I was reading a blog post this week that said 3 of 4 church pastors say the number one challenge in church work it apathy.   Apathy is defined as lack of enthusiasm, concern or interest.  I started thinking through this and decided what things could help.... Here are my FOUR HELPS.
1. Address it - We have to remind ourselves and those we lead what we see.  We need to remind people that we need them to invest in the ministry by giving their time, talents and financial resources.  We have to remind them that we don't want something from them, but something for them.
2. Belong to a Community - It is one of the greatest encouraging things to be part of community.  When you are in community with others, they help you carry the load.  They can also spur you on to greater things and keep you engaged.
3. Create Curiosity -  One of the things I think we all have to strive against is just floating.  We find something that works great and we want to keep it and sustain it as long as possible and sometimes much longer than the life of it.   Cultivate creativity by engaging the most people you can.
4. Deliver the Gospel -  Nothing excites people and motivates them more than when they see lives being changed.   We must share the gospel with those around us and when we do, God begins to change people   When God changes people, there is an amazing motivation that happens. 

So as you see, here it is ABCD's of getting rid of apathy
Address it
Battle it
Confess it
Defy it
​

Ministry includes many people which most are volunteers.   What is a volunteer?  Webster says "one who renders a service or takes part in a transaction while having no legal concern or interest"   We have to have volunteers to help us as we minister to our community. What are those things that volunteers can slip into that cause us all more harm than good?  Here are just a few
1. When they come unprepared
2. When they have a sense of entitlement
3. When they are subversive and sow discontent
4. When they complain often
5. When they think 50% attendance is highly committed

As leaders most of the people we work with in our ministry are volunteers.  It's important that we remember a few things as we minister to them and we allow them to help us minister to others
1. SPUR OF THE MOMENT CHANGES
It's important that we plan well so we can make sure we don't have to make those spur of the moment changes on a regular basis.  It should be a shock to most people when we have to do this.
2. THE ONLY CALL AND TEXT VOLUNTEERS RECEIVE ARE WHEN SOMETHING IS NEEDED
We must minister to people and the best way to do that is to communicate well and minister to them as often as you can.
3. WASTING TIME
One of the greatest commodities that people have today is time.  We have to make the best use of time and we do this by publicizing start and stop times and stick to them.  
4. FORGETTING THEY ARE VOLUNTEERS
It's really easy to become a user of people and sometimes the "same" people.  We have to remember that people who are in our ministries are usually full time mothers, employees or students and are gracious to give us the time they give.
5. USING SPIRITUAL WORDS TO MANIPULATE
People love their ministers and pastors and often they respect our leadership.   We have to be careful not to use bible words in situations to put pressure on our volunteers.   Things like, "submit to my authority" and "God impressed upon me" can be used for the wrong reason.

I was reading a few weeks ago and came across at Craig Groeschel quote.   Craig said "When comparison ends, contentment begins"!  What a great word and I thought I would share 4 things to help us as we do our best not to compare ourselves to each other.   It's important in minister especially worship ministry to rely on the giftedness that God gave you and give that gift back to Him at 100%.
​1. Remember that you are fearfully and wonderfully made
God made you just like He wants you to be.  He knew that the gifts you have are the ones you could use to help build His Kingdom.   God doesn't make any mistakes.
2. We all have different strengths and weaknesses
Look around, we are all gifted in many different ways.  It is this gifting difference that makes ministry so fun.   As you minister, you realize how God brings people in to help you with gifts different than yours.
3. Choose compliments over comparison
One of the quickest ways to become discouraged is to compare yourself to others.  I would rather see us build others up and put others first!  Look around today and see who you can build up.
4. Rely on God's opinion of you
You are a child of God, His word even calls you a "Friend of God"   God loved you so much that He gave his one and only son to save you from yourself.  His opinion of you is very high!

