Dan Reiland, Executive Director of Leadership Expansion at 12Stone Church in Lawrenceville, Georgia, recently wrote a blog entitled 7 Questions to Help Follow Your Calling.   Serving in the 4th quarter of my call to vocational ministry as a lay person (not a seminarian, academic, nor clergy), I found myself reflecting on each question for effective ministry over the long haul.

I have the amazing opportunity to practice the Timothy mandate, investing in the next generation of leaders serving alongside ministry interns and younger church staff in the early stages of their callings. Beyond skills and systems, the focus is on building character that endures, so they, too, reach their final quarter still committed to saying “YES” to God’s calling.

Reiland’s first question asks, “What is God saying to you?” This is not a forever or even a later thing, but a now thing. It’s been my experience that God uses everything. King David is the perfect example of God placing him in situations and relationships all to prepare him for the next step, ultimately a kingdom-hand-off. Don’t wait for the invite, Say YES to humbly and joyfully serve where you are needed now and watch the doors open.

Another question is, “Are you prepared to pay the price?” Church work, like all work done well, is trench work. It’ll be filled with easy and not-so-easy situationships. Be prepared for seasons of discouragement AND joy, tears AND cheers, by discipling yourself in daily, weekly, monthly, annual holy habits to keep you close to the Christ of the Bible. Always be thankful.

“What is your gifting and passion?” Each of us reflects aspects of God’s image and has unique spiritual gifts for building up the church. Embrace challenges; mistakes and scars become stories of God’s faithfulness and mercy.

“Are you willing to follow first, make mistakes, learn, and grow?” A good follower is willing to take direction, flee from defensiveness, have a teachable spirit, and be willing to continue to learn and grow.

“Do you have the resilience to play the long game?” The iron-sharpening-pruning seasons will come ‘cuz God isn’t finished with me yet. So to keep my eyes on the prize of pleasing my King, I’ll continue to practice scriptural holiness through acts of piety (holy habits), take care of my body, mind, and soul, and invest in meaningful relationships. I still have so much to learn until I see Him in Glory.

“What keeps you connected to your values and convictions?” Calling and ability open doors, but character keeps us there. Like Joseph and Daniel, purposing in our hearts and minds how to handle sticky situations from a biblical perspective will provide holy boundaries to protect our witness.

Finally, “Is your vision aligned with Heaven?” Reiland emphasizes that our lives should reflect the priorities of the first part of the Lord’s Prayer, aligning our will with God’s: that none should perish (2 Peter 3:9), to be thankful (1 Thessalonians 5:18), law-abiding (1 Peter 2:13-15), not conformed to the world (1 Thessalonians 4:3-7), serving with pure motives (Ephesians 6:5-8), and living wisely (Ephesians 5:15-17).

Serving in the local church has been my lifelong calling. It started simply, bringing a casserole to a new mom. I haven’t always done it perfectly, but I’m learning and committed to doing better. God has been too good to me for anything less.

⁴ “One generation commends your works to another;
    they tell of your mighty acts.
⁵ They speak of the glorious splendor of your majesty—
    and I will meditate on your wonderful works.
⁶ They tell of the power of your awesome works—
    and I will proclaim your great deeds.
⁷ They celebrate your abundant goodness
    and joyfully sing of your righteousness.” Psalm 145:4-7

Last week, I spent eight days with a wonderful group of fellow believers, exploring the life of the Apostle Paul on an educational tour through Greece. After a 2018 trip to the Holy Lands, I wanted to take the next step, diving deeper into the New Testament, almost like it was coming to life in 3D.

Our amazing, multi-lingual guides shared so much with us. Greece’s key exports include pistachios, feta cheese, honey, and Corinthian leather. The hills are still dotted with monasteries and ancient ruins from the Greek and Roman eras. While Greece was once made up of independent city-states, half of its population now lives in Athens, one of the oldest cities in the world. Though people in other areas often relocated due to natural disasters, the people of Athens never left.

The country expanded its roads and infrastructure for the 2004 Summer Olympics, with venues spread across the land. The museums, myths, and friendly locals—even at a small grocery store near one of our hotels—gave me plenty to reflect on.

