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simple gift of God’s Word

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1897653_909626389051867_4223503321497007697_neach year we present our first graders with a new Bible. we have a special family brunch where we share the importance of God’s Word to families. (you can read more about that here.) we also give the children a small gift bag. it usually contains some sort of family faith discussion product and a bookmark. you would think the purchased family-talk product would be the biggest hit, and they are great, but this year the real fruit of Bible reading came from our simple bookmark.

the bookmark is not an expensive item, but this year we saw its eternal value like never before. the idea for this bookmark came from the thought that Screen Shot 2014-09-29 at 7.13.44 PM while we are presenting children with God’s Word it can be incredibly daunting to know just where to begin. so many books. so many verses. so many words. so we thought what if we give them a jumping off point? what if we help children with some suggestions for verses and passages to seek as they begin their Bible reading? so we asked all the ministerial staff and first grade teachers to share with us the scriptures/passages that have meant the most to them. that’s all. we typed them neatly on a bookmark, laminated them really thick, and challenged the kids to use them to begin to find verses to read.

this year there was an overwhelming response. kids were so proud of their Bibles. they wanted them with them as much asScreen Shot 2014-09-29 at 7.14.24 PM possible. we even heard a story of a child choosing to read God’s Word over playing games on an ipad.

here is what one father emailed in to say,
“What a wonderful Sunday!  You gave a powerful (and challenging!) message on the importance of the Bible and each family’s role in it.  Kaleb was so excited after church that his Bible did not leave his side the rest of the day! I could go on and on about all the impressive things but I think the one that was most special to me was the bookmark.  That all those people took the time to share, y’all put it together so clearly, and that it gives us a starting point to read with him is just awesome. “

if you are like me you know that sometimes we make things too hard. we think money has to be spent, bells and whistles must blow, and mountains must move. we simply gave them a bookmark with a challenge to use it as a resource to read God’s Word. kids accepted the challenge, so in my mind and heart i believe there is a great potential for the moving of mountains and changed lives for eternity.

how do you encourage children to read’s God’s Word? i would love to hear your ideas.



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In blog series

pausing to pray – part 1

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image[3]when it came to training my investors for the new church year i felt led to do one thing – make prayer more of a priority than policies. so this year i challenged each of my investors to fast and pray in the week leading up to the start of their new classes. i also asked some dear friends and co-workers to write devotionals for a “pausing to pray” booklet to serve as a prayer guide for the week. this blog series is a peek inside that devotional booklet and it begins with my note to the leaders. may it encourage you as you serve and pour into others that faithfully serve in kidmin. (a big thanks to the authors for allowing me to post their devotionals.)

a note from danielle

i am a doer.  i like to live life in play, fast forward, and occasionally in rewind. something about the constant movement makes me feel as if i have more control or at the very least am helping a situation. 

pausing seems like a foreign concept at times.  how can being still help? won’t i loose some control? there is just too much to be done to pause.  

after a recent time in committed prayer and fasting i saw that those thoughts are sadly a peek into my prayer life.  i would often rather try to “do” for God instead of sit and converse with the Creator of the universe.  i all too often like to lay out my plans before releasing control to Him. ouch!

so that is why before the start of a new church year, i feel led to challenge us all to just hit pause.  before we make “plans” for a class, continue with what we have always done, and fast forward through another year, let’s sit at His feet.  let’s spend some sweet time in praise of the One who deserves more than we could lavish upon Him.  let’s hunker down in confession and get rid of the things holding us back.  let’s begin a new year with the attitude of thankfulness and let our gratitude be our filter for the days ahead.  then, let us commit to making prayer a priority by lifting the names of those we teach and lead and allowing God room to work and mightily move in all our lives.

it is when i pause, i am hit afresh with who i am and reminded of the greatness of the One i serve.  the following prayer always brings me face to face with that truth.  may it be a blessing, a challenge, and an encouragement in your pray days ahead.  why don’t we begin each day of prayer with these words and allow God to do a sweet work in our sinful hearts? glory!

