Please Check Out, Like and Share grandma's cookie jar . . .

Along with writing About the Children's Department, I also write another blog, grandma's cookie jar, which's goal is; "just as grandma's cookie jar should always be full of good things, this blog will be full of good ideas, information, activities and reviews of things to help grandma . . . and grandpa, mom and dad too . . . pass on a heritage of faith to the children in their lives!" 

The Dr. Seuss Quote for Today . . . Think and Wonder . . .

The Dr. Seuss Quote for today . . . "Think and wonder, wonder and think!" There are so many things in life to think and wonder, wonder and think about, but I think one of the most wondrous things to think and wonder about is God's incredible love for us! It is a very familiar verse, but it says it all; John 3:16 says, "God loved the people of this world so much that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who has faith in him will have eternal life and never really die!" Just think about this!!! God loved us so much! He didn't just love us a little; He loves us so much! And, not only does He love us so much, but He gave!!! His love wasn't just love in words only . . . He gave! And then to think about what He gave . . . His only Son!!! The wonder of it all! As if all this wasn't more than enough, He gave His only Son to die for us so we will have eternal life and never really die!!! Think about this! Wonder at the amazing love of God which gives!!!

Be sure to point this out to the children in your ministry, too! Talk with them about God's amazing wondrous love which gives! Challenge them to think and wonder, wonder and think about the truth of how God loves them so much! Then involve them in thanking and praising God for His wondrous love for them. Encourage them to think of a way they could follow God's example of love which gives and show their love to others! Be sure to take a moment to pray for each child by name - "Thank You God for loving _____ so much!  Please help him/her choose to have faith in You and help him/her grow in his/her love for You so he/she knows how to show their love for others, too!"

Please Check Kidmin1124 - My New Post - #3 Essential for Volunteers . . .

I've been posting on Kidmin1124 about the five essentials for your volunteers . . .  #5 - give them resources, #4 - provide training and today, #3 . . . thank and encourage them! I write, "Your church and my church have each been gifted with volunteers who faithfully serve in the various areas of our ministries. While these people certainly do not serve for our thanks, it absolutely is appropriate to take the time to thank them! I have always enjoyed the ministry of appreciation – what could possibly be more fun than taking the time to thank and encourage those who serve as volunteers in our churches? There are many ways to thank your volunteers" and then I share two things to keep in mind as you plan a ministry of thanking and appreciating your volunteers and give you nine ideas to say "thank you"!

The Dr. Seuss Quote for Today - You'll Miss the Best Things . . .

The Dr. Seuss Quote for today . . . "You'll miss the best things if you keep your eyes shut!" Wow! This short saying has some powerful truth in it! When I think about missing the "best things" by "keeping my eyes shut" I think about missing out by not using the gifts and talents God has blessed us with. I Corinthians 12:5-7 says, "There are different ways to serve the same Lord, and we can each do different things. Yet the same God works in all of us and helps us in everything we do. The Spirit has given each of us a special way of serving others!" We need to open our eyes and use these gifts so we don't miss the "best thing" of serving God!

God has given each of us who know Him at least one gift and these gifts are given so we are able to serve Him! Some of us can teach, some of us can give. Others are encouragers while still others know how to lead. There are more gifts, but all of them are needed and all of them allow our "body" the church to show a watching world the love of our amazing God! I Corinthians 12:11,12, 14, 18 tells us, "But it is the Spirit who does all this and decides which gifts to give to each of us. The body of Christ has many different parts, just as any other body does. Our bodies don't have just one part. They have many parts. But God has put all parts of our body together in the way that he decided is best." Aren't you so glad God "put all the parts together in the way He decides is best?!!! I Corinthians 12 goes on to say in verses 19, 24-27, "But God has put all parts of our body together in the way that he decided is best. God put our bodies together in such a way that even the parts that seem the least important are valuable. He did this to make all parts of the body work together smoothly, with each part caring about the others. If one part of our body hurts, we hurt all over. If one part of our body is honored, the whole body will be happy. Together you are the body of Christ. Each one of you is part of his body."  Many parts and many gifts - all work together smoothly caring about the others and showing God's love to the world! Like I said, "wow!" So, jump in, keep your eyes open and use the gifts God gave you!

Be sure to point these things out to the children in your ministry, too! Talk with them about how to discover the gifts God has given them! Help them think of ways to use the gifts God has given them so they are able to "jump in, keep their eyes open, care about others and show God's love to the world around them! Be sure to take a moment to pray for each child by name - "Thank You God for giving _____ the gift You want him/her to have! Please help him/her 'keep his/her eyes open' and learn to use the gift you have given him/her so he/she is able to care about others as part of the 'body of Christ'!"

Let's Plan a Volunteer Recruitment Month! - "For Such a Time As This" Theme!

