danielle bell, Author at dandibell

In kidmin

three dimensional discipleship

July 8, 2013 No Comments

introducing. discipling. digging deeper.

introducing, discipling, and challenging families to dig deeper into God’s Word are the aspects that make up our “confident in Christ” discipleship strategy at dawson kids. several times a year we offer the following classes to 1st-5th graders on sunday evenings. i have the privilege of teaching these classes, but i believe the element that truly takes these classes beyond the church walls and into the fabric of each child’s faith is the intentional part their parents play in each study.

Gospel class (introducing)- this interactive class is designed for kids that are asking questions and seeking to follow Jesus as their Lord and Savior. this is a two week class for parents and children to attend together. using the Gospel project’s “God’s plan for me”, we explore each of the five Christ-centered, clearly stated Gospel points this resource provides. after introducing each truth, we creatively experience them in concrete ways to build a bridge to these glorious abstract concepts. then parents and children work through a series of questions together (in class) about each truth. this sweet time provides an open, honest dialogue between parent and child. parents not only personalize these truths with parts of their own spiritual journey, but they also get a glimpse of where their child is in his/her spiritual journey. when the teaching and activities are over and the parent/child conversations begin, i sit back and take in the precious sight of parents being the primary faith trainers for their children. it is by far my favorite part of this class! each family also receives their own copy of “the Gospel God’s plan for me” booklet to read, study the scriptures, and continue the discussion at home.

“i’m a Christian now” class (discipling)- this five week class (four weeks of workbook material) is designed for kids that have made a profession of faith. (we strongly encourage parents to have their child complete this class before baptism.) parents are asked to attend the first class (many stay for all five) and also complete the daily homework each week with their child. during class we don’t just review the facts in the homework, we experience these life-changing truths through hands-on activities and discover how they apply to our daily lives. we fall off tables for faith. each child literally gets their hands dirty when learning about sin and forgiveness. we march around the room to visualize repentance. there is a tour of the church and baptism areas. we also participate in prayer using the a.c.t.s. model, kids write out their testimonies, and much more.

digging deeper into God’ Word c.l.a.p. (digging deeper)- i love devotional books for kids, but i am also passionate about kids learning to read, study and apply God’s word for themselves. i have had the pleasure of attending several of anne graham lotz’s Bible studies and have loved her sessions on how to study God’s Word. as i began to practice her “3-question method” in my own quiet time, i was burdened to introduce it to the younger generations. i decided to teach this method to my senior high girl’s small group. they renamed the method c.l.a.p. (content, lesson, application, and prayer) and committed to giving it a try. we walked verse-by-verse through ephesians and hosea and i have never experienced such authentic share times. lessons that could not be taught through workbook studies were coming to life as we simply sought God’s Word and what He had to say to us individually and as a group. i know i am a children’s minister, but those sunday nights with that small group of youth girls and God’s Word are some of my favorite ministry memories. after teaching them, i knew i had to challenge the younger kids to begin to study God’s Word on their own. we first incorporated c.l.a.p. in a children’s fall retreat, but it has since become a class i offer to parents and kids. families come together for two weeks and learn this method and then practice at home. i wish you could have been in my last session of this class. i had several “chill bump moments” as i listened to families share what God said to them through a specific passage and how they were applying it to their families and individual lives. glory!

In kidmin

high five guys a hit

June 18, 2013 4 Comments

i love the encouragement, challenges, and fruit that comes from being a part of a collaborative team. i was reminded of that joy once again through a “little” tweak we made with some very special men at our recent kidlife week.(vbs) many of these men had served as greeters and “jump guys” last year during kidlife. the “jump guys” were responsible for helping expel energy out of children that finished crafts early through several jump devices. (i.e. jump ropes) they were such a stellar group to have around, the question was, “how would we work them into our GREAT BIG GOD theme this year?”

