After almost two years on the air, we will be airing the final Kidmin1124 Radio Show from 9:00 to 10:00 PM EST tomorrow night, Thursday October 4, 2012. We are bringing back as many past panelists as we can find to talk about the radio show and chat children’s ministry one last time.
We will all miss the radio show and the chance it afforded us to talk children’s ministry and share those conversations with you. I hope you will join us by tuning in tomorrow night here.
This article was also published yesterday at Dad in the Middle, but I wanted to let our readers here on Kidmin1124 know about the special discount on this conference being offered from now until August 15. See below for details.
I don’t get to go to a lot of children’s ministries conferences. Between finances and, oh yea, my other full time job, the opportunity just doesn’t present itself very often. That’s why I was excited earlier this year when Michael Chanley told me that the International Network of Children’s Ministers [INCM] was planning on bringing a brand new conference to Columbus, Ohio. Well, finally the time has come, and INCM announced the inaugural:
Whether you have been serving for 6 months or 6 years (or more!), you probably have had moments when you questioned why you ever started serving in the first place. Maybe it was that staff member that kept asking you, or maybe it was because you saw the overcrowded classrooms. Maybe you’ve always loved working with kids, and you were eager to serve at the new church you joined.
In any case, the ultimate reason why you serve is because God has called you to do so. Never forget this.
My friend Julia recently told the story how she started serving, and what she experienced over the years. And God reminded her that she was called for a purpose, much like the prophet Isaiah.
Hear her words: Continue Reading…
Practicing the Presence of God
Lately I have been reading a book entitled The Practice of the Presence of God by Brother Lawrence. The book is written by Nicholas Herman who took the name of Brother Lawrence of the Resurrection upon becoming a Carmelite monk. The book is small and easy to read, but the encouragement contained in it’s pages is huge. Brother Lawrence very simply lays out his methods of practicing the presence of God.
The best I can do to explain his methods is to liken them to the practice of “praying without ceasing” as we are told to do in the Bible by the Apostle Paul. Brother Lawrence takes great care to go about his daily tasks while keeping his mind focused on God as much as possible. He strives to do even the smallest task with great love for God. He writes that he is in the “presence of God” as much during his daily routine as he is during his designated times of prayer.
Over the last week I have tried very hard to put Brother Lawrence’s advice in to practice. I have enjoyed a deeper, closer time with God during the day’s routine. My thoughts have been more on God instead of my to-do list. I am feeling as though I am in an on-going state of prayer and fellowship with my Father God that is richer than before.
If you are discouraged or struggling under daily stresses, or if you just want to deepen your relationship with your Heavenly Father, give Brother Lawrence’s methods a try. I believe you will notice a difference in your level of stress and have more peace of mind.
What are some other things volunteers or leaders can do to have a deeper, fuller spiritual life? Please leave a comment and share what works in your life.
A friend of mine lost a bunch of weight not too long ago. It was the little things, like being sure to exercise 3 days per week, not just two. And he started watching meal portions, and deciding to not eat that afternoon cookie. And within a year, he lost at least 25 pounds.
And a recent study indicates that in order to reduce obesity rates, children need to eliminate an average of 64 calories per day. That means eating one less chocolate chip cookie (90 calories) or drinking less Kool-Aid (4 oz = 60 calories), or it means physical activity for an extra 15 minutes per day. Small choices can add up to big effects.
Please join me this coming Thursday, June 14th, from 9:00 to 10:00 PM EST for Kidmin1124 Radio on the CMConnect Radio Network. I hope you will tune in as we welcome a very special guest:
Twelve years ago, when my husband and I came to live in the United States, we were invited to go salmon fishing on a lake. That sounded like fun. I would sunbathe comfortably on the deck while my sons caught fish. I would sip a cool drink while the boat was anchored. I would put my feet up while the waves rippled gently around me. Nothing could have been further from the truth. This was Lake Michigan. This was eight miles out. This was big wave territory. And this was deep water. I never did get to sunbathe. I never did get to sip that cool drink. I never did get to put my feet up. But I did catch salmon.
There is something scary about deep water. It may not always be a comfortable place…but deep water is where the big fish are.
We all experience it. A rough day at work, the kids are misbehaving, the car has trouble, you name it, you’ve had a rough day. Things don’t seem to go right and you’re not in a good mood. Then you realize that you are supposed to minister to children and show God’s love to them.
Sometimes it is a short term problem, other times something may really throw you for a loop and get you out of sync with things you might normally do.
How do you really bring Spiritual conversations into the home? Is there a way to do it without piling more things and ideas into the already overwhelmed home? Parents are extremely overwhelmed with busy schedules, getting dinner on the table, homework done & back to it the next day. How do you really help them to fit God into their lives all week long? I understand that parents need to make it priority but until they are fully invested they will not. So we start small & let them know we are with them every step of the way.
We decided to take on a challenge that would change our church families forever. How can you really get parents and kids talking at home without putting so much pressure on them? We first had to understand that each family will be different. Some may really use the info you give them, some will trash it or find it months later under a pile of papers. There are a few things us as volunteers & leaders must remember
Continue Reading…
I’ve served in children’s ministry for 41 years and all this time the kids in the churches where I’ve served have been a mixture of “typical” kids . . . if there is such a thing. Children from homes where their entire family went to church, children from homes where part of their family went to church (most often from homes where their parents were divorced) and children from homes where nobody went to church (community, non-churched kids). But, in spite of all these years of experience with a fairly wide variety of children and families, I have not worked with children who were runaways. Honestly, my exposure to runaways is fairly limited . . . well, when my husband and I had been married for one year, we did work with children who were in a group home for juvenile delinquents and many of these boys were runaways at one time or another . . . but, my overall exposure was limited. I had no idea how many children in this country are runaways. This is until I added a tab to my blog for grandmas where I highlighted missing children so the grandmas (and grandpas, moms and dads) who read my blog could pray for the children and their families. I signed up with the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children‘s website so they email me alerts to let me know when and where children are missing. I have to say I am shocked. There are days when my inbox is filled with these alerts. (I’m stunned how many of these children are from the state of Florida)
The National Center for Missing & Exploited Children says, “Every year in America, an estimated 800,000 children are reported missing, more than 2,000 children each day.” More than 2,000 children each day are reported as missing. Most of these children are runaways. Does this number shock you? It shocks and breaks my heart. So many hurting children. Just as I wrote this post I’ve received five emails to let me know about children who are listed as Endangered Runaways. I’m stunned how many runaways are as young as 11 and 12 years old.
