Two Steps Past Admitting It...

I just read a though provoking post by Jonathan Martin. Check it out here.

The post covers the difference between being aware of your faults vs. acknowledging them as sin and working with God to overcome them. I've spent a lot of time in the "self-aware" zone. I've found it fruitless in the long run. My goal is to go two steps beyond self awareness into repentance and then personal change with the help of the Holy Spirit.

I invite you to join me in taking some time to take the next two steps past self awareness. It may be painful, but it'll be worth it in the end.

Three All Important Planning Factors

I recently had to make up a plan for our new children's space. I've discovered three great planning truths as a result. Here they are.

1. NEVER plan alone. Make sure you gather creative people around you. The ideas will be more robust and better thought out.
   
2. NEVER rush the planning process. It makes the whole project go faster when the plan is well laid out.
3. ALWAYS keep the plan under review. The plan serves to accomplish the project. The project doesn't exist to follow the plan. If you DO need to change the plan mid project just make sure that the change serves the end goal and isn't just a cheep short cut.

If you have any more insights on making a plan feel free to share.

Samson Video Makes it Big(er)

Apparently this video has gotten around the internet just a bit. The internet's a funny place. It's just a dorky little diddly do we did on Samson to introduce the kids to the story. All hail legomation!

Well... so we've not made it to the big time with this one. But it's always nice to see you're stuff show up on a search engine.

NEW ROOM!

This week our children's ministry was authorized to renovate a room for our own! This is a big step forward for us as we've been sharing a room with the youth ministry. It will solve all sorts of staging and logistics problems for us. Not to mention we get a room that looks COOL!

Now we just have to figure out what to do with this. The options are unlimited... funds are not. Such is life.

Limitations aside, I think that I've got a great team of creative people who will be able to take any budget and turn it into a top notch design. I'm looking forward to it.

If you have any pictures or ideas, please share them with me. Send pictures to mills.joe@gmail.com

Marketing Morality

Church leaders today have widely varying thoughts about how church marketing effects the integrity of the Gospel. Many see using solid marketing as contrary to Jesus intentions. While I'm sure I can't provide all the answers to the debate, I feel I've arrived at a place of balance for myself that I'd like to share with you.

First, in my view marketing and preaching are similar in definition. Marketing can be viewed as a "sub-dialect" of whatever language you are speaking. The words marketers use are intended to evoke feelings and thoughts within the target audience who will then act accordingly. By that raw definition marketing is not at all dissimilar to preaching or teaching. We use language to cause a change of thought and behavior in people. The only true differences are content and format.

Second, western culture is now used to being "marketed" into doing things. In many ways, consumers feel if the marketing isn't good, the product isn't good either. In essence, the package speaks to the quality of the product. I've found this to be true of attracting people to events and to church in general. If things are not "packaged" in a way that they feel comfortable with, they won't come. While this may be a cultural flaw, it is one we can't get away from and will have to address. I choose to embrace it rather than fight it.

Third, good marketing requires you to think out your course, be intentional about how you present yourself, and be clear in how you present ideas. There have been all sorts of great ideas that have gone nowhere because the presentation of those ideas suffered from poor planning and bad execution. Marketing adds a step between idea and execution requiring consideration of the human element of the endeavor. Since everything in church life depends almost solely on the human element, good marketing can only serve to help achieve overall success.

For these reasons and others I've decided to use the "language" of marketing to help motivate people into living a more godly and Biblical lifestyle. There are many problems and pitfalls to using marketing as a ministry tool. Maybe I'll touch on those another time.

Feel free to share any marketing ideas or thoughts.

New Blogger Skin

It's not that I couldn't do it. It just takes so LONG!

I finally bit the bullet. I made the skin of Kids Ministry Abstract fit the rest of our kids' ministries site. It seems to work. I'm happy with it. Let me know if you like/hate it or if something is broken.

Anti-Pack Rat

I am the anti-pack rat. I hate keeping things for the sake of keeping them... except for technology. I'm bad about technology. I like to keep it around. I just threw out some memory so old no computer would run it.

