Kenny Conley...Homeless Blogger

Hello friends. My name is Kenny Conley and I’m the homeless blogger. What does that mean? Well, I have a blog over at childrensministryonline.com. My blog was very sick with a nasty virus, but things are better now. Since she’s recovering, I’m still not quite home yet or putting out a bunch of new posts yet.  Like always, I’ve got something to say… I just didn’t have anyplace to say it. So, thanks to some good friends, they’re giving this homeless blogger a couch to sleep on and letting me finish off the carton of ice cream in the freezer.

 The Homeless Blogger: More Things I’d Tell the Old Me

I recently wrote a homeless blogger post about things I’d tell myself if I could speak into the version of me 15 years ago. Obviously it’s too late to do that, but perhaps these posts might help someone who is where I was 15 years ago.

I’d lead a ministry of 400 kids the same way I’d lead a ministry of 40.

I’ve had the privilege of leading ministries of only 8 kids and ministries of 800 kids. In my first full time job, I went from leading a part time ministry of 40 kids to leading close to 300 fulltime. There were many days in the first year where I would close my office door, turn out the lights and have a good cry… convinced that I had skipped a very important step of leading 100 or 150 kids. The funny thing is that about four years later I transitioned to a church that operated under a different philosophy and I went from leading 300-400 kids back down to 150.

I’ll be honest, it was refreshing and really fun. I had more time on my hands than ever before. I was the interim middle school pastor, I helped write and teach the adult discipleship curriculum, I earned a masters degree and had more time for hobbies than at any other time in my life. Why was this the case? Well, I learned something at the church of 300-400 kids and I simply began leading this church of 150 kids the same way I led the larger church.

When I was at a church of 40 kids, I did just about everything on my own. I had volunteers, but I was still calling all the shots. I didn’t delegate well and it kept me really busy. With my own strength, I could carry a ministry of 40 kids… but it took a lot of my time. However, I’m convinced that if I had led that ministry of 40 kids the way I led a ministry of 400, I’d do it in a quarter of the time and I’d have ample time to focus on the things I always wanted to do, but never have time.

Jim Wideman really speaks to this principle in his new book Stretch. It’s worth the read, especially if you’d like to lead a larger ministry one day. It will teach you the things you better get right now that will prepare you for later.

Thanks Spencer for hosting my post. I got restless in the middle of the night and borrowed the car. Was there a scratch on the passenger door or did I do that? Stupid traffic cones! Look for my next post by following my tweets at www.twitter.com/kennyconley

See past homeless blogger posts at the following sites:

Small Town Kidmin

Jenny Funderburke

Sam Luce

Dustin Nickerson

Brain Dollar

Matt McKee

Gina McClain

Ryan Frank

This weekend I finished a 1500 word article, read 4 books, and wrote a 7 page paper. Sounds impressive right? It’s not nearly as impressive as it sounds. Why was I able to get all that done in just a few days? Because the deadline loomed near. I’ve had two months to do the article and a month for the other stuff…but the article was due October 1 and the homework is due tomorrow. It’s amazing how much we can get done when we’re down to the wire.

I’ve spent a fair amount of time talking about goals on my blog. I’m not going back over all of it , you can read that on your own (you can start here). But a finish line is like a goal – there’s a clear time frame for the completing of a task. My Pastor said something profound a few weeks ago – “There’s as much time Wednesday to Wednesday as there is Saturday to Saturday.” Ok, it doesn’t sound that profound – but it’s amazing how much work can get done on a Saturday because Sunday is tomorrow! To help with this last minute rush we’ve implemented a new rule. It’s the “Wednesday at Midnight” rule. Everything for the upcoming Sunday is due on Wednesday at midnight. EVERYTHING. And there are consequences attached to not getting the job done.

So, have you found yourself unable to complete anything in a timely manner? Maybe it’s time to add a deadline, or if it makes you feel better, a finish line. When does this have to be done by? Because let’s be honest, without the deadline, you’re not going to do it. You’ll put it off. You’ll find something else to do. You will make time for everything except this one thing. To help yourself out, once you’ve established a deadline, set some consequences and have someone hold you accountable.  I know it sounds harsh to think in those types of terms for everyday life, but to get more done you have to be focused! And this will help!