In light of Wednesday’s post on “Get Sick” I would like to follow up today with another unconventional idea…”Throw a Brick!”

As I started to look a little closer at how riots start and how they evolve I was taken back by the remarkable social similarities between riots and revivals. Let’s take a look at how riots begin.

One person Has a Threshold of Zero
They require nobody else to encourage them to start throwing bricks. Spurred on by a social injustice or other issue they abandon their fear of consequences and become the catalyst for change.

Another Person Has a Threshold of One
They need someone else to get things kicked off. They need the person with the threshold of zero and are happy to join in if, and only if, someone else

Someone once said, “You can’t buy experience.” However, you can listen to it for a few minutes! Occasionally the world of children's ministry, or any ministry for that matter, can get a little fuzzy, some would say blurry. My hope in this post is to offer a set of "experience glasses" that will bring a little clarity in an otherwise blurry world of ministry.

Download The Full 45 Minute
Bonus Audio Here

I’m sure we all could have been spared some ministry pain if we had listened to the voice of experience. This bonus audio was recorded live at Orange Conference 2014 and hopefully the content will save you some time, some tears and maybe a few trials as I share the five things I wish someone told me about Kidmin (or any min for that matter) before I got started.

Number 1

I wish someone would have told me that vision, mission and values were not optional but essential.

What Can We Do?

Make sure we have

In order to reignite our passion I think we must first figure out why the flame went out in the first place. Take a  look at the following four passion killers below and what each of us can do to reignite the fire!

Passion Killer Number 1: Familiarity

There is a difference between familiarity and contentment. As the quote says, “Familiarity breeds contempt” but contentment requires focus and purpose. If you know why you exist and what you were designed for then even the most mundane tasks will be a passionate endeavor for you.

Reignite! If familiarity is getting the best of you then rethink your purpose. A renewed passion could be just within your reach.

Passion Killer Number 2: Wrong Company

If you are the perfect picture of health and found yourself in a room sitting next to
someone who has a cold it is more likely that you will catch the cold than they are to
catch health. I hope that makes sense. That’s just simply the way things flow. Bad
company corrupts

Several years ago the rock group Van Halen had an interesting line item or stipulation in their contract. As a result of that one particular item, infamously known as article 126, it labeled the band as demanding, arrogant and difficult to work with.

The line in the contract involved M & M’s. The language stipulated that there was to be a bowl of M & M’s backstage with all of the brown ones removed. Your mind may have jumped as quickly as mine to “You have got to be kidding me!” David Lee Roth, lead singer of Van Halen, said it took “nine eighteen-wheeler trucks” (1) to carry all their gear from venue to venue. As you can expect, the band could not check everything as it was being set up so they decided to check one thing, the M & M bowl.

According to Roth article 148 of the contract said, “There will be fifteen amperage voltage sockets at twenty-foot spaces, evenly, providing nineteen amperes." (2) Then in article 126 right there in the middle of the contract with all of the technical speak it read, "There will be no brown M & M's in the backstage area, upon pain of forfeiture of the show, with full compensation." (3)

So, why no brown M & M’s? Answer, For

Although the title is about asking your boss for something you can apply the same elements to a co-worker, friend, or family member. The seven elements below increase our interpersonal effectiveness when asking our boss, or anyone for that matter, for something we want or need. Master them and when you ask, you will receive.

Let’s say you need an increase in your budget for an event that you want to plan. Here are seven elements you can incorporate to increase you chances of getting what you are asking for.

1. Explain Specifically
Stick to the facts describing what you want, need or are asking for.

Example: “I would like to do an event for parents this Spring and need a small increase in our budget in order to do the event.”

2. Express Feelings
Use “I” statements when you speak taking ownership of what you are asking and expressing your feelings about the event. It’s hard to argue with “your feelings.”

Example: “I feel this event would make a huge difference in the lives of the parents and families that attend.”

3. Emphasize Reward
Make sure your boss knows what they are getting out of it. Let them know

Part 3: How To Play and Win!

What does it mean to win? We touched on it briefly in part 1 but I want to go a little deeper here and define what it means to win for people who play politics and for people who want to have a positive impact on their environment.

Politicking People Play to WIN = What I Need
Positive People Play to WIN = Will Invest Now
The difference is in the “I” isn’t it?

Positive People Win In A Healthy Way
If you haven’t read “How to Play Church Politics & Win Part 1” it would be best to read it now. Remember, you are playing the game with different rules and different equipment. You are bringing a football to a baseball game, a baseball to a basketball game and a basketball to a football game.

If you bring a football to a baseball game you are definitely going to get a few looks and most likely a few comments so take these three thoughts with you on your way to the game. With that in mind there are three reminders for each of us should we choose to Invest in the game.

1. Be Aware

It’s not always possible to change the system or culture. In fact, it may