creativity

Do Something That Scares You

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DO SOMETHING EACH MONTH IN WORSHIP THAT FRIGHTENS YOU
If you want to grow, you should be prepared to risk. As a rule of thumb, do something every month that scares you. If you grow in your faith and tenacity, do something every week that scares you. It might be asking a 7th grader to pray the benediction. It may be singing in the middle of the sermon. It may be asking a visitor about his relationship with Christ after a service is over. If you’re shaking in your boots sometime during your ministry, you might feel uncomfortable, but at least you know you have a pulse.

I came across the above paragraph some time ago and don’t remember where it came from or who wrote it, but I keep it on my sermon preparation checklist as a reminder to be willing to do something new and different from time to time.

It is easy for pastors to do exactly what they have always done in how they preach a sermon or plan and lead a service. Human beings easily fall into a rut, a routine that feels comfortable and familiar. But there is a reason that people love to go to Disneyland. I don’t think it’s the rides and entertainment alone; I think part of it is because it is different and unusual from our daily lives. As much as we might fight change, we still want some variety from time to time.

At the same time, bringing variety to a service takes risk. When we, and our church, are used to doing things a certain way, we know that a change could very well frustrate some people. Some may oppose it just because it is different. Some may even have a biblical reason why you shouldn’t have done what you did.

Yet taking the risk may be worth it. Variety awakens our senses. When we taste something new, our tongue notices whether it is an unpleasant taste we have no intention of repeating or a pleasant taste that we think we would like to try again. New experiences awaken different new feelings that the familiar old ways do not. In some churches, a person could sleep through the service and know exactly what happened, in what order, and maybe even the message that was preached, but introducing something new can wake us up.

Recently, at a church where I serve as a transition pastor, I invited people to come for prayer for healing after a baptism service. I have never done that before, but felt that God wanted me to do so. I appealed to Isaiah 53: 4 – 5 to explain the connection between baptism and healing.

4 Surely he took up our pain

    and bore our suffering,

yet we considered him punished by God,

    stricken by him, and afflicted.

5 But he was pierced for our transgressions,

    he was crushed for our iniquities;

the punishment that brought us peace was on him,

    and by his wounds we are healed.

I pointed out how Matthew ties Jesus’ healing of the sick and demon possessed to this passage:

This was to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet Isaiah:

“He took up our infirmities

    and bore our diseases.” (Matthew 8:17)

A couple of people came for prayer. After the service, a few people told me that prayer for healing had not been practiced in the church, but they were grateful that I had offered it.

The risk for me was to add prayer for healing to a baptism service – something I had never done before. I didn’t know that it was also going beyond the usual practice of the church. But God honoured my willingness to risk as I felt him lead.

Let’s not be afraid to risk misunderstanding, or even simple awkwardness, by doing something in a new way. May God help us to know when to step out of the usual and risk something new.

Keep looking up,

Andy Wiebe

Highlight Baptism as the Celebration It Is.

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One of my highlights of pastoral ministry has been baptism services. I have had the joy of baptizing children, one as young as nine years old, as well as a senior who was around ninety years old. I have baptized in rivers and lakes and horse watering troughs and baptismal tanks. I had the privilege of baptizing my daughters! Every baptism has been a great celebration of God drawing an individual to Himself and that individual responding by faith and a public declaration of their commitment to serve Jesus!

Baptism is one of the acts that Jesus challenged his followers to do as part of making disciples. Along with teaching them to obey everything Jesus commanded, disciples of Jesus are to make disciples of others, “baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit” (Matthew 28: 19-20). As the water runs off, the baptismal candidate is reminded of their sins washed away. My practice has usually been to immerse the candidate, so when they come out of the water it is as if they have been buried and now raised to a new life in Christ.

