[Kid Inspiration]

Ah!

Brilliant.

More new praise and worship music for kiddly winks.

I REALLY like the Kids on the Move team (I even bolded the REALLY if you noticed). The Senior pastor of Church on the Move Willie George practically invented children’s ministry (not even joking) and Jim Wideman it’s co-creator took it to new heights as the kids pastor for many years!

SIDE NOTE: I have had the privilege to spend some time with Jim Wideman and here’s pretty much how conversations go with him:

Me: ”So we did this <insert kind of cool thing> with our kids last year, but we couldn’t seem to <insert issue>”

Jim: (clears throat) “Yeah, tried somethin’ like that back in 1984 and found that you need to <insert solution> and God will bless it, dadgummit!”

Me: ”Oh… yeah… wow…”

(Problem solved).

And… back to topic: In the last little while the seeds blog has come online and been a HUGE blessing to me as I have watched kids services and events all filmed beautifully and lots or input from their myriad of awesome people like Adam Bush and Gabe George etc.

Check out their CM category on the blog.

So enter their album Greater is He!

Tracks include:

Jesus, What a Friend
I Love My Bible
Jesus Is Alive Right Now
Greater Is He
Supernatural
You Are My Rescue
I Obey Right Away
Jesus, I Love You
By Faith
Jesus Is the Way
Jesus on My Journey
Jesus, What a Friend (Remix)

My favourite? Jesus on My Journey.

I really like the title track Greater Is He with an awesome kids choir rocking in the background as well! But don’t take my word for it check out the iTunes link and sample some of these tunes!

Awesome job KOTM team, I’m sure that Hillsong Kids will be worshipping to some of these soon… which leads to a question… backing tracks and website with lyrics?

In much the same way as ten years ago I wouldn’t consider a kids program complete without a puppet show, today I would never consider running a service without some sort of creative video media.

What would you never consider going without?

I wonder what it will be in ten years?

CAN IT TEXT? BLOG? SCROLL? WI-FI? TWEET? No. . . It’s a book.

Love this forthcoming children’s book called… It’s a Book.

Check out the trailer:

No matter how many electronic devices are available these days, you can’t deny the simple appeal of a good book. Monkey is reading a book, but his friend wants to know what the book can do. Does it have a mouse like his computer? Can you make the characters fight? And does it make loud noises? No, it’s a book. Monkey’s friend discovers that a good book doesn’t need fancy electronic accessories.

Who would have thought this book would have been even an idea a few short years ago!

The times they are a-changin’

A great conversation that I promised to get back to last year was the original Story = Danger? post.

Basic premise: Are our kids developmentally ready for the violent narratives found all through the old testament?

So it gathered a lot of comments and lead to a post called Sanitising the Bible for Children? from an English Bishop.

And here now is part the second, in which I put forth a solid hypothesis founded on much introspection, prayer and solid Biblical analysis… and keep it below a few hundred words. After all this is a blog not a thesis.

I think we are quite naive about the developmental stages of humans.

Doesn’t the death of someone close to us give us a greater sense of the fleeting nature of life and a greater empathy/understanding for others going through this. I would dare to say that a child who has experienced tragedy is far more ‘developed’ in certain areas of understanding than myself. The most traumatic experience was the suicide of a friend while he was in Bible College.

Contrast this to the orphans and children affected by the conflict in Uganda. Child soliders that I witnessed at our Church a few weeks ago present their story of unimaginable horror at the hands of the LRA.

I am not even suggesting that children are more ‘advanced’, I am suggesting that you are probably not as far along the ‘development’ curve as you think.

Before you can be old and wise, you must first be young and stupid – Anon

The wiser you get (age never guarantees wisdom), the more you realise how little you knew as young person. Surely this is as true in your spiritual life.

Have you ever taken parenting advice from a teenager who hasn’t even finished negotiating puberty?

So, unfortunately I did what I usually do when I don’t have a solid answer… create more questions in your mind, dear reader. My hope is that I simply made you a little less sure of what you thought you knew.

He who knows others is learned; he who knows himself is wise – Lao-Tzu

This post has nothing to do with monkeys and wedding dresses.

But what if it was!

I know one thing, when you search “monkeys and wedding dresses” on google later this week, this post will definitely appear in the top results!

But that’s because there is not much competition for the search phrase. In fact I may be one of the first people to search for it this year (so we’re only five days in, there are a lot of weird searches happening right now let’s be honest).

There is more competition in the phrase “children’s ministry blog” but I manage to squeak into 5th place in Google. But still, not many people in the world are searching for that term. So what if I am number one in the term “david wakerley”, no one is searching for that.

