[Kid Inspiration]

Continuing the fine tradition of the Muppets youtube series here is a real American song with a patriot – Sam The Eagle!

But Awesome Takes Practice.

A little speechless about how truly awesome this book title is!

FACT: You need to know what matters now in your ministry.

Here’s how you could be inspired to find out. Click here: http://bit.ly/wmnkidmin

It’s a brand spankin’ new FREE! new ebook from 33 different contributors from all over the globe and spectrum of God’s mighty big kingdom.

There is an upcoming print version that will be available for purchase from June 14.

There is a way to connect with Twitter and Facebook.

• Twitter: http://twitter.com/cmwhatmatters
• Facebook: http://bit.ly/90LI4p

Also, I believe that I am the only contributor with his name spelt incorrectly Although that seems to be a theme as of late.

Of of my life goals is to see Bobbie McFerrin — but until I do here is an amazing clip of him workin’ a crowd.

I would love to do something like this with a group of children… do you think it will work?

I’m in New Zealand, rockin’ Christchurch Airport with my new Macbook Pro.

So the public wifi is called: PUBLIC – 30 Minutes Free!

Like its some kind of awesome announcement… this would be awesome: PUBLIC – Free!

In fact it wouldn’t even be awesome, its should be just the base requirements!

Anyway, i’ll take my 30 mins and use ‘em, and then search on Google this phrase: “How to get Wi-fi for free in Christchurch Airport”.

Really believing for great things at Kidsrock!

Have a great weekend Sydney! I pray that it isn’t just another weekend, but that Church goes forward and kids lives are changed for ever!

We are once again ramping up for Hillsong Conference in July!

I love conference time each year… the air is crisp, the sun bright but ineffective, winter is all around and we all get precious little sleep as we present our annual conference to champion the cause of the local church.

KIDSONG 2010 promo from Hillsong Church on Vimeo.

So, Hillsong Kids team, we want to hang out with you and a couple thousand kids! Make plans to be there. Ministry leaders come along, if you are in the leadership stream we would love for you to be a part of our Children’s Pastors and Leaders electives!

hillsongconference.com

I have a couple of awesome events comin’ up soon one of them you probably can’t come too, but the other you really should!

1. I’m speaking at a Kids camp in Dunedin NZ! Kidsrock… was invited by the awesome Sarah (best title for a blog in a long time), and I am really excited to get back to my roots and speak to a group of kiwi kids.

KidsRock Promo 2010 from ICCNZ on Vimeo.

2. The other one you can all be a part of — the Children’s Ministry Telesummit

This is a brilliant event that you can be a part of for FREE, just sign up online… you just need a telephone! I have a VERY practical message to present that WILL help you in your ministry!

You need to read the last line of my bio on the site, I am very proud of my new accomplishment!

So apparently there is an International Bible Competition for Jewish young people

A student from a girl’s school near Tel Aviv beat 15 finalists to win the 2010 International Bible contest, traditionally held on Israel’s Independence Day. Or Ashual, 17, whose name means “light,” is a student at Amana girls’ school in Kfar Saba. Her father, Shimon, won the contest 27 years ago.

Like father, like daughter!

Not sure exactly what the questions are… probably doesn’t include the new testament.

What you value as a parent WILL leak to your kids!

Forget about tradition for a moment. Don’t think ‘but that’s the way we’ve always done it’. Ignore the fact that your Church is probably comfortable with things the way they are.

I want to talk about your bad language.

• You call your kids spaces – Classrooms! – Huh? Do kids really want another day of school?
• Your ministry is called Sunday school! – Wah? Again, why another day of school?
• Kids Church!! – Wha?? Way to reinforce the myth that ministry to kids is separate to the rest of the Church
• Workers! - Man, when I think worker I imagine a coal mine and chimney sweeps.
• What about all the adults in Big Church – I know it’s cute… but seriously, this is not playhouse Disney
• A CRY ROOM?? – For the love of all that is holy!! You know words are powerful right? Why just not call it the unsettled and annoying baby room!

You are not building a Church in the 1950′s, most of us function in a post Christian world where a lot of children have not even heard of Jonah, Moses and all the other stories let alone have any connection to the Christian-speak you use. WOW – take the opportunity and reinvent yourself!!!!