Baptism should always be a great celebration! I have been disappointed to be in services where baptism seemed like a side issue. One church baptized people off to the side of the stage as the rest of the congregation continued with their worship service. We heard no testimony from the candidates or the words spoken over them as they were baptized. Baptism is one of the few expressions of discipleship Jesus instituted so let’s make it a priority in our services. Let’s show everyone present that we believe this is an important step in obedience to Jesus by highlighting the whole of the baptism.

I have heard of some baptisms that happened in someone’s backyard with only the family attending. Again, I think the church is missing out when a member of their community is not baptized in the presence of the whole church, as it is a celebration of their discipleship, and discipleship must happen in community with the local body of Christ! The baptismal candidate is also missing out because they do not have the support and excitement of their church celebrating this momentous moment with them. We have celebrations for our physical birth and for wedding anniversaries, why not celebrate our spiritual birth and life too!

Baptism is important because Jesus told us to do it. It is an initial step in discipleship, so let’s not only practice it but also highlight it as the special priority it is. Let’s invite the whole congregation to gather around, whether it is in the church, or out at a lake or river, or even in a hot tub in someone’s backyard. Let’s allow the candidate to share a testimony, whether live or recorded, where they declare their allegiance to Jesus! Let’s invite unbelieving family and friends to come too, so they can experience this occasion and recognize the commitment the person is making to Jesus. Maybe the event will be an occasion for them to commit their life to Jesus, too!

Pastors can use the baptism service as a time to remind the church of God’s love, of Jesus’ sacrifice for them in His death and resurrection, and that the Holy Spirit wants to help them grow in their relationship with Jesus. Highlight baptism as part of discipleship. Those witnessing the baptism can see Christ’s incredible love and fall more in love with Him, too.

I hope you have many baptism celebrations as many come to faith in Jesus and connect with your church!

Keep looking up,

Andy Wiebe

Preaching to a Summer Crowd

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Preaching to a summer crowd can be a different experience from preaching throughout the rest of the year. Often, the attendance is lower. Sometimes family, friends, and unexpected guests visit. Many regular attendees may be away camping or on vacation on several Sundays so that the crowd may vary each week.

Preaching is not just a monologue. Speakers tend to feed off the crowd, at least to some extent. If you notice one or two people dozing in the audience, your energy can drop; whereas if you see a few people smiling and nodding or fully engaged in what you are saying, your energy can increase. Preachers are also affected by the size of their audience; it’s just a fact. It’s not so much about how big the crowd is but how big it is in comparison to what you expect or what you are used to. If you are used to speaking to a congregation of 200 people, there is a natural let-down when you see there are only ninety people in the audience. If you are used to eighty people and there are only forty some on a given Sunday, you notice.

How can you preach with the same passion and joy throughout the summer?

Remember, God has a message for those present, no matter how many there are.

Pastor, you have prepared your sermon all week. You have been praying and listening to God as you have done your studying and writing. When you arrive on Sunday, you have the message ready that those in attendance need to hear. Yes, it would be nice if all the members of the church were present and heard this sermon you worked so hard on, but trust that the people who are to hear this message you prepared for this Sunday will be present.

Plan stand-alone sermons.

Many pastors like to preach a series from the Psalms during the summer because each Psalm is a separate unit and does not build on previous information the same way many of the other books of the Bible do. Summer may be a time to preach more topically. Choose some topics that speak to concerns in the church or the culture. Announce them ahead of time so that those who want to hear a certain sermon can plan their vacations and camping trips so that they can be present.

Experiment with something new in your preaching.

Summer may be the time for you to try something different. Things already feel different because many people are gone and the numbers are down, so people may be open to something different in the sermon as well. If you have never used an object lesson as part of your sermon, the summer may be the time to try it. A few weeks ago, I preached a sermon on Psalm 150 about how we are to praise God and to do it loudly. I handed out a variety of cheap noisemakers at the end of the sermon, inviting the congregation to use them as we would practice some loud praise. I invited them to shout out the names of God, so we could praise God for who He is. And then as I read the list of names, everyone made their loud noise. Pastor, maybe it’s time to bring out the kazoos.

