Top Posts from 2014 - Be Encouraged! God Sees & Remembers!

And one final Top Post from 2014 . . . 

Serving in Children's Ministry can be one of the most joy-filled things you will ever do! Serving in Children's Ministry can be one of the most pain-filled things you will ever do. Both of these sentences are true. Serving can be joy-filled because you are able to use the gifts and abilities God has given you to help children learn of God's love and grace and how they can know and walk with Him for the rest of their lives! Definitely joy-filled! It can be joy-filled because you get the opportunity to serve with others who are giving their all to the Children's Ministry - some of the most wonderful people I've ever met serve in Children's Ministry! 

It can also be pain-filled because far too often people give Satan a "foot-hold" by being negative, complaining, gossiping and insisting on having their way. Children's Ministry should not be a place where people end up hurt, but it is a place with a big, "target" on it because Satan does not want us to be effective in reaching children and helping them learn to know and walk with God. If he can side-track us or even better, derail us, he will do so and sadly, there are people who allow themselves to be used in this way. 

So, if you are someone who is being negative, complaining, gossiping or insisting on having their way - stop it! Do not let Satan use you to side-track and derail ministry or to hurt others. If you are someone who has been hurt, check out Hebrews 6:10 -

Top Posts from 2014 - Build on the Foundation: Challenge Children!

Today is my last day to share Top Posts from 2014 with you . . . 

Yesterday I wrote about not underestimating children; today I want to build on this and talk about challenging children. I truly do believe children live up or down to our expectations. If we treat them like they are not capable of really digging into God's Word, understanding it and living it, they will believe those things are true as well.  

While preschool is a foundational time where children are learning the basics of God's Word, elementary is different. As children learn to read and have a foundation of solid Bible knowledge, it is time to build on this foundation and help children go deep and wide into God's Word so they are able to understand and live it!

Top Posts from 2014 - Don't Underestimate Children

Here's another Top Post from 2014 . . . 

In addition to writing this blog about children's ministry, I also write a "grandma blog" - grandma's cookie jar. Yesterday I wrote about my grandson Josiah who just turned six - he is a really fun six year old! One thing he likes to do is to read. Yes, I said he likes to read! Not only does he like to read, but he is actually shocking his aunt with how good of a reader he is! The other day we were celebrating because his daddy has earned his Master Mechanic Certification and my parents gave Dave a card. On the card was the word, "Congratulations!" Josiah picked the card up and read the word - on his own with no help. 

Okay, yes, writing about this was a moment of pure, "grandma bragging", but aside from making me feel very proud and happy with him - it caused me to think about how often do we "underestimate" children and think they are too young to try something, learn something, or do something. How often do we "dumb" things down for them? Josiah has always had a large vocabulary - filled with words with lots of letters! He not only uses these big words (leaving his teachers shocked), but he understands what they mean so he uses them correctly. This is due in part because his parents - and we - speak to him as an intelligent person. We did not use, "baby talk" with him. Plus, they and we have always read lots of books to him. I guess it should not be a huge surprise for him to take to reading so quickly!

Top Posts from 2014 - Jesus and the Bible are Not Boring; Why do Children Think They Are?

Well, 2015 is almost here, so today I'll share another Top Post from 2014 . . . 

Jesus was not boring. While there is no verse in the Bible which says, "And He was not boring.", I believe we can see from Scripture how He was not boring because adults and children wanted to be around Him! We all know children do not want to be around people who are boring; and they do not want to listen to boring people either. 

The Bible is also not boring. Think about it! In the Bible we have true accounts of real people; real people just like us, who either made the choice to know and walk with God, or not. These real people; real people just like us, actually talked with God . . . and had Him talk to them! These real people; real people just like us, watched as God did miracles . . . such as parting the Red Sea! Can you imagine what it was like to walk through the Red Sea on dry ground!!!! These real people; real people just like us, fought real giants, believed God when He told them not to be concerned about an army significantly larger than their own which was on it's way to fight them and then led their people to "battle" singing all the way, did not burn up in a fiery furnace, spent a night with hungry lions, walked on the water with Jesus, saw Jesus raise dead people, give sight to the blind and on and on the true and exciting accounts go! The Bible is absolutely NOT boring! 

So, since Jesus is not boring and the Bible is not boring, why do so many children think they are? Why do so many children think the Bible is just a book they take to church with them and then leave in their van all week until they are on their way back to their Sunday School class? Why do so many adults think these things, too? 

