[Kid Inspiration]

Just saw this in the digital version of Charisma Magazine. A great article that talks about Hillsong Music and perhaps better than a lot of writing blends a great perspective on the Church with discussion of our Praise and Worship.

Australia’s Hillsong Church may be on the other side of the world, but its music and ministry style diflucan online have affected every continent. We talked to Pastor Brian Houston about the global impact of Aussie faith…

There are two ways to view it:

- On the fancy (and very pretty) Digital Magazine version.

- Or the standard blog post/static but linkable website version.

Guest blogspot from Nick Fisk today.

Nick is an awesome ex-kiwi (just like me) on our team whose role (or at least one of them) is to oversee all our extension services from a kids perspective.

He has a massive heart for kids, especially those going through separation and divorce. Here is a quick training thought we used in our ministry.

Communicate Caring in Small Groups – Nick Fisk.

Children are very discerning, even when you don’t expect it. They intuitively know if you love to connect with them and if you love what you’re doing. There are many ways to intentionally connect more deeply with children. For optimal learning cod soma sale and life change in the minds and hearts of children, they need to feel as though you want to hear them.

Children need to know they matter to you! Always remember ‘kids don’t care how much we know until they know how much we care’ Getting to know your kids versus getting through the worksheets, will pay off in the long run. You’ll be able to go twice as deep because relationships are in place and your kids will want to come back for more. Remember, for some children church might be the only safe place they have.

Children need to know they are accepted by you! For children to grow and understand God’s love, they need to know they’re loved, accepted, and cared for. How are you intentionally getting to know your children? Notice a pattern in what children want to talk about. Concentrate on keeping track of what they’re asking about or telling you. Check the percentage of time you spend on active listening, don’t be the one doing all the talking.

You will connect intentionally with your children when you care, stay focused, use the worksheets, communicate clearly and concisely, and challenge them to think creatively and critically.

Okay, so as you may be aware we are working at this moment on our first Hillsong Kids Curriculum. So that has me up late writing content and messages and scripts and stuff.

The one site I visit regularly is Desiring God which is the teaching ministry of John Piper whenever I need a shot of Theology. He pretty much has everything he has ever written, thought about writing, or even thought about thought about writing online which makes it a fantastic resource to check out some theology points. Another I will check is Koinonia House (Chuck and Nancy Missler).

So I was over there searching Desiring God for some insight on Adam and Eve. Trying to figure out how to express what happened in the garden to kids.

And I came across quite simply a mind expanding little article that has given me a perspective on what we are doing for our kids as we seek to raise them to follow Jesus.

Preaching As Concept Creation, Not Just Contextualization

As we think seriously about contextualizing the message of the Bible, let’s remember that we must also labor to bring about, in the minds of our listeners, conceptual categories that may be missing from their mental framework. If we only use the thought structures they already have, some crucial biblical truths will remain unintelligible, no matter how much contextualizing we do. This work of concept creation is harder than contextualization, but just as important.

We must pray and preach so that a new mental framework is created for seeing the world. Ultimately, this is not our doing. God must do it. The categories that make the biblical message look foolish are deeply rooted in sinful human nature. “The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he cheep generic viagra is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned” (1Corinthians 2:14)….

That uses some serious big word with many syllables, but here’s what I got from it.

I strive to present everything to kids in context… like explaining how life differs from the time of Jesus, who would be a modern day tax collector, stuff like that. But what Piper suggests is that (if you read the entire article), is that we need to create structure in the minds of our kids to support that context.

The cool thing is we get to work with kids, the easiest humans on earth to create new paradigms simply because they don’t have to unlearn anything, they are completely open to new ideas.

Piper goes on to say that it is the work of the Holy Spirit, which is also a good thing because I wouldn’t have a clue how to start.

If you haven’t fallen asleep reading this post yet you might just be wired like me! So go read the article and if you’re brave, post a comment below with an example of concepts our kids need to know!

So there is a child in your ministry going through a tough time? Maybe there is a birthday looming.. you want to get them a gift that will show them that you care, without showing your ministry budget the meaning of the phrase, ‘in the red’. Here are 9 memorable gifts you can give your students on their without breaking the budget.

1. Art supplies: almost all kids enjoy crayons, markers, stickers, colored pencils, gel pens, special papers and scissors, sidewalk chalk, water colors, homemade rubber stamps, “how to draw” books calligraphy instructions, or origami instructions and colored paper. Art supplies guarantee the creative side of your students will emerge from the vacuum of TV.

2. Books are always great gifts for any age: you can get musical or squeaky books for the little ones, short stories for preschoolers, adventure books for 9-11 year olds, and so on: there is a book for every taste. With a quick phone call to mum find out their interests, books about jobs and careers and hook them up with something valuable.

3. A classic movie, which never goes out of style, great for when friends come over, or on that day when they are bored and nothing else could help. Skip the new releases and head for the discount rack. Make sure to sign the DVD with a marker to make sure they never forget who gave it to them!

4. For older boys, a tool kit would be great: gives them the opportunity to work side by side with dad. This is brilliant for those with Dads in a trade… they get to connect with Dad, or even the son of an accountant… THEY get to connect with… tools (boys like tools right?)

5. For older girls, beads could mean hours of fun. Sit down with them and create a masterful bracelet creation.

6. To the chef in the house, give a roll of sugar cookie dough from the grocery store, along with a couple of cookie cutters, and a rolling pin. You could even stick around to cook it with them… and enjoy the fruits of your labour.

7. For the nature lover, a gardening kit with a couple of small pots filled with potting soil, some seeds, and a plastic watering can give countless hours of fun, while caring for the plants, and watching them grow.

8. A disposable camera will give that photography a chance to blossom. Offer to develop the photos for the student if they bring it to church with them on the weekend. Add a small picture album, and you’ve instantly created wonderful memories.

9. Children crave attention from important people in their lives, (mom, dad, grandparent, aunt, older sibling). Give that special child the gift of time: a day out with you complete with lunch, a movie, and/or shopping for the gift of their choice.

These ideas are brilliant when you need 60 mg prozac to just hang out with a student. For example, turning up at their house holding cookie dough creates an easy 40 minutes of hang out time waiting for the dough to cook. And the student knows how long you are going to hang out for and takes away any awkward ‘How long do I have to stay for?’ moments.

Enjoy these tips and let me know any great stories you get from trying them!