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investing matters (book giveaway)

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i am blown away week after week as i walk the halls and peek in classrooms to see kidmin teachers passionately and selflessly sharing the love and truth of Jesus. these leaders don’t do it for recognition or praise. they certainly don’t do it because their schedules are empty and they need something to fill their time. they do it because deep down their love and commitment to Jesus initiates an act of gratitude that is displayed through service. their service is an eternal investment that matters because God is using them to transform lives for His glory.

i don’t have the power to make their service void of discouragement or frustration. i also can’t make each lesson go just how they planned and each child behave perfectly. i wish i could move mountains for them, but then we wouldn’t need to rely on the One we serve, would we?

707060two things i can most certainly do for my investors (that’s what i call my volunteers) is pray for them and remind them that what they do matters. that is why i am so excited about this new gift book released by group publishing. if you have an amazing teaching team like i do, i know you often look for ways to remind them that they are helping children know and experience the love of Jesus.

“what you do matters” is a great gift book to share with volunteers, teachers, and leaders to encourage and remind them how God uses them in the lives of the children. it features short inspiring stories from people that have served in kidmin classes and have seen God at work. it also includes scripture and great quotes from people like: beth moore, jon acuff, joni eareckson tada, and more. “what you do matters” is an easy read and a great source of encouragement when volunteers are weary.

these books would be great to give as Christmas gifts or a surprise for a volunteer you would like to bless with further encouragement. (i plan to buy enough to surprise one of my investors with a copy each month next year.)

i am so exited about this resource that i am going to give two of these books away on my blog. (one for you to keep and one for you to give away to encourage someone else.) to win two copies of “what you do matters”, comment on this post and share why you think kidmin volunteers are special. saturday i will choose one winner from the comments and send two books your way. i will also get the comments started by sharing why i think kidmin volunteers are one-of-a-kind. i look forward to reading your comments and sharing two copies of this great resource with the winner.

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In faith

the red sea and me

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Freedomi am continually awed by God’s Word and how the way in which He worked over 2,000 years ago still applies to my life today. these ancient words are what hit me afresh this morning.

moses answered the people, “do not be afraid. stand firm and you will see the deliverance the Lord will bring you today. the egyptians you see today you will never see again. the Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still.”
exodus 14:13-14

the Israelites were being set free, but in front of them stood yet another obstacle – the red sea. after countless miracles and mercies through the plagues, the Israelites reached yet another point where their actions could not rescue them. God brought them to this place so He could bring about great deliverance and receive all the glory.

we have all been at a place where we feel bound, confused, and unable to control the outcome. when i am there, my first reaction is to flee, fight, or put one foot in front of the other just trying to make a way. so many times i believe my faith is proven through “doing.” truth is, in my strength, i bring no more to my hemmed-in circumstances than the Israelites brought to the edge of the red sea.

sometimes my biggest “step” of faith is one to stand firm, be still, and allow God to do what i simply cannot.

just as the Israelites couldn’t imagine the scene of the red sea parting before them, we can’t imagine the details of what God is working out for our good and ultimately His glory. so i am going to quit trying to figure things out. moment by moment i long to stand firm, be still, and look to the Lord who fights for me. through surrender and rest in Him, may i catch a glimpse of His worth as He receives all the glory.

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In kidmin

when two ministries collide

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10672280_1499499846959104_2651752240705181044_napples and oranges are not the same. that’s what i kept trying to say when we were working on a way to bring two ministries together on one night. (two ministries that had always been on separate nights at my previous church) maybe you can never make apples and oranges be the same, but it can be quite exciting when you allow them to collide. that is what my friend and co-worker, john woods – music and worship pastor, and i did when we brought dawson kids midweek discipleship and children’s choirs together for a whole new look at wednesday nights.

Screen Shot 2014-10-21 at 6.51.38 PMteamwork, creative dreaming, collaboration, and compromise were all part of our dawson collide process. john’s heart is for children to be life long worshippers of Christ. mine is for children to become authentic disciples through God’s Word. i am also burdened to create a place where those that may never enter through the “white columns” of a sanctuary on sunday morning can have a place to get plugged into our family of faith. oh what joy it brings me when i have to make it a point to learn the names of children because there are new faces at collide each week.  it is amazing what happens when you dare to dream and see ministry lived out in a new way.