Invite a member to share a testimony as part of the sermon.

Sometimes, when you are preparing a sermon, you will think of someone in the church who has a great story to tell that would reinforce the point you are making. Prepare the one sharing their story so they keep it to the point and share the part of their story that fits with the sermon you are preaching. Include a member or two in your sermon.

Remember that everyone who comes to church on that Sunday deserves the best you can offer as a preacher. Do not focus on who is absent, but determine to give your best for the ones who are present. Don’t be afraid to change things up a bit and experiment. And find joy in your preaching to the summer crowd.

Keep looking up,

Andy Wiebe

What to Do When You Have Nothing to Do

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The life of a pastor is usually a very full one with many expectations placed on us. There is always another sermon to write or lesson to prepare or meeting to lead. There is another report that needs to be written and an appointment to keep. Even when no one else is placing requirements on us, we have priorities that we want to address. It is not often we experience a period of having nothing to do, but it can happen.

Summers are often slower times. Many programs break for a few months, and there are fewer demands from people as many are on vacation. There may also be fewer sermons to prepare as guest missionaries or ministry partners visit to share updates.

So what do you do during less busy times?

Take a vacation.

Summer might be the perfect time for you to take a vacation with your family or friends. Because there are fewer demands on you at this time, it is easier to get away. Fewer of your responsibilities need to be covered by someone else if you are gone.

Take an extra day off.

Most pastors work much more than a 40-hour work week, putting in many more hours than you are compensated for. When you have a slow day or week, why not take an extra day or afternoon off and surprise your family with a day trip?

Spend time with God.

All of us can benefit from more time with God. If you have time, book off an afternoon, or a day for a personal retreat. Read scripture, pray, go for a prayer walk, or practice a spiritual discipline or two. Ask God to speak into your life, showing you where you need to grow. Ask God to give direction for the next year.

Remind yourself of your priorities.

A slow day allows you to remind yourself of your priorities. It may be a time to evaluate how you have been spending your time. Maybe you need to realign your schedule or refocus on areas that have been slipping. Make sure you are doing the job God is asking of you.

Clean your office.

This may sound like a meaningless task, but there is something therapeutic in cleaning one’s space. Organize papers, throw out stuff that is cluttering your desk or shelves. This process helps you present a more organized feel to those who enter your office and also helps you to remove distractions.

Take your spouse on an impromptu date.

Has it been a while since you went on a date? Take advantage of the time you have and do something on the spur of the moment. Go out for a special meal or enjoy a picnic by a nearby lake or river. Take time to go for a slow walk, talking together about life and the family and your relationship with Jesus.

We are so driven as pastors that we sometimes find it hard to enjoy a slow day. Don’t let it go to waste or fill it with busy-ness. Do something meaningful and refreshing.

I hope you get to enjoy some slow days this summer!

Keep looking up,

Andy Wiebe

Creative Service Ideas

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Most Sunday Services in most North American churches look pretty much the same. There is usually an opening, announcements, singing, and a sermon. Sometimes there are a few extras like a special song sung for the congregation or something like that. As pastors, we tend to do things the way we have always done them because we have found a pattern that works, but for those who are interested in changing things up, I would like to share some creative service ideas you could try occasionally. I don’t believe there is a reason that every Sunday Worship Service has to look exactly the same or even include all the elements we regularly have.

The following ideas for Sunday Services can be done in place of a sermon. Some of these ideas may be quite different from what the congregation expects each Sunday, but, in my experience, with careful introduction and scriptural support, they can be well received. Before any service that I am drastically changing, I make sure I know what I am hoping for. This way I can clearly communicate these expectations to staff and volunteers. During the service, I also make sure to walk the congregation through the activities I’ve planned and how they can participate. Sometimes I make a special effort to explain how the creative idea is scripturally sound and appropriate for Sunday morning.

