Make Your List & Check It Twice!

This coming June will mark our 34th anniversary of being in children's ministry. That's a long time isn't it! Along the way, I have accumulated a lot of ministry props and pieces of equipment. I'm sure that you can image what it would be like to purchase a few items at this convention and a few more at the next conference and then even more at the next meeting. Thirty-four years of buying has created quite an inventory of ministry tools. I have a specially made cabinet filled with object lessons with surprise endings (gospel magic), trunks filled with puppets, file cabinets lined with boxes of object lesson props, racks of costumes, a custom made cabinet for storing black light Scene-O-Felt flannel stories, etc. And books? Yep. There's a bunch of books about children's ministry.

I recently came to the realization that most of these pieces of equipment aren't of any value to me. While they are in my possession, most of them haven't been touched in years. Why aren't they being used? For the most part, I have so much that I don't even know what I have. And, if I can't remember what I have, I won't ever use it. So, to eliminate this problem, I began to create lists. I now have a list that tells me what flannel stories that I own, another list for gospel magic tricks, another list for props, etc. Now, as I'm writing a lesson, I can go to my lists to see what will enhance the teaching. I'm so excited that those formerly unused pieces of equipment are being incorporated into the ministry and adding a whole new dimension to the teaching.

What does this have to do with your ministry? Have you recently taken inventory of the ministry aids provided for you by the Holy Spirit? I'm sure that for many of us, we are so busy just putting together our day-to-day lives that we've pushed to the side the awareness of all that is readily available and accessible to ignite a mighty move of God in you personally and in your ministry. And, like with my children's ministry props and equipment, if we aren't conscious or knowledgeable of what we have available, it isn't be used.

Do yourself a gigantic favor. Stop what you are doing. Take some time to list of the God-given "tools" at your disposal. To make it easy, I'll provide a couple of items on the list and ask you to continue the itemizing. First, there is the ability to walk into a ministry opportunity filled with supernatural power (Acts 1:8). Next, God has made available the ability to see things that are unseeable to the natural eye (John 16:13). Next, ... you can pick it up from here.

One more thing. Once your inventory list is complete, start using the formerly unused "tools" from heaven. It will add a whole new dimension to the ministry!