You are also completely missing the cultural impact of branding, by using generic names you mark yourself and your ministry as boring and irrelevant!

Stop it!

A role of the leader is to communicate… sometimes you need to communicate CHANGE… this is one of those times.

In conclusion, corporations spend millions of dollars crafting just the right phrase to communicate their brand and product – why don’t you sit down and spend a few minutes choosing the words that communicate and reinforce the vision and mission of your Church.

Get rid of your BAD LANGUAGE and replace it with helpful/good/inspiring/innovate/interesting language.

There probably is a small window of opportunity for this fantastic tip!

If you remember a few years ago just before plasma and LCD TV’s became affordable the technology of the moment was all about rear projection TV’s. These beasts went for anything up to $10,000 and were the cutting edge of technology.

Fast forward to 2010, and these monstrosities have disappeared from electronic stores… gone like the old cathode ray TV’s — no one wants to buy them and now with flat screens taking over no one wants to own them!

A while ago I received an email from the online auction site graysonline.com.au (which all Australian kids pastors should be on — lots of bargains!). The RSL in Redfern was closing down and selling off everything — including a 50 inch rear projection TV which I procured for the princely sum of about $250! We have gone on at Hillsong Kids to buy one of these for our Brisbane and South West campus kids programs.

There are at least a couple dozen on ebay at any one time (a quick search of the US brings up 335 results — and plenty more on craigslist etc. I’m sure!). In some cases we have stopped using projectors all together and run all our media and words for praise and worship through these TV’s.

I have had a mixed relationship with projectors over the years (bulbs blowing and costing a bundle to replace — sometimes more than the cost of the projector in the first place).

This is not the solution for every room, but for example in our City campus with a smallish room for our Voltage (pre-teen) program we have banished the projector altogether. Instead plugged a DVD player and Computer into it (with a VGA to Composite convertor — cheap on ebay)

Here is what our boy BJ picked up today cheap as chips!

So strike while the iron is hot and pick up one of these monsters for your ministry!

In other news tonight – why don’t you pop over to amazon.com and buy a copy of our Supernatural Kids DVD… or is that OLAY moisturiser?

Buy your copy? or tube? Here

So we have just launched new ministry tees this weekend at Hillsong Church.

So to all Hillsong Kids Leaders don’t forget to bring in your old tees leaders and trade them in, along with ten bucks if you can!

Photo courtesy of @K4Kieran from our Hills Campus!

I am really happy with the design – and the three colours are just options for our leaders to choose from. If you look in the top right of the design you can see our name tags that are printed out from our Biometric (fingerprint) ESI (Electronic Sign In) kiosks. So there is actually a spot to put the name tag now — looks smart!

Thanks to Ricky on our communications staff who hooked us up and pointed us in the right direction for suppliers!

NOTE: If you are wondering why we get our leaders to bring in old tees, its mainly because we don’t them showing up in second hand clothing stores and we hope to recycle the old ones for some purpose like tee shirt games for kids and even giving them to one of our new campuses in Europe.

Control makes change exciting. Uncontrolled change is unpredictable.

Here’s the thing: We only like change when WE are the one making the change. When we are in control.

I even hate it when I read about a fellow blogger who I may know only from reading their work or sharing comments is changing roles or perhaps Churches. What is that all about?

It’s because I have zero control over the situation.

As a leader you are setting the direction and keeping the team going forward — so when you change something, it’s exciting. In those times (Andy Stanley talks about that moment you realise you the most powerful person in the room), that it is wise to think about the last time your leader changed something and how you felt — maybe out of the loop, or disorientated or even a little worried about the future.

Communicating change means:

1. Communicating the WHY behind the WHAT
2. Taking time to answer the little questions
3. Reinforce the vision
4. Empathise with your team, don’t dismiss it as an easy decision (even if it was for you… remember: you’re in control)
5. Talk about what a blessing the ‘old way’ was to bring them this far
6. Choose your battles — attitude and heart need to fought for, not the colour of the carpet (that will be a much easier change 6 months later)

Wondering about the post title? Just an example of something that should change often

This is probably not the most earth shattering news to most of you. But if you have an interest in the music industry etc.

