Join With Me to Pray on November 14th

As adults, we may not stop and think about how news reports may be heard and interpreted by children. We may not stop and think of how children may be frightened by the words we say about how our elected officials failed to work together to solve problems and the "dire" consequences which we may experience when they do not. It is likely many children heard these reports and conversations and may be feeling stress and even fear at what this means for them and their families. While I could certainly write about being careful about the words we speak, today I want to share with you an opportunity we can all come together to support; and one which we can engage children in as well.

Recently I was blessed to meet and pray with Sabrina Fairchild; she is a co-host of the morning show on WJQ 99.3 and is working on a project to get us all to pray and. Sabrina said, "The National Day of Prayer is partnering with Christian radio for The Timothy Prayer!  1 Timothy 2:1-2 says, 'I urge, then, first of all, that petitions, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for all people— 2 for kings and all those in (2:15 Central/1:15 Mountain/12:15 Pacific), all stations which choose to be a part of this time of prayer will stop the music to humbly go before the Lord to praise Him, ask for forgiveness, petition His guidance, grace and mercy, and to pray His will for our elected officials in Washington D.C.

The Real Treasure, the Real "Good Stuff", the Real Important Things!

I've been writing quite a bit about helping the children in our ministries know, love and walk with God themselves, so today I thought I'd share a reason children do not make this choice . . . because they - and often their parents - are deceived. How are they deceived, you ask? Because they are told the "treasure", the "good stuff", the "important things" are in this world and they should chase after them. When children and families chase after the things of this world, they run the huge risk of forgetting God.

What things to they chase after? Well, many families thing it is important for their children to participate in sports - they forgo participating at church so their children can attend sports practices, sporting events and competitions. When families make this choice, it tells children sports is important and church is something they can miss for the things which are really important. Of course, we know this isn't really true, but families have been deceived to believe it is.

Often families put going to church after other things on their to-do list, after things like, family trips, parties, sports and even after just having a busy Saturday so they are too tired to get around on Sunday for church. This sends the following message to children; other things are more important than going to church. Of course, we know this also isn't really true, but families have been deceived to believe it is.

The truth is the real treasure, the real "good stuff", the really important thing is knowing, loving and walking with God. Everything else will leave us empty. Everything else is an illusion. Chasing after other things looking for the "good stuff", will consume our time and lead to us forgetting God.

Pay Attention; Don't Get Distracted & Do the Hard Work

I've been writing for several days about being sure we are focused and evaluating our children's ministries so they are places children not only want to be and places where they are learning about the Bible, but more importantly are places where children are coming to know, love and follow God for themselves. I've said it has to be the children's own faith, not their parent's faith, not their teacher's faith, not their pastor's faith, but their own faith. 

I said, if children have fun at our churches, but do not come to know, love and follow God for themselves, they may very well be like the Israelites in Judges; there came generations who did not experience knowing and walking with God themselves and they did evil, didn't obey God and forgot Him.

If we are raising generations of children who end up forgetting God, then everything we did to be sure our ministries were places where children wanted to be and where they learned God's Word, in the end, didn't really matter. 

Help Children Know, Love & Follow Jesus!

I've been writing for the past few days about how much it matters for us to be sure we are offering more than programming, events and fun in our children's ministries. Yes, I believe we need to offer programming, events and fun, but if this is all we do then we will fail to help children know, love and follow Jesus for all of their lives and nothing matters more than this.

So, how do we help children know, love and follow Jesus for all of their lives? This past Friday I wrote about evaluating what we are doing; I think this is the key, but I think we have to give careful thought to the questions we ask. Consider the following . . . 

Focus Matters

I've been talking for the past couple days about evaluating what we do so we can be sure we are helping children know, love and walk with Jesus themselves, rather than just providing fun things for them to do. Today I want to talk about why our focus matters.

Before I do, please let me say, I absolutely believe everything we do must be done with excellence. I also believe it is a good thing to provide opportunities for children - and families - to have fun at our churches. We should be providing these things in our children's ministries.

But, if we focus on one event and then the next and fail to focus on the purpose behind the events, we run the risk of children going through our ministries - having fun - but not meeting Jesus and learning to walk with Him for their lives. 

Children Must Know and Walk with God Themselves!

I was reading in Judges 2 and read some of the saddest verses in the Bible. It said, "10 After that whole generation had been gathered to their ancestors, another generation grew up who knew neither the Lord nor what he had done for Israel. 11 Then the Israelites did evil in the eyes of the Lord and served the Baals. 12 They forsook the Lord, the God of their ancestors, who had brought them out of Egypt. They followed and worshiped various gods of the peoples around them." Throughout Judges we read where the people of Israel did evil and forgot God. God sent other nations to test and see if they would obey Him, when the people called out to God for help, He sent a judge to fight those who were oppressing them. The people would turn back to God - for awhile, then they did evil, forgot God and this pattern continued.

