MEN'S MINISTRY: "You're welcome at my fire anytime."

"You're welcome at my fire anytime." is a line from the movie, The Man From Snowy River. It's a cowboy phrase because being welcome at a campfire is a statement of friendship and trust.

Everybody needs to connect. Women have been doing it for years in different ways in the church. Men have a little more trouble. After all, most don't quilt, they're usually not joining MOPS, and they don't really reach out or make friends in the same way women do. I posted before about a men's helping ministry, but this is something different. It's about filling them up and providing a safe place for them to get support and accountability with other men... around a fire. It's called a FIRESIDE CHAT and no women or children are welcome. For some reason sitting partially in the dark and smoking cigars around a fire is relaxing. I don't know, maybe it has something to do with the Holy Spirit appearing as fire on Pentecost in Acts 2.

My husband has a weekly fireside chat in our backyard (if you have a fire pit at your church you could start one there too) where he invites his older sons (over 18), any men from our congregation, and any neighbor or man with which he comes in contact and is compelled to invite. Men are welcome to invite other friends, colleagues, family members, etc. as well. If the group gets too big, another group is started. It's a simple process and there is one firm rule: no alcohol. The goal is not to fix each other's problems, but to share the joys and burdens of life and encourage each other in Christ. Everything said at the fire stays at the fire.

The basic agenda looks like this (no alcohol, but cigars are welcome):

• Warm-up time to shoot the breeze and punch each other in the shoulder.
• Remind each other of the confidentiality of the group.
• Ask the questions.
• What is God doing in your life?
• Are you stuck anywhere?
• What are you doing about it?
• Prayer (anytime for anything - it makes God a part of the group)

Anyone can pray or request prayer at any time during the fireside chat. Sometimes someone will drop a bomb and need the group to speak the truth in love and immediately pray. Remember that you are expected to have each other's back. Speak the truth IN LOVE.

When men trust who they're talking to and open up, they receive an incredible amount of support and accountability and this becomes a powerfully uplifting part of their week. They grow closer to God, they become better leaders of their family, and better husbands and fathers. This is the kind of personal ministry that changes lives and helps men be strong, confident, faithful, God-loving men.

If you'd like to know more about this program, please don't hesitate to contact me.

BrAiN bReAk!!

CONFIRMATION: Excellent Bible History Resource!

1936 Concordia Publishing House

My husband, a former LCMS pastor, turned me on to a great book he used when he was younger. It's called Advanced Bible History in the Words of Holy Scripture with Illustrations, Maps, and Notes and it was published in 1936 by Concordia Publishing House. This book is fantastic! The way it's broken down is good for students and, contrary to questions we ask today, the review questions it asks are wonderfully challenging. They really make kids think about the reading!

Sadly, this book is no longer in print. I've seen the updated version, but haven't had the opportunity to examine all of it closely. It would appear that the majority of the changes were not in the choices of Bible readings, but in language and the questions asked. Sometimes today we are so busy trying to force big connections that we miss the smaller ones within the reading. We're in such a hurry for kids to get the "big picture" that we don't take the time to find out if they understand what they've just read.

Examples of Today's Questions 
(notice how they don't relate directly to the reading at hand)

• Study Hebrews 11:3 and question 105 of Luther's Small Catechism. What attitudes should Christians have regarding the theory of evolution? (The answer is way too obvious in the given references.)
• Why did the Son of God come into the world (1 John 3:8)? (The answer is way too obvious in the given passage.)
• What are some ways God shows love for His people? (Applies to nearly every Bible reading.)

Examples of 1936 Questions 
(notice how they relate directly to the reading at hand)

• Classify the parables of Christ according to the lessons they were to teach. 
• Write or relate a short biography of Moses. 
• Show how the promises of God were fulfilled in this section. 
• Name some of the judges of Israel and state what they did for Israel.
• What caused the repeated downfall of the Israelites?

As you can see from the examples, public schools are not the only place where we have "dumbed down" education and expectations of learning. If you need a good reference book for Confirmation or Bible literacy, this is the one. There are only a few copies that can be found used on Amazon or you can contact Concordia Publishing House and see if they have any in a closet somewhere. 

In the meantime, check out my Bible Reading Guide and Workbook for the Old Testament (Middle School and High School). You can get a pdf version and make photocopies if you don't want the actual workbooks. I'm almost done with the Gospels and am working as fast as I can. Keep your expectations up! Teaching is the most important thing you do! 

LUTHERAN SCHOOLS: What's your philosophy?

A few weeks ago I was interviewed for a position in a K-8 Lutheran school (I'm licensed in H.S. math so my Lutheran school options are limited) and was asked the question I dread. What is the purpose of Lutheran schools? Oh no. (My heart beat faster.) There it is. The standard or expected answer is OUTREACH. Lutheran schools exist to share the Gospel of Jesus. So, when people ask about your school is that what you share first? How is that working for you? Do you have a waiting list? Are people talking about and trying to get into your school because of that? Hmm, from what I've seen, probably not. But why not?

Probably because when people are looking for a good school they're looking for a good school. That's their first priority and why I disagree with this purpose. It's not that I think Lutheran schools should be quiet about the gospel, but if a Christ-centered education is a priority then why aren't, at the very least, all Lutheran parents trying to get into Lutheran schools?

