1. Try something! The best way to stumble onto something remarkable is to try new ideas. You will never THINK your way into something amazing. You have to DO stuff.
2. Thank someone! Somebody somewhere did something that helped you. Who? Thank them today. Can’t think of anyone. Start with God.
3. Destroy something! You are doing something that is not producing the desired results. What is it? Stop it. Kill it dead. Don’t do stuff that continues to disappoint.
4. Recruit someone! Share with someone where you are going in children’s ministry. Ask them to join your team. But NEVER call them a “volunteer.” No adult wants to “volunteer.” Stop using the word. Ask them to join your team to do something cool/significant. Volunteer=profanity.
5. Go somewhere! Where new places have you been to lately…in your own town? Change your routine. Go to the park…grocery store (the little one)…restaurant you’ve never been to…somewhere…anywhere (almost). Go.
6. Read something! Reading kicks your brain into gear. Carry a book in your car. Read when the light is red. The cars behind you will honk when it turns green. They will.
7. Pray now! Ask God to do something you have given up on. I dare you. I double dog dare you. Don’t get pious/religious/spiritual. Just ask.
8. Be kind! People can be…well…challenging. Guess what? So are you. Be kind to someone who doesn’t deserve it. Flash. None of us deserves it.
9. Call somebody! It is still acceptable to use a phone.
10. Move around! You don’t have to go to the gym everyday but for crying-out-loud walk or something. Park on the far side of the Graeters Ice Cream lot.
11. Be there! Somebody soon will need you. Just be there. Don’t worry about what you will say…or do. Just be there.
12. Listen closely! STOP thinking about what you are going to say next. Listen intently. Close your mouth. Look at the person talking. And listen. Amazing what that can do.
13. Work hard! Salvation is by grace but most everything else requires some/lots of hard work. Learn to like work. Your stuck with it. Might as well get a kick out of it.
14. Laugh freely! Laugh out loud. Laugh as often as you can. It is medicine. What? Have you been off your medication?
15. Celebrate it! Has something good happened? Think. It is OK to celebrate it. I give you permission to whoop it up.
16. Jump in! If you are going to try something new, try it all the way. If you want to learn to snorkel, read up, buy the equipment, go where there’s water and jump in with both feet. That’s pretty much the way all of life works.
17. Take risks! Yes, you will probably fail. No, you will not like it. Yes, you will learn something you would not have learned otherwise. Yes, you will do it much better next time.
18. Be thoughtful! Little things you do for other make a BIG difference. What little thing can you do for someone today?
19. Make friends! Be a friend to someone. Make a new friend with someone who is…different/odd/strange. It is amazing what you learn when you talk to someone who thinks differently than you do.
20. Reconsider something! Have you made up your mind? Are you sure you are right? Really? Think of something you have decided a long time ago…and reconsider.
21. Play something! Playing a game forces your mind to switch gears. It refreshes your brain. Try to win but don’t make a big deal out of it if you don’t. It’s the playing that counts.
