Confession: When I wake up in the morning and the temp in MoHo is in the mid-50s I wish I didn't have to build a fire in the wood stove and then wait for the place to warm up.
The fire has to get going sufficiently to heat up the stove and then the stove has to heat up MoHo. That takes a couple of hours at least.
Yeah, I wish I could just turn on the furnace and have everything toasty comfortable in 10 minutes.
I do not wish that enough to pay the monster electric bill we'd get at the end of the month. So I tell myself this is nothing more than Americans did for over a century, before central heating was a thing. And most of them lived in the frigid midwest, not in relatively mild Oregon. Yeah, I'm living like a pioneer.
Note: as I write that it's 5 a.m., the fire has been going for about 45 minutes, and it's climbed from 54 up to 56.
I read a headline today that said Trump and Macron "papered over their differences." I wonder how many people have no idea where that expression comes from. After restoring two 100+ year old houses I do!
One of my two main areas of responsibility at UFC is men's discipleship. That's a church way of saying that I'm responsible for creating and overseeing efforts that help men grow in maturity in the faith.
One obvious problem with that high-sounding goal is quantifying spiritual growth. How do I (or my superiors) know if I'm doing my job apart from some means of measuring the spiritual health of men before and after my efforts? A: We can't.
So I've been thinking about how to address that need. What metrics can be applied (and how) to quantify spiritual growth toward maturity. That's a tough one.
Note: I suspect that if I create and oversee programs that look like they would/should meet that end I'd get a pat on the back and a "well done." That's often the case with ministry; appearances are enough and measurement totally absent.
When Pam worked at the hospital in AZ she had semi-annual performance reviews. The first step had her fill out a self assessment form about six pages long that asked her to rate herself in a very wide range of areas from skills, to relationships with co-workers, to achieving personal professional goals, to plans for continued development for the next six months.....
She submitted that form to her supervisor who filled out a corresponding form from her perspective.
A form was also filled out about Pam by one of her coworkers, a peer.
All of that was reviewed in a one-on-one session with her immediate supervisor.
Yeah, it was thorough. It may have been overkill, at least for a clerical position, but in addition to giving Pam helpful feedback it set a corporate tone, a culture that said, "We care about excellence from everyone and want to help you achieve that in your job area."
Could something similar be done in the church?
I'm setting up a program that will pair each interested man in the church with a mentor for a prescribed "course" that will help them grow toward spiritual maturity. Could I create a self-assessment tool for guys who enter that mentoring program that is followed by one at the end of the time (and perhaps again a year later) that compares their responses? This "pre-test/post-test" would also be filled out in a modified form by their mentor to give them feedback on how he sees their growth over time.
What kinds of things would go on this assessment?
We talk about the disciplines of the faith. That includes the habits of prayer, Bible reading, participation in the worship and service of the church, and bearing witness to the gospel. Those are marks of a disciple, a follower of Christ.
A mature (maturing) Christian should also have growing understanding of the Bible and its teachings. That is, basic literacy in the faith.
The fruits of the Spirit should be evident in their lives.
Their personal behavior patterns should be consistent with biblical standards in areas such as integrity, purity, and priorities.
Their role as husband and father (as they apply) should be consistent with biblical guidelines.
and .........
It seems like that kind of assessment tool would be helpful in several ways including as a measurement of the effectiveness of a mentoring program.
So one of my goals for next week is to sketch out that assessment device, to put together a draft of a pre- and post-test so that when we begin pairing men with a mentor we have some way to say, "This is -" or "This is not working."
I'm going to need more coffee.
Note: it's now just after 6 a.m. I've had b'fast, fed and "exercisesd" Buddy, played catch with him a bit, and added another piece of wood to the stove. We're up to 62. When Pam gets up in 45 minutes or so it should be near 70. Anything above 65 counts as adequate.
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