Here are the ideas:

Worship/Music Sunday

Most services place the sermon as the main event in a service. It would be appropriate to occasionally have a whole service of song, scripture, music, and praise. The singing and praise of the Lamb in Revelation 5 would be a good background for this service.

Prayer Sunday

While we often pray at different points in the service, or have designated prayer meetings, it is quite appropriate, in place of a sermon, to lead the congregation in a guided prayer time during the Sunday Service. Prayers of the Bible can be used as a guide for a Prayer Sunday, or use a guide like the “Five Finger Prayer.”

Scripture Sunday

We often read a scripture or two and preach from scripture, but it can be encouraging to have a complete service focused on the reading and quoting of scripture. Children can share verses they have memorized in Sunday School or at camp. We can imitate Timothy who was charged with the “public reading of scripture” (1 Timothy 4:13).

Sharing Sunday

Some churches have a brief Prayer and Share time as part of their service. This could be expanded to fill the whole morning as long as a leader is prepared to give some direction and guidelines. The leader can offer suggestions of sharing answered prayers and God’s work in their lives, as well as giving parameters of what is appropriate to share in a public setting.

Communion Sunday

Many of our communion celebrations are tacked onto the end of a service, sometimes following a sermon that had nothing to do with communion.  A complete Sunday devoted to communion might have a great impact on the people as you take time to explain and understand communion with more detail.

Communion Sunday – with Interactive Stations

Often, the communion celebration is only focused on the bread and juice. I have used interactive stations inviting people to enter into the story with more of their senses. Each station invites worshippers to read scripture and participate in a physical activity surrounding communion. An example would be to read scripture about forgiveness and having them write out confessions and nail them to the cross, or to read about the temple curtain being torn in two while tearing a rag in half. The hope is to engage more of the senses as people enter physically into the communion celebration.

Baptism Sunday – all focused on Baptism

Find ways to make the whole service a celebration of baptism. Explain the meaning and importance of baptism. Invite candidates to share their testimonies. Invite others to pray for each one being baptized. Encourage people to remember their baptism and to recommit to serving God as they did at that time. No matter what service you plan, include scriptures that speak to the theme of the service.

I hope you can try a few creative services. Let me know how they turn out. And let me know if you have other creative suggestions.

Keep looking up,

Andy Wiebe

Celebrations and Recognitions

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We recently celebrated my mother-in-law’s 80th birthday with a surprise party. She was excited to see everyone and impressed that people made an effort to come celebrate with her. Celebrations are always exciting, and recognizing someone for who they are and what they have contributed is a good thing to do.

God gave his people annual festivals to celebrate at certain times during the year. He instituted thank offerings as part of the worship at the tabernacle and temple. And Moses and Miriam’s song of celebration after the crossing of the Red Sea in Exodus 15 is an example of his people celebrating God at work.

We need to celebrate God and his work in and through our church. I recently walked our church through a look at their history. There was one period of the church’s history that was so bad some didn’t even want to talk about it. I encouraged them to instead celebrate God’s goodness in helping the church find their way through that tough time. We need to celebrate God’s goodness when he helps us through tough times, his goodness in answering prayer, his goodness in providing the right pastor, and on and on. We always have things to celebrate and thank God for.

We should also recognize and celebrate people in the church. I know some churches are hesitant for various reasons, including not wanting to make others feel bad. We should not stop celebrating the contributions of people out of fear of offending those who aren’t contributing. Yes, we need to be respectful of others, but there is nothing wrong in giving someone a small gift to thank them for serving faithfully. There is nothing wrong with clapping in recognition of someone’s faithful service to a church. And it can be quite appropriate to thank someone who has had a long and faithful ministry in the church with some words of recognition and thankfulness.