Key Takeaways

1. Traveling with Paul Was Hard, but Purposeful
   Travel in Paul’s time was difficult, expensive, and always done in groups. Paul journeyed with companions—both peers and younger believers—on rough roads, avoiding the easier, more convenient routes reserved for the military. This wasn’t just travel; it was a form of mentorship. By including others in the journey and everyday work, Paul helped shape not just skilled communicators but disciples with deep character.
2. Paul’s Strategy: Influence Through Daily Encounters in Groups
   Paul aimed for an audience of great groups of influential people (marketplace). Though I’m sure there were conversations among the fellow travelers as they went from marketplace to marketplace, the lingering happened where folks would hear the good news of the gospel often and over time. His stop at the river where Lydia was gathered with others was my favorite location. Just a reminder that when God typically spoke or made Himself known to women, it was as they were carrying on their everyday chores of service to their families, in community. I’m thinking this might have been laundry day, but that’s just me.
3. Paul the Philosopher
   While we see Paul as a missionary, the Greeks and Romans viewed him as a philosopher—a person offering ideas on deep subjects. He spoke at Mars Hill (Areopagus), where the supreme court of 30 men heard only serious cases, like arson, treason or murder of a family member. When not hearing cases, the court became a gathering place for philosophers. Each speaker had just six minutes, timed by a water clock. Imagine a supreme court judge hearing Paul’s short, practiced message again and again! One of them, Dionysius, was so moved by Paul’s words that he believed (Acts 17:34). Paul’s six-minute elevator pitch seem to have had more lasting impact than a long sermon—at least in my view. Mars Hill remains a peaceful, rocky spot where lots of people still gather, without a big church built over it.

Surprises Along the Way

1. Graffiti is everywhere, especially in Thessaloniki and Athens. Lots of it on everything.
2. Jewish hospitality (Holy Lands) felt very different from the more individualistic Greek culture.
3. Religious icons are scattered everywhere, telling the stories through art of important faith leaders.

A Wonderful Group

My travel companions were lovely, and we shared meals every day as well as afternoon naps on long bus rides. Check out the map below. We flew into Thessaloniki travelling to Kavala and Philippi early on. The remaining week we spent time at each place noted all the way to Athens. My roommate was a woman originally from Selma, Alabama, who moved to Brooklyn in the 1970s. On our bus of 42, we had people from different faith traditions—Lutherans, Baptists, Global Methodists, Seventh-Day Adventists—and even a fellow LSU alum! There are hardly any places for souvenir shopping, but we took lots of pictures and made memories I’ll treasure for a lifetime.

Gratitude

As I continue my journey of faith, I want to thank Paul, Lydia, Silas, and—most of all—our great God for the call to follow Jesus as my Lord and King. May I not limit my obedience to the Great Commission to what is easy, convenient, or comfortable. It’s good to be home.

“Do not be afraid; keep on speaking, do not be silent. For I am with you, and no one is going to attack and harm you, because I have many people in this city.” Acts 18:9-10

All the churches on our road host fall festivals or trunk-or-treat events at the end of October, so as the new kid on the block we decided to offer a family connection ministry event on the first Sunday of October to celebrate the change of seasons. This is one of the those opportunities to be a good neighbor to our neighbors.

A team of eight started planning six weeks in advance, using a 90-minute schedule that included 50 minutes of activities and food, 10 minutes for a message, and 30 minutes for live music.

50 minutes of connection and food activities
Each part of the Family Ministry Team organized a fun, interactive activity with prizes for the purposes of connecting with folks through conversation, hospitality, and generosity:

• Art: Paper bag pumpkins
• Men’s Ministry: Cornhole
• Senior Saints: Ring toss for young kids
• Young Adults: Pumpkin checkers
• Nursery: People scavenger hunt
• Children’s Ministry: Bible trivia with dry-erase boards
• Confirmation: Puffy paint leaves
• Youth Ministry: Pogo sticks
• Other small groups: Chalk art, fall-themed face-in cutouts, skee-ball
  We also set up a shaded area for making Chrismons (similar to a quilting bee).

For food, we kept it simple with a chili potluck and all the fixings, with ice water. Desserts were offered through a “pumpkin walk” game, where participants could win seasonal treats from local markets.

10 minutes of a message
A lay-servant leader, experienced in public speaking and active in children’s and youth ministries, delivered a message on nurturing faith daily. His background in farming and science tied in perfectly with the theme, and he did a fabulous job.

30 minutes of live concert
We invited a local Southern Gospel group to perform and share the gospel through music. The stage was set with hay bales on the front lawn, and the multi-generational group was fantastic. This multigenerational group is well-known in the greater Atlanta area and they do this extremely well. There are so many genres of Christian music so this was a great platform for our congregation to hear and see something different done well.

