This weekend Emily and I witnessed our two oldest sons make a public declaration of their faith in Jesus – it was awesome! We celebrated with them in worship and in their baptism and afterwards our family all shared a meal together. We gave them gifts and let them know that their decision to follow Jesus was the biggest and best decision they’ll make their entire lives! Later that day my parents offered to watch our kids so we could go out. Emily and I went kayaking out of Cove Cay Marina and found it to be so peaceful. It was both beautiful and tranquil. We saw fish jumping out of the water, birds flying all around us and even a few dolphins swim right next to our kayak and play for a while. On occasion a boat would come by and we would see and feel the ripple effect of it’s wake. And then it hit us…

The Ripple Effect

What we do matters more than we think! Emily thought about how over a decade ago her sister invited her to church and how that simple invite changed the trajectory of her life! It was that invitation that positioned her to hear the gospel that day and it was her decision there at church to follow Jesus that changed everything. Now, ten years later we’re witnessing our two sons publicly declare they’re going to follow Jesus all their days! Think about that… The power of one invitation is impacting generations! And I believe generations to come as they grow up and share the hope they have with their families, friends, coworkers, etc.

There’s a song by Sara Groves titled, “Generations” that communicates this powerful truth, “Remind me of this with every decision, generations will reap what I sow, I can pass on a curse or a blessing, to those I will never know.” It’s true! Our actions create a series of ripples or consequences not only in our lives and not only in the lives of those around us but also for all those who will come after us. Generations will reap what we sow!

This truth is communicated all throughout the Scriptures. We’re encouraged to pause and think about how we can give back and sow into the lives of others both now and long after we’re gone. “God, help us to think about this with every decision…That generations will reap what I sow…”

As the apostle Paul faced more and more persecution he knew the end was imminent. It’s in this context that he says farewell to the leaders of the church of Ephesus and leaves them with this great truth that he remembered Jesus saying, “It is more blessed to give than to receive.”

Acts 20:35 This reminds me of a poem from pastor Ernest Campbell,

“To be young is to study in schools we did not build.

To be mature is to build schools in which we will not study.

To be young is to sit under trees we did not plant.

To be mature is to plant trees under which we will not sit.

To be young is to dance to music we did not write.

To be mature is to write music to which we will not dance.

To be young is to worship in churches we did not build.

To be mature is to build churches in which we will not worship.”

May this be an encouragement to you today. Live a selfless life. Make decisions with both eternity and future generations to come in mind. Start a ripple effect…

The post The Ripple Effect first appeared on John Silkauskas.

According to a recent study done by the Mayo Clinic stress can negatively impact many facets of our physical health, mood & behavior! Here are some of the effects stress can have on us:

Common effects of stress on your body:

Headache
Muscle tension or pain
Chest pain
Fatigue
Change in sex drive
Stomach upset
Sleep problems

John

For the entire message – Click Here

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Christmastime is one of my favorite times of the year (for many reasons). I love the food, the sweets, the shopping, the gifts, the time with family and friends; however, one of my absolute favorite things about Christmastime is a simple tradition that Emily and I share with each other and the kids: Every night during the season of Advent we start the bedtime process a half hour early. We purposely and intentionally slow down and make room for God in a very special way. We read, we pray, we light the candle(s) and sing songs of praise and worship. It’s a very simple, yet powerful time! God is faithful, and He meets our little family around our dinner table every evening. It’s a humbling and beautiful experience! We make space for God, and He comes and fills that space with His presence! I cherish these times for a few reasons:

• First, I’m teaching my children something very important and pray that they make this a practice for the rest of their lives.
• Second, we all get to share in the moment and worship together as a family.
• Third, this allotted time — where we intentionally slow down — reminds us what we’re really here for: an intimate relationship with God himself!