“Merciful Savior,

I am so slow to learn,

So prone to forget

So weak to climb;

I am in the foothills when I should be on the heights;

I am pained by my graceless heart,

My prayerless days,

My poverty of love,

My sloth in the heavenly race,

My sullied conscience,

My wasted hours,

My unspent opportunities,

I am blind while light shines around me:

Take the scales from my eyes,

Grind to dust the evil heart of unbelief.

For the glory of Your name.

Amen.”

Puritan Prayers “Valley of Vision”

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In kidmin

three cheers for kidmin

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i am blessed for the fourth year to serve with group’s kidmin conference.  not only does this unconventional conference challenge and minister to me as a leader, but i am also refreshed and inspired as i get a peek behind the scenes at what makes this conference tick. here are the top three things that have me cheering for kidmin 2014.

1504175_10153067875255476_4903827789263756318_o1.  the heart of the conference – a couple of weeks ago i had the opportunity to attend some brainstorming sessions for kidmin 2014 at group in colorado. our charge from the very beginning was to make this conference Christ-centered and an intentional time of spiritual renewal for kidmin leaders. yes, amazing training is offered. yes, you will leave with many new kidmin friends and even more ministry ideas. yes, the speakers and bands are top notch, but what i love about this conference is that those things are not the ultimate goal. time spent in the presence and word of God is the heart of this conference. the kidmin conference “gets” that those in the trenches of ministry can also be some of the most spiritually worn and weathered believers. they understand that a speaker can’t radically change lives, but Jesus can. He is the center and goal of each session. what a sweet opportunity for all those that attend to spend much needed time with Him. imagine how our ministries will be impacted after a time of spiritual renewal for us leaders.

 

Screen Shot 2014-05-26 at 9.37.06 PM2.  christy nockels – not many worship leaders speak so directly to my heart and lead me so humbly to the feet of Jesus.  christy does each time she leads me in worship, whether live or by cd. actually it was her new album and a specific track on it, “already all i need,” that was played countless times in my hotel room last year at kidmin ’13. this song never fails to minister to me. as you watch a lyric video of this song (my favorite of her’s, well at the moment.) just think what a gift a time of worship led by her will be!
[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zByzjJ4nvH8[/youtube]

3.  kidmin pals – the friends i get to spend time with at this conference make me better and my heart leaves full each year. i’m thankful for friends/leaders that serve weekly in their local church and truly “get” the ministry world in which we serve week in and week out. they are brilliant, humble, passionate, and just plain fun. i love that there is no difference between presenter and attender. truth is, we all want to serve our Savior and desperately need Him in our daily lives. i am so grateful we understand that no one has it totally figured out and finding 994342_10152599234615476_1365416645_ncommunity in kidmin is such a gift to help carry us through the tough times. oh how i can’t wait to worship, learn, laugh, grow, pray, and seek with old and new conference friends.  if you are at kidmin ’14, i’d love to meet and talk with you. contact me on twitter at twitter.com/dandibell.

if you are in children’s ministry and you need time at the Savior’s feet as much as you need ministry ideas and instruction, take time to check out the kidmin conference.  the early bird deadline is may 29, so don’t miss this opportunity to save you and your church some money.  you can learn more and register here. personally, i am counting down the days.

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In kidmin

the gift of great leadership

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for the past two years i have had the wonderful privilege of serving with the most incredible leader and friend. as she plans to retire, after 28+ years in ministry, i thought i would share just 10 of the leadership lessons she has taught me.  (there are countless more.) when i think back to how greatly impacted i was in such a short time, i am convinced it was because i saw these lessons consistently and humbly lived out in the best, worst, mundane, and craziest ministry moments.

