As a Church leader, I have a love and hate relationship with summer.

I enjoy the downtime that summer can provide. For two months I have no youth group, no small groups, few meetings and little expectation. I take the summer to focus on the future through sermon planning, youth group organization, and long-term organization. The summer affords me time to read, dream and pray.

On the flip side, I hate what happens to my Church community in the summer. Worship attendance in summer reaches annual lows. It is a tough time to get people motivated for the next week, let alone the rest of the year. There is an apathetic attitude that prevails over most of the people as they are tired from the long summer days.

Today I am thinking about my perspective on summer.

1. Find a Way to Keep Growing Spiritually.
I want to encourage everyone to make a plan to grow in your faith. One way might be to have a summer only Bible reading plan. Another approach might be to develop a list of books to read and commit to completing them. One more possibility might be to listen to a series of podcasts on some aspect of Christianity. Do something … anything.

2. Remember How You Model Faith.
The way you treat the things of God over the summer clearly communicates something to the people who know you best. Usually, the people the most influenced are your children. They develop a value system based off what they hear you say and what they see you regularly do. If you spend 75% of your summer weekends at the lake with no thought of Church, there is a message that is communicated. If you find a place to worship on Sunday while on vacation, another lesson is being taught.

3. Know that Actions Quickly Become Habits.
This one I see repeated every summer. Someone comes to worship with the Church on Easter and a level of interest in faith grows. That momentum carries them to Mother’s Day and often clear up to summer. Then they miss worship for this and for that and suddenly two months are gone. By now a new habit is formed, and the enthusiasm of belief that existed in the spring is sometimes lost forever. Missing a week or two is something almost everyone does, but those weeks can slip into months and years.

Summer is hard on pastors. We see people stall in their faith, watch their lives move away from God and lose people from our congregations. Personally, many times I slip into survival mode. I try to make it from week to week praying God will do a mighty work that I am not seeing. I wish it were not this way, but every year seems to repeat the same old cycle.

We are over halfway through summer, and I look forward to the fall. I do want to encourage you not to let another summer slip away from you. Better said, don’t allow summer to let you slip away from God.

Jesus is clear that the work of his followers will seem insignificant. He tells a set of back-to-back parables that are so short they only take four verses in the gospel of Luke and three in Matthew. I guess it is fitting that both analogies are tiny since they are about minuscule work of the kingdom of God.

One of Jesus parables is about a mustard seed. It is the smallest of all the seeds they knew at the time. And yet it can grow into a bush and left alone long enough it will make a tree. Then there is the yeast. A woman has sixty pounds of flour and only a tiny amount of yeast. Still, this seemingly insignificant amount will work through the whole dough causing it to rise.

The single point of Jesus double layered stories appears to be the way the kingdom of God starts small and then increases in size. That would explain how a handful of disciples would lead in a movement to create a worldwide religion called Christianity.

While the Church as a whole today is big, the work of the Lord is still small. My efforts for Jesus equate to throwing mustard seeds and grabbing pinches of yeast. The actions seem insignificant at the time because of their size.

I want to see God’s kingdom come to earth. I want truth and justice to work together with compassion and love. I want people to serve God with their whole lives until the day of judgment. I want everyone to know Jesus and live for him. I often think that there is a world full of people and we need to do something big to make good things happen. Believers need a large platform from which they can change this planet into the kingdom of God. Unfortunately, Jesus never told a parable about God’s massive kingdom. He spoke about seeds and yeast and people.

Jesus reminds his followers that they will be engaged in seemly small actions which will probably never make the impact they want. At least they will not change the world today.

My efforts for Jesus today might come in a hundred little ways. Those actions are not to be ignored because of their size; they should be embraced as the way Jesus changes the world.

All of us have hopes and dreams. There are things we want to achieve and improvements we need to make. We want to be a better spouse or parent. Deep down we have a desire to be a better Christian with meaningful relationships. We will do something great one day and in some way.

Most people dream of a better future with vague generalities.

The reason we never accomplish any of these things is that we have no specific steps.

It is like me saying that one day my wife and I hope to visit Hawaii, but we are not making any plans to get there in the future. If we really want to go, then we need to come up with a series of smaller action steps. We need to save money. We need to start researching places to stay. We need to talk to our work about vacation. And on and on it goes. You get the idea.

Whatever it is that you want to achieve in life, the best way to make it happen is to think in small actions steps. Big dreams come in little pieces.