However, most other stuff I don't keep around long. In fact, I'm a bad choice for a clean up helper for this reason. My philosophy is "if you can't think what you'd use it for in less than 5 seconds, you don't need it." Or better yet, "if you haven't used it in the last year, and won't use it in the next, bu-bye."

AWAY WITH JUNK!

I tend to offend often with this sort of mentality. I guess some folks like lots of stuff lying around. More often than not, I end up throwing away objects connected with memories. People get bent out of shape. It's not pretty.

So share a "dumpy" story with me.

Which Jesus?

A children's minister friend of mine and I were chatting online recently and we decided to make a t-shirt with this on the front...

"I don't know the poopy Jesus."

We got to that rather goofy point after talking about how some folks I was at a prayer meeting with seemed to feel that the really cool experience of knowing the unfathomable creator of all things is best displayed with a face that resembles that of a polite and proper socialite experiencing constipation.

Don't get me wrong, I'm really not trying to be critical. I know that every one of those folks loves Jesus as much as I. However, I think it is valuable to reflect on how we carry ourselves and how that effects people's perception of what God has done in us.

What Jesus do people think you know?

Amazing Faith

This week I'm preaching to adults. That means I can't crow like a chicken, throw stuff, or act like a monkey to drive a point home. This leaves me a bit short for illustrative material. However, I've come across a nice thought, so I might survive yet: if we have amazing love, amazing grace, and all that, why can't we have amazing faith?

Sure, the love and grace thing are from Jesus. Faith is our deal. But if you stop and think about it Biblically, we all get a "measure of faith" from God. So faith is a gift from God just as much as His grace and love. Just like grace and love, we can use it or leave it be. Since it's up to us to tap into the faith we've been given, why not go for broke?

So I challenge y'all to attempt to "ramp up" your faith in God's promises and see if something amazing results.

Jesus, please come back soon...

This is the world our kids will grow up in. They will be assailed with temptations from... you got it... it's not a joke (or at least it isn't meant to be)... http://www.flirtomatic.com/

Dear God help us! ;)

Respectobigle

So I'm sitting here in Starbucks with my trusty(ish) Dell laptop, and I see a few folks sitting a few tables away. It's a grandmother and a granddaughter by the looks of things. The granddaughter, stylish and trendy is texting away on her phone while the grandma, well into her seventies, tries to act like what she is saying is being heard.

It reminded me of my now departed grandparents, and how I didn't ever think they would be gone while I had them, and how I wanted them when they were gone.

So go get some coffee with your grandma... with the cell phone turned off.

New Baby

What a great thing babies are. They are just so cute. My new niece is no exception! She is just a princes waiting to happen. If you don't have a niece yet, I'd recommend getting one.

eWeb upDATE Postr

My children's ministry site has moved here. (http://kidsblastvt.org) I am going to be changing things here in the near future, so come back every once in awhile.

God bless 2.0

Creative Destruction?

Today I used some of the inherent angst my teenage helpers have to help make a point. I had one of them take a crow bar to an old computer. He messed the thing up... badly.

Why did I do this?

I needed a way to make what the prodigal son did real. Kids don't understand the value of money well. They don't place the same value on it that we as adults do. However, computers are something kids put value on. They see them as cool and desirable.

The result was tangible. They were amazed that someone would destroy a valuable thing like a computer. When I told them that the prodigal son did the same kind of thing with his father's money they got it. I was a bit worried that the message might get lost in the digital abuse, but it was a good illustration. The kids understood the concept of throwing away what is valuable for the long haul for something that is just short term fun.

So I guess creative destruction paid off... for once.

Children and Easter

Today I had the privilege of speaking to our MOPS group (Mothers of Pre-Schoolers). They asked me to speak on portraying the Easter story to pre-schoolers.

I found out that's not really as easy as it sounds.

Here's a way to tell the Easter story I came up with.

1. Jesus lived a perfect life, he never did anything wrong.
2. Jesus choose to die for us to take away our sins.
3. Three days after Jesus died God made Jesus alive again.
4. Jesus went into heaven to be with God and to prepare a place for us so that when we die we can be in heaven with Him.

This is what I came up with, and since I've got to tell this story to my three year old for the first time this year I'd love to hear some other ideas of how to tell very young children about the Easter story.