Yesterday I shared a recruiting theme plan built around the Wayne Watson song, "Finest Hour" and today I'm sharing a theme built around another Wayne Watson song; "For Such a Time as This". I realize these are "older" songs, but they have strong messages and work extremely well for building a recruiting theme. Take a look at this theme and consider if it might be a good "fit" for your ministry!

Operation Baby Rescue . . . Can You Really Make a Difference?

Each month on my blog I focus on a specific ministry and provide ideas of ways you can "Put Feet to Their Faith" and involve the children in your ministry in a project to help with this ministry. This month my ministry focus in Operation Baby Rescue through World Help. Their program is very simple . . . you just go to their site and set up your own fundraising page and then promote it with the children and families in your church as you work to raise money to save a baby in Guatemala.


But, can your really make a difference? Consider the following true accounts . . . 

The Dr. Seuss Quote for Today . . . Today Was Good . . .

The Dr. Seuss Quote for today . . . "Today was good! Today was fun! Tomorrow is another one!" If we are people who have experienced God's incredible love and grace, then we have something to celebrate each and every day! Psalm 118:24 says, "This day belongs to the Lord! Let's celebrate and be glad today!" We can celebrate because our days do belong to the Lord!

Some of our days are filled with good things, good times and good experiences . . . it is easy to celebrate and be glad on those kinds of days!  Some of our days are sad, difficult and trying . . . it can be difficult to celebrate on those kinds of days. On the difficult to celebrate kinds of days, remember Romans 8:28, "And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose." While we may not be able to see beyond the pain of today, God has a plan (as we've saw the past two days) and He knows how in the end, all things will work together for good!

Be sure to point these things out to the children in your ministry, too! Talk with them about how we can celebrate because this day - both the good in it and the bad - belong to the Lord! God is working all things for our good and we can celebrate and be glad today! Help them make day-brightener cards and then as they leave your class, ask them to find two people on their way out of the church who they can give their cards to just to "brighten" their day! Be sure to take a moment to pray for each child by name - "Thank You God for working all things in _____'s life for good! Please help him/her celebrate today because he/she knows this day belongs to You!"

Let's Plan a Volunteer Recruitment Month! - "Finest Hour" Theme!

I'm a huge fan of planning a recruiting month with a theme built around the lyrics of a song. One major benefit for doing this is it gives you a specific and focused theme you can weave throughout your recruiting month, because when people hear the song, they will be reminded of your message and it adds a touch of "fun" to recruiting! 

One feature of your recruiting month will be a music video of your ministry so you will need video footage of your volunteers, classes and any events you hosted throughout the year. If you ask around, you are sure to find at least one or two people in your church who like to film with a video camera, take pictures and edit videos on their computers. Ask them to be your film crew and have them film from time to time throughout the year to get footage of the children, youth, adults in your ministry.  Use this footage to make your annual recruiting video.  You can also use digital camera shots of people and events to make your video even more interesting!  Find someone in your church to sing the song as the video plays so you are able to communicate a strong message through the video and song.

The first step is to plan your recruitment drive.  Know who you are trying to reach, how many people you need and select a theme to help you capture the attention of the people in your church.  I will be sharing seven complete recruiting plans with you.  Select one of these, combine them or come up with your own, but make sure you have a plan for your recruitment drive.

Each recruiting plan includes some components which are the same, for example, each plan should begin a few weeks before the actual start your recruiting month with “teasers”.  These “teasers” come from the lyrics of the song to be sung with your video and are placed on posters around the church, in the bulletin, on powerpoint or wherever you can think to put them.  The point of the “teasers” is to get people wondering what they are about and to aid you in getting their attention when you actually begin the recruiting month.

Each plan also includes a week from the recruiting month where the Senior Pastor speaks to the value of serving in the children’s ministry.  This is important because if the Senior Pastor says there is value in serving in the children’s ministry; people are more likely to believe it.  The Senior Pastor needs to be your biggest fan – when he is behind the children’s ministry, the church will be as well.  My first recruiting theme centers around the theme from Wayne Watson's song, Finest Hour.

The Dr. Seuss Quote for today . . . Why fit in . . .

 The Dr. Seuss Quote for today . . . "Why fit in when you were born to stand out!" I love this for grandmas . . . we can be grandmas who stand out!!! I know I don't want to be a "ho-hum" grandma. I want Josiah and Caleb to believe their grandma is the best ever! As you go through this day, take a moment to remember, while the temptation to "fit in" may be strong, God created each of us as unique individuals who are valued and loved. The verse I shared yesterday is one which applies to today's quote, too. Jeremiah 29:11 says, "'For I know the plans I have for you,' declares the LORD, 'plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.'" God has plans for us and these plans give us hope and a future!