If you don’t know what Advent is all about here’s a brief summary / guide:

Advent simply means “COMING” – we’re remember that Jesus came and that he’s coming again. It’s a season where we can especially slow down and draw near to him (This is an incredible season that we’re heading into)! Advent is often celebrated with these three things:

1. Scripture / Devotional reading –

You can find Advent devotional resources by visiting “The Bible” app (and choose from countless free Advent devotionals there) or often your local church will provide you with an Advent devotional for free. An inspiring family friendly devotional that my family will be doing together and I recommend is RESET by J.D. Walk – https://store.seedbed.com/products/reset

2. Candle lit wreaths –

These can be homemade (a fun family craft), purchased at any Christian bookstore or bought online at Amazon – https://smile.amazon.com/Christmas-Advent-Candle-Set/dp/B001B7MLRG/ref=sr_1_5?s=home-garden&ie=UTF8&qid=1512099932&sr=1-5&keywords=advent+wreath+with+candles

3. Advent calendars –

These days they have everything from lego advent calendars (they’re fun, we actually did one a couple years back) to candy advent calendars. We use something like this – https://smile.amazon.com/Traditional-Nativity-Calendar-Pockets-Learning/dp/B00GHY2L32/ref=sr_1_fkmr0_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1512100239&sr=8-1-fkmr0&keywords=fabric+kids+christ+advent+calendar (great for the kids)

If you’re not sure about how to navigate through all these things here’s a simple weekly guide with instructions, prayers, scriptures, etc. https://mtbethel.org/bechristmas/pdf/Advent%20Wreath%20Readings%20Handout.pdf  What I usually do is I follow this kind of pattern but read different scriptures, so I might do scriptures like these each Sunday and the devotional, and then on the other nights of the week I might simply do the devotional, prayer and candle lighting. We make it our own, worship, turn down the lights, light the candles and sing songs like Silent Night, O Come let us adore Him or Little Drummer Boy – it’s always a very worshipful time!

Whether you choose to go all out or not, that’s not the point. The point is will you choose to be intentional this Christmas season – to slow down and make room a little extra room to draw near to God? Will you remove some of the distractions and spend time in the presence of the God who made you, knows you and loves you? I promise, you will be greatly refreshed as you purpose it in your heart to slow down and make room for the King! For the greatest present ever given is the gift of His presence! He is Emmanuel – God with us! Praying you richly experience His presence during this Advent and Christmas season!

Holy Advent and Merry Christmas to you and yours!

John

The post What does Advent mean & How do I Celebrate it? first appeared on John Silkauskas.

Today is my wife and I’s nine year wedding anniversary! We’re going to celebrate by visiting the Country of her choice (…at Epcot ) we’ll then eat at the restaurant of her choosing (in the Country of her choice ) and of course celebrate with a gift exchange as well. However some of our favorite anniversary traditions we’ve both come to love are as followed:

1. We reminisce of all the times we’ve shared together
2. We reflect on why God brought us together in the first place
3. We dream about all that God might want to do through us in the years to come.

I’m sure we’re not too different from many other couples out there as we all enjoy reminiscing. But I’m curious, how often do we as couples do numbers 2 and 3? How often do we reflect on why God brought us together? (For some this idea may be foreign but) I’d like to propose that whatever brought you and your spouse together (I believe) God was in it and He has a plan not only for you but for your marriage as well! If you have children a primary call is to raise them up in the way they should go but that’s only one aspect of God’s plan. Think about your gifts, how you complement each other, think about your passions – how do they intersect? Begin to pray and invite God to speak to you both concerning His plan for your marriage – you might just be blown away with what He has in store for you both!

And that brings up something we all love to do as well: Dream! I think it’s natural for us to dream as individuals and for most of us we dream as couples as well (about where we’re going to vacation or travel or what we’re going to do after retirement). But how often do we invite God into the equation and ask, “God, what do you have in store for us in the coming year(s)?” I’ve seen only few couples do this but those few who do are some of the most amazing couples I know!

