[Kid Inspiration]

Funny of the day… been around for a while, but I missed it the first time…

Another post announcing something without actually containing any kind of content or insightful thoughts on God and His manifest presence and glory working in the lives of we His people here on planet earth!

Yep, just wanted to point out that I just updated the BIG curriculum site with a new promo video… I am trying right now to upload it to youtube, but the gremlins are active…

So check out the new 9:12 long video that goes into more detail exactly what BIG is!!!

Hillsong Kids Big

- Dave

From New York Times

EVERYONE knows that babies crawl before they walk, and that tricycles come before two-wheelers. But at what age should children get their first cellphone, laptop or virtual persona?

Read On

The auction is over (from here ‘Domain Sale’).

Congrats to:

Andy Kirk
childrensministryblog.com $100

Karl Bastian
childrensministrypodcast.com $10

Thanks guys, my parents will appreciate the funds!

(I will be in touch to transfer the domains)

So my Senior Pastor Brian Houston has started a blog. Yay!

Although without RSS feed and no real home page… here is the link to his latest post.

My Heart for the House

It’s great to see him writing some thoughts down like this!

So I think I got a little excited and may have not been clear in my previous posts re: the Apple Store opening.

I didn’t actually sleep out overnight, but did go to the opening (5pm) the following day, the queues were huge, so came back later that night with Mike ‘Voltage‘ Vogel.

Here is MIke who now has almost completed his transformation into an uber-nerd… just like me

So I drove into the city before heading home tonight as people had started queuing for the opening of the Sydney Apple Store from 8:15am this morning. I got there about 9pm… there are about 20 people camping out for the opening of the new store!

I mean, there’s not even a new product coming out, just a store to sell stuff in. Which isn’t to say I am not heading in tomorrow at 5pm for the official opening… but camp out over night!!

Front of store… lot’s of glass, and apparently second largest in world after London.

Now the iPhone comes out here on July 11, so Apple really has got twice the mileage out of this launch. A bunch of pres for the opening, and then what’s sure to be bunch of press for the iPhone!

Start of the queue, first five have iPhones… (apparently there are 25,000 on the Optus Network already)

More Queue.

SO I reckoned there might be a few thousand here by tomorrow 5pm… and I will be one of them!

In 2001 my Dad began his first journey to India that would set in motion the journey towards establishing the Children’s Home in Bhachau…

On January 26, 2001, a large earthquake, registering 7.9 on the Richter Scale, devastated the area of Gujarat, northwest India. Five year old Rukshana emerged from the rubble an orphan. Her mother had been killed a week before in an electrical accident; her father was crushed in the rubble of their house. A photo of Rukshana, with a bandage over one eye, featured in the March edition of World Vision’s Impact magazine last year. Her image haunted many New Zealanders, among them Steve Wakerley of Christchurch… [Read On]

It has been a massive journey for my parents… as their three boys (me being one of them), left for parts uncharted (to Australia), they both have found that better late than never is the theme of the second half of their lives!

When I was growing up I remember conversations/discussion/prayers about Bali, which I imagined an exotic paradise filled with wild natives (any one who has grown up hearing about missionaries will know exactly what I mean). In some parallel universe it seemed I could have grown up a missionary kid, instead of playing left wing in my local Southbridge Rugby team in country New Zealand.

Now I may be completely off course and remember things through the filter of memory but Bali could have been an opportunity that never eventuated for whatever reason for us.

Now that their life has taken them to this incredibly challenging, frustrating, totally out-of-depth, but eternally significant experience I am in awe at their tenacity and faithfulness to the call of God in their lives.

They are making steady progress toward the finishing of a fantastic facility to eventually be used for::

• An orphanage for local children
• A free medical facility for those who can’t afford any kind of health-care
• A vocational training centre.

The people that will benefit from this ministry will be the poorest of the poor – children and adults who haven’t the means to bring up their children, eg. widows, orphans and the disabled.

So anyway, check out the site at: bhachau.org for more info.

As you may know I am holding a domain auction with the (however small or large) proceeds going directly to them, have look here.