our team leader, jan, cleverly thought to to call them “high five guys”. we wanted to use them at doors, in hallways to greet children, and anywhere with the challenge to be intentional with encouragement. instead of ordering expensive shirts, we purchased cheap ikea safety vests and added “high five guy” buttons to the front and stickers to the back. add a cheap home depot tool belt and they were ready to go. then our preschool minister, brooke, and i set out to apply this in an age appropriate way to each of our ministries. for preschool, she purchased stamps for these men to share with children before/after kidlife and during snack time in the fellowship hall. for kids we created bling (i blogged about that here.) and in addition to engaging in conversation with the kids at the doors and hallways, they listened to memorized daily “bottom lines”, scripture, and shared bling. we wanted to be super intentional about these daily bottom lines, because at the end of the week they took home the truth of the Gospel in button form. one girl shared with me today that she is keeping her bling in her kidlife memory box craft she made last week. (i just love it when it all works together.)

we knew the “high-five guys” were neat and going to be a popular part of kidlife 2013, but we were blown away by the bond the kids shared with them. preschoolers and children would rush from their cars into the building to high five a sweet man in a neon vest. “high five guys” overheard unchurched guests repeating the Gospel bottom line to parents when leaving the building. these men served more than a role as greeter or giver of high fives, they were like kidlife heroes. they called children by name, welcomed visitors back, encouraged other volunteers, and made sure parents knew their children were valued and cared for during the short time we had them each day. this group of men were so adored they actually caused traffic jams and a few transition hiccups. (a great problem to have.) next year we may have them at the doors for before/after and then assign them to snack rooms so that each class gets a personal “high five guy.”

oh it wasn’t perfect process, but it was a precious example of the body of Christ coming together to pour the love of Jesus on the children. the receivers weren’t the only ones blessed. these “high-five guys” had a bit of fun as well. one “high five guy” shares about his experience below.

“I’ve had quite a few jobs at Dawson, and I think this may be the best one yet. I wonder now if it is the most important job I’ve had at church? It is such a joy to see God working through these children. They inspired me with their energy and interest in learning about Jesus… and their knowledge. In five mornings they learned the plan of salvation in terms they can say and understand. If only we adults could understand so simply and take things to heart so quickly and solidly! It’s fun to be such a popular character among the children, but the real reward comes form hearing them express God’s love through Scripture and the eternally significant bottom line statements for each day. It’s effective evangelism. Oh yeah, and it’s fun.” – Jim

one sweet preschooler was so fond of the “high five guys” that he got a vest from one at the end of the week. it made his day, but he didn’t stop there. he shared the encouragement (and stamps) with other well after kidlife week was over!

In kidmin

kidlife bling

May 18, 2013 2 Comments

group’s kidmin conference flair meets disney world trading pins to create dawson’s dawson kids kidlife (vbs) bling. after a recent trip to disney world and my obsession for the celebration buttons and trading pins, i wondered how could we incorporate this idea at our vacation Bible school this summer.

each 1st-5th grade child will have the chance to collect kidlife bling from one of our high-five guy volunteers as they learn and grow in our theme for the week. these high-five guys will be available throughout the day to greet, encourage, and share bling with the children.

we wanted to push kids to learn a longer passage of scripture so we created the challenge verse bling.

each day we have a bottom line for kids to memorize. if they commit it to memory they receive that day’s bling.

if kids bring a friend to KidLife they receive this bling.

our kidlife mascot, champ, has his own bling that he hands out during the week.

if kids memorize our verse for the week they get this bling.

all non-dawson kids receive this large bling with their name in the middle. this helps us reach out to kids that are new on our campus.

we also have a button for each day’s main point. these buttons lay out the Gospel and we hope they will be reviewed many times at home after kidlife week ends. we can’t wait to see how these buttons promote outreach to visitors, scripture memorization, and lesson follow-up.