In Philippians 2: 29 – 30, the Apostle Paul writes to the church in Philippi asking them to honour his friend Epaphroditus for how he helped care for Paul. Paul writes, “So then, welcome him in the Lord with great joy, and honor people like him, because he almost died for the work of Christ. He risked his life to make up for the help you could not give me.” He wants the people in Philippi to extend special honour to Epaphroditus because he went above and beyond what was expected, even risking his life to help Paul. It is quite appropriate to honour those who have given of themselves to serve others.

In 1 Timothy 5:17, Paul even says it’s a good thing to honour the elders who lead the church: “The elders who direct the affairs of the church well are worthy of double honour, especially those whose work is preaching and teaching.” We should not be afraid to honour those who deserve honour and recognition. In Romans 12:10 we are even told to “be devoted to one another in love. Honour one another above yourselves.” It is good to honour others.

Make time to celebrate God’s goodness in your church. And take time to recognise those who have given of themselves in service to God through their work in the church.

Keep looking up,

Andy Wiebe

Preparing For Change #3: Begin Your Change by Easing Into It

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We experience some changes gradually; others come as an abrupt shock. When prices at the gas pumps go up by a cent or two at a time, we don’t notice as much as when it is a five-cent increase or more at once. Easing into a change can help a church be more accepting of the change as it develops. This gives people time to adjust to smaller changes instead of the whole change at once.

Break the Change into Smaller Parts

For many churches, Sunday Worship services have a familiar flow. The order of service is the same each Sunday. If you want to lead your church in changing its service, you may want to begin with small changes. Instead of changing everything, change one or two things at a time.

For example, if you want to add some variety to the service, you could begin by breaking the usual group of worship songs into two smaller groups, inserting a scripture reading or prayer time in between. Then, after a while, you could move the second group of songs to the end of the service for a time when you want to follow a sermon on praise with singing praise songs as a sermon response. After people get used to some changes in the singing, you can change how the welcome and announcements are done. If you always start with a song and then the welcome and announcements, try starting with a video clip highlighting a ministry in the church before doing the welcome and announcements. Instead of depending on the song to gather the church to worship, gather them with a video followed by a scriptural “call to worship” from one of the psalms.

Whatever your change, see if there are ways of breaking it into smaller changes to allow people to adapt slowly. As people see you make small changes that work, they may be willing to try a bigger change next time.

Do a Trial Run

It may be appropriate to introduce a change by announcing it as a “trial run.” You can set a date for the trial period. The caveat that this is a temporary change that will be evaluated later may give your church the willingness to try it for a while. You could even introduce the change by explaining that you are looking for a way to do things better, but you aren’t sure if this is the best way to do so. You can encourage your congregation to give you feedback as you try the change.

If you introduce a “trial run” change, make sure it is a long enough period to give it a good test run, but a short enough time to still be a trial period. If you introduce a change that you will try for a year or two, that is obviously no longer a trial run. And make sure to stick with your timeline. Do not extend it. Respect people by keeping your promises.

Promise an Evaluation

Whether it is presented as a trial run or not, you can promise all those involved in implementing the changes that you will be doing a thorough evaluation, which they can take part in, on a certain date. Evaluate it against the intended purpose. Be honest with the results. 

Three options arise out of an evaluation. First, if it didn’t do what you hoped, you can always revert to the old way. Second, if the change didn’t work, you can adjust aspects of it and try again. Or, third, you can introduce a completely reworked change to try again. You may have to wait a while before people are ready to try again, but that will give you time to figure out how best to move ahead, if that seems the best option.

May God guide you as you introduce change to your church.

Keep looking up,

Andy Wiebe

Preparing for Change #2: Prepare For the Projected Change

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In a world where change happens whether we like it or not, people are sometimes hesitant to follow a leader into more change. However, they may be open to change if the leader provides compelling reasons.  I talked about that in the last blog post. Another way to help people follow your change leadership is to help them prepare for the change.