When I look at the world around me it is clear new generations are doing evil and forgetting God. Why is this? In Judges it said a generation came along who did not know or experience how God saved them from Egypt. They did not have a relationship of their own with God. So, they did what they wanted and forgot God. Isn't this what we see happening around us today?

Our children have heard about our relationship with God, but if they do not know and walk with God themselves, they will at some point, turn to doing what they want and will forget God. This tells me several things . . . 

Evaluate, Evaluate, Evaluate.

I love children's ministry and it is likely pretty safe to assume, most - if not all - of you who read About the Children's Department, also love children's ministry. Because we love children's ministry, it is very easy to focus on what we are doing: Sunday School, Mid-Week, Summer Ministry, Special Events, recruiting volunteers, training volunteers, keeping our ministry safe, volunteer appreciation, parent meetings, etc . . . and all of these are absolutely things for us to focus on. But, along with these things, do we make evaluating everything a priority or do we run from one thing to the next without ever really stopping to see if we are "hitting the mark"?

If we are not committed to "hitting the mark", then we run the risk of becoming a children's ministry which is just "fluff". One which is a fun place to be; one which does fun things, but one which is not truly helping children know and walk with Jesus for all of their lives.

To be sure your ministry is "hitting the mark", you need to do the following . . . 

Simple, Inexpensive Christmas Craft - Clothespin Ornaments!

If you are looking for an inexpensive and simple idea for a Christmas craft the children in your ministry could make for their parents, for shut-ins, for the Senior Citizens in your church, or for ???? - check out this great idea for clothespin ornaments! This is an ornament idea which children canmake . . . even younger ones can paint - or color with permanent ink markers - and you'll end up with something cute which will look even cuter on the tree!

All you need are some spring clothespins, paint - or permanent ink markers and creativity and voila! You'll have great ornaments which will make excellent gifts!

I really love the snowmen and think you could make a nativity set with it as well! Which design do you like the best? Enjoy!

Shout Praises Kids - Nothing Is Impossible . . . I'm Giving One Away!

I'm happy to announce the release of new music you can use in your ministries . . . and recommend for families to use in their homes as well! "Integrity Music’s best-selling Shout Praises Kids series, which has sold in excess of one million units, releases Nothing Is Impossible Nov. 19 and captures for the first time ever the passionate, faith-filled energy of Australia’s Planetshakers Kids."

The Children's Ministry is Where the Battle is Being Waged

My pastor spoke to leaders in the children's ministry a year ago and said, "The children's ministry is where the battle is being waged." He is right. If children grow up believing church is boring and the Bible is just filled with "stories", they will easily wander from church and their faith. If they believe the "good stuff", the exciting things, the treasure, is to be found outside the doors of the church, then they will continue to chase after looking for things which bring meaning to their lives. It is all about being deceived. Children - and parents - are deceived to believe the "important" things are found outside the church. They believe it is okay to "take the summer off", or return after the sports season. They have been deceived.

The truth is, the real "good stuff", the real exciting things, the treasure is to be found in knowing and walking with Jesus all our lives! In taking what we learn inside the church, out the doors and in living it in our everyday lives every day! There is nothing better! This is where real joy is found!

Trust . . . Takes Seconds to Break, Forever to Repair

Yesterday I posted about trust . . . it takes years to build . . . and shared ideas on how to build trust with the children, parents and volunteers in your ministry. Today I want to think about how to repair broken trust.

We are people. We are imperfect. We say and do things which hurt others and breaks trust. So, what do we do when we have “broken” trust with someone else? Consider the following . . .

Trust . . . Takes Years to Build

A friend posted this on their Facebook the other day . . .

It got me to thinking. Trust is an essential part of children’s ministry . . .

• parents need to be able to trust us
• children need to be able to trust us
• our volunteers need to be able to trust us
• we need to be able to trust our volunteers

So . . . for the next few days, let’s take a look at trust. Trust takes years to build . . .

Manners and Being a Real Person Who Shows Grace to Others!

Maralee McKee is the Manners Mentor - she speaks and writes about manners on her blog, the Manners Mentor. I recently was browsing and noticed a post about how to be Real and Polite. In it Maralee said, "Etiquette and manners are two different things. They tend to be lumped together. To be understood, they must be separated. Manners are the language of our truest self. Their foundation is anchored in our heart. They can’t be faked. Kind manners are our regard for the feelings and comfort of others. Manners are the hidden fruit our spirit yields. Hopefully it includes a healthy crop of kindness, gentleness, self-control, patience… the list continues. Don’t be fooled; when expressed properly, manners never cause us to become a doormat. Instead, we’re a beacon in an unsteady world." 

