danielle bell, Author at dandibell

In kidmin

broken, bored, and burned-out in ministry (kmc notes)

October 11, 2014 No Comments

last week i taught a kmc breakout session on being broken, bored, or burned-out in ministry. before we spent some intentional time in scripture, prayer, and encouragement, i shared my four tips to avoid or dig out of brokenness, burn-out or boredom in ministry. here they are:

get fed – where are you being filled up?
– you are pouring out and pointing people to Jesus, but are you spending time with Him yourself?
you may be fooling yourself, but you won’t fool your volunteers and the children you serve. if you are not taking time to sit at the well and receive living water, how will you have anything to pour out on those you lead?

– make it a point to be involved in Bible study and protect that time.
you may get to slip into worship, but where are you plugged in to simply sit and receive what God has to say to you? when you find that time, protect it. don’t schedule meetings and events during this time. you provide meaningful Bible study for others, make sure you receive that time for yourself.

get away – sabbath
– you work on the sabbath, so when are you taking your’s?
we all need time to stop and sit at our Savior’s feet. Jesus made it a priority to get away and spend time with His Father, so how much more do we need this time?

– best gift i have been given in ministry – monthly sabbath
i am so grateful for the gift of sabbath, given to me by my former boss, that i blog about it here. this is a discipline i plan to make a priority in my ministry life from here forward.

– schedule it and have someone hold you accountable to it.
believing in and scheduling a sabbath are simply not enough; you have to actually take the day and get away. i find this difficult in the busy summer months when my schedule is packed with events. that is when i need sabbath most. i am reminded of the martin luther quote that says, “I have so much to do that I shall spend the first three hours in prayer.”

get your armor on
– we are in a battle – He didn’t give you armor to never wear it.
ministry is hard. so why would we go into the daily battle without putting on the armor God outlines in ephesians six?

– some of the sharpest arrows come from within the church. protect yourself.
as believers, we are far from perfect. we all know that sometimes the most discouraging words come from within our own Christian camp. we need to make it a priority to protect and guard our heart, mind, and strength with the armor of God.

get a safe friend
– you have to have a safe place to vent.
find someone (preferably that knows ministry) to vent to and with whom you can share your struggles. finding one person to be open and honest with about your ministry journey is a blessing indeed.

– a safe friend can hold you accountable.
this person can’t just be a “yes man.” they have to be able to speak truth to you in love and hold you accountable. their words may sting at first but when based in truth will be a great source of great encouragement.

– you need someone praying for and encouraging you.
a text sent in the middle of a huge event, a scripture shared and prayed over you, and a listening ear are all ways a safe friend is a gift to your ministry.

In kidmin

stop talking so much

October 2, 2014 No Comments

funny that i would have a blog with that title, huh? it is so the pot calling the kettle black, but i am slowly learning a lesson when it comes to kidmin teaching – we talk too much. go back to the last time you taught and compare your talking time to that of the kids in your class. if you are like me, you win every time. the problem is i am not sure if us saying more words than the kids is actually a win.

this really came to a head recently for me when i was in the middle of our mission smasH event with our 5th graders. (you can read more about that here.) kids received cd clues throughout the night that directed them in teamwork challenges and devotions. (adults are not allowed to help, just keep the kids safe. the clues and children lead this event.) the clue (which is me talking) told them to look up a scripture and pause the cd while a child read it. when the child finished reading they were to un-pause the cd and hear what i had to say about the verse. that is not what happened. several times before pushing play, the 5th graders began discussing what the verse meant and how they would apply it to their world. that was not how i designed it. if i am honest, i admit that my immediate reaction was to stop them and tell them to listen to the debrief i gave them concerning the scripture. for once i kept my mouth shut. what happened when i was silent created a chance for the children to grapple with the scriptures and try to apply them to their lives.

this whole incident had me thinking about all the times i teach and interact with children. so here are my questions for us to consider:

– first, do we even allow time for children to answer questions and discuss the truth they have been taught?
– are we more concerned with getting the lesson elements taught or do we desire for the truth to really be caught?
– when was the last time we waited in uncomfortable silence to allow children a chance to share, ask questions, or discuss?
– are we convinced that the real learning can only come from what we share, or do we believe God can teach a lesson through the words of a child?
– what is the real reason we do all the talking? control? fear? pride?

how do you make sure kids have a chance to talk and share? i would love to hear how God is speaking through children in your ministry.

In kidmin

kids ministry conference – nashville

September 30, 2014 2 Comments

next week i get the privilege of leading three workshops at lifeway’s kids ministry conference. below is a list and description of my workshops. if you are going i would love to meet you. stop by, say hi, and let’s chat kids ministry.

In confident in CHRIST

simple gift of God’s Word

September 29, 2014 No Comments

each year we present our first graders with a new Bible. we have a special family brunch where we share the importance of God’s Word to families. (you can read more about that here.) we also give the children a small gift bag. it usually contains some sort of family faith discussion product and a bookmark. you would think the purchased family-talk product would be the biggest hit, and they are great, but this year the real fruit of Bible reading came from our simple bookmark.

the bookmark is not an expensive item, but this year we saw its eternal value like never before. the idea for this bookmark came from the thought that while we are presenting children with God’s Word it can be incredibly daunting to know just where to begin. so many books. so many verses. so many words. so we thought what if we give them a jumping off point? what if we help children with some suggestions for verses and passages to seek as they begin their Bible reading? so we asked all the ministerial staff and first grade teachers to share with us the scriptures/passages that have meant the most to them. that’s all. we typed them neatly on a bookmark, laminated them really thick, and challenged the kids to use them to begin to find verses to read.

this year there was an overwhelming response. kids were so proud of their Bibles. they wanted them with them as much as possible. we even heard a story of a child choosing to read God’s Word over playing games on an ipad.

here is what one father emailed in to say,
“What a wonderful Sunday! You gave a powerful (and challenging!) message on the importance of the Bible and each family’s role in it. Kaleb was so excited after church that his Bible did not leave his side the rest of the day! I could go on and on about all the impressive things but I think the one that was most special to me was the bookmark. That all those people took the time to share, y’all put it together so clearly, and that it gives us a starting point to read with him is just awesome. “

if you are like me you know that sometimes we make things too hard. we think money has to be spent, bells and whistles must blow, and mountains must move. we simply gave them a bookmark with a challenge to use it as a resource to read God’s Word. kids accepted the challenge, so in my mind and heart i believe there is a great potential for the moving of mountains and changed lives for eternity.

how do you encourage children to read’s God’s Word? i would love to hear your ideas.

In kidmin

#kidmintrenchtalk

September 20, 2014 No Comments

my view from the kidmin ministry trenches

kidmin friends, be sure to follow my hashtag where i share all the lessons, failures, successes, encouragement, scripture, and random thoughts from someone who serves alongside you everyday in the kidmin trenches.

weekly serving in the trenches of ministry is hard and incredibly rewarding. somehow i hope to share a little insight, lessons i learned the hard way, tips, ideas, and Gospel centered encouragement.

so be sure to follow me on twitter here and look for my #kidmntrenchtalk tweets. may we always continue to spur one another on for the glory of God.