Provide Examples

Some people are more willing to adopt a change if they know what to expect. Helping churches visualize the change can take away some of their fear of the unknown. They may still not be sure about it, but at least they will begin to understand where you are leading them and what that change will look like. Visualizing requires the leader to carefully explain the change with enough details that the change begins to make sense, whether they actually can picture it or just understand the steps involved.

Recently, I was leading a church in communion. Their tradition was to have the elders serve communion by passing the trays of bread and juice down the rows and people helping themselves to a piece of bread and cup of juice. Everyone waited until everyone had been served and then the pastor led them to eat the bread and drink the cup together as a congregation.

We had decided to change things up a bit. I explained to the congregation that they would be coming up to the front to receive the communion bread and juice. I came down off the stage to where the people would be coming up to show exactly where the bread and juice would be. I walked over and pointed to the side of the aisle we wanted people to come up in and which aisle they could follow to go back to their seats. I explained that we would still wait until everyone was served and participate together.

I tried to use words to explain what was happening. I tried to make my explanation itself visual as I pointed to the appropriate places and aisles. And I reminded them of what was still remaining the same. I think I helped them visualize it because it worked very smoothly!

Answer Questions

People have questions about upcoming changes. If they are given the opportunity to ask their questions, they may be more open to the change. As their questions are answered, your church members will be more informed and hopefully their concerns will be addressed. A leader may anticipate several questions and should answer as many of those early in the process, but there will always be other questions that people want clarified. As they are given time to process the upcoming change, and as they can ask questions, you are including them in the change without it just being dropped on their lap.

Stock Traders In A Meeting

Invite Engagement.

While not every change may allow this freedom, you can often invite the church to participate in planning the change. There are times when a change may be so scary for people that they do not want to be part of it at all. Forcing change will usually only increase the resistance. Do everything you can to help people see why the change is occuring, what it will look like, and what their involvement will require.

Recently, our church leadership suggested we have a Prayer Sunday, where instead of a sermon, we have corporate prayer. When I introduced the plan for the morning, I made it very clear that no one had to pray. I told them they could even say “Pass.” At the same time, I invited them to pray, even a brief sentence prayer, and gave them an example. It was good to see that most people participated, and no one seemed too uncomfortable or upset by the change.

Changes mean we have to adjust something. The better you prepare those you lead for the changes you are planning, the more likely they will be willing to adjust to the changes. May your changes go well.

Keep looking up,

And Wiebe

PREPARING FOR CHANGE #1: Presenting the Case.

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Change is a scary word for many people. Yet change is necessary if we want to continue to grow and respond to the world around us. Change gives the opportunity to improve with the hope of better results. Recognizing the value of change and helping others to do the same is an essential part of being an effective leader, as such, the next three blogs will be about leading change.

When we are leaders of change, we often assume people are following right behind us. We forget that, because of our role to lead initiatives and implement adjustments in order to see improvements, we often spend a lot of time thinking through changes before we introduce them to others, so what is familiar to us is brand new information to those we lead. We are prepared for it, but they are not. We need to be intentional and clear about what changes we are introducing, the reason for it, how it will look, and how we will evaluate it.

We want to invite people to change, not force them. It helps to give a clear idea of why each change is appropriate. Among the reasons for change may be a desire for creativity, a response to Biblical direction, or a reaction to statistical information.

Change and Creativity

I like trying new things, so I sometimes introduce change simply for creativity’s sake. I think there is a place for that.

Some churches have exactly the same order of service every Sunday. Everyone knows the order of announcements, prayers, singing, preaching, and so on. I like to rearrange the order of service because I think people respond to creativity. The same thing every time puts people to sleep. One member, who appreciated the creativity and variety told me, “I like coming to this church because I never know what to expect from Sunday to Sunday.”

I also like to arrange the service in different ways in order to highlight the theme of the morning in a unique and creative way. Celebrating communion is often done at the end of the worship service in the churches I serve. Sometimes, I move it to the beginning of the worship service so the rest of the service is a celebration of Jesus’ death and resurrection as we were just reminded of in taking communion.