Interestingly I get a lot of traffic at Christmas time for the term “whoville names“. It seems a post I wrote in 2007 still appears at the top of Google.

Anyway.

As I start 2011 I want to make sure that I am scratching where people are itching. Where is the need? Being a computing expert specialising in Windows 3.1 is an exercise in futility. It’s irrelevant.

Being an expert in what everybody needs right now is helpful, but still not the goal. We need to be ready to help where people don’t realise they need help yet.

• Where is the family going to hurt in the future?
• What is the child going to go through soon?
• How will our culture affect people?

God bless the scratch.

flomax best price alt=”" width=”300″ height=”138″ />

The latest edition of Children’s Ministry Magazine, as part of their 20th celebration features an article called 20 to Watch.

I haven’t got the print version yet (it’s a long boat to Australia), but just checked out the article online.

They wrote a particulary great sentence that sums up a big part of my passion about kids!

David wants the church to lead the way in innovative educational models for children. He has “a real hope for a revolution in the homes of our families” so there’s “a radical Christian counter-culture, not just a Christian subculture.”

Nice!

I don’t think I could have said it better myself. We have an opportunity in this generation to revolutionise learning and engage our kids better than any other institution on earth!

It is really an honour to be a part of this amazing list. I moved to Australia with my wife Beci to attend Bible College and then go back to New Zealand, what God had planned is far above anything I could hope for or imagine. Two boys, a bunch of albums, curriculum, thousands of kids impacted over the years and to be part of this incredible Church called Hillsong.

So thanks to Christine and her team!

It’s time.

Time for something serious.

I don’t do too many posts like this, but I hope this opens up some serious discussion in the comments, because controversy is what gets lots of comments in the blog world and I am unlikely to write something truly controversial like… suggesting that we produce a VBS based on the twilight series of books.

So we are in the middle of creating our next children’s ministry curriculum – Hillsong Kids Big: Supernatural. I have been writing scripts like a madman and one of the weeks includes the story of Jericho. I send the scripts off for a little theology inspection (as usual) to one of our lecturers in our Bible College, Duncan Corby… it comes back pretty good, a few tweaks here and there, but I haven’t yet become a heretic. Yay.

But we start a discussion about something I hadn’t really expected, here is the question:

Should we be teaching/telling our kids the ultra-violent exelon prescription assistance stories found in the Old Testament?

When you get to the end of Joshua’s army walking around Jericho, the walls have fallen, they then proceed to kill every single man, woman and child in the city and burn it to the ground. This is all apparently sanctioned and encouraged by God (rinse and repeat for many other OT stories).

Now he was really thinking out loud and not endorsing the idea, but I need to (even if for my own sake) investigate this idea.

Let me present two perspectives as precisely as I can, because I don’t want this to be an essay.

YES: We should be teaching the whole counsel of God, and we can teach these stories in an age appropriate way. As children grow in understanding they can then begin to explore these issues further. We have to present the Bible as a narrative, the story of God dealing with his people over thousands of years so that our children grasp the big picture of faith. After all the New Testament is the Old Testament revealed.

NO: Exposing our kids to these stories has aided in creating our violent culture. Where Christians quite happily support capital punishment and can justify war in a heart beat. In much the same way that it is said that Jewish young men would not be allowed to read the Song of Songs until they were 30 years old our kids should focus on the life of Jesus, who was non-violent figure, until they are able to reconcile a jealous God in their hearts and minds.

I would love for you to post a pro/con thought in the comments, keep it short, focused and don’t try to present dozens of ideas in one go. Especially if you can point me in the direction of some resources/books that cover this thought.

Almost a month ago I began an epic quest – to write a complete A-Z of Children’s Ministry.

I started at A (funny that) for Adults and finished with Z for Zeta. Along the way I hope that I was able to surprise you and make you think about the world of ministry to children.

If you have enjoyed it or found it insightful or even remotely helpful then please push the retweet button on the side of this post, or the facebook ‘like’ button at the bottom. Feel free to blog about it, tell your neighbours and your enemies, which of course you don’t, for you love all humanity and would want them to read this blog.

Here is the complete list with links:

• A is for Adults
• B is for Bible
• C is for Culture
• D is for Delegate
• E is for Encouragement
• F is for Fun
• G is for Growth
• H is for House
• I is for Inclusive
• J is for Journey
• K is for Kidology
• L is for Longevity
• M is for Mystery
• N is for New
• O is for Obedience
• P is for Paradigm
• Q is for Question
• R is for Respect
• S is for Sabbath
• T is for Teaching
• U is for Unexpected
• V is for Visual
• W is for Welcome
• X is for Xenogague
• Y is for Yahweh
• Z is for Zeta

Now this was the most epic mission I have attempted on this blog since starting in 2004, so in order to make me think it was worth it, please write your adoring comments below. Even if you post a simple, “Dave you’re the greatest” I won’t mind.