There are probably several reasons for this, but I think some of them are . . . 

Top Posts from 2014 . . . Take the Blinders Off!

And . . . here is another Top Post from 2014 . . . 

Okay - today I'm writing about something I care so very much about . . . children's ministry. Some of you who read this need to know, what I'm writing doesn't really apply to your children's ministry . . . but before you read a bit further and decide your ministry isn't the ministry I'm talking about, read the whole post and ask God to remove your "blinders" and help you honestly evaluate to see if there might be at least some of what I say which applies to your ministry.
I don't have horses . . . the one time I rode a horse the entire camp laughed about it all summer long (I was a counselor at a camp and they thought it would be nice for the counselors to have an opportunity to ride the horses . . . I just couldn't get my horse to go straight and we kept getting "stuck" in the bushes - it was an experience!) However, even though my personal horse experience is limited - and not highly successful - I do know about "blinders". They are put on some horses to help keep them from being distracted by the things around them. Blinders can be good, but I think in children's ministry they can also keep us from being effective. 

Far too often we don't know what we don't know. We think we know what we are doing and we move forward, but when we look back for results - children and families with changed lives - we see our youth ministries still ended up being a "salvage ministry" because we really missed the mark in our children's ministry. So, what can we do to keep from "missing the mark"? Consider the following -

Top Posts From 2014 - Minion Inspired Thoughts About Recruiting

As we continue to move closer to the end of 2014, I am happy to share another of my Top Posts from 2014 . . . 

I love recruiting . . . yes, I know you may think I'm crazy, but I love it because it means I'm inviting people to experience the amazing joy which comes from serving and besides, children's ministry is great fun! We play games, sing songs, make crafts, do science experiments, have dramas and most importantly, learn how we can know and walk with Jesus! What could possibly be better?

Top Posts from 2014 - The Truth vs Lies

Today I'm happy to share with you another of my Top Posts from 2014 . . . 

While there are certainly many essential things we need to teach the children in ourministries; there is one thing we do not tend to teach them which our failure to do so can leave them vulnerable to being deceived. What is this, "thing", you ask? Simply put; it is the truth of how the Devil is a liar.
Why is this an essential thing for us to teach the children in our ministries? Simply put; because children are so easily deceived by this Liar. The world is full of the Devil's lies; for example, so many children's books, movies and games involve magic. It is a lie from the Devil that this magic is something which would make our lives better, more interesting, fun and powerful. The truth is God is the One Who gives us better lives, makes them more interesting fun and true power comes from Him. However; far too often this message is not given to children, so they are deceived by the Liar to think they will find what they want apart from God.

Top Posts for 2014 - The Truth About Burnout!

2015 is just a few days away, so I thought it would be fun to take a look at a few of my Top Posts for 2014 . . . today I'm sharing, "The Truth About Burnout!"

I was recently invited to write about burnout for K! Magazine/KidzMatters; so since they posted the article on the KidzMatters site, I thought I'd share part of it with you and provide the link for the full post.

Happy Day After Christmas!

I hope you all had a wonderful time celebrating Christmas with your families. As you go through today remember; "Even when Christmas is over the Light of the World is still here!"

It's Christmas!

It is Christmas - we are "celebrating" with family tonight; Mexican food, cookies and gifts with family! All the celebrating is fun; something I look forward to each year, but the most important thing is taking time to thank God for the reason we are able to celebrate . . . the birth of Jesus!

If you know Jesus, then I'm sure you'll be celebrating one of the most important happenings in all of history, too! If you do not yet know Him, I pray this year you will come to know Him Who loves you so much, He was willing to leave Heaven, be born as a tiny baby in a stable and ultimately grow up and give His life on a cross so we can be forgiven! Talk about the best Gift ever!!!

Merry Christmas everyone, and thank you for reading my blog!

Remember This One Essential Truth - Choose Wisely!

I've been writing about what I consider to be essential truths for us to remember as we serve in children's ministry; God Cares the Most and Love Matters. Today I want to write about one more; Choose Well. 

Do you remember the movie, Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade? In this movie they are searching for the Holy Grail. When they find it, they discover not just one cup, but many. They have to choose which one is the Holy Grail; but if they choose "poorly", they will not receive "everlasting life", but will instead age immediately and die . . . big price to pay for "choosing poorly". Of course, the bad guy, "chooses poorly" and dies and Indiana, "chooses wisely" and selects the correct cup.