I am not saying these steps will guarantee success in life, but if you do the daily work, then you will be a lot closer to your dreams in a year than you are today.

I love music. One of the greatest inventions of the last 25 years has to be the portable electronic music device. When I was young, my dad paid me to mow the yard and every week I went out front with my Walkman and two or three cassette tapes. I would listen to one side and then flip it over. Each week I could push mow the yard and listen to about three full cassettes. Now when I cut the grass, I have thousands of songs to choose from and custom created playlists.

My love of music makes me want to sing. I love to sing, but I cannot do it very well. Keys are hard for me to find and I am a level of tone-deaf. My words often sound more like someone is torturing a cat than trying to soothe the soul.

These thoughts lead me to ponder my time in Church on Sunday morning. Each week we gather to spend time with other believers in fellowship. We also listen to a word explained from the scriptures. And yes, we also sing four or five songs every week. Whenever the music starts, my toes begin to tap, and the song wells up inside of me. My mouth starts out with great joy and enthusiasm; it is only my voice that betrays me. Sometimes while I am singing, I realize how far off key I am, and I stop and try to find the proper notes. In those moments when I quit, I often find a surprising joy.

One of my favorite moments is when I can clearly hear the people behind me singing. Worship leaders are great people, and I enjoy listening to their voices in front of me. I prefer to listen to the sounds behind me. My seat at the front of the auditorium allows me to hear everyone else who raises their voice to God.

There are a couple of reasons I love this time. One, I am blessed every time I hear someone singing about God. The common faith we share in Jesus is what brings us together. Second, I know the stories of many of the people who are singing. Their words come through the filter of life. Some of them are struggling with loss and yet they sing. Others are going through difficult seasons of life, and again they sing. A few of them are turning the page on new chapters in their lives, and they sing. The words of all those wonderful people join together in a chorus of delight. No matter what situation we find ourselves, we have faith in a God that is working in our midst, and so we sing to him.

I love to sing, but there are moments I like to listen. One of the greatest joys in my life is hearing the people of God sing his praises. It connects me with other believers in a powerful way that shows me a picture of heaven. Most of what happens on Sunday morning can be created somewhere else, but when the followers of Jesus join together in song, Church is the best place on earth.

Most Monday mornings I sit down in front of a blank screen and wonder to myself, “Why do I keep writing?” Maybe that is because most Monday’s I start tired and must work to get my brain going full throttle again.

Sunday’s are my big day. I preach and help lead worship in my local Church. I meet with people and pour out my life. The rest of the day I try to do busy work that requires little thought. I spend my time bring closure to the previous week and preparing for the coming one.

Then comes Monday morning. I sit down in front of the computer. My brain feels blank, and I am sure that this is the week I will quit writing. “I’ll take just a little break,” I tell myself.

Finally, I remind myself of a personal commitment I made years ago to keep writing, even when I didn’t feel like it. There is only one reason I made that decision. I keep typing every week in the hopes that I will help somebody. I hope that what I post each day will inspire or encourage someone in their faith. I hope that my words will bring clarity and insight to people searching for answers. I pray that these simple blogs will touch the life of someone in a meaningful way. I write because I want to help people on their spiritual journey.

God gifts certain people in specific ways. Some people can preach and teach while other can write. He gives some people leadership skills and other talents to play music. There is a long list of special abilities that God gives to his people.

We also live in a world full of tools. We have at our disposal things like computers and the internet. We have blogs, Instagram, and social media. There are opportunities all around us to use our lives for good.

I am certainly not the best writer in the world. I don’t have the most significant following by size or influence. My platform is small. Yet, I want to offer something that is helpful to the world. If only one person is influenced for Jesus through my blogs, then I think my time is worth it.

So all this begs the question, “How are you using your life?”

You are gifted and talented, and I pray you are using those things for God’s kingdom. Even if you feel unqualified and inexperienced, there are still opportunities for you to help people in the name of Jesus. It is not about what God has given you; it is about what you are giving back to him. For me, I hope what I write helps someone. What are you doing?

With the fourth of July happening this week I know many of you are on vacation or enjoying the outdoors. Here are a few good articles for you to read when you have the time or on a rainy day. Enjoy.

OUR CHILDREN’S BUSYNESS IS NOT A BADGE OF HONOUR (AND WHY WE NEED TO CHANGE IT) – A great read. This is a topic of which I feel strongly. Starting September with a sermon series called “Crazy Busy.”

A Parent’s Guide to the 5 Skeptics Who Want to Shame Your Kids for Being Christian – Another great post with good thoughts for children and their parents.

