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?

Self Discipline

"In reading the lives of great men, I found that the first victory they won was over themselves...self-discipline with all of them came first." - Harry Truman

Personal transformation begins with self-discipline. We dream and set a goal of where we want to be and then we find the courage to follow through. It requires us to say "no" to certain things in order to say "yes" to what is essential in accomplishing our goals and seeing our dreams comes true. Sacrifice and self-disciple go hand-in-hand.

"Good intentions are not a replacement for disciplined action." - Steve Moore, The Dream Cycle

The Rut

Don't let a rut become your GRAVE!


Getting out of RUT:

The churches of Sardis and Laodicea were deffinately in a rut. Sardis thought they were alive, but were dead, and Laodicea was neither hot nor cold! Check it out in Revelation 3.

1. Wake UP! Admit you’re in a rut!
2. Ask for God to help you get out!
3. Begin to dream again! Reignite your passions!
4. Begin to move forward! Don't dwell on the past
5. Be prepared to sacrifice…bad habits, priorities, time
6. Surround yourself with Godly friends, influencers, motivators…

Lincoln on Leadership

I just finished reading a great book called Lincoln on Leadership, by Donald T. Phillips. This book is the first to examine our sixteenth president's diverse leadership abilities and how they can relate our leading in a complex world. Using lively anecdotes, dramatic descriptions, and Lincoln's own words, corporate manager and historian Donald T. Phillips reveals - from the pragmatic to the unconventional - the techniques and strategies that rallied a nation and transformed Lincoln's image from country bumpkin to the most revered and honored President this country has ever known.

Here are a few of my favorite Lincoln Principles:

- Seek casual contact with your subordinates. It is as meaningful as a formal gathering, if not more so.

- Wage only one war at a time.

- A good leader avoids issuing orders, preferring to request, imply, or make suggestions.

- You must set, and respond to, fundamental goals and values that move your followers.

- Have malice toward none and charity for all.

- Seize the initiative and never relinquish it.

- Unite your followers with a "corporate mission."

- The best leaders never stop learning.

- Loyalty is more often won through private conversation than in any other way.

- Provide a clear, concise statement of the direction of your organization, and justify the actions you take.

It's Not About Me

(This is a portion of a letter written to my leadership team Oct. 07)

Jesus was never afraid to ask his followers for a deep level of commitment. Jesus said, "Anyone who loves his father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; anyone who loves his son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me; and anyone who does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me. Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it” (Matthew 10:37-39). Again in chapter 16:24-26 Jesus says, "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will find it. What good will it be for a man if he gains the whole world, yet forfeits his soul? Or what can a man give in exchange for his soul?”

Does Jesus require any less of his disciples today? How much more is even required from us as leaders? Those are tough questions to flesh out in our “always on the run” culture today. Let’s be honest, in today’s success driven society, we never quit have enough time to do everything. We have commitments to school, our jobs, extracurricular activities, family, hobbies, friends, and church. Often a barrier to leadership is not a lack of commitment, but over-commitment to the wrong things (Luke 8:14).

Obviously as Christians, our first priority of commitment is to Christ – knowing Christ and making Him known. The question then for us is, where does our level of commitment to our church and personal ministry fall in comparison to our other “priorities”? Are we making an honest and ongoing effort to attend planning sessions and trainings for leadership and your area of ministry? Are we supporting our church and ministry through our tithes and offerings? Are we supporting our church and it’s leadership through word and deed? Are we denying ourselves in order to fulfill our responsibilities in leadership for this area of ministry?

The bottom line is – it’s not about me. It’s not about a youth pastor looking cool or somebody’s proverbial pat on back for a job well done. It’s not about a paycheck, recognition, or the accolades of men. It’s not about numbers, an awesome facility, or having the most spiritual teens in the county. It’s about denying yourself, taking up your cross and following our leader, Jesus Christ. It’s not about you or me.

So let me ask you. Are you ready to lose you life?

Continuing the revolution,
Pastor Roger Nelmes

MAXIMS for Spiritual Leadership

(adapted & revised from information given by Dr. Jim Bradford)

1 Timothy 4:11-16
Command and teach these things. Don't let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in life, in love, in faith and in purity. Until I come, devote yourself to the public reading of Scripture, to preaching and to teaching. Do not neglect your gift, which was given you through a prophetic message when the body of elders laid their hands on you.

Be diligent in these matters; give yourself wholly to them, so that everyone may see your progress. Watch your life and doctrine closely. Persevere in them, because if you do, you will save both yourself and your hearers.

My Life
1. Know God: If my place in ministry was taken from me would I still have a personal, growing relationship with Jesus?

2. Pursue Integrity: Are there areas of ongoing secrecy in my life that I am trying to intentionally hide from those closest to me?

3. Be Yourself: How often do I hear people say, “Thank you for your authenticity.”

4. Own Responsibility: Do I acknowledge my mistakes or do I project blame and use my ministry platform to vent unresolved anger?

5. Embrace Change: Is my attitude faith-filled and future-focused or am I overly nostalgic of the past and fearful of taking risk in the present?

6. Love Learning: Am I coasting intellectually or am I applying myself to the disciplines of personal study and reflection? (“I want to live until I die.”)

7. Live Joyfully: Am I living under self-imposed pressure of always having to prove something to somebody?

My Task
1. Model Servant hood: The primary role of a leader is to serve.

2. Set Attitude: Attitude is everything. You may not have control over your circumstances, but you always have the choice in how you will react and live it out.

3. Cast Vision: Relaying our vision to others builds momentum and enthusiasm. People want to be a part of something that is in motion.

4. Develop Authority: As I delegate responsibility and authority, it is up to you to wisely administrate it. Authority doesn’t guarantee respect. Respect is only earned when you exercise responsibility, follow-through and mutual respect.

5. Require Excellence: God gave His absolute best to us by offering Jesus to die in our place. Then He added the cherry on top by giving us His Holy Spirit and the gifts that accompany Him. Why should we offer any less than our best to Him in ministry?

6. Show Appreciation: Displaying thanks and appreciation to your volunteers and supporters will greatly increases your chances of a repeat performance.

Why Walk When You Can Run

Cody McCasland was born without knees and his lower legs were so badly deformed they had to be amputated. Some said he was going to die, others said he would never walk again. But Cody, now six, has proven them all wrong. Cody not only walks - he runs in races! His walking legs are decorated with pictures of his hero, Spiderman. His running legs with highly specialized feet used by paralympians in competition are adorned with endorsments! Cody plays in a city soccer league, takes karate and ran his first set of races this year winning gold in the 60 m, 200 m, and 400 m races. Next year he wants to add competitive swimming to his list!

How often have we complained about our circumstances and situation to the point where we allow them to slow us down or even stop us in our tracks? Shame on us! I was having a pretty good pitty party earlier today...now I am humbled. We can learn a lot from Cody. Why walk when you can run?