[Kid Inspiration]

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

Kidinspiration Exclusive Special Report: Kidshaper Book Leaked!

Sydney, Australia – 29 July 2010.

On the 26th of July, 2010 I was contacted by a man who wanted to be known only as ‘Deep_Waffle’ (and yes he insisted on the underscore in his name). He told me he had stumbled on an item that may be of great interest to me.

He claimed to have been drinking a soy latte with candy sprinkles at his local Gloria Jeans Coffee establishment and upon finishing his tasty beverage, was disposing of it noticed a rather bald man with a sizeable grin staring at him from the pages of what appeared to be a substantial book. He recognised the man as Rob Bradbury, a notable 70′s rock musician now a pastor, author, speaker, thinker, father, son, leader and part time lawnmower mechanic.

What was in this book?

What’s it for?

Why is Rob grinning?

Take a close look at the photo from Deep_Waffle.

My feeling that this book is going to be released at this years Kidshaper conference. I have no idea why this is in a coffee shop, but I do know that someone may just loose their job over this in the sprawling Planet Kids compound down there in Melbourne Australia.

Of course there is the potential that this is a hoax, albeit a rather elaborate one, so let’s look at the facts:

• It is 164 pages long
• Full colour, this is no photocopied tract!
• It lines up with this years theme at Kidshaper; TASTE
• As you can see, there is a picture of Rob Bradbury in it. I know for a fact that Rob doesn’t allow the use of his image anywhere…
• There is a stack load of content in it which appears to be from leaders all over the earth.
• The timing seems right, printing this would take a while so the fact that it is ready now for the conference would make sense.
• The team that runs Kidshaper are always trying new things, pushing the envelope – this move would make sense.

Just like the blog Gizmodo which faced legal action from Apple when they revealed an iPhone 4 found in a bar in California, I am not expecting Mr. Bradbury and his well funded suit wearing legal department to take this lying down. Will they deny this or simply stand up and say ‘we messed up’ and apologise to the children’s ministry world?

Updates to come.

So I spoke at the Kidshaper conference last week about keeping perspective in our lives… here are some great quotes about perspective and a summary:

• In order to keep a true perspective of one’s importance, everyone should have a dog that will worship him and a cat that will ignore him.
• Not everything that counts can be counted, and not everything that can be counted counts. Albert Einstein
• Every generalization is dangerous, especially this one. Mark Twain
• I’ve missed more than 9,000 shots in my career. I’ve lost almost 300 games. 26 times I’ve been trusted to take the game winning shot and missed. I’ve failed over and over and over again in my life and that is why I succeed. Michael Jordan
• Won’t you come into the garden? I would like my roses to see you. Richard Brinsley Sheridan
• A penny will hide the biggest star in the Universe if you hold it close enough to your eye. Samuel Grafton
• When a man sits with a pretty girl for an hour, it seems like a minute. But let him sit on a hot stove for a minute – and it’s longer than any hour. That’s relativity. Albert Einstein
• There is no burnt rice to a hungry person. Philippine Proverb

GIDEON: Judges 7:1-8

• God bought about a victory from an army too small (Midianites 135,000 = 450 to 1)
• With weapons that were completely inadequate (empty clay jar, a torch, a trumpet)
• And a leader who was determined but felt completely insignificant (Judges 6:11)

There is pretty much one conference I attend each year that I have nothing to organise and that is Kidshaper. It is the national ACC children’s ministry conference in Melbourne Australia.

I get to just attend and enjoy it!

Except this year I had the honour of speaking as a keynote to the hundreds of awesome men and women of God who sow their lives into the kids of Australia and New Zealand and the world!

You can read a report from the official blog of Kidshaper CM1234

And follow Rob Bradbury (national grand poo-bah of Kids R Us) on twitter.

But from a personal perspective it was such a great few days receiving leadership and wisdom from Papa Smurf himself Jim Wideman and so many other leaders around this nation.

I really felt God speak to my heart about great steps forward both personally and for our church. It was a profound week and I love seeing the same faces each year knowing there are so many volunteers out there running ministries with a heart for God and kids.

If you are one of those people who perhaps is out there running your ministry as a volunteer without a big network of like minded people around you:

1. Find out who is close by you from Kids R Us… make contact and make yourself known. I know Rob and his team would love to support you.
2. Contribute – it’s the greatest way to connect. Write a nice comment on someone’s blog, reply to them on twitter. Connection is not all about the phone and face to face anymore. As you give you will receive. Send a resource to another Church, help them out. You may just find a lifetime ministry friend.
3. Come to Kidshaper next year and say hi.

Thanks Rob and team!

Last week our team flew to Melbourne to the Kidshaper conference.

We took most of the staff, and a bunch of volunteers, about 20 people all up.

There is MUCH that could be said about the week. The fantastic input from Glen Berteau, the awesome worship from the Planetshakers band and the team from Citikidz in Brisbane. Being massively inspired by the ever youthful Rob Bradbury who is more passionate about reaching kids for Christ than he ever was!

One of the afternoons we sat down as a team and talked about what we felt God was saying to us and others. I really felt that God is pounding the point into my somewhat slow cranium, that I need to pray, believe and expect for miracles with our kids and powerful encounters with God each service!

It’s not just about teaching the word of God, but it is also His presence!

In a country with very few full time ministers to children I am VERY excited to see over one thousand at a conference like this.

So here’s to next year with the statesman that is Jim WIdeman and daughter Yancy!

Even though I didn’t blog much during the conference, I did twitter a bunch, so check the stream out.

So thanks Rob and Team… and I guess I have to write a book now?

At some ungodly hour I will awaken tomorrow and get on a little bus and make my way down south… Way down South to Melbourne to Kidshaper, our annual national Children’s ministry conference.

We are taking not just our staff this year, but a whole bunch of volunteers so it will be a blast!!!

I plan to Twitter the conference which will hopefully be a better experience than the one at our Colour conference a few months ago.

It turns out it’s hard to blog a conference while serving at it! (who knew).

I am speaking in just one elective so I will have a lot more time to comment on the messages and ministry.

So follow the Twitter stream at http://Twitter.com/kidinspiration

If you are coming, see you there! My elective is on Thursday afternoon, come and say hi!