taking time out to SERVE

For those of us who lead student and kid ministries we are in the serving business. We work with large teams of volunteers who invest in the lives of the next generation. We ask people to give their time for an amazing mission. We ask volunteers to serve but when do we take time to serve ourselves? I know this is a difficult topic because many of you are already stretched too thin and work too much. Work is not the issue. I know you are working hard but when do you take time to think about something other than the ministry you lead. Taking time to serve outside your ministry area keeps your heart healthy and helps you keep ministry in perspective. When we never take time to serve others outside our "ministry job" we get tunnel vision and begin to be consumed with our own goals and desires. This weekend I had a serve opportunity with a project in our city. My family understood that the time away was about volunteering and not about work. I have watched one of our staff at Grace Community take time out of his "job" to help launch a ministry that serves the homeless in our community. I watched another leader on our team serve as a DJ for an event that served families. Several of our team serve in local schools as volunteers. This has nothing to do with our jobs. Time to serve has everything to do with giving back and advancing the Kingdom of God. When you block out time to serve you have to maintain balance, but I promise taking intentional time out to give back will make you a better leader and help you understand the volunteers you lead on a different level. This week take a look ahead on your calendar and figure out what you can do to take time to serve.