phone call.
      I was also printing off coloring sheets and singing the papaya song (look it up). I loved it. I loved pouring into the lives of children and families. However, it was clear that this place had wounds deeper than what we were capable of healing.
    Since then we have done something we hate doing. We went back home. Now don't read to much into that, my family is amazing and has always been supportive. However, there is seemingly no greater insult to an adult than to fail on their own and have to come back home. I wasn't disappointed to have come home, I was disappointed to have failed on my own.
    Sine June, my family and I have been back home. We had some money saved and were looking for our next step. We had plenty of interviews and potential opportunities, but none of them worked out. As the days went on, we got more and more disappointed. The pit started growing.
     Now we are here at the end of August. Our money is gone and we have had to rely on others to help us pay our bills. We have gone from looking for our next great career step to not being able to land jobs in our own home towns.
     For me the pit is seemingly endless. It feels impossibly big and unrealistically dark. I have changed so much in just a year, I though for sure getting a new job would be simple.
     As we wait, and have patience with God, every day because harder and longer than the last. My wife remains strong and reminds me that God gives us these times in order to grow us. That when God tests our faith, then is when we become closest to him. God requires more from a man he plans to use. Once a week faith is insufficient. God desires those who are always seeking after him.
     Many of you have not heard from me in some time and I wanted to be able to give an update on what is happening in our lives. This is what is happening. God is teaching us patience and faithfulness. He is growing us in the pit, and we are waiting for morning.  Please don't ask if I have found work. I will tell you when I do. Please don't tell me about some job some acquaintance of yours heard about. I already know about it. I have done all my earthly body can do to change our situation. If you would like to help, please pray. Pray that we can have patience and strength to pass this time. Pray that God will reveal his next step for our life. Pray for my family, that we can embrace each other during this time and be thankful that we are together.
     Even during this time, we are anxious to be serving. That being said, my wife and I have an incredible amount of skill and passion for serving children and families. If you are in need of a someone to invest in your youth group, children's ministry, church, day care, or personally we would love to help. Thanks for investing in us and praying for our family.
     Daniel got to experience being pulled from the pit. He was so desired that the King ran down at first light after waiting all night for him. He was able to increase the kingdom of God because of his time in the pit. Like Daniel, I am waiting daylight.

***Only when we are emptied of our own self-sufficiency can God use us.  - K.P. Yah