In faith

“He said cake!!!”

September 21, 2011 1 Comment

i am never short on lessons from children, but this lesson from last Christmas keeps coming back to my mind almost daily.

i had just picked up my niece and her mom from the airport for the Christmas holiday. we immediately began discussing all the fun things we had planned to do during the break. i then reminded my niece of our tradition to bake Jesus a birthday cake. she got excited and like an adult i began to complicate the issue. maybe we should do cupcakes this year and try something new, i thought. so i asked carman, “do you think Jesus would rather have cupcakes or a cake this year for His birthday?” i started listing pros and cons for each and then interrupting me without thinking of what she wanted first she said, “well dandi, let’s just ask him.” i watched in the rear-view window as she bowed her head and prayed silently. it wasn’t long before she popped up with a bright smile and said, “He said cake!“ she then began to describe that it needed to be a red-velvet cake with white icing. (don’t even get me started on the sweet symbolism i see in her color choices.)

tutu cake — carman with Jesus' birthday cake. of course we had to add sprinkles!

so now i am in a season of really needing some clarity, answers, and direction from God. i’m talking specifics and i would totally be okay with sky writing or a letter in the mail. what keeps coming back to me is, “well dandi, just ask Him.” have i? am i running everywhere but to Him for the answers i seek? my answer may not be cake, but i believe it is ask Him and be still to hear His answer.

In kidmin

my high five for KidMin ’11

September 20, 2011 1 Comment

there are just four more days to register for Group’s KidMin conference! i can’t believe it is almost here. as i look forward to what all God will do at and through the conference, here are my high five reasons for being excited.

1. Jesus will be the star. i heard this from the very beginning from the top leaders of the KidMin conference, and i am pleased to say i have seen it woven into each step of our planning. i love the fact that the One we serve has remained the goal in conference calls, brainstorming sessions, and prayers. we long to make much of HIM! i am blown away that christine yount jones has prayed for each person/group attending and is writing them each an encouraging, handwritten note! read her latest blog here.

2. No show – instead of general sessions where i play the part of recipient instead of participant, KidMin will get you involved in what is going on in each general session. these sessions will definitely be unique!

3. Connect Groups – the greatest gift i leave any conference with is new friends that understand ministry and assure me i haven’t lost my mind. (ok, there has possibly been a time or two when i did lose my mind, but i needed them to give me unbiased perspective.) i am praying expectantly and asking God to do big things in our connect groups and make this time one of encouragement, support, prayer, information, and understanding. i love the way children’s ministry folks share so transparently and i have seen this happening already here at the discussion page of Group’s KidMin Conference facebook page. check out the connect group options here.

4. IT Team (Inside Track Team) – i have had the privilege of working with 80+ in-the-trenches KidMin leaders that have helped speak ideas into this conference. i so look forward to meeting many for the first time (face-to-face) and experiencing this first ever KidMin conference with them.

5. Ministry Conversations – so i like to talk, i believe that’s obvious through my top five reasons. 🙂 i look forward to these hour long, specific topics that will be moderated by a seasoned expert, but will also have many in-the-trenches KidMin folks in the room to aid in the conversation. as with so many aspects of the conference, it will be a two way conversation. click here to see the topics that will be discussed.

have you registered for the KidMin conference yet? i would love to have a cup of coffee with you and hear your story!

In kidmin

eternal words

September 7, 2011 6 Comments

like the rest of the country i read “the help” and flocked to the theater to see it with a group of girlfriends. now before you think i am going to diss the book or movie, you have to know i loved them both. i devoured the book in less than a week and can’t wait to see the movie a second, third, or fourth time. 🙂

but if i am totally honest, there we three lines in that movie that challenged me to examine my words when interacting with children. oh you know them. you have seen them on tweets and facebook statuses for weeks.

“You is smart, You is kind. You is important.”

the scenes where these lines were being delivered to a chubby, young face cupped in tired, loving hands brought tears to my eyes. i know this was fiction, but i loved the intentionality of abilene to pause from the chaos to invest into a child’s heart and future. (she was purposeful to bend down and get eye-to-eye as she gently delivered them. i long to communicate like that.) her intentions were great, but i still find myself asking what eternal weight do those words really carry?

again, i understand it was a movie. i also admit that often times i would rather live in movies than in real life, but these lines provided a challenge and some examination into the words i impart to children.

these words were powerful and encouraging to a timid heart that was seeking affirmation and love. these words filled a void that this child wasn’t receiving from her parents. here’s the question i have asked myself – are these words really what this child needed to make it through life? would these three lines deliver the true hope, strength, joy, and courage she would need as she faced life and all its unknowns?

these words were good, but in my opinion they weren’t great! i am just not sure they were eternal words. as i have replayed these words in my mind for a month now, i have to ask what would my three lines be? my biggest conclusion is that they would be Christ-centered not child-centered. i would take out the you’s and add God and try to convey life-changing truths that would not only point children to Jesus Christ and a relationship with Him, but would offer the real comfort they would need in the future. He is all wisdom. He is the author of kindness, and He is above all things. that makes Him most important.

i encounter children daily and often times deliver words far less effective and profound as these movie lines. i waste opportunities to plant eternal truths and replace them with casual, trite, fading, and empty words. so even though i haven’t completely decided how it could best be said, here is my attempt at three lines.

“God created you and has a plan for you. God loves you just like you are and gave you Jesus. God will never leave you.”

i would love to hear your three lines!

In faith

a perfect fit

September 6, 2011 16 Comments

in the last 15 years in ministry i have often felt like a square peg trying to cram into a round hole. i just don’t fit. in many situations i find myself being the object of the child’s song, “one of these things is not like the other.” here are just a few:

– as someone that ministers to parents of children, i’m not a fit because i am not a parent. i try my hardest and pray that God would grant me wisdom to think like a parent, but the fact
is i’m not. so how can i really fit?
– in my great, sweet circle of friends i stick out as the only unmarried one. (always
completing the group as the 3rd, 5th, or 7th wheel.)
– in the kidmin ministry world that is constantly changing, evolving, and providing much
conversation, i would rather discuss what God is doing personally in the lives of those involved and avoid “shop” talk.
– the place i call home and lay my head just doesn’t fit as where my heart is.
– on a staff and in a ministry world of the seminary trained, i’m uneducated and carry a degree in mass communications. quite a far cry from theology.
– not to mention, i am surrounded by crimson wearing, tide cheering people, (oh and those orange fans of east tennessee) when my rally cry is “war eagle.” 🙂

today on a drive home after a much needed roadtrip, i pondered the above list (not really the last point). i even cried out to God for understanding and direction and He sweetly spoke to my heart. while i often don’t “feel” like i fit in many groups or situations He places me in, He gently reminded me i fit perfectly in the palm of His hand. that was enough for me. that Truth doesn’t dismiss my feelings, but brings comfort that while i wait and press on He never lets go.

anyone else ever feel like they just don’t fit?

September 2011

“You is smart, You is kind. You is important.”

“God created you and has a plan for you. God loves you just like you are and gave you Jesus. God will never leave you.”