1 Thessalonians 5:18 reminds us to be thankful in ALL things.  
In the last few years of my life, I have come to realized my attitude can be less than impressive sometimes. I don't like that fact, but it's true.  I think it's most true when something doesn't go the way I thought it would or should.  My mom use to call this "bent out of shape". 
I have learned that you can't have a bad attitude and be thankful as the same time.  It's a choice we all have to make and Paul reminds us to be thankful for all things. I heard a pastor proclaim, "All means all and that's All all means".  It's very true, we can be thankful for things that go the way we think, but when something goes sideways, how do we usually respond?   
One personal example in my life is my moms struggle with dementia.  For about 7 years now my sisters and I have watched my moms cognitive health decline, while her physical health is extremely good for a lady of her age.  We have watched her go from struggling with names, to a point that she doesn't know we are anymore.  She has said to me on many occasions in the past few months, "Am I suppose to love you"?   I will say yes mom, and she responds "I thought so"!!!!
How can you be thankful for things like this, because this falls into the "ALL" category.   It's not easy, but it's something we must learn to do.  I have had good and bad days when trying to figure out my gratitude for my moms disease.   For me, I have come to realize that God is in control and as a follower of Christ, I have to trust Him fully.  He knows me best!  I have sad days still, but in those moments I just ask the Lord to remind me of the things about my mom that I am grateful for, and you know what happens?   My attitude changes.
I am thankful my mom is still around, that I can hold her hand, I am thankful that I can still spend time with her and laugh together.  I am also thankful that she knows the lyrics to most gospel hymn I play and we can still SING together.  I choose to be thankful, and in that choosing, God does a work on my heart and mind to change me!

One of my personal goals this year of 2022, has been to become an early riser.  I have always been what one would call a night owl and a morning person, but after reading some leadership books, I decided I wanted to create a better morning routine for me.  
I have a daily alarm that goes off at 5:15, and as a joke, and a trigger to get me going, I usually shout, "Feet on the Floor, Look out the Door" as I get out of bed and look outside.   It's just a personal trigger to help me get up and going.
With our move to North Georgia, and purchasing a home with a screened back porch, this has become my morning oasis.   I grab a cup of coffee and my iPad (yes I am fully digital in my bible reading and journaling).  I may do a post about my process soon.
I find my place in the chair on the back porch and sit in the dark just listening and enjoying the surroundings that can only be detected with your ears.   One amazing thing is my porch faces the East and so as I sit, I begin to see a small sparkle of light begin to come through the trees.   As I sit, think, read, and pray the light becomes more pronounced as time goes by until finally I actually see the sun come up through the trees.
As I ponder, the thought of being the light to the world reminds me that light permeates darkness and darkness cannot keep it out.  I want my life to matter and the best way that can happen is to shine the light of Jesus in all that I do.   People today need the light of the world given to them, because, they trample through darkness in their personal lives each day.  
A smile or a "have a great day' can shed light into the darkest places in someone's life if we will just remember to do it.
The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness can never extinguish it. John 1:5

One of the many questions I receive as the Worship and Music Catalyst is how should one pick songs for congregational singing?   It's a great question and almost always I give this quick and easy answer.
Pick songs that are familiar.  People love to sing what they know.   I often ask someone, how long does it take for the average person in your congregation to learn a song well enough to sing it "by heart".   We all know when a song is so deep in our heart, that we almost don't have to think about it as we offer it in worship to the Lord.    
I read a book one time that mentioned people have to hear a song "17" times before they actually know it well enough to communicate it.   When I am planning worship, I often try to think of songs I know the congregation can sing to the Lord because it comes from the depth of their hearts.   A song they know well.
It's exciting to attend a sporting event, and a popular song starts playing from over 30 years ago.  People stand and instantly engage themselves because of familiarity.   I think it should be the same in church.  Make sure that the majority of your congregational songs are familiar to those who attend on a regular basis.   Help new songs become familiar by repeating and teaching them over and over. 
We love to sing what we know, so do all we can to help as a leader of worship.