In my journey

head on collision with truth

May 4, 2013 4 Comments

i get it, i have issues. it is pride and my over zealous competitiveness that seem to be rearing their ugly heads these days. this was literally brought to my attention the hard way a few weeks ago on the basketball court. did i mention i was hard-headed, too?

i am thrilled to be a part of the homewood girl trotters church-league basketball team. i love getting back on the court for fun pick-up games, but somehow the past competitive athlete comes out each week. a light-hearted game transforms into a regional championship in my mind, even though my out-of-shape body struggles to keep up for the hour of play. the bottom line is these games really don’t matter. there is no scoreboard, no organized plays, and no trophy or medal. so why on earth did i see the need to sacrifice my body for a ball going out of bounds?

it was my night to lead the devotion before we played. i shared about how we are to come humbly to Jesus, because our very best is merely filthy rags. then, the game began. we were not even 15 minutes into play and the ball was going out of bounds. i am not even really sure if it was knocked out by my team. there was no time to think, because something just took over. i went after it. running full speed, i jump out of bounds and threw the ball back in towards my teammates. now, another lesson i am learning at my age is that my body doesn’t cooperate like it did in my younger years. yes, i got the ball, but i couldn’t stop my body. so with no control, i flew head first into aluminum bleachers. the top of my head hit square into the side of the second row with my neck taking all the shock. my hands, somehow thinking they could stop my hurling body, were out in front and went under the bleachers and slammed into the supports. moments later i was flat on my back with a circle of girls starring down at me. i was mortified and most assuredly out of play. honestly, i was thankful to be able to stand and walk after this collision.

hours passed and i was at home with an ice pack on the top of my head, my neck, and my fingers. i sat there asking myself, “why in the world did that ball seem to matter so much?” then i recall a friend saying to me on the bleachers after my injury, “wow, danielle, that was taking being humble too far.” i thought to myself, that had nothing to do with humility and everything to do with P.R.I.D.E. this girl that opened the game night talking about humility, ended her night because she needed to be seen as some kind of hero. somehow during “play”, my pride fueled me to sacrifice the whole for something relatively unimportant. (i did ask later, did i save the ball? my teammates said yes and they were in the middle of a fast break when they noticed me on the floor and others circled around me. they stopped and didn’t even score. my effort was in vain.)

with plenty of additional moments spent icing bruises, knots, and pain; i reflected on other areas in my life and how pride had skewed my priorities.

where else had i sacrificed a bigger truth for a insignificant “win.”
had i ever gone so far for something that didn’t really matter and been benched for a greater victory?
what have i missed in my walk with Jesus and ministry to kids, because i was consumed with the “seen” while sidelining the sacred?

i sadly see traces of the same thing i was guilty of on the basketball court that night in my personal and ministry life. i also see that time is short, eternal things too important, and ministry hours too precious not to learn from my knock on my hard head. surely i am not the only one that learns lessons this way, but this one will not be in vain.

In kidmin

proof is in the pics

April 7, 2013 No Comments

as the saying goes, “a picture is worth a thousand words.” these candid shots from tonight’s vine family worship speak more beautifully and clearly than i ever could about my heart for family worship. enjoy!

active confession prayers — active and “hands-on”confession prayers

confessing our sins to God and one another.

About Me

Danielle has over 25 years of kidmin experience and she possesses a great fervor for sharing, discipling, and shepherding children and families with the message of Jesus Christ. Danielle is a well-respected leader and trainer in the area of Children's Ministry and has spoken regionally at local churches and nationally at children’s ministry conferences. She is a curriculum writer for Gospel Project Kids. and Awana brite. She has also written the following resources: “God’s Brave Girl” Leader and Student Guides (Lifeway), “The Gospel God’s Plan for Me” Leader and Student Guides (Lifeway), and the Younger KidMin chapter for “Children’s Ministry Volunteer Handbook” (Outreach). Danielle is the lead instructor for the Children's Ministry Certificate at beadisciple.com. In 2010, Danielle was named by “Children’s Ministry Magazine” as one of the top 20 Children’s Ministry Leaders to watch. Danielle’s blog, dandibell.com, is one of the top 100 kid’s ministry blogs.
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The posts on this site are my own personal opinions. These posts do not necessarily represent the views and opinions of the companies I write for or my church.