But feel free to write a long discorse on just how much this blog series has impacted your life and caused your Church to double in size because of all the kids in your children’s ministry.

But really, I hope it has been helpful to you, I know that I have learnt a lot putting these ideas to paper (digital paper).

I have given myself a challenge for the next 26 days – post the complete A-Z of Ministry to Children. (I almost pulled this off! Just missed yesterday through being a ‘little’ tired after Kidshaper Conference).

Z… zebra, zoology, zenith…

Z is for Zeta – A small room or closet in a church.

This might be a little heavy to finish this list on, but the final word for the A-Z of Ministry to Children is about safety and protection. The most pressing need of your Church is to safeguard your children!

The bottom line at Hillsong Church for our leaders is simply this: ‘never be alone with a child.’

Our toileting procedures is always in pairs (or groups), we don’t change nappies (diapers) and our new leader process is pretty blunt – you need to ask the hard questions up front.

There should be no Zeta’s in your church. No secret places, and no secretive volunteers (or pastors).

Our culture and society has seen enough abuse of children (rightly so). So your job is to avoid even the appearance of evil. Be diligent, be militant and proactive about the safety and care of your kids!

The next post will be a recap of this series. If you have enjoyed it or found it insightful or even remotely helpful then please push the retweet button on the side of the next post, or the facebook ‘like’ button at the bottom. Feel free to blog about it, tell your neighbours and your enemies, which of course you don’t, for you love all humanity and would want them to read this blog.

I have given myself a challenge for the next 26 days – post the complete A-Z of Ministry to Children.

Y… young, yearn, yesterday…

Y is for Yahweh - So there it is. I didn’t choose J for Jesus, but put Y for Yahweh. The bottom line is that God came into His creation to reveal His plan to humanity and you and I and the children we lead all have a place in the grand story.

Jesus told His disciples “Let the little children come to me”. You and I are called to do just that.

Amen.

*Hey, I am at Kidshaper conference this week. Welcome any new readers, make sure you suscribe in the top right.

I have given myself a challenge for the next 26 days – post the complete A-Z of Ministry to Children.

X… xylophone, xenophobia, xerography…

X is for Xenagogue – From Greek, to lead, leading; bring, take; plus a “guest” or stranger. A reference to someone who conducts strangers or foreigners; a tour guide.

The tour guide is a brilliant description of your mission as a minister to children. Your job is to give them a tour of the Kingdom of God, show them the sights, the sounds and the places that make up this diverse and mysterious universe. A world that is often opposite to what we know. Where up is down, the first are last, and when you give you receive.

But unlike the all knowing New York local on the top of a red double decker bus, you are here to learn as well. In fact, sometimes will be operating as a reverse tour guide, learning more than teaching and experiencing more than describing, because if we are not like little children we cannot inherit the very thing we are showing.

So go forth you Xenagogue and I will see you later, the tour will stop for a manna lunch in the wilderness.

I have given myself a challenge for the next 26 days – post the complete A-Z of Ministry to Children.

W… water, witness, woah, wapenshaw…

W is for Welcome – One of the most important moments in your ministry to kids on a weekend is as they arrive. Not only kids but parents. How good is it for them to see their child welcomed like a champion, like one of the family. High fives all round, names remembered, discussions about what happened that week and also sometimes the injury of the week (for the boys usually).

It will probably be one of the only two moments during your program the parents get to see, the other being pickup.

When I see as a parent, my boy running into a room and welcomed well, it gives me a confidence and sets my mind at ease. It is no different for the parents we serve.

Your team can out do Disney and the biggest budgets in the world if their welcome is personal and fun!

I have given myself a challenge for the next 26 days – post the complete A-Z of Ministry to Children.

U… undies, uniform, uncle, Umbratious…

U is for Unexpected – Give them half a chance and I bet the kids in your ministry would surprise you. I have lost count of the times that I have heard something about a child, or see them do something that is surprising… unexpected.

Sometimes negative like one of our regular boys who returned to me (Mum right behind him) a number of air hockey pucks he had stolen over a number of weeks.

But usually positive.

• The 6 year old girl who exhibits her art
• The 9 year old violinist getting a major scholarship
• A 7 year old in the lead role in a major touring show

All surprising.

Some of the biggest surprises are when I see the resilience of children going through major life situations.

So don’t be surprised when you get surprised by a child. In fact, the more surprises you get, I believe the better you are in connecting with kids and families.

