[Kid Inspiration]

Hey, if you haven’t checked out squidoo yet… you need to have a look.

Here is my lens:

http://www.squidoo.com/childrensministry/

Don’t 25mg cardizem buy miss the hillarious video halfway down the page!

You can create your own lens as well, for FREE! 

Have a look at Squidoo.

Ben Zander is one of my favourite people in the world — and up to this point I literally have only read one quote and two articles about him. But after reading this I am going to order this.

Ben is conductor for the Boston Philharmonic Orchestra, and professor at the New England Conservatory of Music, and a pretty inspirational guy.

Ben… was faced with the same problem every year for 25 years: Teaching students who were in such a chronic state of anxiety over the measurement of their performance, they were reluctant to take creative risks…decided the best approach would be to give everyone an A, at the beginning of the course. The A was not intended as a way to measure someone’s performance against standards, but as an instrument to open them up to new possibilities.

Students were required to write a letter that began with “Dear Mr. Zander, I got my A because…” and they had to describe in as much detail as possible, how they came to achieve this “extraordinary grade.”

In writing their letters, Zander said students must “place themselves in the future, looking back, and report on all the insights they acquired and 25 mg paxil the milestones they attained during the year, as if those accomplishments were already in the past. Everything must be written in the past tense. Phrases such as ‘I hope,’ ‘I intend,’ or ‘I will’ must not appear.”

Give all your kids in your childrens ministry an A for performance this year. Start with your engaged kids… the ones who learn the memory verses, and tend to remember what you said last week. Then give the kids who present somewhat of a challenge an ‘A’ as well.

What needs to change in their behaviour to get an ‘A’? And more importantly what needs to change in YOUR behaviour to ensure they get an ‘A’.

NOTE: I am not, of course, implying that we want to grade our kids, just the concept that we are all familiar with having most likely grown up in school.

We move fast in ministry. Success is celebrated briefly, failure is quickly forgotten. We started our 7th service tonight. It was new and exciting, but within two weeks, it will be as if we have been doing it forever!

Dave Ferguson (Community Christian Church Chicago) writes (a few weeks ago) on “four rules for fast teams“, adapted from Fast Company (one of my favroutie business blogs).

1. LET THE GROUP MAKE IT’S OWN RULES.
2. SPEAK UP EARLY AND OFTEN.
3. 25 mg amitriptyline LEARN AS YOU GO.
4. FAST HAS TO BE FUN.  

Read on at daveferguson.org

Rick Muchow is the worship pastor at Saddleback church – Check out this 200 mg prometrium article on Pastors.com where Rick answers a question about kids praise and worship
Key Paragraph:

The worth of our children is so significant and powerful! They are the next generation of our church, but often we are so busy leading the adults who are asking to be led and funding the church, that we end up with our leftover energy going to the children. We as churches often train our younger ministers by putting them with the children. I wonder how our churches would grow if we asked our best leaders to focus on teaching the children first. It could radically change the church of the future!

I just posted this on the kidology forum, If you are new to the blogging thing, then read on!

The uses for blogs a wide and varied, but lets look at it from a ministry point of view.

Imagine being able to hop on the net and read a dozen messages written by people you respect and admire in ministry. Cutting edge research, inspiring ideas, thought provoking 10 mg prednisone theology, challenging ideas that keep you fired up and inspired to go for it in your ministry… and it is all fresh, written that morning or last night.

Well, that is what blogs will do… I have 78 blogs (currently) that I read regulary… not all ministry related, some just completely for entertainment!

(Note: I don’t visit 78 websites every day, just one… to find out how watch this.

It’s like reading a newspaper customised completely for me.

I even have blogs or ‘feeds’ that I read that come from mainstream media (newspaper, TV). Every time an article mentions a keyword (like children’s ministry) I am interested in, I get notified. That is from media from all around the WORLD, not just Australia where I live.

There are a lot of other things people use blogs for, but for me it is ministry insight and news, and making a lot of cool friends all over earth.

Every time I need to explain something twice to a leader/volunteer/staff member… it says something more about me than the other person…

“I obviously did not explain it well enough the first time”

Now of course its not always me with the issue, maybe people don’t listen to me, maybe they cannot understand my Australianised New Zealand accent, maybe I mumble… hang on, they are issues with me.

But anyhoo…

In a day where we see 1500 marketing messages a day, and spend most of our time listening to iPods clear communication is vital!

