Have you been sitting around feeling guilty every Sunday morning because you know you should be in church, but aren’t?
My dad raised us to go to church every Sunday, whether you stayed out too late on Saturday or not. I had friends there, so I didn’t complain. I’ve grown up now and recognize the wisdom of regular church attendance. Eventually, the power of God’s presence will sink all the way into your heart. I love it when people give up on fighting against God.
And that’s really what we want. We want God’s power to help us change from where we are to where we can be. He can elevate our goals and help us reach them.
Today’s goal is: Go to church.
Find a good local church. Pay attention and take notes. If something in the sermon sounds a little off, go home and look up the subject in your Bible. Find out if the pastor got it right, but be merciful. All speakers make mistakes. If the pastor keeps making the same mistake, ask for an appointment and discuss it. If you feel the pastor isn't following God, try a different church. There are a lot of church options. And a lot of different pastors.
As a regular attender, you’ll see the same church from a few different angles. Some days everyone will be friendly and the choir will sing exactly what you needed to hear. Other days, well, you know. We all have our off days. The key to finding the right church and staying there is knowing God wants you there. Pray and find the right one for you.
If you’re waiting for the perfect church, you’ll never find it. But you may find one that offers training in the word of God, a good prayer ministry, and a way to make and maintain Christian friendships.
You can even make a good church great by joining the ranks of the volunteers. Ask around to see where the needs are. If one opportunity isn’t your cup of tea, try another. Keep an open mind. You may be surprised when you find a church-based volunteering opportunity that you've never tried is exactly right for you.
Be determined to enhance your church because your church is designed to enhance you.
Dare to be a Substitute Teacher
When it’s summer and time for families to go on a vacation, what do Sunday School teachers do? Who steps in when they need to get away?
They ask for volunteers.
I used to teach Sunday School classes. My husband and I didn’t have any children at the time I was asked to substitute in the high school classroom. I’d never done that before, but I accepted the challenge.
When I wasn’t teaching in the high school class, I taught an adult class. The ages were different, but the attitude was the same. They didn’t expect perfection from me, but they did expect me to speak from my heart about real issues that they had to deal with on a daily basis. No one wanted to waste time in a class that didn't meet their needs. I wanted my words to matter to them, so I studied.
I looked up Bible verses on topics they were interested in. I wrote an outline and presented it in class. I often had a good response from them at the end of our time together.
If your child’s Sunday school class teacher needs a break or is going on a vacation, you can ask to substitute during the teacher’s absence. It wouldn’t mess you up to prayerfully prepare a lesson from your own experience.
Today’s goal is: Ask a Sunday School teacher if you can bring a lesson to give them a break for a week.
You can study the Bible to create a brief lesson based on events in your past. Maybe these were mistakes you learned from or events you had success with. The youth of today will be making the same decisions that we faced. Ultimately, they will thank us for giving them a reason to make the right decision.
If you enjoy volunteering your time, you could find out if there is a list of substitute teachers and put your name on it. Or you could find a teacher who wants to do a monthly trade-off. You could teach one month, and they could teach the next.
You will never know if you’ll like it unless you give it a try.
They ask for volunteers.
I used to teach Sunday School classes. My husband and I didn’t have any children at the time I was asked to substitute in the high school classroom. I’d never done that before, but I accepted the challenge.
When I wasn’t teaching in the high school class, I taught an adult class. The ages were different, but the attitude was the same. They didn’t expect perfection from me, but they did expect me to speak from my heart about real issues that they had to deal with on a daily basis. No one wanted to waste time in a class that didn't meet their needs. I wanted my words to matter to them, so I studied.
I looked up Bible verses on topics they were interested in. I wrote an outline and presented it in class. I often had a good response from them at the end of our time together.
If your child’s Sunday school class teacher needs a break or is going on a vacation, you can ask to substitute during the teacher’s absence. It wouldn’t mess you up to prayerfully prepare a lesson from your own experience.
Today’s goal is: Ask a Sunday School teacher if you can bring a lesson to give them a break for a week.
