Celebrating

The best thing we do every week in staff meeting is celebrate what God is doing.

This morning for staff meeting we went to breakfast as a team to celebrate what God has done in the first 6 weeks of school.

Our staff and student staff have worked their tails off reaching freshmen and fall retreat last weekend put a nice bow on the “Big Fall Push.”

Every week in staff meeting we spend the first 30 minutes talking about where we’ve seen God at work on campus that week—an idea I got from my good friend Chris Newport at Texas Tech.

It could be a student coming to Christ, a girl breaking off a bad relationship, a guy making significant steps to break his addiction to porn, a new Bible study in the music building, etc.

It never fails. Every. Single. Week. It launches our staff meeting on a high note.

It gives God the glory (when we often try to pat ourselves on the back for ministry success).

Nothing inspires your team like:

• Hearing that the Creator God is present and working mightily on your campus
• Knowing that we get to be a part of it. We get to be used by God!

Bill Hybels with some wise words on celebration:

“How do you inspire people to stay on the journey from here to there? Refill their vision bucket. Everyone’s vision bucket leaks. You have to celebrate every mile-marker you possibly can on the way to the destination.”

You have to mix it up week-to-week.

Sometimes we’ll go with hi/low of the week in ministry.

Sometimes more specific questions like “What did God do in your discipleship times this week?”

It’s a Biblical pattern:

• “I will meditate on all your works and consider all your might deeds.” Psalm 77:12
• “Great are the works of the Lord; they are pondered by all who delight in them.” Psalm 111:2
• “For you make me glad by your deeds, O Lord; I sing for joy at the works of your hands.” Psalm 92:4
• “One generation will commend your works to another; the will tell of your might acts… They will tell of the power of your awesome works, and I will proclaim your great deeds.” Psalm 145:4,6

It’s exhibited in the New Testament Church:

• “…and they declared all that God had done with them, and how he had opened a door of faith to the Gentiles.” Acts 14:27
• “…they were welcomed by the church and the apostles and elders, to whom they reported everything God had done through them.” Acts 15:4

Reflection Questions:

How do you celebrate on your team?

What’s worked for you in “refilling their vision bucket”?