[Kid Inspiration]

We should and can expect parents to make right decisions about their children — right?

Parents want their kids to grow up strong, healthy and have the knowledge neccasary to lead a productive life — right?

Maybe we assume to much? If you ask any parent the question above, the overwhelming response will be — “of course they want that for their child”.

Parents may have the desire to see that for their children, but lets assume that they don’t know HOW to achieve that. Just like what happened in the recent hurricane Katrina disaster — FEMA and the American Red Cross launched a pilot progam in which 10,500 emergency debit cards at a value of $2000 a piece were issued to evacuees.

The program was killed within a few days of its implementation, though, because of reported abuses: one survivor reportedly bought “over $700 in high heel shoes and purses” at a Memphis department store “while (her) younger children, most of them looked under the age of 3, looked like they haven’t showered in weeks.”

“If they make an inappropriate decision as to what to purchase, the whole issue of victims’ rights comes into play,” said Bill Hildebrandt, CEO of the Mid-South chapter of the American Red Cross, “They have a right, I guess, to be inappropriate.”

Lets always assume, when dealing with parents, that they have the desire but not the knowledge — and work to educating them to approporiate decisions!

You may have heard of John Maxwell…

If not, then you are about to.

In his latest newsletter, John talks about team building. Now I would bet that if you are in any kind of ministry, then one of the hot topics you want to know more about is exactly that; How do I build a world changing team?

Read this article now!

After that, you must do two things:

1. Goto injoy.com and if possible get your good self to an John Maxwell event.

2. Sign up for his free Leadership Wired newsletter.

Hey kids – its serious!

NZ is lovely — the land of Hobbits is much colder than Sydney, but nothing that an electric blanket can’t fix!

WARNING: Don’t try the below in your children’s ministry!

This is a pretty bizarre way to teach kids about Christ’s sufferings on the cross – bring them forward during Mass and prick them all with a pin. The priest, Rev. Arthur Michalka, has now realised it probably wasn’t a good idea and is going to apologise and has stated, pun apparently unintended, “I didn’t think it was that big a deal. I can see the point now. I’ll see to it that it doesn’t happen again.”

Beci and I will be taking a short break with family back in Christchurch New Zealand for 10 days from this Wednesday.

But as always, I will travel with laptop and will most likely post some riveting news about the state of something you wish you never knew, but now will know, because I had the foresight and wisdom to let you know.

For example: In the last regular episode of MacGyver, our hero discovered the son he never knew he had — a young man named Sean “Sam” Malloy — and the two got on their motorcycles and rode off into the sunset to bond — beautiful (For those of you who did not grow up in the eighties — don’t worry about it!)

Leadership is an expensive calling. It will cost you time that would be easier to waste.

LK 14:28-30
“Suppose one of you wants to build a tower. Will he not first sit down and estimate the cost to see if he has enough money to complete it? For if he lays the foundation and is not able to finish it, everyone who sees it will ridicule him, saying, `This fellow began to build and was not able to finish.’

“Counting the cost” is a biblical idea that applies to every area of the leader’s life. Whatever you do is going to require some energy, and life is too short to focus on ideas that don’t matter.

Building the house of God matters — it’s as simple as that. Sow your life into it.

Mobile phone customers are encouraged to ICE their phone. ICE stands for ‘In Case of Emergencies’. The idea is to create an entry for ICE in your mobile’s phonebook. It is the name and number of a family member or friend who can be contacted ‘In Case Of Emergencies’ (ICE).

ICE was developed by the East Anglican Ambulance Trust in the UK, and gained international attention in the London bombings.

Ideally, your ICE contact should know your basic medical information, such as blood type and allergies, and be able to help emergency services make decisions if necessary. That could be a family member, close friend or even your doctor.

Having ICE in your mobile phone can make it quicker and easier for emergency services workers or passers by to give you the right help if you ever need it. So take out your mobile now – and ICE it.

====> Now that so many kids have acces to phones this is a great thing to think about for their phones – go on ICE them!

This last weekend we had the priviledge of having the Watoto Children’s Choir with us in our weekend services.

From their website:

The mission of Watoto Child Care Ministries is to raise the next generation of Ugandan leaders by placing parentless children in families where the necessary love, care, spiritual discipleship and physical needs are provided. Our goal is to equip these precious children with the essential moral values and life skills that will enable them to make a significant and lasting impact on the future of their country and the Kingdom of God. Currently we are responsible for approximately 1200 children. Our goal is to care for 10,000 children in the future.

This group of children, all with stories that we would find hard to comprehend are an amazing testimony of God’s grace. I had the chance to hang out with them between services and their attitudes and joy is inspiring.

SO: check out the website and get involved with their cause. It’s amazing to read about the huge impact others are having on children’s lives around the world!

The great psychologist Alfred Adler said …

“There is no such thing as talent. There is pressure.”

Einstein was considered an “unteachable” fool by his early teachers.

Was he? And was it the pressure put on him to prove to the world that he was not that allowed him to rise to such greatness?

I love this quote – it kind of lines up with something I read about leadership. Leaders are neither born nor made… they are summoned. Circumstance calls you to respond, the ones that do… are leaders.

You may not know how you ended up working with kids, but the fact is… what you do with the opportunity defines who you are.

I wonder …

Are YOU going to let the world wear you down with it’s jealous label for you?

Or will you allow yourself to be steel-cast into something beautiful and and unbreakable by the pressure it offers?

UPDATE:
Cover is up online now, so check it out!

Pre order your copy of the second Hillsong Church Live Kids Praise and Worship Album! This dynamic Kids album was recorded at our annual Hillsong Conference during Kidsong World 2005! [Pre-Order Today!]