The other day, I heard the phrase, A little bird told me when someone wanted to pass along anonymous information. It wasn’t very helpful. Whenever I’ve heard that phrase, it means someone really wants to give gossip instead of something useful.
I like Twitter and I have spent some quality time reading through tweets. It can be entertaining, much like gossip. But it frequently doesn’t leave me a better, improved person, much like gossip.
Beware of who you follow and what you listen to. The wrong voice can bring you down and ruin your productivity. An anonymous little birdie can make you wonder who else is grumbling and who can you trust.
The tongue can cause great damage. It’s amazing how incessant chirping and tweeting can affect you.
Over the years, I’ve written and drawn dozens of sermon notes. One of my regrets is that I didn’t create any of my grandfather’s sermons when he was active. I had not developed the skill by the time he retied. But one of my thrills was to do it today of my wife’s debut.
As recently as last year, if you asked her if she would speak before a crowd beyond presenting the kids during a special or giving the announcements, she would have politely declined. But as she has grown deeper through spiritual disciplines, something has changed within her.
Here is a copy of my notes. They are two pages since she spoke both hours. It’s interesting to me to see what I got out of one hour versus another when you hear a speaker more than once.
Her topic reflected that. She has learned the value of being still as opposed to being busy, busy, busy! It has caused her to reevaluate what her calling is in this stage of her life.
I love how she has grown and continues to grow in this stage of her life. Whether you are new in your career or have been in the workplace for decades, we all need to grow. We all need to change and experience new beginnings. But as she has learned, it takes the courage to end some things.
Part of her journey has come from a book she quoted in her sermon. We recommend it. It is Necessary Endings by Dr. Henry Cloud.
I am proud of my wife because she is leaving her role at our church under great circumstances. She didn’t wait until she developed a bad attitude, or when her work began to suffer. She left under great circumstances and with a staff in place that will continue to make great strides in the children’s ministry. Now we shall see what the new beginning will be in the coming weeks.
I’ve heard it said that it takes a leader to motivate paid staff, but it takes a real leader to motivate volunteers. That’s why I believe one of the best leaders I’ve seen is my wife. I have seen her cast vision, inspire and motivate children’s ministry volunteer staff at three churches.
At none of the churches have I seen a guy like the burglar in this cartoon. He would not be allowed to rock babies or make crafts with the preschoolers. Besides, he wouldn’t pass the background check!
I loved the tin pan illustration Pastor Southards shared at the end. His grandfather loved to garden. When Steve visited, he would see aluminum foil pie pans hung over the garden. His grandfather put them there to scare away the birds, deer and other animals that wanted the tasty fruits and vegetables. Steve observed if a bird was smart, he might look for the foil pans because that would signify something good was nearby.
Too often, what scares us could actually hide the blessing we desire the most. Great sermon, as always from Pastor Southards.
Drones are making it easier to take pictures whether people are wanting it or not. I saw a drone hovering the other day and wondered what it would be like if a parent used one to continually keep track of his children.
So if you had the ability to continually spy on your kids, would you do it? When does it become an issue of trust vs. safety?
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