Finding Reasons to Say No is Easy

Most people make New Year’s resolutions. And most people break New Year’s resolutions. Now that it is March, I wonder how many would tell you that they have given up?

I made several goals for myself this year. I like to think of them as goals rather than New Year’s resolutions.

Goals or resolutions?

One of those goals was to run 1,000 miles in 2020. I am almost embarrassed to write that out. Why? Because I have never even come close to that number. Because my body was not made for long-distance running. Because I am fearful that someone might actually check in with and ask me how I am doing with that goal. Running 1,000 miles is not a big deal to people who love to run. If you do the math it is only 2.74 miles a day. For runners, I’m sure that going 2.74 miles just feels like they are getting warmed up.

Well, I am no runner. I have no aspirations of ever running a marathon. I have done one 5K in my life and that is more than enough for me. In fact, for those that may see me running through my neighborhood, my guess is they feel sorry for me.

So why do I run?

• It is a challenge and I love challenges!
• It helps me to stay healthy. The healthier I am the longer I can do what God has called me to do and more importantly be.
• It gives me at least 30 minutes a day where I am unplugged from the world. This may be the reason that I find the most rewarding from day to day. In these 30 minutes or so, I am able to think more clearly and to pray with more focus.

There are so many reasons why I could fail at reaching this goal. There are so many reasons why I want to say no to running daily. Finding reasons to say no is easy, such as saying it is too cold, it is raining, my knees hurt, my hips hurt, my feet hurt, or I don’t have time.

Finding reasons to say no is easy! I am sure you can relate whether you have set a New Year’s resolution or goal for yourself. These are personal things.

Churches are no different!

It is no different organizations or churches when it comes to doing something they deem to be BIG or unattainable. It is always easier to see “why not” and to shelve that idea or goal till next year.

I think about churches and their leadership teams sitting in endless meetings. I’ve been there!  I imagine them coming across an agenda item that has been pushed back and back and back again. They finally have to talk about it because they know people are getting antsy for some type of response.

Here is the agenda item: Concerned parent wants the church to start a Disability Ministry for their child.   

For those church leaders sitting in their leadership meeting finding reasons to say no is easy!

Here are a few reasons why church leadership would say no.

• “We don’t have enough disabled people to warrant starting a new ministry”
• “We don’t need to tell them about Jesus because they get a FREE pass to heaven”
• “We are just too busy with more important things”
• “We don’t know enough to do that kind of specialized ministry”
• “The church up the road does it so we don’t need to”
• “What kind of Liability Insurance would we need to do that?”
• “We only want to focus on doing a few things with excellence and this doesn’t fit our current vision”
• “We simply don’t have the resources… people to be able to pull that off”
• “We simply don’t have the resources… money to be able to pull that off”

I could go on forever with reasons why church leadership would say no. Trust me I have personally heard most of these reasons.

Finding reasons to say no is always easier!

But, since when do we as churches get to selectively pick what commands of Jesus we need to obey and which ones we get to ignore? Jesus spoke directly to the religious leaders of his day and commanded them to reach out and include the disability community in the church body. Don’t believe me? Read Luke chapter 14. Jesus says it no less than three times in the span of one chapter. Yet church leadership has found reasons why to say no for over two thousand years.

Well, I am tired of the reasons why not! I am so tired of them I am willing to tell you that I can remove 100% of the reasons why not, including the fact that your church doesn’t have the money to do it.

 That is right… No more reasons why not!

Our Indispensable Conference will remove all the excuses including not having enough money!!!

Don’t believe? Attend one of our two Indispensable Conferences this year and we will give you the resources.

At each of our conferences, churches will receive FREE resources that will equip them with exactly what they need to get a Disability Ministry started. In addition to the FREE resources, they will receive they will have an opportunity to apply for grant money.

So, what is the catch?

No catch. We are so passionate that we are willing to remove all the barriers (excuses) that exist. We are even willing to give grant money to churches that need it. We can do this because of a passionate donor that wants to see churches be obedient to the commands of Jesus.

 Attend one of our conferences and tell us what you need! Maybe you need money to:

• Build out a sensory room for your ministry
• Build an adult-sized changing table in your family restroom
• Purchase curriculum for your ministry
• You tell us!

Tell us what you need! A few churches from each of our Indispensable Conferences will be awarded grant money to either start or advance their Disability Ministry outreach.

No more reasons why not!

*You must be in attendance at one of our conferences to apply for this grant money.

IndispensABLE Conference Details