Just a movie, but in real life we have many choices each day where we have to be on guard so we, "choose wisely" because, "choosing poorly" does have a big price to pay. Consider the following . . . 

Remember This One Essential Truth - Love Matters!

Yesterday I said, "Over the years (43 of them to be exact), I've had the opportunity to observe children's ministry in large churches (of up to 6000) and in small churches (of less than 100) and in medium-sized churches (everything in-between!). This leaves me with a few observations which I think apply no matter what size church you serve in.  So, today I want to consider something which we all need to keep in mind . . . no matter what size church you serve in! While it may seem like a no-brainer; God cares the most! I think it can be all to easy too get so caught up in what we are doing, what we need, what we do not have, etc. that we end up forgetting this one, simple and essential truth . . . God cares the most!"

Today I want to share another observation; love matters. I know. Another, "no-brainer", but stop and think about this for a moment. We all know in our heads, love matters, but do we really act and live like we not only know this, but really believe it? Consider the following . . . 

Remember This One Essential Truth - God Cares the Most!

Over the years (43 of them to be exact), I've had the opportunity to observe children's ministry in large churches (of up to 6000) and in small churches (of less than 100) and in medium-sized churches (everything in-between!). This leaves me with a few observations which I think apply no matter what size church you serve in.  So, today I want to consider something which we all need to keep in mind . . . no matter what size church you serve in!

While it may seem like a no-brainer; God cares the most! I think it can be all to easy too get so caught up in what we are doing, what we need, what we do not have, etc. that we end up forgetting this one, simple and essential truth . . . God cares the most! He cares the most about . . . 

Don't Forget I'm Giving Away One Love Letters from God!

A couple months ago I was sent a lovely book by Glenys Nellist from Zonderkidz entitled, Love Letters from God, which I included in my 2014 Christmas Gift Review on my other blog (grandma's cookie jar) because Jesus is God's Love Gift to us; a book filled with "love letters" from God seemed like a wonderful "fit" for Christmas!

I held the drawing, but the winner did not contact me with their address, so I thought I'd post the review here on About the Children's Department and hold the give-away once again!

Christmas Means . . .

Christmas is just five days away; while we are likely busy finishing up with Christmas activities; children's programs, Christmas parties, special lessons, family activities and even last-minute shopping, don't forget in all your busyness to stop and remember what Christmas actually means!

To me, Christmas means . . . 

This Christmas Be the Gift God Wants You to Be!

Today, rather than share another Christmas carol, I want to share a few thoughts about Christmas. While it is the time of the year when we tend to be more joyful, more merry . . . at least, many of us are, it can also be a very difficult time of year for some of the children and families in our ministries if they are experiencing difficult times in their families. Along with leading children in worshipping and celebrating the birth of Jesus, we need to also be on the watch for those children and families who may need our help. Watch for . . . 

VBS Recruiting - "Joy"!

I've been writing about recruiting for VBS with a focus on "view-finder", "perspective" and "creativity"; today I want to talk about recruiting with a focus on joy! This is the one essential thing to keep in mind whenever you think about recruiting for anything as joy is the most important thing! Consider the following . . . 

VBS Recruiting - "Creativity"!

If you have looked at VBS recruiting through a "view-finder" and with a "perspective" which sees possibilities instead of obstacles, then it is time to look at VBS recruiting with "creativity"! By this I mean, do the unexpected when you recruit as this will get the attention of the people in your church!

When you think about recruiting, you can certainly go about it in a lot of ways, but if those ways do not get the attention of the people in your church, you are not likely to end up with a very big response. The reason for this is as follows . . . 

VBS 2015 - Nine Kits Have Arrived!

My VBS reviews for 2015 are coming right along . . . so far I've reviewed -

• To the Edge from Regular Baptist Press
• Camp Discovery from Concordia
• Journey Off the Map from LifeWay
• Everest from Group
• Cross Culture VBS Thailand Trek from Group
• BASIC Elements from the Science VBS
• What's in the Bible from Jelly One
• Bible Blast to the Past from Standard Publishing

I received G Force from Cokesbury yesterday and will be reviewing it today. I'm still waiting for the following VBS resources to arrive -

Book Review - Love Letters from God - I'm Giving One Away!

A couple months ago I was sent a lovely book by Glenys Nellist from Zonderkidz entitled, Love Letters from God, which I included in my 2014 Christmas Gift Review on my other blog (grandma's cookie jar) because Jesus is God's Love Gift to us; a book filled with "love letters" from God seemed like a wonderful "fit" for Christmas!