Our marriage is by no means perfect:

• We sometimes struggle in the area of communication (we have a lot going on in ministry and raising 4 (soon to be 5) young children)
• We get in disagreements and even arguments at times
• And believe it or not (with the exception of Survivor) we have opposite TV viewing habits

But outside of our yearly anniversary practices of reminiscing, reflecting and dreaming with God we’ve also found these few practices VERY helpful in creating a marriage we love:

• We date regularly (our goal is every other week and with few exceptions we stick to it and often meet that goal – remember it doesn’t have to be a 5 star restaurant, what’s important is intentional time together investing in the relationship)
• We always forgive (This is one of the core values in our family, we not only impress it upon our kids, we live by it – it’s something God calls us all to do and it’s especially important when it comes to your spouse)
• We remember our Covenant (our wedding rings nearly always remain on our ring fingers, we remember our wedding vows and we guard and protect ourselves from anything that might try to interfere with the covenant that we made with one another before the Lord)

So today as Emily and I will celebrate I hope these few thoughts will encourage you in your marriage and help you create a life you love! Lastly, did you think of some helpful practices you and your spouse have found to ensure a happy marriage? I’d love to hear! Please share your comments below!

The post It’s our Wedding Anniversary || Here’s How We Celebrate our Marriage first appeared on John Silkauskas.

In my early years of ministry before dad life, even before marriage one of my mentors taught me something that I have not forgotten: Balance! Fast forward to when I first started my family I now had an opportunity to implement this wisdom. I made a commitment to be at home for dinner at least four nights each week. This meant that even if the church had four evening meetings where I was suppose to be present my calendar was already booked! I therefore had to prioritize and determine which meetings I had to be at and which one I could miss. It’s things like these that have helped me lead well at home and work.

I could share a lot of thoughts on leading well like the importance of vision, constant communication, being positive, staying humble, leading by example and many others. However I’d like to focus on these four specific ones today:

1. Think before you _____.

We tell our children to think before they speak and we as leaders need to take heed to this valuable lesson. Not only before we speak but before we act as well! Strategic thinking is probably one of the most lacking things in both our homes and our work! We so easily get lost in the day to day requirements that long term strategic thinking rarely gets done. And it’s easy to see why, we’re so busy wearing countless hats we get lost in the whirlwind of our daily tasks. Don’t make this grave mistake!

Take away – Think strategically on where you’re going and how you’re going to get there!

2. Time outs are essential!

Time outs often help kids to pause, focus, reflect on their actions and adjust their attitude. As leaders I believe we should all take time outs! I’m a better dad when I get a little time to myself, I’m a better pastor and leader when I remove myself for a short time to pause, to focus, to reflect on my actions, my attitude and all that’s happening around me. The best way for me to make time outs a regular practice is by scheduling them in advance. It’s actually part of My Morning Routine!

Take away – Take a moment right now to schedule some time out this week to focus, reflect and adjust accordingly.

3. If it stinks, change it.

This doesn’t just refer to diapers, it refers to everything that’s not working. If something is not working whether it’s our parenting style or one of our processes at work, we need to be willing to make some changes. In a culture that is ever changing some of the ways we do things need to change as well. For example people’s eyes are fixed to small screens whether it’s a laptop or a smartphone. We are literally a screen culture in a digital age and we need to learn to leverage it rather than resist it. Some of our old ways of doing things aren’t working and we need to change!

Take away – Think about what’s currently not working whether it’s at home or work and be willing to make whatever necessary changes may be needed.

4. You need to share!

We’ve all heard this one growing up but how well are we practicing it today? Some of the best leadership principles out there came from Jesus (just like this one)! Think about it, Jesus lived a life of ministry but he also invited his disciples to do the same! He invited the disciples to do what he was doing and we ought to be inviting the people around us to do the same! As much as possible work as a team with the people around you, it will pay dividends in the long run! Work as a team, share responsibility, and delegate where needed. It works both at home and work and as leaders we need to share responsibility and delegate well in order to accomplish all that God has called us to!

Take away – Ask yourself, “Where do I need to share? What things do I need to delegate?”

Lastly, remember to first lead well at home, for this will position you to lead well everywhere else!

The post 4 Keys To Leading Well at Home and Work first appeared on John Silkauskas.