Scott Hodge writes about “Leading in Times of Change & Transition” from the Centre for Creative Leadership

The Center for Creative Leadership’s Michael Wakefield recently gave some “communications fundamentals” when leading in times of change and transition:

• Communicate relentlessly. Now is not the time to keep quiet.
• Listen. Pay attention to what people are saying, thinking & feeling.
• Explain the change.
• Make an appeal. Draw on a sense of loyalty, courage, morality or other principles that tie the organization’s change strategy to what is important to people.
• Articulate expectations. Clearly explaining why, how and when things will need to happen will set expectations and create a healthy level of stress and pressure.
• Be visible. Find ways to interact!
• Confront problems and conflict. Don’t postpone dealing with challenging issues or conflict. Avoidence will only harm you, your co-workers and your organization.
• Be honest and open. An effective leader will ask the hard questions and foster an environment of honesty and candid discussion.
• Show respect. Treat people with genuine concern and sincere consideration.
• Make room for doubts. Don’t dismiss, write-off or label employees too easily or too quickly.
• Don’t dismiss the old. Help people through transition by acknowledging their history and attachments.
• Be sincere and authentic. Don’t try to bury or deny your own reactions to ongoing events.
• Trust people to handle the truth. Tell them what you know and own up to what you don’t know.
• Demonstrate that you can handle the truth. Stay connected to a broad circle of people and make it clear that you want them to share their concerns and ideas.

Kids forget most of what I say to them during our weekend services.

Right now I am in between Sunday morning and Sunday night church… and I can guarantee that any kids that came to our morning services would have already forgotten most of what I said.

Studies would indicate 95% of information is lost in three days.

Man!

If you are not committed 110% to presenting the gospel of JC in mind blowing, unforgettable, inspirational and educational ways – turn the lights out and head home.

Most of the stuff I remember from ‘Sunday School’ (watching Star Trek IV??? What the…?) isn’t worth the space it takes up in my brain. I want the stuff my kids remember in 23 years from now to be the kind of memories that define their walk with Christ!
The most important truths ought to be communicated in the most unforgettable ways.

Read on from an article by Mark Batterson at SermonCentral.com

Whew!

Nap Time before tonight.

Dave out.

When I was a lot younger than I am now I read a story about a wise old chinese man and some kids. I cannot for the life of me remember anything else about the story except for the description of the wise old man.

“He remembered what it was like to be young” – not just in an intellectual kind of way, but really understood why kids act the way they do. Now obviously God stuck that in my mind for a reason, otherwise I maybe slightly loopy right now.

So my site of the week is:
http://kimandjason.com/escapeplan

We want to rid the world of Adultitis. We can’t afford to set up a research team to develop a vaccine. We don’t have the stamina to attempt a triathalon to raise funds. And when it comes to those little ribbons, all of the colors have already been taken. But we do have a plan.

It is based on this manifesto from changethis.com

Make sure you have a look around change this while you are there. You may just find some ideas that change the course of history!

(via philbaker.net)

What happens to infants when they die?

I was very interested to read this page as John Piper and the Desiring God website give their take on the question.

Great brain fodder!

Thoughts? Comment below.

Well, I always get excited over new stuff, so I am pretty excited about my new little project. I put together a short little video on my kidinspiration.com site all about using the internet for children’s ministry.

Click here to view the vid and find out:

… and more!

View the video:
http://www.kidinspiration.com/video/episode1.htm

Now– what I would love you to do is post your comments below–tell me what you liked, tell me what you REALLY liked and then tell me again

Hope you find the video helpful!

Just spoke at our Hillsong Bible College on Wednesday about the Internet and Media.

For all those at the class, or even if you are just curious… then the notes are available for download.

This is a quick little primer for anyone who would like to use/search the net for Childrens Ministry related info, and also a basic outline of how the web works.

Found this AWESOME short article in my archives… I think from a Mark Victor Hansen newsletter. It has some great thoughts on how we can begin to teach our children. You WILL get a lot out of it… maybe even change the way you think about learning!

“Each one, reach one. Each one, teach one. Until all are taught. - Mark Victor Hansen

Change expert Don Wolfe teaches that there are two kinds of learning: informational learning and transformational learning, or head learning and heart learning.

Informational learning is predominant in our educational system. Teachers talk; students listen, take notes, take tests, get grades, and so on. It’s all about memorization and regurgitation.

Transformational learning is about empowering students to discover the answers for themselves. It’s a slower process, but much more profound. That’s why it’s transformational.

We live in the age of too much information and not enough transformation. When people get stuck, it’s rarely because they don’t know enough. It’s because they lack the ability to act on what they already know. Transformational learning is not about taking notes in a notebook. It is about writing the lessons on your heart and in every cell of your body-so that your behavior flows effortlessly, without compulsion, from the wellspring of your natural desire to live the life you were born to live.

The main goal of transformational learning is to cause you to experience ‘ahas’. An aha is when your awareness expands?when you ?get it.? The lights go on and you say to yourself, ‘Aha!’

What did you aha today?

Figure what the always is. Then do something else.

Toothpaste always comes in a squeezable tube.
Business travelers always use a travel agent.
Politicians always have their staff screen their calls.
Children’s ministries always have a bus ministry.

Figure out what the always is, then do exactly the opposite. Do the never.