I held the drawing, but the winner did not contact me with their address, so I thought I'd post the review here on About the Children's Department and hold the give-away once again!

Simple, Fun, Easy Christmas Craft - Even for Preschoolers!

I have three grandsons; ages six, three and one. On Wednesday, the two oldest go to my

church's mid-week children's ministry, so last year and this year I helped them make an ornament they could give their teachers for Christmas. This year we made jingle-bell candy cane ornaments . . . and I have to say, this is the perfect craft for children to make as even my three year old grandson was able to quickly understand how to make this ornament and was able to do it on his own - important for three year olds. Plus, the craft is fun and cool enough for older children to enjoy making them, too!

And, it is a great craft which you can use to teach the children in your ministry not only about Jesus' birth, but about the reason for His birth by telling children the Legend of the Candy Cane while they make their ornaments!

So, if you want to try this with the children in your ministry; this is all you need . . . 

VBS Recruiting - "Perspective"

Stop and think for a minute. If someone asks you to do something, but then says they know you probably do not want to do it or nobody else wants to do it or you are their last "hope", are you very likely to want to be the one who says, "yes" when it sounds like everyone else has said, "no"? If the person asking you to help looks desperate, are you likely to wonder what is so horrible about this thing they are asking you to do?

So often when we approach recruiting for VBS - or any area of children's ministry - we do so with an "air" of desperation. We almost expect people to say, "no" and may even think there are "good reasons" for them to say, "no". If we approach recruiting with a negative "perspective", people are likely to notice and say, "no".

If, however; we approach recruiting with a positive "perspective", we are likely to experience a very different response! So, what is a "positive perspective", you ask? Consider the following . . . 

VBS Recruiting - Look Through the "View Finder"!

Okay, at the start of this post I need to let you know two things . . . 

• I LOVE VBS!
• I LOVE recruiting!

While it may be easy for you to believe I love VBS, you may be shaking your head and thinking it just is not possible for me to "love" recruiting; but it is! You see, I look at recruiting through the following "view-finder" . . . 

What Would Your "Ideal" VBS Look Like?

My 2015 VBS reviews begin in just over three weeks . . . I have eight reviews completed and I'm waiting for seven more kits to arrive. I'm very happy to say the resources I'm reviewing this year so far are showing themselves to be very well written with solid Bible lessons which will engage children so they understand their need for Jesus and how to grow in their walk with Him! These resources will be able to be used in your church in a variety of settings all year long!

A Few Words About My 2015 VBS Reviews

I've received about half the VBS resources I will be reviewing this year and so far I'm really happy with what I see! As you read my VBS reviews for 2015, please keep the following in mind . . . 

Some Thoughts About the "Silent Night"

Today I'm delighted to share this beautiful carol with you, sung by Michael W. Smith and Little Big Town on his new Christmas album . . . I have never heard a more lovely presentation of this song . . . enjoy!

How Do I Determine My Top Pick for VBS 2015?

My 2015 Top Ten VBS Countdown and reviews begin in less than a month; I will be reviewing at least 12 VBS kits this year and I'm sure all of them will be Biblically sound resources with well developed themes and engaging settings! Regardless of which kits you select to utilize in your ministry, you can be confident of finding quality resources.

I want to give you an idea of how I will make my selections for this year's Top Ten VBS resources. I'm not a VBS publisher and I'm not a bookstore; I'm a children's ministry person, so when I evaluate curriculum, I look for the "tools" a curriculum provides which will help equip volunteers so they will be able to most effectively communicate God's Word in a way children will remember  and  understand so they will be able to live it in their everyday lives, every day!

What Survivor Taught Me About Children's Ministry!

Okay. I admit it. I watch the TV show, Survivor. I totally could do without the "drama"; and think a lot of it is fake, but there is one reason I watch this show. The challenges. I like to see what the challenges are and how the people work together - or not - to accomplish them.

Watching Survivor has actually taught me something about Children's MInistry. What, you might wonder, could Survivor possibly teach me about Children's Ministry? It taught me about effectively engaging children - all of them - in activities. Stop and think for a moment. If you have watched this show, you know most of the time there are two challenges or games, during each show which the contestants have to complete/compete in to move forward in the game. These are amazing games! Usually they involve some type of obstacle course/race and then a puzzle to assemble. Whichever team/person does these things first wins an advantage/award or immunity from being voted off the show. Since all of the players want to win the million dollars, they all want to win the challenges/games.