IMG_0107-1024x768has then process been perfect? absolutely not, but through the struggles i believe we have become even more intent on making sure this ministry hits the mark. we tweak and work on collide weekly to make sure we are doing all we can to help our collide investors (leaders), kids, and parents experience Jesus and become lifelong worshippers and authentic disciples of Jesus Christ.

as we are still seeking to understand all the many ways God would want us to use collide, i thought i would share some of the basics below. i would also love to hear what you have done to bring two ministries together. comment below with you thoughts and ideas.

 

collide themes

fall 2014 – grace, God’s love collides with forgiveness to create grace.

spring 2015 – worship, Spirit and Truth collide to create worship.

 

collide elements

here’s a brief description of the collide elements that all grades will participle in collide.

collide blue collide orange collide green

Screen Shot 2014-10-21 at 7.23.29 PMopening rally: think kidlife worship rally colliding with wednesday night church.  we will begin the rally right at 5:45 in the lore lobby of the FRC.  we will have worship music, high energy activities, creative prayer time, a missions moment, exciting time in God’s Word and more. all kinds of elements will collide 

Screen Shot 2014-10-21 at 7.22.31 PMcollide choir: after the opening rally, it’s time to head to collide choir. here colliders will sing the very best music, no matter the style. with the goal of nurturing well-rounded worshippers, able to worship through any style or genre, collide choir is the place where a soundtrack for life begins. 

collide missions: God’s Word commands us to go and make disciples of all nations.  in this track children will collide with what missions is, learn about missionaries, discover how they can be involved in missions at their age, and develop a desire to sure the Good News of Jesus through hands-on activities.

Screen Shot 2014-10-21 at 7.21.59 PMart studio: when things collide, there’s usually a mess. and each week the art studio will be full of students learning through hands-on activities. sculpture? sure! oil paints? of course! pottery? why not! god made us to be creative, so let’s get busy!

music lab: there more to worshipping through music than just singing. in music lab, colliders might find themselves playing drums, writing a song, planning a worship service, or playing instruments used in worship. anything could happen in music lab. 

Screen Shot 2014-10-21 at 7.22.46 PMrec lab: kids can learn in a creative way when Bible truths collide with movement.  this track will include games with a purpose and will end with a time of debriefing on image1-1024x768how to apply what they learned in the game to their everyday life. 

collide discipleship: here kids will collide with the powerful word of God.  kids will dig in and learn about the Bible, how to use the Bible, how to study God’s Word, how to apply God’s Word to their daily lives and much more.

 

collide schedule 

collide blue collide orange collide green

5:45p.m. – 6:05p.m. – collide opening rally 
6:05p.m. – 6:40p.m. – collide choir
6:40p.m. – 7:15p.m. – collide tracks

** all children will participate in each of the elements of collide.  each grade will spend three weeks in each of the five tracks offered: music lab, missions, art, recreation, and discipleship.

Screen Shot 2014-07-21 at 1.08.52 PM

collide dress-up nights

collide will have dress up nights this fall the first wednesday of september, october, november and december.

IMG_0095-1024x768

collide dress-up night schedule

september 3 – collide hat night

october 1 – collide superhero night

november 5 – collide jersey night

december 3 – collide Christmas night

Screen-Shot-2014-09-30-at-10.26.28-AM

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In kidmin

model for family worship creations

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i am passionate about families learning, growing, seeking Jesus, and worshipping together. we know kids spend way more time with their families than they do with us in kidmin classes. my goal is to create experiences where learning begins together as families at church and then continues at home. these experiences take place in a designated family worship service on sunday evening, Gospel classes where children attend with parents, special events, and more. here is the simple model i use (and shared in a breakout on “family worship creations” this month) as i strive to create Christ-centered, memorable family experiences.

