God-given dreams

The Fun of Getting to Know People

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The church is people. Being a church leader and pastor means being a leader of people. Every leader needs to recognize the value of getting to know the people they lead in a personal way. I enjoy getting to know people because as you get to know people you find out what they are passionate about and how they contribute to their community. Many people have unique skills they are using to help others that you wouldn’t know unless you get to know them.

Personal Connections

Some of the fun of getting to know people is finding you share common friends or have similar origins. When I meet someone for the first time, if I learn that we know the same people or are familiar with the same places, it immediately gives us something to talk about even though we just met.

Unique Skills

Last night, over supper with friends, I learned that the one friend translates children’s songs from English or Spanish into Low German. There are not many Low German children’s songs so she finds good songs in other languages, translates them to Low German as best she can, records herself singing them, and uploads the recording and song for Low German speaking parents to use for their children. I think that is fantastic! I would never have known about her unique contribution to other parents if I had not had opportunity to be in a conversation with her.

Personal Pain

I recently had a conversation with a young couple who are hurting because of an illness in their family. They have had to go through many difficult adjustments as they deal with a family member who lost their memory and the ability to function on their own. As a pastor, hearing the pain in their voices as they shared the story gives me a fuller picture of the realities of their life and and how they are trying to manage life. This informed perspective will also help me be a bit more forgiving when he doesn’t make it to every board meeting because he has unexpected responsibilities to deal with at home. Gaining a fuller understanding of people on our team and people we serve reminds us to view people as humans with complicated lives.

Passions

As we get to know people, we get to know what makes them tick, and what they are passionate about. Some are passionate about people, others about projects. Many people have certain values that they regard with extra importance. For example, knowing which people are passionate about youth or the poor can guide you when recruiting volunteers for youth or the food bank ministries.

Potential Friends

Some people warn pastors not to become friends with people in their church. Others say pastors need to be friends with everyone. Pastors need friends too, and as they get to know people they discover new friends. Its natural that we become better friends with some people in the church than others, so don’t be afraid to get to know people as friends.

I encourage every pastor and church leader to go out of their way to get to know the people they lead. You will gain personally, as will your church, if you get to know them.

Keep looking up,

Andy Wiebe

Relax and Rest!

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Rest doesn’t always come easily for driven people. Many pastors and church leaders are passionate about what they do. They are busy, sometimes with expectations put on them, but often because they see another thing that could be done to help move things forward. There is another person to visit, another meeting to prepare, or a new program to plan for. And Sunday is always coming. Every weekend needs another sermon, and service, and lesson prepared. Rest doesn’t always make it onto the “to do” list.

By the seventh day God had finished the work he had been doing; so on the seventh day he rested from all his work. Then God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it he rested from all the work of creating that he had done.

Genesis 2: 2-3 (NIV)

We see four things God did as He concluded his creation. He finished, rested, blessed, and made holy the seventh day. God quit working. There was a certain point where God said, “That’s enough,” and he stopped working. Not only did he stop working, but he also rested. He took a break. He paused from the work and enjoyed a rest. And then he made the seventh day special by blessing it, and he “made it holy.” He set aside from all other days as a special day.

The people of Israel were told to celebrate the Sabbath every week. There were strict warnings from God to the Jewish people to keep this day as a day to stop working and rest and delight in Him and His creation.

Most Christians do not keep the Sabbath in the way that the Old Testament taught, and I don’t believe we need to; yet finding time to stop working and to rest and delight in God is still honoring to God and a huge benefit to all believers. For many, especially pastors, Sunday is not a Sabbath rest. This past Sunday was a good example. My wife and I left home in the morning at 8:30 am and did not return until 9:30 pm. We had a full Sunday. I had to set up and teach Sunday School. I then led a special Prayer Service. This was followed by visits to three different homes: lunch with one family, tea with another, and supper with a third. In that time, we debriefed the morning with an elder, anointed and prayed for a sick church member, and enjoyed playing games with some other friends. While not a Sabbath rest, as such, this was a great way to spend a Sunday, enjoying God and people.

Spending time with our church family, learning and worshipping together is part of Sabbath. Praying for people and anointing them with oil can be part of Sabbath. What many church leaders and pastors miss out on is the Sabbath rest aspect. For some, this works on a Sunday. For others, we need to set time aside at another time. My wife already asked me which day I was going to take off this week, but a Sabbath is more than just a day off. A meaningful Sabbath is a time to follow the example of God: to stop working, to rest, to delight in the day and in His Creation, and to contemplate the holiness of God. It may include feasting and church and family and friends.  It may include prayer and scripture reading. If you finish the day rested, with your joy refreshed, and feeling God’s pleasure, then you have “sabbathed” well.