  • sabbath – i received one of the greatest gifts i have ever been given in ministry through her leadership – the gift of sabbath. i blogged more about it here. because she so understands the need for spiritual leaders to be in close relationship and communication with our Savior, Jesus Christ, she challenged us to make sure we made it a priority.
    – lesson to unpack: i am never too busy, too important, too spiritual or too prepared to stop it all and just sit at my Savior’s feet. i must intentionally schedule sabbath as one of the most important parts of my ministry calendar.
  • Jesus talk > church talk – i simply can’t talk “church” for hours, but sometimes we ministry leaders can get caught up in the church “nuts and bolts” and save few words for the Cornerstone Himself – Jesus. jan modeled the opposite. of the many conversations we had, i remember Jesus being central over the “hows” and “whats” of church work. so convicting, so refreshing.
    – lesson to unpack: what i know about church work isn’t near as important as what i know about Jesus. do people leave my conversations hearing only about the details of ministry or the reason for ministry Himself?
  • truth in love – jan never just told me what i wanted to hear. her words were direct, truthful, fair, and anchored in love, even though i didn’t like everything i heard. her honest conversations stretched me and made me more effective.
    – lesson to unpack: i tend to go on and on and am afraid of hurting someone’s feelings and then it becomes a big mess – just like this sentence.  direct and honest conversation can be a great gift to someone.  i can so learn from that.
  • redeeming difficulties – i saw it first hand at a lunch one day. several of us were sharing frustration after frustration with a certain issue we were faced with that week.  one by one, with each grumble we laid on the table, i watched her pick up our negative words and point us to positive solutions. “what can you learn from this?” she would ask. or, “how can you use this to better educate in the future?” even though i totally saw what she was doing, i still allowed myself to become carnal and complaint-centered. she never wavered. she provided a safe place to vent, but would not allow us to remain there.  there was better ahead and she was constantly pushing us to see it.
    – lesson to unpack – am i looking for ways to learn and redeem bad experiences or do i become content to wallow in wasteful conversation?
  • work smart – “work smarter not harder.”  that’s how she challenged me to attack the load of ministry in front of me. what freedom it gave me to plan, prioritize, and focus on eternal things.  she gave me a fresh perspective of seeing that it wasn’t the hours behind a desk, but the fruit of my ministry that showed its growth and worth.
    – lesson to unpack – am i more concerned about the quantity of hours or intentionally seeking quality, eternally-focus ministry opportunities? 
  • selfless service – i was so blown away that in the same conversation where she shared her retirement news, she also volunteered to be a sunday school investor in the new church year.  after so many years of full-time ministry everyone would understand the need for a break and a chance to sit and receive.
    – lesson to unpack: is the root of what i do an act of love and service for my Savior or do i allow it to become a job?  if i am serving from the true Source it is a lifestyle and becomes second nature.
  • learning never stops – i knew this lesson in my head. i’ve heard it in many leadership workshops and i am sure i underlined it in some leadership book. still i was shocked when she was excited to attend creative teacher training the preschool minister and i were leading. i said “really, what can i teach you?”  her response, “i know the old way, i want to learn the current, most effective way to lead the kids in my sunday school class this fall.”
    – lesson to unpack: never believe the lie that i have arrived. i will never know it all. i need to constantly be looking for chances to challenge myself to grow, even from younger leaders.
  • it’s not personal – the pleaser in me (even after many years in ministry) would still often personalize the challenges that come with ministry.  she told me many times, “stop personalizing this.”  she taught (and i am still desperately trying to catch) me to step back and try to look at the matter with personal feelings aside.
    – lesson to unpack: as she would say “get over it” it is not all about me.  i need to learn to quit looking at each challenge through my personal lens.  there is always a bigger picture.
  • joy in serving – i would be lying if i said i wasn’t a bit weary in my transition to this new staff position.  what an encouragement to be led by someone with almost twice the years in the trenches, but also twice the joy.  no matter how tough things got, she addressed them with a smile and true joy in the work God had given her.  that authentic example still inspires me to realize what a gift it is to serve in full-time ministry.
    – lesson to unpack: don’t let the situations i am facing dictate the joy in which i work through them.  my service is not a sacrifice, it is an honor to give my all for the One who sacrificed so much for me. so, suit up in the armor and serve with joy.
  • wrapped in prayer – i can’t recall ever leaving a hard conversation or meeting with her without her asking to pray with/over me. she humbly acknowledged Who was really in control and consistently petitioned His wisdom, comfort, direction, discernment, and peace.
    – lesson to unpack: prayer can be the most important part of any conversation/meeting. make time for it.
i would not trade anything for the past two years under jan jones’ leadership.  she has a rich legacy of modeling Christ-centered leadership and pointing people to what matters most – Jesus.  i know because that’s what she did (and still does) for me.

such a great group of gals i have the joy of serving alongside at dawson.

