That time between Christmas and New Years is dead time for me. Although it is a bit of an oxymoron, there’s
no such time as dead time. Time keeps moving whether we use it wisely or not.
This “dead time” is like the two days that Lazarus was dead or the three days Jesus spent in he tomb. I don’t know what Lazarus was doing during his dead time but Jesus was using his time to snatch the keys of death and hello away from the devil.
Our plans my not be quite so ambitious, but the least we can do is think. This down time is a perfect time for thinking before our resurrection arrives. How should we use it?
Think about how to invest in your students right now
This is a great season for small gatherings or one on one lunches. Take kids to the movies or work on projects around the church. Building relationships now will bring help you disciple them later.
Think about what you want in the new year
Start with the end in mind is a mantra of mine. I like to use this time to think about where I want myself, my family, the ministry to be at the end of the coming year. This year I want our youth ministry to grow by 16 and you can to if you want.
Think about potential adults you could involve in your youth ministry
You notice I am using the word involve not recruit. Recruiting a team is great for running the weekly meeting or small groups but involving adults is about connecting adults, who may never be on your team, whom your kids would benefit from contact with. Think
- Drivers
- Trip Chaperons
- Mentors
Involving the adults in the church in the life of your youth ministry is equally, if not more, important to building regular team.
Think about how you’ll grow your faith deeper.
What spiritual practices or disciplines worked for you in the past year? Which ones did not. Don’t be afraid to change up the way you grow your faith. Try
Journaling
or
Creating your own prayer stations
Think three months in advance
Get your planning done early. If you don’t have to do a full year just do three or four months. Quarterly planning gives you enough time to fulfill short term goals and figure out how they fit in with your long term goals.
While many people will be using this time to fall down on their hover boards, sleeping, or piddling around on the internet you could be using this time to get ahead of the game and reap the benefits later.
Your Turn
How can you start using your time between Christmas and New Year that will get you ahead?