Please Pray

My brother was just put in jail. That's a problem. However, the real problem is his spiritual condition. He needs to turn his life over to Jesus. Please pray with me that he does so.

Thanks!

Bible Read-A-Thon Success!

The Bible Read-A-Thon I mentioned in the last post went great! We had about 1/3 of the kids participate, including some who live in the "really need it" category. Many of our kids did the assigned readings without promptings from parents.

We are having an awards ceremony this Sunday. The clincher is going to be the gift bags we give to each child. I plan on pointing out that while these bags of candy and toys are cool, the real prize is the peace, joy, and wisdom God gives us when we read the Bible.

If you have any other ideas for getting the kids excited about daily devotions, make sure an post a comment.

Changes

I just found out in the last week that I'm going to have to put my big plans for a dedicated children's room on hold for the time being.

Bummer.

Oh well... I've got plenty of other devious plots for getting kids to see the super great-o-matic wondermusness of Jesus.

I am also making a shift in strategy for my Sunday mornings. I've been doing the "SUPER FUN WACKY KEWL KIDS SERVICE!" at the slight expense of spiritual depth. I've done so intentionally to allow the kids to see that spiritual things can be fun. Now it's time to show them those spiritual things on a deeper level.

I'm going to start giving kids a chance to minister to each other in prayer times and such. I think this is an essential discipleship tool. Nothing teaches us to be a follower of Christ like doing what Christ did. I hope to encourage that in the coming months.

This month I'm also doing a Bible Read-a-Thon. Kids who read through the book of John in 21 days get a certificate of completion and a few nice prizes. They will also gain a spiritual harvest from all of the neato nuggets the Bible has to offer.

So what are y'all doing to deepen the spiritual waters for your kids?

(This post is by the new intern, Chris. Give him props! He'll be posting from time to time.)

Hey everyone this is my very first blog ever so here I go.

What does an intern write about? I guess he or she would write about what they have learned so far during their internship, so this is something I have learned that I feel is very important in ministering to kids. One of the FUNdimentals of Children's Ministry, that I have learned, is that every thing should be fun. When kids aren't having fun or they don't see that there is any fun to be had they easily lose interest in what you are doing. Therefore they don't learn anything and you are just babysitting, and trust me you don't want to be just a babysitter you want your kids to learn and grow.

The Perfect Moment

Last night my daughter asked to watch a Barney video. Barney and I have a love hate relationship. I hate Barney as he is an irritating repetitive purple monstrosity, but my daughter loves him. So I watch Barney and act like I like him. Anyhow... off topic.

Last night my daughter and I watched a Barney video together. Normally she fidgets and plays like any normal three year old would. But this time she just wiggled herself under my arm and cuddled as close as she could. She just wanted to sit by me and be together. I loved every moment.

Who knew Barney the dinosaur could be in the middle of the perfect moment.

Make the Connect

Some of you may have noticed that we've added a new little feature to this blog. It's been on the main site for our children's ministry for some time. It's called a "meebo me" widget. If you read this blog from a feed, click here to see what I'm talking about.

If you haven't discovered the wonder of meebo.com yet, it's worth a look see. It's a free online instant messenger client and more. All of the major players in instant messaging are supported (even Google chat). You can use all of the different protocols without an account, but when you register an account, that's when the kewl stuff shows up.

I use the "meebo me" widget embeded on my website to provide a safe way for kids to contact me. They don't have to delve into the sometimes uncertain world of instant messaging and at the same time you become accessible. It keeps me connected. All I need to do is log into meebo and keep the browser window open and kids can contact me anytime they are online.

So here's my question: What creative ways do you keep connected with your kids?

Interns... are good

Here's a follow-up on my intern's first "official" Sunday. He did a great job running the games.

Oh... and I changed my blogger skin. Change is good. It keeps the perspective fresh.

Interns...

For someone of my age bracket, the name Slick Willy creeps from the synapses when the word intern is used. Bill Clinton and scandal defined the way I saw these "on the job training" roles.

And now I've got one.

Fortunately for me the intern is not some bucksome young female with to much ambition and not enough morals. On the contrary he is a committed young man of 17 who has chosen the children's ministry path for his life. I'm honored to help him down that road. Since I want him to learn to write and think critically about what he does, I'm asking him to write a few posts for KMA. So when you see something from Chris P. that's who it is.