I have given myself a challenge for the next 26 days – post the complete A-Z of Ministry to Children.

T… telephone, tiger, Tachydidaxy…

T is for Teaching – I belive the Church can lead a revolution.

“A good teacher knows how to read a story, and that each and every student arrives at our classroom door with a unique and intriguing yet incomplete story. The really good teachers know how to read a child’s story and recognize the remarkable opportunity to help author the story. The really good teachers want to script confidence and success onto the blank pages; they want to edit the mistakes; and they want to help write a happy ending.”
~ Anthony J. Mullen, 2009 NEA National Teacher of the Year

“My rewards don’t come from grades students get on a test, but from students coming back years after graduation to visit me and tell me about their experiences traveling the world and becoming passionate about learning.”
~ Craig Divis, 2010 Vermont Teacher of the Year

There is a movement developing regarding the teaching of children in schools all over the world. People like Ken Robinson in the UK are spearheading efforts to re-imagine teaching and schooling. BUT of course the resistance is institutional. It’s government there are (rightly so) laws and regulations set up to ensure high standards of learning and education.

2006 college graduates: U.S. – 1.3 million, India – 3.1 million, China – 3.3 million

In 10 years it is predicted that the number on English speaking country in the world will be China. (Did You Know 2.0)

Can hear the winds of change? I believe the Church lead this revolution.

The Church has no such regulations, we can turn in a moment and change, we can shift focus and begin to lead the world in the education of children, in the most important learning of all, the grace and knowledge of Jesus Christ.

Investigate new educational models and USE ‘em. You don’t need permission from your local council, your education board, your elected officials, all you need is permission from your senior/lead/whatever pastor!

To change the school system you need a revolution, to change your ministry system you probably just need a decision. Which I think you will agree, is much simpler.

Quotes from: Encouraging Lessons from America’s Top Educators

I have given myself a challenge for the next 26 days – post the complete A-Z of Ministry to Children.

R… radical, repossession, remoulade, road…

R is for Respect – Now I don’t want to go on a rant here about how the ‘young’ people of today have no respect for their elders. I’m sure your great great Grandfather faced the same problem.

I want to talk about the respect you should have for your kids.

Paul said it straight to Timothy… let no man despise your youth (I Timothy 4:12). Children are capable of a lot more than we expect, I am reminded about this when watching videos on YouTube like the one below.

Expectation is a huge spiritual principle… Jesus when healing a lame man asked if he wanted to be healed… what a question! But He knew that not every person in pain wants it to go away, because then they also lose the attention it brings.

So expect much of your kids.

1. Expect them to enter into praise and worship
2. Expect them to serve
3. Expect them to show compassion, to care about the world
4. Expect them to give generously
5. Expect them to listen and learn
6. Expect them to surprise you with their gifts and talents.

Enough of them not showing enough respect, grant every child in your ministry YOUR respect!

Jackie Evancho

I have given myself a challenge for the next 26 days – post the complete A-Z of Ministry to Children.

O… Omnipotent, obdiplostemonous, obtuse, ordinary, orb…

[NOTE: push play on the video on the bottom WHILE you read this. It's a musical score and will make this post even more epic that it already is - trust me give it a go]

O is for Obedience – Okay. When you hear that word, don’t think straight away about little Johnny on Sunday morning squirming around distracting others. Rather think about the life of a legend of faith reaching the end of his or her life on earth having run the race and finished strongly!

That is the motivation for obedience.

The older I get, the more I wish I was obedient to what I believed God was saying to me. I am glad for the big decisions of obedience like moving to Australia to go to bible college and giving that offering with my wife in 2003 that led to incredible miracles back then and today. But I wonder what I missed, IF I missed anything?

Obviously because of God’s grace there is no point dwelling on what might have been except for the reminder that I don’t want to miss out in the future.

SPOILER ALERT (kind of)

In the recent remake of The Karate Kid, there is a large portion of the training that involves the student trusting the master and performing the basic task of taking off and putting on a jacket. Our Kung Fu master is trying to teach many lessons here but the one that stuck out for me is one of obedience.

In order for our hero to reach his goal he needed to simply obey and trust that it would bring him closer to the desire of his heart.

Help your kids see that obedience is important by imparting: 1.Faith – trusting in God no matter what, and 2. Gratitude – a heart that is thankful to God for everything in their lives. Help them see the reason ‘WHY’ to obey… then we will see a generation who live radical risk-taking, kindgom-seeking, epic, significant… in short… obedient lives.

After all, that’s what you want in your own life right?

The Karate Kid (Score) – Jacket On, Jacket Off