Thanks to this from Seth Godin

Ages & Stages for Media-Wise Families

The Imagination Stage – ages 2 to 7*

Has a very active imagination, often confusing fact and fiction. Has difficulty integrating the elements of a story and drawing a conclusion. Protect from frightening or mesmerizing images.

The Concrete Operational Stage – ages 7 to 11

Judges characters by their attractiveness and by their motives. Is more likely to imitate movie violence if it goes unpunished or is presented as necessary.

The Reflection Stage – ages 12 to 15

Abstract thought gains strength. Teach early teens to analyze plot, character, setting, and to draw out and evaluate a movie’s premise. Still unable to foresee the consequences of their actions. May imitate characters’ behavior.

The Relationship Stage – later teens

Accepts that others are different. Learns to relate to others by accepting their differences. Conceptualizes the consequences of actions and takes steps to reduce risks. Teach them to recognize the ways media try to manipulate them.

*All ages are approximate. Adapted from The Media-Wise Family by Ted Baehr (Chariot Victor, 1998).

Here is a article from Randy White at the White Hutchinson Leisure and Learning Group.

Includes some research from George Barna, a very concise and excellent article.

The Importance of Children’s Ministry

by Randy White
© 2003 White Hutchinson Leisure & Learning Group

No evangelical church has unlimited resources in facilities, money and often a more limiting factor, staff and volunteers. Therefore, to be most effective in its evangelical mission of bring the Love of God to the largest number of the unchurched, it is important that a church focus its resources and efforts where there is the highest probability of success; that it focus on a niche
of the unchurched in its geographic market area who are most likely to be attracted to attend.

This is sometimes referred to as targeting for evangelism. Dr. Rick Warren, senior pastor of Saddleback Valley Community Church in Orange County, California, one of the fastest growing churches in American, points out:

“The practice of targeting specific kinds of people for evangelism is a biblical principal of ministry. It’s as old as the New Testament. Jesus targeted his ministry… [Jesus] publicly identified his ministry target as the Jews.
Was Jesus being unfair or prejudiced? Certainly not. Jesus targeted his ministry in order to be effective, not to be exclusive.”

The question that is typically raised is who should be targeted? An investigation of research on reaching the unchurched shows that families with younger children, and more specifically the children, are often the best target market.

Probably the most convincing argument why targeting children’s ministry for evangelism can be the most effective is research on the probability of people accepting Jesus Christ as their savior for a lifetime relationship. Research by George Barna and the Barna Institute of over 1,000 adults in May 2001 puts the probability at

• 32% for children between 5 and 13 years old,
• 4% for children between 14 and 18, and
• 6% for people 19 years and older.

In other words, attracting younger children to a church to learn about the Love of God will have 5 to 8 times the impact of attracting the same number of older children or adults. Barna’s research on faith development and discipleship also found that the moral development of children is complete by age 9.

Non-religious oriented research on children’s moral and values development substantiates that the foundation for lifelong values and morals are formed at the earliest years.

The May 2001 Barna’s research also showed that church attendance by children has a lifelong impact. The majority (61%) of adults who attended church as children still attend regularly, while only 22% of those who were not churchgoers as children attend church today.

Early churchgoing also has an impact on whether parents bring their children to church. For parents who were churched as children, 63% take their own children to church. That’s double the proportion among adults who were not churched and now have children of their own (33%).
George Barna states:

“The research is very clear: if Jesus is not already part of their lives by the time they leave junior high school, the chances of them accepting Him as their Lord and savior is very slim (6%, to be exact). With children, it is just the opposite. Because of the challenges and insecurities they face in life, they are very open to being a part of a community of like-minded people who
grow together. Children have a tremendous influence within their families and on the choices they make in all areas of life…
The greatest evangelical window currently available is among young children.”

R. S. Lee, the author of Your Growing Children and Religion says it this way:

“The first seven years [of life] constitute the period for laying the foundations of religion. This is the most important period in the whole of a person’s life in determining his later religious attitudes.”

Research has clearly substantiated the Bible verse
“Train up a child in the way he should go, and
when he is old he will not depart from it.”
(Proverbs 22:6)

Sources

• Barna, George; Re-Churching the Unchurched. Ventura, CA: Issachar Resources,
  2000.
• Barna, George; Re-Churching the Unchurched. Ventura, CA: Issachar Resources,
  2000.
• Barna Research Online. Adults Who Attended Church As Children Show Lifelong
  Effects. URL. (accessed 1 February 2003)
• Kohlburn, Lawrence. The Psychology of Moral Development. San Francisco:
  Harper & Row, 1984.
• Rainer, Thom S. Surprising Insights From The Unchurched. Grand Rapids, MI:
  Zondervan, 2001.
• Rainer, Thom S. Surprising Insights From The Unchurched. Grand Rapids, MI:
  Zondervan, 2001.

For additional information on the unchurched, visit the Barna Institute website.

From White Hutchinson Leisure & Learning Group’s website