I was just on the radio in the Capital of Canada this morning on CHRI Christian Radio in Ottawa. You can listen to the interview here: tinyurl.com/karlonCHRI
The occasion is that next week, I’ll be heading up there to the frozen lands of Canada to serve as the keynote speaker for the VAULT Children’s Ministry Conference.
I’m really looking forward to this conference! I’ll have an opportunity to speak at a breakfast for pastors with their children’s pastors on the secret to longevity in ministry, I’ll be doing a Family Fun Night Magic with a Message show, and then at the conference I’ll be speaking on:
YOU, the Missing Piece in a Child’s Spiritual Puzzle
Making Your Disciple Problems Disappear
The Stories of Ministry
The first session is where I reveal my “secret” relational ministry tricks for connecting with kids – those tips that draw kids in and then double the impact of your teaching.
The second session is a completely different approach to discipline that at first surprises people, and by the end has them praying not for less discipline problems, but for more! (Seriously!) So that they can have more kids they can truly impact. You gotta be there to experience it.
The final session is new and I’m excited about it. Too often we talk about how to build and strengthen and lead ministries and build programs and forget that Jesus didn’t send us into all the world to build programs, but to make disciples. Programs don’t make disciples, other disciples make disciples. The best a program can do, is connect disciples to each other. If we don’t have stories of young disciples, we aren’t truly ministering. This session will challenge the way we minister within our programs.
The highlight of my CPC this year was getting to see Barbara Baker again. I always keep an eye out for her. She is one of my favorite CPC “Regulars”. During the conference, INCM asked some of the speakers and bloggers to make some time to be interviewed for the INCM website throughout the year. However, I told INCM’s Executive Director Michael Chanley they should interview Barb!
She is living proof that you are never too old to be creatively reaching and teaching kids! We crossed paths for years until I finally stopped to meet her. (It seemed like I only saw her going the other way on escalators!)
When I first talked to her, she surprised me by asking for advice on how to incorporate a remote Internet audience of children she would be broadcasting her VBS to in the summer. I taught her how to use Ustream.tv to share her VBS over the Internet and she went home and did it! Now that’s one cutting edge lady!
Now she tells me, at age 67, that she has just gotten an Amazon Kindle and is learning how to use it! She’s been struggling with Parkinson’s disease now for three years, but still serves as a bus captain and simply jokes, “The bus shakes and so do I.”
Barb doesn’t let anything stop her from being equipped to better reach children with the Good News of Jesus. She attends conferences to learn about the latest resources and ideas, she dives into the latest technology no matter how intimidating it is, and just shows up paying no attention to age or health that would slow others down. There is no “retiring” from children’s ministry for Barbara Baker.
Are YOU furthering your kidmin education?
Are you mastering the latest tools?
Are you trying something new?
If not, what’s your excuse? If Barb can do it, you can too!
The fact that I am writing my Yosemite Summit 2011 Report at the end of August that took place in May should tell you exactly WHY I do Yosemite Summit in the first place, though I’ve blogged here about that several times already:
Others have written as well about why they went to Yosemite Summit. I’ll link those another time perhaps, but you can just click through the archives. But the reality is, my life is BUSY. Don’t get me wrong – I’m doing things I love pursuing my life Mission, but if I didn’t schedule Yosemite Summit, I’d never STOP and GET AWAY and enjoy time with some guys who love God like me and just UNPLUG and enjoy nature and fellowship like you just can’t get in the hectic pace of normal life. I’m never “ready” for Yosemite Summit – it just comes, and I have to just GO. And when I get back, I have to dive in and pick up where I left off and getting this report done and a highlight video done can be a real challenge with Kidology.org to run, DiscipleTown to write and other responsibilities all while keeping my family first. (And some new and exciting things in development!)
It’s truly a gift I give myself every year that I plan to give myself for the rest of my life. AND a gift I am excited to ANNOUNCE that I am going to extend starting in 2012 to ANY MAN IN MINISTRY. No longer will Yosemite Summit be limited to children’s pastors. God has laid it on my heart that I shouldn’t be limiting this event to children’s pastors. I will explain this in more detail in a future post when registration opens and how the application process will work. But I have heard and listened and responded and God has answered your prayers, guys! On to the report.
Yosemite Summit 2011
This was the fourth Summit – and since 4 has been my favorite number since I was a kid, I anticipated it being my favorite Summit so far. I also had the advantage of three past Summits under my belt, so I am able to enjoy them even more now as I am less figuring them out and more just repeating what I’ve done in the past, though every year is unique and has aspects that make it special. This year was no exception. I especially enjoyed that this year we didn’t have to alter plans at all due to weather, which was a treat.
