Blood, Sweat & Tears

"If you sweat in preparation, you will not bleed in the battle."
(10 Rules of Youth Ministry, by Blaine Bartel)


How do you prepare for battle? Whether you trade stock, fix engines, box, manage a department store or Pastor a church, preparation is an absolute must if we expect favorable results. How you lead will be determined in part by how you prepare. How much time do you spend on research and development? How much sweat do you give before the actual tasks of your job are attempted? Do you "practice" your job as a means of preparation?


As I've watched some of these hospital shows on TV like ER, I've seen these doctors study, research and even practice techniques so that they could be more prepared when the actuall emegency arose. That preparation is what gives them their calm and confident approach to successfully saving lives.


I know that you may not be saving lives like that in your line of work, but what would happen if we all approached our jobs, our families, our lives and our relationship with God with that same mind set of preparation? I think that we would all do our jobs with a greater degree of excellence and that the world would most deffinately be a more enjoyable place.


Although I've been in ministry for over 14 years, I don't know everything about the Bible, nor do I know everything about student ministries. Besides the youth culture changes weekly - sometimes faster! So, I read. I study. I research. I attempt to stay relevant and relationtional to my target audience. I practice my teachings and sermons at least three times before anyone will ever hear them in public.

Why? Well, of course I want to be great at what I do, but more than that, I want others to be great. I want others to be happy, fulfilled and blessed. If our modivation is "other mindedness" our efforts in preparation will be more passionate. What do you think?