Folks were encouraged to bring camp chairs and chili to share, fostering a friendly, neighborly atmosphere. A banner along the road and a simple Facebook ad promoted the event.

And I personally sent text reminders to church members who had texted me in the past two months, asking them to share the event graphic while drinking coffee and watching Nick Saban on the GameDay crew on the Saturday crew. 99 texts later, I hear we altered the West Cobb Facebook algorithms. Several couples told me they came because they saw it in their feed all weekend.

We’re still learning how to best use the spaces and resources the Lord has graciously provided. This was the first front lawn ministry event so we’ll debrief this week and make a list of what we learned.

How are you celebrating the season change this fall with your neighbors?

“There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens: a time to be born and a time to die, a time to plant and a time to uproot, a time to kill and a time to heal, a time to tear down and a time to build…” Ecclesiastes 3:1-2

Janine McNally wrote When You See Fireflies to effectively equip leaders and parents to serve Generation Alpha. Generation Alpha are those born between 2010 and 2025 and the first generation to be born only within the 21st century. With each generational cycle lasting around 15 years, Generation Alpha are those who make up our current nursery, children’s, and youth ministry through middle school. These are the kids we’re serving today!

There is a lot of really good info here, but I’m going to focus on two items: 

1. Who is Generation Alpha?
2. How do we effectively stay the course with sharing the gospel as the goal?

With full bibliography notations of research in the back of the book, this is the Generation Alpha we serve:

• They are predicted to become the largest generation in the history of the world by 2025.
• They will be more educated.
• They will have increased wealth.
• They will reflect increased racial diversity.
• They will have a greater global influence for fashion, food, entertainment, and communication.
• They will have a more mobile lifestyle resulting in more than 18 different jobs over the course of their lives.
• They will be technology addicts and experts.
• They will have shorter attention spans, delayed social development, and a greater lack of exercise.
• They will have unlimited access to information they will not be able to process or emotionally handle. They will need guides from the side rather than sages from the stages.
• Their parents are in their 20s, 30s, and 40s; including Tiger Parents (driving academic and social success of their children spending more than 10% of their annual household income on registration fees, travel, camps and equipment resulting in all-consuming busyness) and Helicopter Parents (driven by an all-consuming desire for their child’s safety and protection as well as protecting them from all pain and disappointment, and doing a lot of their kid’s homework).

This is how we respond for greater Christian education effectiveness:

• Guide parents/caregivers to lead diligently (repeat, repeat, repeat) as commanded by Deuteronomy 6:4-9.
• Don’t shy from reminding parents to make church attendance not only a top priority, but a non-negotiable. Weekly choices make for lifelong habits. The most amazing Jesus guys and gals we want speaking into our kid’s, and their parent’s, lives are in the local church. Ex: Elizabeth, Anna, Simeon. The best models are there!
• Address the hard questions of culture from the pulpit and the adult/children’s small groups. Ex: When we teach littles about Moses’ rescue from the Nile River by the Pharoah’s daughter we indeed speak to the Pharoah’s horrible edict to kill babies. Killing babies is wrong.
• Restore trust by purposing to live a life worth watching. Only Jesus is perfect, but we local church leaders can so purpose our lives to live in obedience to the scriptures to the best of our abilities, without compromise. Ex: Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach, Abednego, Joseph purposed to live their lives in obedience to God’s commands and God blessed them with His presence. All who are in Christ, are charged to live honorably—holy and worthy of our calling before a watching world. When we accept Jesus as our Lord and King, we are no longer our own. My preferences and inclinations and feelings should no longer drive my decisions. The Holy Spirit is ON to change us through His sanctifying grace leading us to Biblical holiness.
• “While Hollywood can capture their attention for a few moments, caring adults can engage them in a way that’s personal and meaningful.” (p 93) Relationships! Relationships! Relationships! Focus on intergenerational people interactions over programs.
• Use visuals, experiential, active learning, not linear lecture in our teaching.
• Keep the goal THE GOSPEL: keep it simple, keep it free, keep it clear, keep it concrete, keep it Biblical.

Janine has a slew of other books which are now part of my personal library especially as I design our local church’s Faith Milestones.

I encourage every Christian Educator to evaluate how we can serve the Generation Alpha families well in our contexts. I read When You See Fireflies from a hardcopy (seriously marked-up) and listened to it on Audible and I’m so glad I did both.

How are you best serving and sharing life with Generation Alpha?

“However, I consider my life worth nothing to me; my only aim is to finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me—the task of testifying to the good news of God’s grace.” Acts 20:24