Christmas Craft . . . Sweet Wire Angels!

If you are looking for some ideas for Christmas crafts you could use in your children's ministry, check my post yesterday on my other blog; grandma's cookie jar. I posted about some sweet wire angels which are easy to make - and inexpensive to make as well!  These sweet little angels would be a great craft for children to make and then give to shut-ins and/or the elderly in your church. They would be a fun item for carolers to leave at the homes where they carol and for children to make for their parents!

I'm Thankful for . . . Opportunities to Serve!

Have you ever stopped to thank God for the opportunity to serve? There have been times in my life where I've had many opportunities to serve and times where there were few opportunities to serve, so I'm very thankful for the opportunities I have to serve!  

I'm thankful to God for giving me the gifts, abilities, experiences and talents He has given me so I am able to serve in the places where He has placed me. I have been at places in the past where leadership tended to "hog", meter out and limit serving and so there were not many opportunities to serve, so I'm extremely thankful for the church where I am now - they welcome people who want to serve!

The Adventure Bible Storybook Deluxe Edition - I'm Giving One Away!

There are no shortage of Bible storybooks available, but one new one - which I was sent for review - is the Adventure Bible Storybook Deluxe Edition and it is definitely worth considering for use at church and for families to use at home!  Zonderkidz says, "The Adventure Bible Storybook starts children on the journey of a lifetime, introducing them to some of the greatest stories of the Bible! Bold, beautiful illustrations bring fifty action-packed stories to life as readers encounter fun, exciting themes of discovery, imagination and suspense - everything you'd expect from a fantastic adventure!"

I'm Thankful - for Volunteers!

Oh yes! I want to happily and thankfully say, I am so very thankful for the volunteers serving in my church! I'm the third hour team leader for the kindergarten and first graders at my church and we have all the volunteers we need; I'm so very thankful for this! And, the volunteers we have are amazing! I'm most certainly so very thankful for this! God has been so very good to us this year!

Thankful . . . for God's Love!

We notice a lot in children's ministry. We notice when things are going wrong. We notice when we need more volunteers. We notice the areas of our budget where we would like to see more resources available. We notice the things we would like to be able to do. Like I said, we notice a lot in children's ministry, but, do we notice when God is answering our prayers? Do we notice the blessings He is giving us? Do we make thanking God a regular part of our day - every day?

God has done so much for us; He loves us! He gives us His grace! He forgives us! He hears our prayers! He answers our prayers! He does so much, if we sat down and focused on His blessings; big and small, we would have much to be thankful for!

So, with Thanksgiving just over a month away, I want to take some time to thank God for His many blessings! Today I want to thank Him for His love! Just look at these verses about God's love for us . . . 

The Timothy Prayer - Let's Join Together & Pray!

As adults, we may not stop and think about how news reports may be heard and interpreted by children. We may not stop and think of how children may be frightened by the words we say about how our elected officials are failing to work together to solve problems and the "dire" consequences which we may experience if they do not. It is likely many children are hearing these reports and conversations and may be feeling stress and even fear at what this means for them and their families. While I could certainly write about being careful about the words we speak, today I want to share with you an opportunity we can all come together to support; and one which we can engage children in as well.

Yesterday I was blessed to meet and pray with Sabrina Fairchild; she is a co-host of the morning show on WJQ 99.3. She is working on a project to get us all to pray and said, "The National Day of Prayer is partnering with Christian radio for The Timothy Prayer!  1 Timothy 2:1-2 says, 'I urge, then, first of all, that petitions, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for all people— 2 for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness.'  On Thursday, November 14, 2013 at 3:15 EST(2:15 Central/1:15 Mountain/12:15 Pacific), all stations which choose to be a part of this time of prayer will stop the music to humbly go before the Lord to praise Him, ask for forgiveness, petition His guidance, grace and mercy, and to pray His will for our elected officials in Washington D.C.

The Berenstain Bears - Thanksgiving Blessings - I'm Giving One Away!

With Thanksgiving coming up, it is a great time to focus on being thankful. If you are looking for a book families with young children could use to help them understand being thankful, check this new book from the Berenstain Bears - Thanksgiving Blessings!

I Have a Winner!

I'm happy to say Mary Beth Dawson is the winner in my One Way Love: Inexhaustible Grace for an Exhausted World book  give-away! (You'll find the review at this link) Thank you Mary Beth for reading About the Children's Department and thank you David C Cook for sending one for me to review and for making another available for me to give away!