The newest thing this year was I made a photo journal for the guys for them to use throughout the week with color photos from past years, space to journal in and scripture to read and reflect on according to the theme of the day. Our reflective theme this year was P.A.T.H. which provided our focus for each day:
P = Peace
A = Abiding
T = Thankfulness
H = Holiness
We had a wonderful time hiking, enjoying fellowship with each other, and spending some quality time with God, the Creator of this incredible place. If you have never been to Yosemite National Park – you are truly robbing yourself of one of America’s hidden treasures. It remained hidden from the “white man” long after San Fransisco had been founded and the Ahwahnee Indians managed to divert (or at times kill) travelers over the Sierra Nevada mountains away from this this incredible valley in order to keep it a secret. It was not until the time of President Abraham Lincoln that it was finally discovered, and while Yellowstone was the first “official” National Park, Yosemite was the first land protected by a President when Abe himself declared it protected land for the people forever!
Millions travel from all over the world to behold the wonders of this relatively small valley (only seven miles in length) but only mere thousands experience the hikes that take visitors to the truly beautiful locations hidden in this gordeous place, and only Yosemite Summiteers (who stick with me on the hikes) get to see the truly hidden wonders of this magnificent park. I know the trails that many neglect and that the masses miss, and the hidden spots off the trails where one can find solitude and solace and spectacular views of God’s Creation. (I took my family to Yosemite in July and enjoyed showing my son some of “Daddy’s Spots” and Luke created a few spots of his own that we will visit again in future years!)
In case you are wondering what can be experienced on Yosemite Summit, instead of a long detailed report, as I have done in 2008, and 2009, and 2010. This year, I offer simply one word summaries of what can be experienced at Yosemite Summit and suggest if you are not one of the eight men who join me. You are truly missing out. I have no need to twist your arm. Those who join me, are the lucky ones. I already have next year almost full from the e-mails I have been getting already. So if you want to join me, you’d better sign up as soon as registration opens. It’s THAT good. I expect a waiting list in 2012. It can change your life.
Yosemite 2011: In photos and one word summaries: (Don’t Miss the Video at the End!)
ACCOMPLISHMENT
AMAZING
AWE
BEARS
BEAUTY
BRIDGES
CONTEMPLATION
DEEP THINKING
FELLOWSHIP
FUN!
JOURNEY
PEACEFUL
POWER
REFRESHING
RESTFUL
UNINTERUPTED
WONDER
WORSHIP
Do these images whet you appetite for Yosemite Summit? It is truly an event that is difficult to describe, even with words or images – or even with video, but I’ll try yet again…
This isn’t the “Official” report – I have thousands of photos (and video clips) to sort through and a highlight video to create for that – BUT I wanted to at least let y’all know I made it back alive and we had another great UNconference in Yosemite National Park!
Despite some negative weather forecasts, we had actually perhaps the best weather of all four years – maybe tied with year #1, though that was a bit warm, so I think the best weather of all four years for hiking. That was fantastic!
Just for fun, Pat arrived a day early to help me shop for all the food. Here he is at Costco in Sacramento:
BEFORE:
AFTER:
And that is even before the Super Wal-Mart trip for the stuff Costco doesn’t sell! It takes a lot to feed a lodge full of hungry hikers! (And we eat well!)
Soon we were all gathered and ready to head to Yosemite… all but one Californian who was meeting up with us farther South.
Soon we were off! It was a great four hour drive getting to know each other, and the guys had absolute trust in my driving abilities and attention to all the laws of the road:
(For the record, I AM parked legally, but it’s a great picture snapped
by Scott Dodson before I knew why he asked me to look!)
If you are wondering if the trip was refreshing – this next picture is proof that it is… we DRINK UP YOSEMITE:
Michael Murphy drinking from Bridalveil Falls
This place is so in-tune with God, it seemed, even the animals were praising God:
Photo by Doug McKinney
I look forward to sharing more about this years Summit after I take some time to pray and reflect and journal and soak in the impact of this fourth time of turning off my busy electronic life for nearly a week and just enjoying some time in God’s Awesome Creation for a few days. Of course, everything back home piled up and now I have some catching up to do! To make matters worse, I got some really serious food poisoning on Sunday which put me on my deathbed all through the Memorial Day weekend so I feel even farther behind than I would have been with the long weekend to unpack and do some catching up before the work week got here – but such is life!
How are YOU like a Water Fall?