I would encourage you to take time in your week to, not just take a day off, but to enjoy God and his creation and rest your body, mind, and soul.

Take time to relax and rest in the presence of God.

Keep looking up,

Andy Wiebe

Getting it All Done!

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Life and ministry can be busy times. Maybe you have taken on too many commitments. Maybe someone else piled responsibilities on you that you can’t ignore. Maybe you thought you had time for everything until an unexpected demand popped up. This happened to me recently. I had accepted a number of responsibilities and thought I could manage them until I found a leak in my shower. Now I had the added work of dealing with house repairs that I am not skilled at and do not love doing. I was beginning to feel quite overwhelmed and wondered how I would get everything done.

As my anxiety started to rise, I paused my day to spend some time with God. As I was praying, I began to get some clarity and peace, trusting God to help me get done what had to be done by the appropriate deadlines while also dealing with my house. Here are some of the steps I took to focus on one thing at a time:

Pause the “doing” to be with God

    I took on the various responsibilities because I believed God was guiding me in accepting them. With that in mind, I handed it all over to Him and asked him to give me the time necessary to get it all done on time. I was reminded too, that God was not surprised by my house issues. So if God put these responsibilities in my lap, then he will give me the capacity to get them done.

    Remove anything from your to do list that is not important for now

    Sometimes we feel a duty to do something that we don’t really need to do. I had to reevaluate some of my goals and responsibilities and either eliminate some, or push them to next week.

    Plan my day and week.

    With God’s help, I began plotting all my responsibilities, along with their deadlines, onto my calendar. I tried to spread out the different requirements across the whole week. Then I considered all that I felt I had to accomplish for today. As I looked at the list, I started listing them in order of priority. If I could not complete all the tasks, at least the ones that had to get done today would get done.

    Focus on one thing at a time.

    When we get loaded down with responsibilities, we can get overwhelmed because we see it all in front of us. If we can break it down to what must be done this week, and this day, and this morning, we begin to narrow our focus. And if we tackle one thing at a time, giving it our full attention, we can begin to whittle away at the pile.

    It doesn’t matter how big the pile is, you can only deal with one thing at a time, so choose one thing and give it your best. You could even tell yourself you are focusing on this for a certain amount of time, and when that time is up, you will tackle something else before coming back to the first task.

    Celebrate your accomplishments

    I find it quite exhilarating to be able to check off the items on my calendar as I complete them. It feels good to see the momentum beginning to build toward completion of all the different tasks.

    Yes, life can be very busy at times, busier than we had planned, but God can help us grow in capacity so that we can get things done faster than we thought and can complete our list one task at a time. If God wants us to do it, he will help us to get it done.

    Keep looking up,

    Andy Wiebe

    Leakage Causes Damage!

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    Our shower had mushrooms growing next to it. This happened a few months ago, so I did my best to seal up places where they were growing and places where water seemed to have leaked from the shower. All was good for a few months, until recently, the mushrooms were back.

    I am not a renovator or construction worker of any kind, but I had to step and deal with this. My temporary fix was just that – temporary. I had to tear out the whole shower, piece by piece until I got down to the bare bathroom floor. I tore out the wet, damaged drywall and put some fans to work drying everything out. I was glad to see there were no other leaks. Whoever installed the shower just didn’t seal things well. I’m now in the process of replacing drywall, mudding, and painting in preparation of reinstalling the shower. This time I will ensure that everything is sealed. Leakage causes damage.

    “Leakage” can happen in a number of ways in our lives, as something begins to deteriorate but it happens so slowly we don’t recognize it until a “mushroom” or other weird side-effect pops up that tells us something is wrong.

    It could be that we are experiencing leakage in a relationship with a friend. We realize that something is wrong. The friend seems to be avoiding you. Maybe you have even tried a temporary fix like I did with my shower, trying to address the issue without creating a problem, yet you realize something is still wrong. More drastic measures need to be taken for a satisfactory resolution is reached. You need to face the issue head on and ask your friend directly about what is wrong, and how the relationship can be repaired to its original closeness and openness.

    Leakage may happen in one’s spiritual life. Sometimes we get lazy in our walk with God. We allow sinful habits to creep in. If we recognize something is wrong, it may already mean it is time for some drastic measures. We can gradually allow others to influence us in directions that are not good and honorable. There are times we need to assess our friendship with Jesus and determine new patterns and habits to address the leakage. It may be beneficial to start practicing a few spiritual disciplines to get us back on track. Depending on the situation, we may want to find a friend or small group to help hold us accountable to the corrections we make.