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In kidmin

KidMin ’12 takeaways

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kidmincollae

  • ministry leaders need/long to be ministered to – through interactive, Christ-centered worship experiences; “the shelter” ministry (counseling and prayer center) that was busy everyday; and my “broken, burned-out, and bored in kidmin” workshop, i experienced people in desperate need of ministry. and the best news is, i heard story after story of those who were met “just as they were” and experienced Jesus. isn’t that what it is really all about?  after seeing this, i come back to my own ministry and wonder how many of my leaders are in need of a fresh touch, word, or encouragement? how will i make it a priority to minister to them as they faithfully pour out on children and families each week?
  • you can never have too many friends in kidmin – i love people! i was thrilled going into kidmin with all the familiar faces i would get to see and spend some time with each day. (never enough time, though.)  i wasn’t expecting all the new people i would be fortunate enough to meet, share a meal with, laugh with, and hang around on sack chairs and just talk about life with in any spare moment we could find. i leave with deepened friendships and brand news ones that i know will make me a better person and minster. ministry and life are more pleasant and precious in community.  may i gave back to them as willingly as they have given to me.
  • the Holy Spirit empowers me to do what i cannot – one of the greatest blessings i had during the days of KidMin was a group of people (some in alabama and some in tennessee) that had my packed conference schedule and committed to pray me through my days in chicago. my simple request was that i would dare not lean on my own strength or wisdom, but press into the power provided through the Holy Spirit. not only did i receive their prayers, but i was constantly encouraged through their texts. they prayed expectantly and they couldn’t wait to hear about what only God could do.  boy, do i have some stories for them. 🙂
  • i am blessed – after leading a tough ministry conversation and hearing heart-breaking stories from other ministers in the trenches, i left knowing how blessed i am to serve in a church that not only values children’s ministry but supports it through word AND action.
  • the IT team can party – with just a large stack of deep-dish chicago pizza and soda, the KidMin IT team had so much fun in a luxury suite that hotel security might have been called a couple of times. what a fun group of people  that have no idea how to “use their inside voices.”
  • prayer changes things –  as i stood before a group of over 200 in my last workshop of the conference, i was a wee bit stressed.  i had optimistically planned for about 20-25.  i mean, who wants to hear me when there are so many other choices and what a great last chance for them to sleep in before general session.  so i began, not knowing how it would go and i had the tables introduce themselves to one another.  that was when my friend gina met me in the middle of the room to pray over me.  “i wish you would,” i said.  “how can i give all these people what they need?  i didn’t prepare for this many.”  after she prayed, i started the workshop in His strength and have never had more fun leading.  God showed up and taught us all a thing or two about “helping kids have a friendship with Jesus.”  gina was my God-sighting for the day!
  • all about experience and relationship – a few days into KidMin ’12 i marveled at the fact that i just had no time to blog.  see, i was either experiencing the conference and the life-changing lessons it brought or i was building relationships!  the REAL learning experiences brought me closer in my journey with Jesus and the relationships formed continue to encourage me as i traveled back home.  oh there was plenty of meat, but it was so beautifully delivered through transparent speakers and hand-on activities that no single blog post could capture what happened in my heart.  i guess i will not only continue to chew on each truth but carry them with me as God uses me to minister to others.
  • the grand gift of laughter – spending time with my dawson team at KidMin taught me that not only am i working alongside gifted, passionate people, but they are oh so fun!!!! i haven’t laughed that hard in a long time. i am talking side-splitting, tears-streaming laughter.  i’ll take two spoonfuls of that daily.  so grateful to work with those that see the joy in life and ministry.

is it too early to begin countdown to KidMin ’13 in ohio?  okay, if you were at KidMin ’12, what was your greatest takeaway?

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