You can study the Bible to create a brief lesson based on events in your past. Maybe these were mistakes you learned from or events you had success with. The youth of today will be making the same decisions that we faced. Ultimately, they will thank us for giving them a reason to make the right decision.
If you enjoy volunteering your time, you could find out if there is a list of substitute teachers and put your name on it. Or you could find a teacher who wants to do a monthly trade-off. You could teach one month, and they could teach the next.
You will never know if you’ll like it unless you give it a try.
Showing Interest In Others
My husband and I have enjoyed several of the restaurants in our area while taking a lunch break. When our kids are in school, it’s a relaxing way for us to stay in touch. Being friendly and chatting over a meal is great for a marriage. It’s also great for all our other relationships.
Today’s goal is: Take a co-worker to lunch. During the meal, focus on developing a personal relationship that will benefit the workplace.
Many companies thrive on teams of people working effectively together on one project. Showing interest in your teammates helps produce a camaraderie that oils that machine and makes it work smoothly.
When you invite someone to share a meal with you, visit with them about their life. It is said that a person who asks about your day is more interesting than someone who talks about themselves all day. When women get together, they might talk about a movie one of them has seen recently. So by the time you’re ready to go back to work, you’ve discussed pets, children, or grandchildren, and you’ve had a satisfying meal.
Good food often brings a smile. And smiles help develop friendships.
Today’s goal is: Take a co-worker to lunch. During the meal, focus on developing a personal relationship that will benefit the workplace.
Many companies thrive on teams of people working effectively together on one project. Showing interest in your teammates helps produce a camaraderie that oils that machine and makes it work smoothly.
When you invite someone to share a meal with you, visit with them about their life. It is said that a person who asks about your day is more interesting than someone who talks about themselves all day. When women get together, they might talk about a movie one of them has seen recently. So by the time you’re ready to go back to work, you’ve discussed pets, children, or grandchildren, and you’ve had a satisfying meal.
Good food often brings a smile. And smiles help develop friendships.
Donate A Toy
I’m back from vacation now, and I must say – What a great time we had!
My kids were in the beach and the pool everyday while we visited with family members we hadn’t seen in a long time. I caught up on some reading. We enjoyed new restaurants. But two of the best moments came at the beginning and end of our trip.
We had just checked into our hotel and were about to head to the elevator when a mother and son stopped my husband. She wanted to give her son’s boogie board to my son because she couldn’t take it on the plane.
My son was thrilled at the gift. He rode waves in to the shore on it, floated on it, and shared it with his sister. But when it was time for us to leave our hotel, my son and my husband had one more thrilling thing to do. They spoke to a family that had just come out of a taxi and gave the boogie board to them.
Completing the circle of giving was fun. Who knows how many times the board will be given away?
The more we allow our children to share in donating to others, the more they develop a generous heart.
Today’s goal is: Pick out a toy to donate to a child.
Let your children pick out a gently-used toy of their own that they think another child would enjoy playing with. Let them give the toy away and watch their joy increase as they see the impact their gift has made.
My kids were in the beach and the pool everyday while we visited with family members we hadn’t seen in a long time. I caught up on some reading. We enjoyed new restaurants. But two of the best moments came at the beginning and end of our trip.
We had just checked into our hotel and were about to head to the elevator when a mother and son stopped my husband. She wanted to give her son’s boogie board to my son because she couldn’t take it on the plane.
My son was thrilled at the gift. He rode waves in to the shore on it, floated on it, and shared it with his sister. But when it was time for us to leave our hotel, my son and my husband had one more thrilling thing to do. They spoke to a family that had just come out of a taxi and gave the boogie board to them.
Completing the circle of giving was fun. Who knows how many times the board will be given away?
The more we allow our children to share in donating to others, the more they develop a generous heart.
Today’s goal is: Pick out a toy to donate to a child.
Let your children pick out a gently-used toy of their own that they think another child would enjoy playing with. Let them give the toy away and watch their joy increase as they see the impact their gift has made.
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