Here's the situation. Public schools aren't all bad. Some charter schools are pretty good. People choose schools for their excellent academics and EXCELLENT private schools have waiting lists whether they're Christian or not.

"But our Lutheran school is excellent!" 

How do you know? How do people outside the church know? How are you marketing your school? What are you doing to make it excellent? How are you getting that message out? What are you doing to shake things up?

Seriously, it's not a slap to God to have the philosophy, "Come for an education, leave with so much more!" But you can't just say it, you have to do it. What is an excellent academic school?

• One that can show improvement in student achievement.
• One that can hold its own when compared to the top private schools in your state.
• One that assesses using the same tools as top private schools in your state. 
• One that has excellent character and behavior standards.
• One that does not cave to parental pressure without due process.
• One that has a school board and not a church board. 
• One that has a qualified leader with vision and a plan.
• One that has ONE grade per classroom. 
• One that has licensed teachers. 
• One that has high standards for its teachers and holds them to a standard.

In the past I've made it clear that I am a great proponent of high standards in Lutheran education. I don't like mediocrity in education as a whole and I see Lutheran schools settle for it all too often. An excellent school is not a school that has a lot of money. It's a school that has high academic and behavior standards whether it's faith based or not and it brings in students! The question is... how do you know if that's you? And are you willing to find out?  Are you or is your school

• afraid to change?
• unable to see yourself clearly?
• too stuck in the past to move into the future? 
• afraid to compare your academics to those of other private schools?
• so comfortable in who you are that you don't want to do the work to get there?
• too comfortable with the idea of being a "struggling Lutheran school?"
• somehow believing that church schools should struggle? 
• somehow believing that excellence in education and outreach are mutually exclusive?

Be a great school, bring students in and share with them the Gospel of Jesus Christ. They will 

COME FOR THE EDUCATION AND LEAVE WITH SO MUCH MORE!

EDUCATION: Luther's Prayers Bookmarks!

500 YEARS of Luther!

As I was reading the Bible the other night and started to get sleepy, I wanted to pray Luther's Evening Prayer. We said his morning prayer in my classroom every morning, and it's similar to the evening prayer, but I'm getting old and kept getting the morning and evening words mixed up. I wondered if I might find a bookmark that had it printed on it that I could keep it in my Bible so this didn't happen again, Sure enough, I couldn't find one anywhere! So, what did I do? I designed a few. Unfortunately I can't give them away, but I want to make them available to you all because I think there are a number of ways they might be used:

• Rally Sunday gifts for education or the whole congregation
• Sunday School rewards
• Confirmation gift
• New member gift
• Make them available at the information desk or kiosk

You can see the designs below.

OUTREACH: Rally Sunday magnets anyone?

Rally Sunday is right around the corner!!

Instead of a boring flyer or an email, have your information printed on refrigerator magnets at Uprinting.com Refrigerator magnets are available in many and various sizes, one being the size of a business card or one that is a 2" by 2" square (1000 for about $66). You might think that's pretty small, but it's not too small for the Word of God! There are bigger sizes as well, but of course, the bigger they are, the more expensive they are, however, 1000 3" x 3" marketing magnets for about $120 is a pretty good deal. Handing them out on Rally Sunday is a great idea!

3" x 3"

2" x 2"

Also, if you've got a business card, you can have it made into a magnet at Uprinting.com for a very good price. You can get 100 of them for about $40 or 1000 for about $84, but really, who needs 1000 business cards... unless you're giving them away as visitor gifts!

LEADERSHIP: Marriage Counseling

I was married when I was 51 to a man who has eight children, five of which were still living in the one bathroom home. Marriage is difficult when it's just you and your spouse trying to learn how to live together, but throw in kids and everything is ten times more of a challenge, especially if you both have kids. For the first time I thanked God that I hadn't had kids.

Now, I'm pretty good with teenagers after all the years I spent teaching high school, but I was looking forward to marriage counseling because I'd never been married before and was pretty set in my ways, and because the teenagers I know usually go home every night. What did I learn during the process? NOTHING. I can confidently say that my marriage counseling from my husband's pastor was sub sub par. It consisted of a few conversations and please read these somewhat helpful love and respect books. In an ideal world those would be perfect, but we don't live in an ideal world. We live in a world where we need to be able to handle the  tough questions and there were no tough questions.

Thankfully, my cousin had great counseling and recommended a book that I wish the pastor had us read together. It's called Fit to be Tied by Bill and Lynne Hybels. Reading this book BEFORE you tie the knot is key. Asking hard questions BEFORE you tie the knot is key. Nobody wants to regret marrying the person they did a year or two down the road. You have to think and talk about the things that may seem great now, but may drive you crazy later. You know... exciting and romantic things like making the bed and paying the bills.The book is written in two parts, Part I is for pre-marriage and is called On the Way to Marriage, and Part II is called Marriage that Lasts. 

If you're someone who counsels couples before marriage or if you know people who are thinking about getting married, I strongly suggest you add this book to their required reading. Tell them to each get a notebook and as they read they should write down thoughts and questions to ask their want-to-be spouse. I'm not a big fan of the discussion guide I found in the back of the book, but if they answer the following questions as they read I think it will bring up plenty of topics for discussion.

1. What do you agree with in this section/chapter and why?
2. What do you disagree with in this section/chapter and why?

It's not about agreeing or disagreeing with the authors, it's about agreeing and disagreeing with each other.