I’m proud of you Mum and Dad!

So the latest Hillsong Church started meeting today in Capetown South Africa!

They are meeting in the Cape Town International Convention Centre. And have had five services on their first Sunday!! The auditorium sits 620 people so this is a MASSIVE start for the church!

Service times | Sunday 9am, 11am, 4pm and 6pm
*PLUS EXTRA ONE-HOUR SERVICE @ 8pm*

The kids team over there already has gotten the curriculum we are doing right now, they have the same tee-shirts we have in Australia, and are running programs for every service over the first Sunday!

I’m not even sure who is running the whole kids programs yet but it is very exciting to see the church establish itself over in Capetown!

God is good!

Apple Store Sydney

Next Thursday 19 June – Me, George St Sydney, 5pm… Apple store opening!

So I am visiting a leader in the city at about 4pm maybe then I can totally make it a work meeting!!!!!

He he…

Man I am super nerd, king of all nerds… I am about to participate in a line just to visit a store with no intention to buy anything… sigh.

In my blog you write posts and can save them as a draft without posting them online. So this post here has been a draft for over a year now, so I thought I would just end it’s loneliness and make it live… it’s about a book I making my way toward reading:

Revolutionary Parenting kind of a new book by George Barna as a followup to Transforming Children into Spiritual Champions.

Article on the Barna website about the conclusions the book has made:
Research Shows Parenting Approach Determines Whether Children Become Devoted Christians

Check it out!

There are two things I have negated to do here on this blog:

1. Talk about what my parents are doing in India (building an orphanage).

2. Brag on my awesome team.

Allow me to rectify the second… I will fix the first soon!

How to be a great volunteer: Sarah Petchell

I cannot remember when Sarah started on our team. But for a number of years now I have watched and have been a part of her growth as a person and leader. Despite challenges she rises up and continues to amaze me by taking on what she really believes in!

She currently is one of the Primary Age four key team members overseeing two Sunday night services! This is a team very heavy with young leaders and she has moved from be put into a position to really building trust, respect and relationship with them all!

My lesson for leaders from Sarah is: Be Honest.

Let your yes be yes, and if you have to say no, say it! I am never in doubt about how Sarah is feeling or coping with life and ministry – can your pastor/leader/oversight say the same about you?

Rock on Sarah!

[UPDATE] Front runners are: Karl $10 on childrensministrypodcast.com and Andy $100 on childrensministryblog.com | auction closing in one week.

[UPDATE] So no-one wants the podcast domain? You can get it for ten bucks and support a worthy cause!! Auction closing in one week and 3 days!!

[UPDATE] First Bid is in. I accidentally disabled comments for this post!! But they are reinstated now! Thanks Andy!

So I have a couple of domains for sale.

1. CHILDRENSMINISTRYBLOG.COM
2. CHILDRENSMINISTRYPODCAST.COM

I bought these a few years ago to link to my blog and podcast. After moving the blog and stopping the podcast they are just sitting there gathering dust (if that is possible online).

“Imagine being the life of the party, the envy of your friends
and enemies as you blog at these two exclusive domains”

Now domains are worth pretty much what someone will pay for them, but I did go to dnScoop to get an appraisal.

childrensministryblog.com

childrensministrypodcast.com

So I am going to run a little auction for both of them… see the top for updates!

Umm… that’s not what he said.

Numb? [Youtube]

A little light kids entertainment for ya! But pretty excellent dancers!

Cheeky Monkeys [Youtube]

Not that you would notice anything different, but I finally moved my website host over the weekend.

My blog had been unavailable for the last few days of May 08 because I blew through my bandwidth limit (which is admittedly pretty small on account of the cheap deal I had going).

Then after my support request bouncing back, I though it would be better to quit while I was ahead and jumped ship to someone who promises to answer support tickets (tested them already and they passed).

So please let me know I you see any weirdness on the site, otherwise we continue your regularly scheduled program.

Thanks for reading, I really appreciate all three of you

I know, I know, there are actually 7 readers, just wanted to look modest.