I am a minister to children!

I started teaching Sunday School at 9 years old. Since then, I realized that God put me in this world to minister to children. I didn't want to be a teacher but God's way is amazing. I became a teacher and enjoyed every minute of it.

To continue to develop a positive mental attitude, I encouraged myself to read, Our Mission: "Children" by Roger Fields everyday until it becomes a vital part of my daily thinking, motivating a change in my lifestyle. I remember God's word in Proverbs 23:7 "As a man thinketh in his heart, so is he". Here it is:

My calling is sure. My challenge is big. My vision is clear. My desire is strong. My influence is eternal. My impact is critical. My values are solid. My faith is tough. My mission is urgent. My purpose is unmistakable. My direction is forward. My heart is genuine. My strength is supernatural. My reward is promised. And my God is real.

In a world of cynicism, I offer hope. In a world of confusion, I offer truth. In a world of immorality, I offer values. In a world of neglect, I offer attention. In a world of abuse, I offer safety. In a world of ridicule, I offer affirmation. In a world of division, I offer reconciliation. In a world of bitterness, I offer forgiveness. In a world of sin, I offer salvation. In a world of hate, I offer God’s love.

I refuse to be dismayed, disengaged, disgruntled, discouraged or distracted. Neither will I look back, stand back, fall back, go back or sit back. I do not need applause, flattery, adulation, prestige, stature or veneration. I do not have time for business as usual, mediocre standards, small thinking, outdated methods, normal expectations, average results, ordinary ideas, petty disputes or low vision. I will not give up, give in, bail out, lie down, turn over, quit or surrender.

I will pray when things look bad. I will pray when things look good. I will move forward when others stand still. I will trust God when obstacles arise. I will work when the task is overwhelming. I will get up when I fall down.

My calling is to reach boys and girls for God. It is too serious to be taken lightly, too urgent to be postponed, too vital to be ignored, too relevant to be overlooked, too significant to be trivialized, too eternal to be fleeting and too passionate to be quenched.

I know my mission. I know my challenge. I also know my limitations, my weaknesses, my fears and my problems. And I know my God. Let others get the praise. Let the church get the blessing. Let God get the glory.

I am a minister. I minister to children. This is who I am. This is what I do."

Teaching with Impact

If you want your teaching to have impact, you must do these three things:

1. Know your students. And that takes commitment and time. This is where we lose a lot of teachers. There's no magic formula. Good teaching has a price tag: you've got to be willing to pour out your life for others. If your students have to trip you up on your way out of class in order to have a moment with you, you're not going to reach them. People don't care how much you know, until they first know how much you care (Watch the Freedom Writers).

2. Earn the right to be heard. Walk out on the street and tell the first guy you meet that you know what his problem is-and he'll probably give you a piece of his mind. Even you know what his problem is , you won't get through to him . Credibility must precede communication. And our celebrity society has never figured that out. You must earn a hearing!

3. Be willing to become vulnerable. It's the broken who become masters at mending. Don't be afraid to let people know what you're struggling with, and what you've struggled with through the years. People tend to see us in terms of where we are now, rather than in light of where we've come from and what we've been through. They didn't see the process. So tell them about the God you know personally, and what He's brought you through. That'll impact them every time!

Want to be a teacher who "gets through?" Practice these principles.

Teaching with Impact

If you want your teaching to have impact, you must do these three things:

1. Know your students. And that takes commitment and time. This is where we lose a lot of teachers. There's no magic formula. Good teaching has a price tag: you've got to be willing to pour out your life for others. If your students have to trip you up on your way out of class in order to have a moment with you, you're not going to reach them. People don't care how much you know, until they first know how much you care (Watch the Freedom Writers).

2. Earn the right to be heard. Walk out on the street and tell the first guy you meet that you know what his problem is-and he'll probably give you a piece of his mind. Even you know what his problem is , you won't get through to him . Credibility must precede communication. And our celebrity society has never figured that out. You must earn a hearing!

3. Be willing to become vulnerable. It's the broken who become masters at mending. Don't be afraid to let people know what you're struggling with, and what you've struggled with through the years. People tend to see us in terms of where we are now, rather than in light of where we've come from and what we've been through. They didn't see the process. So tell them about the God you know personally, and what He's brought you through. That'll impact them every time!

Want to be a teacher who "gets through?" Practice these principles.