Change and Biblical Reasons

Sometimes churches need to make changes because they recognize they are not fulfilling a Biblical direction as best they could.

A church may respond to a sermon series on prayer with a renewed emphasis on prayer. They may ask Bible Study groups to pray. A church may make a prayer room available for after-service prayer. They may cancel all programs for a week to invite everyone to come to special prayer events.

A church may ask all their small groups to put a greater emphasis on outreach and inviting unbelievers because they recognized they weren’t doing well in reaching unbelievers. This is one way they are hoping to fulfill the Biblical mandate to share the good news with those who have never heard. Sometimes churches need to make changes that they believe God is inviting them into because of Biblical reasons.

Change and Statistics

Some reasons for change include statistics. We measure many aspects of life, including how we do ministry, by certain numbers.

A Sunday School class that has only two attendees may need to be canceled to give that teacher the option of serving in an area with greater need.. Giving to ministries or missions outside of the church may need to be stopped or postponed when the church is in financial difficulty. If the income does not match the budget, the necessary reductions need to be made. A church that does a demographic study of their community may recognize that there is a large number of people of a certain ethnic group in their community that has no church or church reaching out to them, so they develop a specific ministry effort to share Jesus with that group of people.

Whatever your reason for the change, whether one of the above or something else, be clear about it so that those who are affected may understand why this change is good and needed. May God guide you as you lead change.

Keep looking up,

Andy Wiebe

What Your Office Says About You

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What does your office say about who you are or what you value?

When you walk into my office you will be bombarded by my Coca-Cola collection. It began with one unique Coke can years ago, and has expanded a lot over the years. I’m hoping the various cans, bottles, and trinkets show a bit of my human and whimsical side.

You will see picture of my family: my wife and two daughters, at various ages and at various places. A friend of ours drew a picture of my wife and the dog we had at that time, that I treasure. Anyone coming into my office should see that I love my family, and that my family includes my beautiful wife and beautiful daughters.

I have a wooden map of Africa on display, which would give me opportunity to talk to anyone interested about my sister who is a missionary in Zambia, and about a trip I was able to take to be at her wedding.

On the window sill is a small glass award given to me in recognition of 25 years of service as a pastor with the Christian and Missionary Alliance. This tells people that I have been a pastor for a while.

Spread all throughout my office in various shelves and on my desk are books. Anyone looking through my shelves would soon recognize my favorite authors, and favorite themes or topics I like reading about. If they looked closer they would find two books by H. Andy Wiebe. They would realize that I am an author.

My office proudly displays a Tassimo coffee machine, announcing my preference for coffee.

On my desk sits a complete season of six DVD sets of “Corner Gas” in a little case my daughter made for me years ago. People might get a sense of my humor as they see that.

Upon entering my office anyone could see my printer and a paper cutter and hole punch close to hand. I would be able to explain that I love teaching and often build my own booklets to use for boards and churches.

And noticeable to anyone checking out my office would be the number of Bibles on display. I have one shelf full of about twenty Bibles in various sizes and translations. On my desk are another two Bibles which I use most of the time: A New Living Translation Bible and a New International Version Bible. It would be clear that I value the Bible, and hopefully clear from the shape some of them are in, that I read the Bible often.

If someone looked a little closer at my desk, they might find a couple of prayer journals indicating that prayer is important in my life. If they asked, I could explain how I pray and how I long to not only tell God my needs but love to listen to and hear from God.

I would hope that my office reflects a person who loves his family and loves God! I would hope my office would show my love for reading and learning and growing. I hope each person who visits my office sees that I am someone who enjoys life.

What does your office say about you? Would people know something about your values? Would the items in your office give you opportunities to talk with people about what is most important to you?

What does your office say about you?

Keep looking up,

Andy Wiebe