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Editors note: With the completion of my school ministry and a “farewell tour” for Kev IV my inflatable Kangaroo last week I wanted to write him a fictional letter of thanks for being such a huge help to my ministry.

Dear Kev,

Please don’t be offended as I put you in storage along with your Great Grandfather (Kev Sr.), Grandfather (Kev Jr.), and Father (Kev III). The truth is nothing has done more for my ministry (except for the Gospel) than a collection of inflatable kangaroos.

The funny thing is it all started as a joke in 2009 when my Aussie friends presented your Great Grandfather to me (while singing the Australian national anthem off-key). The idea was to take random pictures of Kev Sr. and put them on Facebook while in the States on furlough.

Somewhere along the line I decided to start taking your Great Grandfather to Churches with me while presenting my ministry. I’ll never forget the night a little girl walked up to me and asked in a very quiet voice, “can I sign him?”

The rest was history

Truthfully I started bringing Kev Sr to Churches because it was fun.

1. To see the expressions on people’s faces when I walked down the hall with an inflatable kangaroo under my arm
2. To see children’s eyes light up when I pulled him out of the car
3. And to see motorists do a double (or triple) take when I let your Great Grandfather ride shotgun

 

But I started bringing him for a different reason…to create a relationship with people.

The awesome thing about being a Missionary is it allows me to share my burden for Australia with people all around the United States. The bad news is I often only get to see them once, and we usually only spend one service together (around an hour) which of course isn’t enough to develop a real relationship.

The thing is I want to have that kind of relationship with people

1. One that shares the bad news as well as the good
2. That allows them to become an active part of my ministry
3. That interacts with them (finds their needs, and ministers to them when possible)
4. And leaves room for the random or ridiculous experiences of life to be shared

Thankfully with Social Media it’s possible to have this kind of relationship. The problem is getting the contact info from people so that relationship can be created. The sign up sheet for updates would always be on my table, but it seemed as if it wouldn’t gain much interest.

Eventually I realized that there needed to be something that created a bridge between that service, and a relationship that would continue outside of the Church building using Social Media.

Over the years your ancestors (and yourself) have been that bridge. As people signed their names on a kangaroo with sharpie it was more than just something fun…it was the beginning of a relationship.

Now don’t worry buddy even though the farewell tours over you aren’t being “put out to pasture” just yet. We have a Vacation Bible School coming up next month, and I just know those kids won’t forgive me if Kev IV doesn’t come along. And even after that there’s always going to be a need for me to create those deeper relationships.

Besides…I still love seeing the looks on people’s faces the first time they see you

Hi my name is John and I’m a spaz
There I said it

In my case this means emphasizing activity to the point where I would become involved in any ministry possible.

Part of that comes from a genuine desire to reach others with the Gospel of Christ. But to be honest being a spaz affects my ministry philosophy as well since any time spent at home is looked upon as “inactivity”. Obviously in the past this led to a mindset that focused on cramming as much ministry outside of home into the day as humanly possible.

Recently though the Lord has made some drastic changes to that philosophy. Changes that have led me to step away from a number of ministries, and block out five to six hours a day at home [1].

The reason for this is quite simple…there was no time for the truly important ministries.

In the past I would spend thirty to forty-five minutes a day ministering to students in local schools through tutoring ministries. This was an awesome opportunity, but it usually took more than two-hours to complete when you factored in traffic and other issues.

Now it’s definitely worth taking two-hours out of my day to impact a child’s life. The problem is that left very little time at home before leaving for a 1:00 or 2:00 ministry.

Which of course meant I attacked some very important ministries in “spaz mode” [2]

1. Like communication with prayers supporters about my Visa process
2. Deeper Bible Study for personal growth
3. Education through reading books and articles
4. Writing blog posts, and recording video updates
5. Compiling necessary documents for my Visa application
6. Working through Christology notes for a class in Bangladesh I will teach in June
7. Preparation of tutoring lesson plans
8. Concentrated prayer about my Visa process
9. And writing articles that apply the Truths of Scripture to cultural challenges

Most of these things would receive less than a half-hour as I frantically ran around the house trying to get stuff done before leaving.

Worst of all sometimes I would come home drained because of the tutoring sessions [3] and have no motivation to actually do the work!

So last week after finishing my school ministry (and the Kev IV farewell tour) I adopted an outdoor patio as my office. And the place where I would invest time in the ministries that truly matter.

• Coming up with real answers to the challenges our culture faces from a Biblical Worldview
• Creation of a real relationship with prayer supporters that shares the good, bad, and ugly parts of my journey home
• Developing of Bible studies [4] that can be used for discipleship
• Making sure that everything is ready with the Visa process while seeking God’s leading
• Studying more of God’s Word
• And becoming the man God has called me to be

Oh don’t worry John the spaz will still come out, but not till about 2:30. Which gives me plenty of time to invest in the things that truly matter.

Last week I spent a few hours creating a “gifts inventory” that discussed things like spiritual gifts, strengths, weaknesses, personality, things I love to do, things I don’t love to do, and what kind of ministry fits me best.

The idea to do this came from a conversation with my dad about how I often find myself doing things that just don’t fit me.

I’m the kind of person who will help anyone with anything.  This is good since we don’t always get to do things we enjoy. However it’s important to have a clear understanding of the gifts and abilities God has given us, and allow that to help us decide which ministry opportunities the Lord wants us to pursue.

For instance here for me an ideal ministry would be one that:

1. Focuses on relationships
2. Clarifies the teachings of Scripture in a non-public teaching role [1]
3. Emphasizes Mercy or Service Gifts
4. Is with young children, or teenagers
5. Is a role with a team instead of a leadership position

On the other hand things I don’t necessarily enjoy would be

1. Administrative duties (paperwork, meetings)
2. Making a decision that would directly affect the lives of other people
3. A teaching ministry that is academic or detail oriented (find myself focusing on the paperwork more than the teaching itself)

Now here’s the deal…I can and will gladly do these things since they are obviously part of life. The problem arises when a ministry emphasizes (focuses on) over a long period of time something that I’m either not gifted towards, or is a weakness.

This has led me to begin doing something that is incredibly painful for me.
I have to tell people no

You see I happen to be a big softie who absolutely cannot stand to see people in need. Again this is a good thing since God created me this way (it fits well with mercy and service gifts). However that also means I’m willing to do whatever the person needs:

1. Even if I’m not very good at it (not a strength)
2. Or I don’t particularly enjoy it
3. And know there is another person who would do a much better job

I would respond this way since in my mind saying “sorry that just isn’t something the Lord’s given me a gift for” would be incredibly rude and selfish.

But recently my mind’s done a complete turnaround and I view it as loving

1. Since I am being honest with the person about my weakness instead of trying to protect my own pride
2. Since they will be able to find someone who is truly passionate about that kind of ministry
3. Since I know that this ministry can easily become a source of division between us
4. Since it allows me to keep a good Christian testimony [2]

A few days ago someone asked me if I could help them with something (a long-term ministry), and though it made me feel like the biggest jerk in the world I said no.

Because I knew they could find someone better
Because I knew this wasn’t something that God had given me the ability to do with excellence
And because I loved them too much to say yes