One of the secondary goals for my children's ministry centers around this new responsibility of mine. I endeavor to build my ministry in such a way that I could be there or be gone and little would change. It's my job to pull out of someone else the ability to lead and work in every aspect of our ministry and not hold back one thing for myself. Then the kids will still experience great ministry even if I am absent. I am not essential. The team is essential.

So here's my question: Do you hold back responsibilities just for you?

A Relational Dichotomy

During my prayer time this morning I found myself asking God to help me relate to Him as the great and awesome God He is, as well as the friend He chooses to make Himself.

That thought stopped me for a moment. I had asked God to place me in dichotomy. I wanted to relate to God in two opposite ways simultaneously. Strictly speaking that is not possible. However, on reflection I realized as impossible as it is, it's also necessary.

God gives us paradoxes in other situations as well. One common conundrum that people struggle with is the co-existence of God's unfailing love and unyielding justice. It is hard for us to understand that God can love someone completely and still send them into eternal punishment. It stands against every part of our western thought, yet it remains a spiritual truth. Many more wise than I have tackled this question, yet at the end of all the arguments and postulation we still either take it on faith, choose to twist the Biblical facts, or reject both ideas and God with them.

This holds true for our dichotomous relationship with God as well. Are we willing to look at God two ways at once? Can we see Him as to great to understand and as our closest friend simultaneously? I guess if we want to be true to the Biblical record, we will have to.

On a personal note, I like it this way. I'd rather have a God I can't understand than one that's within my mental abilities to fathom. God's mystery makes Him more "God-ish" to me.

The problem comes when we must teach our kids this truth. Do we pick one or the other? Do we make one more real than the other? My personal opinion is that we should give our kids the whole truth. I truly believe children are not stupid. They can understand that God is big yet He is our closest friend. In some ways kids can grasp this better than we can. I think they are better off if they do.

So here's my question: Do you choose one side of God to portray to your children's church or do you give them the whole deal?

Are Kids All the Same?

Are kids the same everywhere? I've heard this said, mostly in passing, by people who do missions and such. Since those folks do work in other cultures, I thought it was true.

It's not.

Kids vary a great deal from one region of the U.S. to the next. In Texas kids are loud, feisty, and outgoing. Vermont not so much. The kids are reserved, cautious, and quiet. While neither is a bad thing, it does mean my tactics have to be different. In Texas I could just do a "hype-up" of some sort and the energy of the room would reach a peak without much effort. Mostly, new visitors just jumped right in. Here in Vermont, I expect new kids to come in and be overwhelmed at first and need some TLC. A "hype-up" might be to much for them. To be successful, I need to know my crowd.

Some of you may think that since you are native to your area, you instinctively know what to do. While that may be true, understanding your culture on a more intellectual level will open your eyes to what cultural pitfalls your kids are prone to fall in. It allows you to instill the values and skills they need to overcome the shortcomings in their culture. In Texas kids tended to be "saved on Sunday, heathens on Monday". In Vermont, kids tend to cling to the apron skirts of their parents and when they are "cut loose" from those strings, they often don't have the backbone to resist temptation.

My home culture as a dutch boy from Michigan? Don't get me started.

Oh, and every culture has shortcomings... even yours. I've seen them in Texas culture and Vermont culture. I've seen them in mine own. Be willing to criticize yourself and your culture. It will enable you to more easily step into a Biblical world view instead of attempting to place the Bible into your cultural world view.

So here's my question, do you know your crowd (culture)?

Today was a budget day. I'm working on getting a comprehensive financial picture for the 2007 year for our board of directors. I'd rather play cribbage with trained apes. However, it's giving me a chance to look at plans and vision for the future. This is good.

I am looking at the year now with an expectation. I've got some cool plans for outreach. Vermont may have a reputation for it's angst towards religion, but it also has a deep need for love. I believe this year I can reach the children of my city with a bit of selfless compassion. I've had or been given several great ideas for showing Christ's love to kids and parents without strings attached. If that kind of love won't reach them, they are unreachable.

So here's a question. What do you do to show Christ's love?