The Key To Happiness
True happiness cannot be obtained by having a large ministry. It comes through having a large heart. Far too easily we equate true happiness with staggering numbers and being flown around the nation, but too quickly we buy into what is honestly a fallacy of ministry. If those things really did bring personal fulfillment, I'd have a million reasons to be happy, for by the grace of God, I turn down more speaking engagements than I am fortunate to accept and the Lord has allowed several large youth ministries to emerge from humble beginnings. But hear my heart from this amazing journey of no regrets, not once did any of those things bring me real happiness.
My peace, joy and completeness come solely from my relationship with Jesus Christ and sharing a large heart with Him. Secondly, I find it in my amazing family, and lastly from having a large heart with kids in ALC and the youth ministries I'm privileged to oversee. My teenagers, as I am sure yours do, keep me fresh spiritually, give me purpose, and at times a reason to get out of bed in the morning. In this latter season of my life, it is the men and women from the trenches of youth ministry who are propelling me to press on in the journey through The Cadre. The masses never motivated me. It remains the trademark of my ministry to love, give and stay encouraged by one face at a time. I cannot imagine Jesus any other way. In the parables of the lost sheep, the lost coin, and the prodigal son, we find His heart lavishly poured out over just the one.
As you rest in His love and trust, allow yourself to find happiness knowing that He's much more impressed with the size of your heart than the size of your ministry.
True happiness cannot be obtained by having a large ministry. It comes through having a large heart. Far too easily we equate true happiness with staggering numbers and being flown around the nation, but too quickly we buy into what is honestly a fallacy of ministry. If those things really did bring personal fulfillment, I'd have a million reasons to be happy, for by the grace of God, I turn down more speaking engagements than I am fortunate to accept and the Lord has allowed several large youth ministries to emerge from humble beginnings. But hear my heart from this amazing journey of no regrets, not once did any of those things bring me real happiness.
My peace, joy and completeness come solely from my relationship with Jesus Christ and sharing a large heart with Him. Secondly, I find it in my amazing family, and lastly from having a large heart with kids in ALC and the youth ministries I'm privileged to oversee. My teenagers, as I am sure yours do, keep me fresh spiritually, give me purpose, and at times a reason to get out of bed in the morning. In this latter season of my life, it is the men and women from the trenches of youth ministry who are propelling me to press on in the journey through The Cadre. The masses never motivated me. It remains the trademark of my ministry to love, give and stay encouraged by one face at a time. I cannot imagine Jesus any other way. In the parables of the lost sheep, the lost coin, and the prodigal son, we find His heart lavishly poured out over just the one.
As you rest in His love and trust, allow yourself to find happiness knowing that He's much more impressed with the size of your heart than the size of your ministry.
Related Items
It doesn't take a rocket scientist to realize that our students are living in a pleasure-driven youth culture. While pleasure is not all bad, chasing after it in the pursuit of "true" happiness will only leave them (and us) empty.
True happiness comes from living a life with Jesus at its very center, with His passion and purpose flowing out of it.
In this Youth Leader's Coach, I want to challenge you to frequently pause and ask yourself, and help your students ask themselves, the million dollar question, "Will what I'm pursuing result in true happiness or merely temporary pleasure?" For fun, we'll also take a look at ten things science tells us will make us happier people. Interestingly enough, none of them are new thoughts.
Choosing true happiness,
What's the secret to a happy life? So many people think it rests in money, power and fame, but they couldn't be further from the truth! Most will find, after they've spent some time barking up the wrong tree, that true happiness begins by choosing the direction of your thought life. Sounds too simple, doesn't it?
Unfortunately, all too often we've allowed negative comments people have made or our previous mistakes to keep us tied to the past. It prevents us from enjoying today and pursuing all that God has for us tomorrow. How do you overcome the comments and mistakes? In this Source, "The Pursuit Of Happiness," we will draw upon some of the expertise of Tommy Newberry in his book "The 4:8 Principle." In addition to his great book, we'll use circus elephants, a pear tree, a Billy Graham quote and dollar bills to get the point across that "whatever we focus on, we fuel!"
So, grab a cup of coffee and join me. This message is not just for your kids, but for you too.
Lovingly,
Whatever your personal views of Joel Osteen, only a short-sighted person would fail to acknowledge his huge spiritual impact. However, many of us don't find ourselves as "hard-wired" for happiness as he seems to be. In fact, many conscientious youth leaders have a secret, internal nagging-something like "Is this how abundant life in Jesus is supposed to FEEL?" We're busy trying to lead others towards authentic fulfillment and happiness. Yet in private moments, we sometimes are a little disillusioned ourselves.
Pulling from Harvard's Dr. Tal Ben-Shahar's book, Happier, in this Youth Leader's Coach I explore the "question of questions" ...How can we help ourselves and others to become happier? So make the journey with me as I cover this rare topic in the context of biblical principles.
All my gratitude,
The reality is, how each of us choose to spend our time, will ultimately create how each of us choose to spend our life. However, it's all too easy to let our primary focus be inward, thinking of our own personal rights, to ever truly seize the day. But to be able to truly change my behavior, I must first change my perspective.
In this month's Source, "Carpe Diem," I'm challenging our students to seize the day on making some Christ-honoring choices that can set them up with a lifetime of success and happiness. Listen in, as you hear me illustrate the importance of how we spend our lives with some help from a powerful tape measure illustration, four lepers, and a clock ticking away in the background. It's my hope that we all say to the Lord, "Give me your kind of spiritual leprosy...so I don't waste my life spiritually having too much to lose."
Choosing to seize the day,
Recently I read an issue from the Harvard Business Review, one of the most prestigious management and business periodicals published in the 21 Century. The article that caught my attention was called, "How Will You Measure Your Life?"
Though this is a strictly secular publication, the parallels to God's Word so jumped out to me, I'm dedicating this Youth Leader's Coach to looking closely at the three simple questions the writer of the article, a professor at Harvard asked his students. His questions were, "How can I assure that I will be happy in my career?" "How can I be sure that my relationships with my spouse, family, and closest friends become an ENDURING source of happiness?" and "How can I be sure that I'll stay out of jail?"
The bottom line is so simple...and one that we as Christians deal with on a daily basis. So, listen in, as I share my thoughts with you.
Lovingly,