(Nashville, TN) April 9, 2010 – EMI Christian Music Group has entered into an exclusive recorded music licensing and marketing agreement with Hillsong Church and Hillsong Music, one of the world’s fastest-growing evangelical ministries and a global force in Christian music. Effective immediately, EMI CMG will have the exclusive license to develop and market Hillsong music in US and Latin American territories (including Canadian digital and mainstream retail stores) in the areas of Recorded Music and Video, Live Events and Leadership/Church Resources.

Yep, we have new friends in EMI CMG.

EMI CMG Label Group and its Sparrow Records label will be marketing and developing Hillsong Music annual releases, including the best-selling Hillsong LIVE, Hillsong UNITED and Hillsong Kids recordings, as well as other music and video products from the Hillsong Music team.  In addition to new product, EMI CMG will be re-introducing all key Hillsong catalog titles into Christian, general market and digital retail outlets.

What does this mean for you, oh inspiring reader of blogs? Nothing much at all but with every new partnership comes new opportunities and it is a new day, so I am looking forward to working with the dudes and dudettes at EMI to create resources that grow our own Church, but also Churches around the world.

I don’t talk about it too much, but when I was probably 14/15 and learning Hillsong songs to play for my children’s ministry praise and worship in my Church in Christchurch New Zealand I never dreamed I would end up here a part of the team that creates that music!

Which leads me to our project(s) this year – which I can say nothing about lest I get in trouble for spreading rumours and innuendo But suffice to say, it’s new, fresh and some stuff we have never done before!

That is all.

So you want to work for Hillsong Church, perhaps serve with Hillsong Kids at a high level?

I got this idea while reading Beat the Clock by Jim Wideman who filtered out speaking invitations to get rid of tyre kickers.

What kind of person am I looking for to be part of the team?

1. You better bleed/love/fight for the local church – Sure there are plenty of worthy causes out there, but our focus is Church, the one thing Jesus said he would build!
2. Your second mile better be well travelled – Above and beyond should be your local cafe, over-delivery should be your courier company.
3. I love great ideas, I hate great ideas poorly executed! – That is all.
4. You need to understand the devil is in the details – the comma in 1,000 is important! My first question might be “how did the event go?”, my second will be one of the following; “did the church van get returned clean?”, “did our volunteers feel appreciated?”, “how many kids exactly were there?”, “did it grow from last year?”, “what can we improve next time?” etc.
5. Are you committed to the vision of this house? – What’s in your hand right now at this moment in time is as important than what is in your heart for the future.
6. Sure you work hard, but can you holiday hard? – When you take a break… take a break… 8 months of leave owing is not a good sign.
7. I hope you believe that you are more important than the role you perform – Your well being matters, no workaholics/martyrs need apply.
8. Tell me HOW you manage your time – If you can’t clearly explain/define it we gotta problem.
9. The only way you can hope to survive and thrive is with God – Your job/role/task/mission will be more than you can handle, don’t come on expecting your talent/gifting is enough. Forget it, you will need God! (Although you will be a person who wouldn’t have it any other way).
10. Everyday will require you being creative – Everyone is creative, just because your 3rd grade teacher didn’t give you a gold star on your painting of your dog Pedro, and gives it to Tommy Wilkinson instead — doesn’t define your life. You are creative.
11. Expect to be inspected – Hey, if you’re not growing your volunteers probably aren’t.
12. You will have to pay the price – I’m not sure exactly what that will be, but on regular occasions there will come something that will touch your treasure (that’s where your heart is).
13. God will give you the desire of your heart – Tommy Barnett says hold on to a dream for five years, whatever you do — please dream big.
14. Please have a sense of humour – At some point I will make fun of your name or Funny Man Dan will live up to his name. The team that laughs together… will probably laugh at your expense.

I could go on… really I could.

Setting the bar high is very important in ministry. Don’t just accept warm bodies both on Church staff and volunteer teams – sell a vision, one that will require work, the kind of vision YOU would want to be part of.

Sure some of these will seem contradictory – that’s the point. Welcome to life (and life abundant)!

To myself (and maybe you),

According to Matthew 26:64 Jesus has given us authority,

Your pastor has given you authority,

What are you waiting for?

Think about your biggest obstacle in ministry right now.

Now think about your biggest ministry opportunity.

Don’t waste all that authority, your answer is supernatural!

You are the person you have been waiting for. You will never exhaust all options because prayer is always an option.

Yours Sincerely,

Me.