God created us to stand out! He wants us to change the world by sharing the good news of His grace and love with others! He didn't create us to fade away and "fit in". He created us with a plan and with knowledge of all the great things we will do  . . . Psalm 139:16 - "but with your own eyes you saw my body being formed. Even before I was born, you had written in your book everything I would do." When it comes to being a grandma - and to doing whatever it is you do in your life - we can stand out! God created us with a plan and purpose; not for us to "fit in"! What will you do to "stand out" today?

Be sure to point these things out to the children in your ministry, too! Talk with them about how they don't have to "fit in", but instead they can "stand out"! Challenge them to be people who "stand out" for how they care for and about others, then help them think of something they could do to brighten someone else's day. Maybe if there is a child at school who tends to be alone, they could make a point of including them in the things they do - sit with them at lunch, talk and play with them at recess, etc. Or, maybe they could draw a picture for someone who has taken care of them or make cards for their Sunday school teacher. After they make their plans to brighten someone else's day, take a moment to pray for each child by name - "Thank You God for creating _____! Please help him/her know You created him/her and already know the wonderful things he/she will do. Thank You for having a plan for his/her life!"

The Dr. Seuss Quote for Today . . . Don't Cry Because It's Over . . .

The Dr. Seuss Quote for today . . . "Don't cry because it is over - Smile because it happened!" This is a quote which makes me stop and think. As you go through this day, take a moment to remember, as we go through life, there will be times we rejoice and times when we wonder what is happening. The important thing to remember is God knows what is going on - even when we do not. Jeremiah 29:11 says, "'For I know the plans I have for you,' declares the LORD, 'plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.'" 


We need to remember how important it is for us to have an attitude of thankfulness and joy at all times . . . I Thessalonians 5:16-18 - "Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus." When we experience something wonderful, be thankful! Rejoice and then look forward to the next part of God's plan for your life and how you can give joy to others!


Be sure to point these things out to the children in your ministry, too! Have children get into small groups and spend time talking about a time when they had such a great time they didn't ever want it to end. Then challenge them to come up with a service project they could do for someone else to brighten their day . . . maybe they could plant flowers for a shut in or make soup to take to someone who hasn't been feeling well. Perhaps they could make encouragement cards for their pastor or sell cookies to buy toys for children in homeless shelters. After they make their plans to brighten someone else's day, have their small group shepherds pray for each child by name - "Thank You God for creating ____! Please help him/her know You have plans for him/her! Please help him/her choose to be joyful always, pray continually and give thanks in all things!"

Let's Plan a Volunteer Recruitment Month! - The Basics of What a Recruiting Month "Looks" Like!

For a number of years I served as the Children's Director at a church in Northern California. We needed 120 volunteers for our Sunday morning Children's Ministry and we typically held our volunteer recruitment drive during the month of August - which meant I spent a lot of time on the phone making those calls! When the new ministry year began in September, inevitably I still needed volunteers; so I decided to make a change and held our volunteer recruitment drive during the month of May.

30 Dr. Seuss Quotes . . . Today you are You . . .

Today is Dr. Seuss' birthday . . . I found 30 Dr. Seuss Quotes that Can Change Your Life and thought I'd share it with you today! Enjoy!

I also thought it would be fun to focus on one quote a day for the entire month . . . so, today's Dr. Seuss quote is . . . "Today you are You, that is truer than true. There is no one alive who is Youer than You!" I love this quote and it is truer than true! As you go through this day remember, God created you to be the amazing, incredible person you are. Psalm 139:16 says, "but with your own eyes you saw my body being formed. Even before I was born, you had written in your book everything I would do." Most importantly, you are of infinite value to God . . . so much so He sent Jesus to die for you so you could live with Him forever! Just look at Ephesians 1:4-6 - "Before the world was created, God had Christ choose us to live with him and to be his holy and innocent and loving people. God was kind and decided that Christ would choose us to be God's own adopted children. God was very kind to us because of the Son he dearly loves, and so we should praise God." God created you with your own fingerprint, your own eye color, hair color and smile, so take a moment to think about the person God created you to be and thank God for creating you! 

Be sure to point these things out to the children in your ministry, too! You could have them make handprints on paper or fabric and then talk about how God created them to be the unique, amazing, special and greatly loved people they are! Spend time in your small groups with small group shepherds affirming each child - "Thank You God for creating ___________! Please help him/her know before his/her body was formed, You saw him/her! Please help him/her know before the world was created, You chose him/her to live with you and be Your adopted child!"

I'm Giving Away - the Berenstain Bears and the Easter Story

Since 1962 the Berenstain Bears have helped our little ones learn Bible stories and how to treat others. I'm happy to share with you a new book . . . the Berenstain Bears and the Easter Story!