Hey, Boomers! Let’s Step Up And Be The Elders The Church Desperately Needs Right Now – title says it all.

#StuffChurchpeopleSay: The Funniest Sermon Responses – I found some of these to be funny/sad. This is why I no longer stand by the door after the sermon.

Four Resolutions Every Christian Must Make about Our Phones – Simple wise counsel.

This week our nation celebrated its freedom with Independence Day. The people of our country have a tremendous amount of freedom to choose the direction of their lives. As a follower of Jesus, we have a responsibility to pick from our options in a way that honors God.

Let me offer you a few thoughts about our choices.

When given a choice between love or hate: Choose love.

When given a choice between showing kindness or not getting involved: Show compassion.

When given a choice between assuming the best or the worst in people: See the best.

When given a choice to feel happy or sad: Pick happiness.

When you have the options of responding with anger or forbearance: Exercise self-control.

If you ever the opportunity to act like Jesus or satisfy your flesh: Walk the way of Christ.

You have within yourself the power to choose the direction you walk, the attitude you display and the way you will respond to others. Choose wisely.

I hope everyone has a wonderful Independence Day.

Some of my childhood memories include my dad flipping through the radio while we were traveling and landing on the voice of Paul Harvey. Anyone over the age of 40 will remember the exact sound of which I speak. Paul Harvey hosted a radio show called “The Rest of the Story.” If you remember he would take a person or story from history and give you interesting facts about what happened to them.

Once dad, or I, landed on the show we had to listen to the rest of it. You can’t hear the beginning of a story about a World War Two veteran without knowing what happened to him. And with Paul Harvey, you knew the rest of the story was going to be interesting.

I think of these words as I view the future. What will be the rest of the story?

Honestly, I hope you enjoy this day and this week. I also pray you have a wonderful summer full of blessing. May this year be the best year of your life so far. But don’t forget the rest of the story. Many people have experienced beautiful seasons of life to slip into pain and struggle.

This idea caught me recently as I was looking at the lives of two old friends on social media. Once they were champions of the faith, and now both are far from Jesus in their lifestyle and words. Sadly, both people started down this road away from Christ by a series of small, poor decisions. They started skipping Church, put their Bible on the shelf, dropped out of fellowship with believers and they quit serving other people in Jesus name. Inch by inch their lives moved away from God, and now they are miles from him.

One significant question worth asking yourself is, “Where will this decision lead me in 30 years?” Maybe for the Christian, the words are even more specific, “Where will this lead my faith in 30 years?”

I hope you spend this season investing in fun and family but be sure not to neglect the future. The decisions you make today will pave the way for your life tomorrow. Take the time to be sure you are on the right road.

This morning I was refilling the candy dishes in the lobby of our Church with mints, and I began thinking, “Why am I doing this?” Suddenly my mind went back several years in my ministry.

At one of the Church’s I served, I was a part of an elder’s meeting shortly after arriving. Somewhere in the conversation, one of the elders started talking about our guests. He went on to say that we had a man who usually did the greeting of everyone as the came into the building to worship. He then went on to say, “Unfortunately he has horrible breath.”

Silence fell over the room. The cat had been let out of the bag. I assume everyone knew it was a problem, but no one wanted to offend this man by addressing it. The sad result, everyone knew the problem, but no one had a plan to fix it without making things worse.

In all youthful confidence, I said, “I will take care of it.” They smiled as if to reply, “Sure kid. You take care of it. Let’s see what kind of mess you can make.”

That week I went to the store and bought a big bag of peppermint candy. I found two small baskets at the Church. Then I filled them with candy and placed them on the table in the lobby where we set the printed programs and other Church material.

The next Sunday, I watched our friendly greeter walk into the lobby, see the candy, pick one up and pop it in his mouth. That day his breath was fresh, and no one who attended was offended. Problem solved.

Now, here I am many years later and a basket full of mints has filled every Church lobby I have served. Sure, some parents get mad because their child doesn’t need any sugar. They usually tell me this after their kid has stuffed several in their mouth one after another. I still have remained steadfast. The mints have stayed and will stay in the lobby until I give up the ministry.

This week the mints remind me that sometimes the solutions in life are often simple and overlooked. In all my years I have never had another complaint about bad breath in the lobby because there is always a solution waiting. I imagine that one of the problems you are facing this week may seem huge, yet a little creative thought will bring a solution that is as easy as a mint in the lobby.