    An organization, a team, a church may all experience leakage of vision and purpose. Over time, the organization, including the leadership team, can forget what their vision is all about. Team members begin to do things that no longer match up with the values and vision agreed to at first. Sometimes a little adjustment of a reminder may be all that is required. Other times, a more drastic measure may be needed. It may require a full day of “re-visioning” with your team, returning to or reviving the vision that you all adopted in the beginning.

    Leakage is often not noticeable until the issue is big, because leakage happens gradually over time. Once noticed, it must be addressed.

    Leakage can be addressed with a few steps. First, like with my shower, you may recognize something happening that does not line up with the original purpose of the shower. I had no intention of growing mushrooms in my bathroom. Something was wrong.

    Second, if a simple fix doesn’t cure the problem, drastic measures may be needed. I had to tear the whole shower out. You may need to address the issue head on.

    Third, make sure you get a clear picture of what the problem is so you can then address it correctly.

    And, fourth, do the difficult and time consuming work or correcting the problem. You will be glad you did.

    Leakage causes damage. Don’t ignore the signs when you see them and address them appropriately as soon as you can.

    |Keep looking up,

    Andy Wiebe

    Thank You God For…

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    Thank You, God,…

    For calling me to be Your son

    For Jesus paying my debt of sin

    For the righteousness of Jesus You see in me by faith

    For life – for air to breathe

    For wind in my hair and warm sunlight on my face

    For my wife and by daughters

    For the joy of marriage and partnership with my wife

    For the faith of my parents that pointed me to You

    For work and purpose in life

    For Your gifting for pastoral ministry

    For the joy of working with churches in transition

    For direction in life

    For Your guidance by Your Spirit and Your Word

    For speaking – and helping me to hear Your voice

    For peace – in difficult situations or in good

    For joy – even when my face may not show it

    For love – Your care and kindness and goodness to me

    For Your grace and mercy and forgiveness and strength

    For the learning that happens in difficult times

    For friends to encourage me

    For friends to walk through life with me

    For friends to rejoice with me

    Thank You, God!

    Andy Wiebe

    The Benefits of Rituals

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    It’s fall, and children are heading back to school. Though we have no school age children in our house anymore, I’m reminded of those hectic school mornings. Often it is a race against time to get the children dressed, fed, and backpack loaded to get them out off to school on time. This is an example where rituals could be of great benefit.

    ____________________________________________________________________________________________

    ritual /rĭch′oo͞-əl/

    noun

    1. A ceremony in which the actions and wording follow a prescribed form and order.

    ____________________________________________________________________________________________

    Rituals are helpful patterns for life. These are steps we go through on a regular basis that ensure we don’t forget something and get it done on time. Rituals could help children be less rushed in the morning before they head off to school. Check out the examples below.

    Before going to bed the night before:

    • Lay out the next day’s clothes.
    • Pack the backpack with everything except the lunch.
    • Pack the lunch and place in the fridge.

    Morning rituals:

    • Pack lunch in backpack before breakfast.
    • Place backpack beside your shoes at the door.
    • Breakfast at the same time every morning.

    It may be helpful to have a ritual for the start of your workday as a pastor or church leader. Instead of showing up in your office with no idea what the day will look like, you can have a plan to start the day right. A ritual can help you make the most the first part of your day.

    To set up helpful rituals you need to think through what you already do, deciding which things happen every day and could help you start the day right. A morning ritual may look like this:

    • Begin with prayer, asking God to guide your day.
    • Check emails and quickly decide which to respond to or which to put on your to-do list to deal with later.
    • Plan your day, and note appointments already schedule or deadlines that need to be met.

    You may find it helpful to have some “end of day” rituals which prepare you for a good start the next day:

    • List anything that needs to be followed up from the day.
    • Make your to-do list for the next day.
    • Note appointments that have already been made.

    For rituals to be helpful, they need to be personal to you. They need to be steps you will take.

    Rituals can help in many areas of our work life. I have rituals for how I go about preparing my weekly sermons. I have rituals I follow in preparing to teach a class. I have rituals in how I ensure I am ready for Sunday morning. These rituals help me to make sure I don’t forget something and save time because I don’t have to think up new patterns every time.

    A few benefits of rituals are that you are less likely to forget important steps, you will be more organized, and life will be just a little less hectic. Enjoy establishing meaningful rituals.

    Keep looking up,

    Andy Wiebe

    Book Reviews: Andy’s 2024 Reading Experience

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    I will be sharing a brief review of every book I read this year. Hope you enjoy and hope it encourages you to keep reading.

