celebrate | Mike Bonem https://mikebonem.com consultant, coach, speaker, author Sat, 01 May 2021 19:13:36 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.9.4 https://mikebonem.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/Icon.png celebrate | Mike Bonem https://mikebonem.com 32 32 One Day to Celebrate https://mikebonem.com/one-day-to-celebrate/ https://mikebonem.com/one-day-to-celebrate/#respond Mon, 03 May 2021 05:56:00 +0000 https://mikebonem.com/?p=5545 There is a light at the end of the pandemic tunnel. It’s getting brighter and more hopeful. But with so many unknowns, planning for the…

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There is a light at the end of the pandemic tunnel. It’s getting brighter and more hopeful. But with so many unknowns, planning for the future continues to be challenging for church and ministry leaders.

And yet, more and more signs point to the likelihood of living and interacting in relatively “normal” ways by the start of school. For most churches and many ministries, September 1, not January 1, is the real start of the year. Why not kick off the “new year” with a special celebration that sets the tone for what is to come?

That’s the message of this article: set aside one day now to plan for one special day in the fall. It takes time and creativity to plan a celebration, so choose one day this spring for your staff or leadership team to do this work. It may not even feel like “work.” After so many months of negative planning (e.g., How many people can fit in our sanctuary with social distancing? What do we do about the person who refuses to wear a mask?), this can be a forward-looking, hope-infused activity. So how should you do it?

Pick a Sunday that coincides with the start of school in your area – perhaps August 29 or September 12 – and dream about what that day will look like. Assume that people will be able to gather indoors for corporate worship and smaller groups with minimal restrictions. Then discuss questions such as:

  • What will we do to make that day special?
  • What will make people glad they came and want to come back?
  • What fall programming will we be launching? (This question looks beyond the specific day. It also implicitly determines programs that will not restart.)
  • How will we include people who aren’t comfortable or able to participate? (While this may be a small percentage of people, they are still an important part of the body. Your answer should include elements of both technology and pastoral care.)

As you plan for that celebratory day, think beyond it as well. How can we best catalyze spiritual growth this fall? How can we best care for the needs of our people? Those needs are likely to include a range of issues such as ongoing fear of covid exposure, post-pandemic trauma, marital struggles, and more.

I hope you have a great time this spring planning for a great day in the fall. I’d love to hear about it!

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Not long ago, I wrote about hearing the quiet
whisper of God’s voice while walking along the beach and watching the sun rise.
It happened again a few weeks later. This time, rather than strolling on a
beach, I was hurrying to the airport for another hectic day. Driving east on
the busy freeway, I saw the sun begin to creep over the horizon in a beautiful
ball of fire. And it seemed like God said, “Just savor the moment.”

Leadership philosophies are captured in a variety
of mantras such as “take the hill” or “just do it” or “carpe diem.” All of
these emphasize action. Certainly an inability to act hinders many churches,
ministries, and non-profits. But the flip side is also a problem. Some leaders
never take their foot off the accelerator. As quickly as one goal is
accomplished or project is finished, they’re on to the next. In truth, they
begin thinking about the next priority while the team is hard at work on the
previous one. 

So on my drive to the airport, I wondered about an alternative to the “Carpe diem” (seize the day) philosophy. Savor the day would be a good mantra for me to adopt, along with many of the leaders that I work with. This has huge implications, organizationally and personally. 

On the organizational side, savoring requires a
leader to pay more attention to the bright spots where good things – both large
and small – are happening. It means celebrating more often. It implies an
ebb and flow between pushing hard toward a goal and then allowing the team to
catch their collective breaths. 

The same is true, but even more important, for a
leader’s personal life. Many leaders are so caught up in their vital church or
ministry roles that they neglect the people who are closest to them. They miss
important events, or even if they’re physically present, their minds are
somewhere else. They “don’t have time” to savor the little moments
because they’re focused on “important” issues.

So especially this week, pause a little longer in
your thanksgiving, and truly savor the beauty of the moments that most matter?

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