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Seasons of the soul

Like the seasons winter, spring, summer, and fall, there are also seasons of the soul. In winter the earth is dormant and not conducive to growth. In spring life begins to burst from the soil. The summer is the growing and maturing stage, and the fall is the time of harvest.

A wise farmer understands the seasons and works with them to see the greatest results from his labor. A wise Christian who seeks to reach lost family members and friends also will be attentive to the seasons of the soul -- times when people are open and responsive to God's love and truth.

A wise teacher will be attentive to the seasons of life his students are going through. This increases the impact and relevancy of the message. Knowing when to cultivate, plant, water, and ultimately harvest is the secret to successful teaching.

Understanding where people are is helpful in knowing how to minister more effectively. We get discouraged when those we are trying to reach do not respond. Flavil Yeakley claims that for a person to respond to the gospel and remain active, he must be exposed to 5.79 different Christian influences before a commitment. People who drop out after making a commitment have only 2.16 exposures to the gospel or to a Christian influence. There is definitely a time to cultivate, plant, water, and harvest.

George Hunter lists five things that suggest a person's soul is responsive to the gospel and the love of Christ:

1. People who visit the church.
2. People who recently have lost faith in something .
3. People among whom a church or religion is growing.
4. People with a conscious need that the church can met.
5. People in life transitions.

Being sensitive in times of crisis and transition is one of the best opportunities to reach out in love. People's level of receptivity may fluctuate, and it is important to be attentive, discerning, and prepared to minister at the right times and in the right ways.

The "Holmes-Rahe Stress Scale" is helpful in identifying persons in the greatest state of receptiveness. The higher the number on the scale, the greater the stress in a person's life. A person may experience more than one stress-producing event at a time, increasing their sense of need and thus responsiveness to the gospel.

Win Arn in his book, The Pastor's Manual for Effective Ministry, gives us stress scales for junior high and senior high students.

Distribute these lists to teachers and students and ask them to evaluate members of their class, their friends, and their family members.

Life Event Rank

1. Pregnancy out of wedlock 95
2. Death of a parent 94
3. Divorce of parents 84
4. Acquiring a visible deformity 83
5. Marital separation of parents 77
6. Jail sentence of a parent for 1 year or more 76
7. Male partner in pregnancy out of wedlock 76
8. Death of a brother or sister 71
9. Having a visible congenital deformity 70
10. Discovery of being an adopted child 70
11. Becoming involved with drugs or alcohol 70
12. Change in acceptance with peers 68
13. Death of a close friend 65
14. Marriage of a parent to stepparent 63
15. Failing a grade in school 62
16. Pregnancy in unwed teenage sister 60
17. Serious illness requiring hospitalization 57
18. Beginning to date 55
19. Suspension from school 54
20. Serious illness requiring hospitalization of a parent 54
21. Moving to a new school district 52
22. Jail sentence of a parent for 30 days or less 50
23. Birth of a sister or brother 49
24. Failure to be accepted in an extracurricular activity 48
25. Loss of job by a parent 48
26. Increase in number of arguments between parents 48
27. Breaking up with boyfriend or girlfriend 47
28. Increase in arguments with parents 46
29. Beginning junior high school 45
30. Outstanding personal achievement 45
31. Serious illness requiring hospitalization, brother/sister 44
32. Change in father's occupation requiring increased absence 42
33. Change in parents' financial status 40
34. Mother beginning to work 36
35. Death of a grandparent 35
36. Addition of a third adult to family (grandparent) 34
37. Brother or sister leaving home 33
38. Decrease in arguments between parents 29
39. Decrease in arguments with parents 29
40. Becoming a full-fledged member of a church 28

Life Event Rank

1. Getting married 100
2. Unwed pregnancy 92
3. Death of a parent 87
4. Acquiring a visible deformity 81
5. Divorce of parents 77
6. Male partner in pregnancy out of wedlock 77
7. Becoming involved with drugs or alcohol 76
8. Jail sentence of a parent for 1 year or more 75
9. Marital separation of parents 69
10. Death of brother or sister 68
11. Change in acceptance by peers 67
12. Pregnancy in unwed teenage sister 64
13. Discovery of being an adopted child 64
14. Marriage of a parent to stepparent 63
15. Death of a close friend 63
16. Having a visible congenital deformity 62
17. Serious illness requiring hospitalization 58
18. Failing a grade in school 56
19. Move to a new school district 56
20. Failure to be accepted in an extracurricular activity 55
21. Serious illness requiring hospitalization of a parent 55
22. Jail sentence of a parent for 30 days or less 53
23. Breaking up with a boyfriend or girlfriend 53
24. Beginning to date 51
25. Suspension from school 50
26. Birth of a brother or sister 47
27. Increase in number of arguments with parents 46
28. Increase in number of arguments between parents 46
29. Loss of job by a parent 46
30. Outstanding personal achievement 46
31. Change in parents' financial status 46
32. Being accepted at a college of his/her choice 43
33. Beginning senior high school 42
34. Serious illness requiring hospitalization, brother/sister 41
35. Change of father's occupation requiring increased absence 38
36. Brother or sister leaving home 37
37. Death of a grandparent 36
38. Addition of third adult to family (grandparent) 34
39. Becoming a full-fledged member of a church 31
40. Decrease in number of arguments between parents 28
41. Decrease in number of arguments with parents 26
42. Mother beginning to work 26

Life Event Rank

1. Death of a spouse 100
2. Divorce 73
3. Marital separation 65
4. Jail term 63
5. Death of a close family member 63
6. Personal injury or illness 53
7. Marriage 53
8. Fired at work 47
9. Marital reconciliation 45
10. Retirement 45
11. Change in health of a family member 44
12. Pregnancy 40
13. Sex difficulties 39
14. Gain a new family member 39
15. Business readjustment 39
16. Change in financial state 38
17. Death of a close friend 37
18. Change to a different line of work 36
19. Change in number of arguments with spouse 35
20. Mortgage over $10,000 31
21. Foreclosure of mortgage or loan 30
22. Change in responsibilities at work 29
23. Son or daughter leaving home 29
24. Trouble with in-laws 29
25. Outstanding personal achievement 28
26. Wife begins or stops work 26
27. Begin or end school 26
28. Change in living conditions 25
29. Revision of personal habits 24
30. Trouble with boss 23
31. Change in work hours or conditions 20
32. Change in residence 20
33. Change in schools 20
34. Change in recreation 19
35. Change in church activities 19
36. Change in social activities 18
37. Mortgage or loan less than $10,000 17
38. Change in sleeping habits 16
39. Change in number of family get-togethers 15
40. Vacation 13
41. Christmas 12
42. Minor law violation 11

1. List people who have visited your church in the last month or past 3 months.
2. List people who have lost faith in something recently.
3. List people among whom any church or religion is growing.
4. List people with conscious needs that your church can meet (i.e., family counseling, child care).
5. List people in life's transitions or crises.
6. Which of the listed people seem the most receptive in your sphere of influence?
7. What strategies seem best for reaching these people?

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