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truth taught together as families
• hear the same lesson/truth
• open Bible to the same scripture passage
instead of separating to various corners of the church learning different things, bring the family together and share the same truth with all of them.  not only do they hear and open God’s Word to the same truth, they can share how it impacts each of them in their stage of life.
Screen Shot 2014-10-14 at 10.34.34 PMtruth experienced together as families
• remember longer what they experience than what they just hear
• something experienced together brings a better chance for discussion later
• kids need to see parents learning and having fun in God’s Word
the room fills with laughter, whispers, prayers, movement and more as you allow the families to not only hear truth, but experience it. these activities help you build a bridge form abstract concepts to concrete ones that children will understand. they also allow parents a chance to experience truth in a creative, kid-friendly way.

 

Screen Shot 2014-10-14 at 10.34.43 PMtruth discussed together as families
• provide questions for families to discuss
• allows time for parents to get an extra glimpse into what child is dealing with
• cuts out “sunday school” answers
• Jesus was so great at asking questions.
have you ever wanted to call a time-out in church and ask some questions or discuss what was just shared? this step allows families to do that with the truth they just heard and experienced.

 

Screen Shot 2014-10-14 at 10.34.55 PMa take home to continue discussion as families
• a reminder at home of what they experienced together
we can’t go home with them, so send something home that can be placed to spur further discussion. this can’t be a craft that will be forgotten at church or trashed as soon as they are home, but something with a bit of a lasting impact.

 

 

i would love to hear what you do to help families experience meaningful worship times together. comment with your ideas and thoughts.

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In kidmin

broken, bored, and burned-out in ministry (kmc notes)

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Screen Shot 2014-09-29 at 9.23.01 PM

last week i taught a kmc breakout session on being broken, bored, or burned-out in ministry. before we spent some intentional time in scripture, prayer, and encouragement, i shared my four tips to avoid or dig out of brokenness, burn-out or boredom in ministry. here they are:


get fed – where are you being filled up?
– you are pouring out and pointing people to Jesus, but are you spending time with Him yourself?
you may be fooling yourself, but you won’t fool your volunteers and the children you serve. if you are not taking time to sit at the well and receive living water, how will you have anything to pour out on those you lead?

– make it a point to be involved in Bible study and protect that time.
you may get to slip into worship, but where are you plugged in to simply sit and receive what God has to say to you? when you find that time, protect it. don’t schedule meetings and events during this time. you provide meaningful Bible study for others, make sure you receive that time for yourself.

get away – sabbath
– you work on the sabbath, so when are you taking your’s?
 we all need time to stop and sit at our Savior’s feet. Jesus made it a priority to get away and spend time with His Father, so how much more do we need this time?

– best gift i have been given in ministry – monthly sabbath
i am so grateful for the gift of sabbath, given to me by my former boss, that i blog about it here.  this is a discipline i plan to make a priority in my ministry life from here forward.

– schedule it and have someone hold you accountable to it.
believing in and scheduling a sabbath are simply not enough; you have to actually take the day and get away. i find this difficult in the busy summer months when my schedule is packed with events. that is when i need sabbath most. i am reminded of the martin luther quote that says, “I have so much to do that I shall spend the first three hours in prayer.”

get your armor on
– we are in a battle – He didn’t give you armor to never wear it.
ministry is hard. so why would we go into the daily battle without putting on the armor God outlines in ephesians six?

– some of the sharpest arrows come from within the church. protect yourself.
as believers, we are far from perfect. we all know that sometimes the most discouraging words come from within our own Christian camp. we need to make it a priority to protect and guard our heart, mind, and strength with the armor of God.

get a safe friend
– you have to have a safe place to vent.
find someone (preferably that knows ministry) to vent to and with whom you can share your struggles. finding one person to be open and honest with about your ministry journey is a blessing indeed.

– a safe friend can hold you accountable.
this person can’t just be a “yes man.” they have to be able to speak truth to you in love and hold you accountable. their words may sting at first but when based in truth will be a great source of great encouragement.

– you need someone praying for and encouraging you.
a text sent in the middle of a huge event, a scripture shared and prayed over you, and a listening ear are all ways a safe friend is a gift to your ministry.

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