One of the great things about being in seminary is Christmas break. I had almost a month off to forget all the Greek I learned in the fall quarter. Private Christian schools really love the holidays!

I tried to use my month wisely. I made my way around to a few different churches and ministries. Not to see their tacky sweater parties, but to just watch and observe what’s happening. I haven’t been on staff at a church for around 6 months now and it’s great to sit back and see different programs and approaches.

I quickly realized that I never saw the things I’m witnessing now without being able to look elsewhere. Aligning yourself with a church/ministry has great, great benefits, but your sight is limited to solely what your group is doing. Likely you can’t view other parts of the Body at work because Sunday is the centerpiece. Now I wish I had taken more time to gather observations from other groups to see new techniques, similar struggles, and encouraging experiences and apply them to my ministry.

When was the last time you took the time to just watch someone do what you do differently?