    GOD CAN DO ANYTHING BUT FAIL: So Try Parasailing in a Windstorm – by Stan Toler

    Stan Toler uses a humorous approach to remind us of our God who can do amazing things. He focuses in on the amazing things God does in and through us with chapters like: Chapter 1: God Can Love Me Even When I Don’t Write on His Facebook Wall, Chapter 4: God Can Heal Me Even When the Doctor Shakes Her Head and Walks Away, or Chapter 5: God Can Guide Me Even When the Lady on My GPS Has Laryngitis. He reminds us that God can do amazing things, but we have a role to play too, “If you want to mature in Christ, you have to surrender all you have and all you are to Him every single day.” (p. 66) He reminds us that God is at work, and we are invited into relationship with Him, joining Him in what He is doing in the world.

    Summer Road Signs Series #6: Roundabout or Traffic Circle Signs

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    Roundabouts and Traffic Circles are similar in that they help keep traffic moving without forcing anyone to come to a complete stop. I was pretty nervous the first time I encountered traffic circles. There were not any traffic circles in the small town where I learned to drive. I knew how to come to stop, watch for traffic, and then proceed. The idea that I was supposed to merge into this moving traffic and then leave the circle at the right spot was a little unnerving. I have since learned the benefits of traffic circles and roundabouts.

    Roundabouts have become more common in the province where I live, not just traffic circles in the congested areas of a city but also at major intersections on highways. These have replaced 4-way stops, allowing traffic to keep moving. Traffic must slow down, yet doesn’t need to stop completely, which I’m sure large trucks appreciate especially. They don’t have to come to a complete stop and then get their heavy load moving again.

    This made me think of how sometimes churches or organizations need to make wholesale changes to deal with problems that negatively affect them. Do they need to come to a complete stop or can they make changes on the fly? I’m reminded of observing how some hockey teams who are no longer winning regularly try to make changes. Some give up and trade away any player of value to try to do a complete restart. Others make significant tweaks in their organization without losing seasons to a restart. A roundabout is an example of making changes as you keep moving forward.

    When churches have suffered a loss of member for an extended period, it becomes clear that changes need to be made. Often, if they have lived in denial for too long, they will need to come to a complete stop and start over. In some situations, a complete stop means a change of pastoral staff and a period of renewing vision and resetting strategy. In some situations the complete stop means completely stopping all functions of the church, even closing the doors for a brief period of time in order to start a new work down the road.

    Like a roundabout, slowing down is preferable to the complete. Yes, the church must slow down. Maybe there are programs that need to be shut down or reworked completely. A pastoral transition might be required. Often someone outside the church needs to come and coach the church through to a better future. The church stops almost all activity for a time, while still maintaining regular Sunday worship services and a physical presence in the community. The church doesn’t come to a complete stop but slows down enough to consider the reality of what they are facing.

    Most roundabouts have at least three alternatives for drivers to leave the circle. You may leave the roundabout at the exit that keeps you going straight ahead, or you can take a turn to the right or left. A church too, needs to consider if some simple realigning is all that is needed, and they can keep moving ahead in the direction they were already going. On the other hand, it may be the time to take a turn a little to the right or left. A complete stop is not required, but some restructuring on the fly may mean a change in vision and replacing some programs with others that fit better with the new vision and the current culture of the church and its community.

    Like my first experiences with traffic circles, when a church realizes it needs to change, trying something new can be quite unnerving. Hopefully though, most churches will recognize that slowing down to make changes can help them avoid a complete stop.

    Church leaders, be willing to adjust your vision and programming when necessary. Church members, work with your leaders as they guide you to a better future. Trust God to guide you as you ask Him to help you make the right changes.

    Keep looking up,

    Andy Wiebe

    Summer Road Signs Series – #5: No U Turn Signs

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    There were a few times this summer where I was driving in unfamiliar territory and realized too late that I should have taken an earlier turn. I was headed the wrong direction and unsure how to safely turn around. Many intersections have “No U Turn” signs, sometimes with just the symbol, other times with the words “No U Turn” also posted. I would have loved to just turn around and go back to the starting point.

    In my experience working with churches in transition, I could have used No U Turn signs a few times. Some churches long for the “good old days.” There is a hope that if only they could get back to what they were like and the programs they ran some years ago, when the church was growing, then things would turn around in the church and it would start to grow again.

    In my experience working with churches in transition, I could have used No U Turn signs a few times. Some churches long for the “good old days.” There is a hope that if only they could get back to what they were like and the programs they ran some years ago, when the church was growing, then things would turn around in the church and it would start to grow again.

    The reality is a church cannot forget the last few years and the experiences they have gone through and just start over. Time moves on. Culture changes. The congregation changes, and so does the community around the church. Instead of looking backwards, the church must learn how to move forward with clarity and purpose.

