When I was a kid, one of my favorite toys was an Etch A Sketch. If you’ve never played with one, it works like this. You turn the two white knobs in different directions to create a line drawing like the one in the picture. That was cool enough for us kids like me who lived in the pre-internet era. But the coolest part came when when you wanted to start a new drawing. A quick jiggle of the screen and the drawing would ‘magically’ disappear ready for a new picture.

What does an Etch A Sketch have to do with planning? It’s a phrase I coined during my recent trip to Nicaragua.

In six days our team held three 1-day training conferences in different locations in the country for over 325 pastors and their wives. Being a meticulous planner, I had created a well-designed schedule for each day. The only problem? My view of time didn’t sync with how the pastors and wives viewed it nor did it sync with how the three local pastors who sponsored the events viewed it.

I was literally forced to change our daily schedule every hour, sometimes as often as 5 times in an hour. For a recovering obcessive-compulsive, I was ticked. I had diligently prepared this schedule. We had lots to accomplish to finish at five each day. The speakers had prepared talks to teach. Our worship team had practiced songs to sing. But the people didn’t show up until anywhere from 45 minutes to an hour and a half late. And they took really long breaks. Early on inside I was yelling, “What’s wrong with you Nicaraguans! Don’t you wear watches?”

But God graciously moderated my inner voice and attitude and I realized I could learn a lot from how the Nicaraguans treated time.

For me, time has always been a commodity I didn’t want to waste. I always felt that I waste time if I’m not always accomplishing some task or goal. I’ve also believed that people who are perpetually late aren’t stewarding their time wisely. Although the two previous statements are often true, the culture I’ve experienced in my five trips to Nicaragua has helped me become less ‘uptight’ if sometimes my time passes without any appreciable accomplishment.

I believe these Nicaraguan pastors, as a whole, value relationships over tasks, perhaps more than we do in the United States.

If you are a pastor, you are a busy guy or gal. I know because I am one. It seems there’s always more to do in ministry than time to do it.

But for me, I hope my Etch A Sketch planning experience will help me savor the relational moments that may show no immediate accomplishment. Perhaps Jesus had this thought in mind when he gently admonished Martha with these words.

… only one thing is needed. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her. (Luke 10.42)

Related posts: Strategic Planning for Dummies

For more Help and Resources for Pastors, visit Pastor Stone’s main site.

5/5, Wednesday. (this post is delayed by 5 days because I just returned and could post via wi-fi)

On Tuesday we traveled about 3 hours north from Managua to the mountains. We’re staying at an idyllic coffee plantation that almost seems out of place. It’s almost feels like a tropical paradise. When we arrived we realized that we had left the projectors that we use to project the Jesus film and the song lyrics. Sometimes even the best laid plans can go awry.

On Wednesday, we held our second pastors’ conference for about 125 more pastors and their wives. Because the plans kept changing, I’ve coined a new phrase for planning in Nicaragua, ‘etcha-sketch’ planning. You make one plan and then because it can change in 5 minutes, it’s as easy as clearing out the old etcha-sketch screen and starting over. Our schedule changed not by the hour, but sometimes by the minute because we had accommodate several surprise.

Ironically, Pastor Leo who served as the point for this conference, had a friend who hired someone to grade the dirt road right in front of the church… while we were teaching! Try speaking over a front end loader.

In the afternoon we taught break-outs for the men and women. I taught one session in Pastor Leo’s church that doubles as his house. While I taught, chickens roamed about on the floor, a rooster crowed just outside the tin wall, a dog wandered in, and smoke form the cooking fire filled the room. Yet, the men were riveted to my talk on forgiveness.

A final thought: I mentioned in the previous blog that one of our translators was not a Christian. This morning my wife led her to Christ! This 22 year old saw real Christianity in action and wanted what we had. Once she understood how to come to Christ, it was easy to step over the line of faith.

For more Help and Resources for Pastors, visit Pastor Stone’s main site.

Yesterday over 50 pastors and their wives attended the first of our three 1-day pastor’s conferences. I was humbled by their presence. These pastors serve small churches (50 people or less), are very poor, and don’t own transportation beyond a bike. The night before (Sunday night) a deluge of rain washed out the road that lead up the mountain to the church where we held the conference. Because they count on small three-wheeled vehicles, called moto-taxis, to carry them up the mountain, they were stuck. Eventually the drivers themselves fixed the ruts and the pastors arrived.

We face a language barrier since only one in our team speaks Spanish. But the three translators we hired are quite good. One is not a believer and we are trusting God to open her heart to Him.

With no air-conditioning, the heat in the rooms we teach approaches 95. I taught the first session after lunch. You can imagine the challenge I faced contending with full stomachs, sleepy brains, the awkward delivery through translation, and the incessant heat. But, the Nicaraguans are a gracious people and all but a few stayed with me.

Our last session ended with a Q & A time. Mostly they told us how much they appreciated us coming. They loved our worship band. A few even asked Kyle Zehr, our worship leader, for the name of our band. They really rocked for Jesus (in Spanish).

A Final Thought:

The lunch we provided wouldn’t pass muster for lunches served at pastors’ conferences in the U.S. Those lunches usually consist of a nice boxed lunch with a deli sandwich, a Grey Poupon mustard and a lite mayonnaise packet, a bag of Sunchips, an apple, and a Mrs. Fields chocolate chip cookie. And if that doesn’t appeal, a quick run to the McDonalds or Appleby’s just around the corner is an option.

The pastors’ lunch? A scoop of spanish rice, a pice of white bread, and a cup of watered down cool-aid. Understand that we weren’t trying to be cheap. But this lunch was probably a step above their normal lunch.

These servants of God who gratefully received their paper-plated lunches reminded me of this reality. The affluent culture in which we live can often blind us to the simple things in life that much of the world does not take for granted, like a bowl of rice.

Today, ask God to show you if you’ve taken anything for granted.

For more Tips and Help for Pastors, visit Pastor Stone’s main site.

I learned an odd thing about Nicaragua today. Insomniac roosters live here. At about 3 am this morning a rooster decided to flex his vocal chords, repeatedly for 4 straight hours. He is continuing his display even as I write this blog.

Fried pollo (chicken in Spanish) will be quite tasty for lunch. I recruited the security guard to help. He carries a quick load shot gun. Looking for a quieter night tonight.

On the serious side: This morning we will attend an English speaking church and tonight we will show the kid’s version of the Jesus film (dubbed in Spanish). We will do a free raffle and give away some soccer balls as well as a gospel bracelet to each child. I’m praying that many kids will clearly understand the gospel and respond.

Tomorrow we begin the first of three 1-day pastors and wives conferences. We expect around 200 for the first. Then, tomorrow night we will show the adult version of the Jesus film.

A final thought: it’s amazing how the soul feels cleansed without the incessant bombardment of man-made sounds. If you have a chance to be someplace without man-made sound, please do it. You’ll be refreshed at your experience.

PS-as I finished this blog, unbeknownst to me, this rooster had made his way to the entrance of the church building where I was writing and scared the bejeebers out of me when he crowed, 3 feet away from me! I am not making this up. I feel like I’m being stalked.

For more Help and Resources for Pastors, visit Pastor Stone’s main site.