    I love working on vision with churches. I love to help them see the reality of today and the possibilities of tomorrow. Instead of churches looking back to a certain period of history as the high point for the church, I want them to see that God has great things in store for them, so the best times are still ahead. It may take some work, and prayer, and trusting God, but looking back will not help. I tell churches that as we work on vision, I do not expect there to be radical change from what has happened in the past and what is going on in the church at the present. Instead, I believe God has the church on a trajectory that may need some adjusting here and there but the future will generally be consistent with their history.

    The same applies to our personal lives. Many of us can look back to certain periods of our life where we felt things were going really well. Looking back, those seemed like stress-free times, times of excitement and joy. As tempting as it may be to somehow replicate what we once had, life moves on. We have new experiences. We have new responsibilities and new relationships. As we grow our family and develop our careers, we can’t just drop all of that to return to a more carefree time. Instead, we need to find a way forward, to try new roads and look for what God is going to do in our lives in the future.

    U-turns are tempting because they seem like a quick and easy fix. Let’s just get back there and try again. This is usually not an option if we are leading a church or setting direction for our personal future. Time moves on like water under a bridge. Our past is not a static thing we can return to. We need to keep looking ahead.

    The reality of being human is that we cannot start over. Yes, we can come back to some original principles to live by. We can reorient ourselves to God and His Word. We can re-establish guidelines for our life that served us well in the past, but we cannot remove history and start over. Sometimes a map directory in a mall has a little icon stating “you are here” so you know where you are starting from. The reality is, we are where we are. Now we need to know how to move on from here. We cannot change the past, but we can make changes for our future.

    May God help us to learn from the past and keep moving ahead. U-turns to an earlier period in our life or in our church are not possible. Keep moving ahead.

    Keep looking up,

    Andy Wiebe

    Summer Road Signs Series – #4: Merge Signs

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    I noticed a driver sitting at an intersection, treating a merge lane like a stop sign. There was an open lane in front of her, but she was stopped, waiting for the traffic to end. She did not seem to understand that the lane she was about to enter was wide open. It was only as she entered the lane that she would be able to accelerate to the traffic speed and merge over into the lane she was hoping to get into. And at times I have done the same thing. I know I should merge but hesitate because it seems like there is no room, especially if I have not driven that road before.

    Merge signs generally indicate two roads or lanes joining into one. Two common places these signs are used is at intersections where they assist in free flow turning and, on the highway, where a multiple lane highway narrows to one less lane. These signs alert drivers to cooperate and allow those in the lane that is ending to enter their lane.

    There are two roles for drivers when encountering a merge sign that reminds me of two experiences in life.

    ONE: Merging from one lane into the other

        Some of us are cautious drivers. We do not want to force our way into traffic. It seems too dangerous to use the merge lane when others are going by at the speed limit – or faster. An introvert can relate.

        This is how introverts often feel in life. Merging into new situations brings fear of the unknown. They do not want to force themselves into new situation or new relationships. It seems dangerous. The others already all know each other. Will they welcome me? It is tempting to not even try new situations or to get to know new people. What if it doesn’t work out well?

        If we are caught in a merge lane in life and are hesitating to move over into the main flow of traffic, we need to recognize that the merge lane eventually ends, and with it, your opportunity to make friends with that person or try that new experience. Sometimes, as we hesitate, life moves on by. Do not be too afraid to try something new. And if it doesn’t work out, try something else.  Push yourself to continue to learn and grow. It doesn’t matter whether we are introverts or extroverts, we need to develop perseverance to keep trying new things and looking for new friendships.

        TWO: Allowing others to merge into my lane

        I am not naturally a courteous driver – just ask my wife. I have to work at reminding myself to allow others into my lane and not just push ahead with no consideration for others.

        Some of us need to learn how to consider the needs of others and allow them to merge into our lane. This applies to more than smooth and safe traffic. This applies to life as well. We need to be aware of those around us who are having a hard time fitting in. It may be at church, or at work, or even in our neighbourhood. We need to open our circles to others who need a place to connect.

        Sometimes we get frustrated with people who are not aware or understanding of what we try to do as leaders. Slow adopters annoy us because we have a plan and want people to follow us at our pace. It may be that there needs to be space and time given for those who are still figuring out how to merge into your lane. Leadership requires clear communication of vision and patience for people to get it and move into pursuing it. Let’s learn to make room for others.

        We need to make sure we do not treat merge signs as stop signs but slowly and steadily move into the traffic flow. We can ask God to give us determination to push ahead when we are scared, and ask God to give us patience for those who are slow to merge in.

        Keep looking up,

        Andy Wiebe