While you await the full report, I’ll share one insight with you that was actually shared during the week by one of the guys in our evenings of sharing after a day of hiking. Doug noted that in the path of our life there are a lot of obstacles and problems that get in our way and cause of frustration and disappointment and can irritate us or cause us to have to reroute our path or change our plans when we would rather things go smoothly. But as he was watching these majestic waterfalls come pouring over the cliffs and down the mountainsides and crashing along the river banks – it was actually the rocks and boulders and trees – the OBSTACLES in the waters path that make the waterfall and the river so majestic to watch. Were the waterfall and the path that followed at the bottom smooth it wouldn’t be as spectacular to view. It is actually the obstacles that give the falls and the rivers their character. Interesting – the flaws are what give the character. The same is true with is. Our character is developed through the obstacles in our lives. If God were to give us a smooth life, without problems, bumps and obstacles, what would grow our character?
So the next time you see a big boulder up ahead – instead of being frustrated or complaining – realize God is just forming you into a majestic testimony of his power and grace that other might be able to point to – even snap pictures of – and say, “Wow, there IS a Creator, and doesn’t He create the most Beautiful Things!”
We called this our “Album Cover”
NOTE: All images in this post can be clicked on to view larger.
Every year when Yosemite Summit rolls around, I am never ready for it.
And that is exactly why I do it.
I have projects that are not where I want them. Deadlines I’m behind on, so many to do’s unchecked they are overwhelming at times, countless more items floating in my head that need to get on a to do list. Even more dreams and ideas of things I’d like to do. The reality is, I’ll never be “ready” for a week off of work to just relax, refresh, renew and re-create. I am too driven by my life Mission and Calling. But I am also driven by disappointment. We all have this ideal in our mind and hearts of the way life is supposed to be – and when life turns out differently and we don’t get want we want (the core of sin is selfishness) we bury it in busyness, and as Christians we can bury it in Christian service and “Godly” busyness – whereas the rest the world may attempt to hide it in entertainment, the accumulation of power, wealth or pleasure – if not outright debauchery. (Some do seek to redeem it through a life well lived, though those are rare.) I have this ideal in my mind of the type of man, husband, and dad I want to be – and I just can’t get there. And I’m not just talking the deep stuff, its the simple stuff too, like an organized garage or getting the landscaping in the back yard finished. Hanging out with my dad more or reading all the books stacked in my office. So much to do and not enough time to do it in. I have a Calvin and Hobbes T-shirt that says,
“God put me on this earth to accomplish a set number of things. Right now I am so far behind, I will never die.”
But the reality is, I am haunted by what I will left undone that I wanted to do, and what I did instead.
So I go to Yosemite Summit to STOP – stop everything – and Think. Listen. Reflect. Refocus. Reconsider. Recalibrate. Reconsider.
Have you ever just wanted to scream, “I need everything to just STOP ALREADY!” Well, that’s what Yosemite Summit is. The world freezes for several days. Everything stops. Nothing matters for a few days. You aren’t so important anymore. People can get along without you, and guess what? The world survives! And everything is OK when you get back. Sure, there is some pile up, but its manageable.
That’s why I created Yosemite Summit. Because first and foremost I need it. It’s for me. I know that sounds selfish, but it is the truth. But it’s so good and I need it so much, I decided NOT to be selfish about it, and decided I’d invite just a few guys to come with me. First of all, because part of me wishes someone had invited me to something like this a long time ago when I didn’t know I needed it. But mostly because its just too amazing a time to keep to myself.
I hope you will create your own Summit. Don’t wait until you are ready. You never will be. Just put it on the calendar, and promise yourself you won’t cancel it no matter what happens. And when the time comes, just go. Pick a place you love. Invite some others to go with you. And just do it. You know you need it. Freeze the world for a few days. Honestly, we’ll be fine without you. And we might like you better when you get back.
This will be my last blog post until June. Until then… try to survive!
CHECK OUT THE GUYS I’VE SHARED THIS EXPERIENCE WITH THE PAST THREE YEARS AND CLICK ON THE PICTURE FOR A REPORT, HIGHLIGHT PHOTOS AND VIDEO:
I’m in for a BUSY weekend! I’m doing a Family Program on Friday Night – one of my favorite presentations, “Lions, and Bears and Fire, OH MY!” It’s an evening of laughter and comedy and story telling that encourages kids and old folks alike to enjoy whatever age they are – and to realize that they are part of HIS-STORY! It was born out of an invitation once to speak at an author’s assembly for Order of the Ancient and I thought, “How can I just talk about my book for an hour – how boring!” (Even though my book is quite exciting, mind you – I wasn’t going to read it!) And I didn’t want the assembly to be a long commercial for my book. So instead, I did what I knew the kids in my ministry loved most – my story telling, and I wove it around the reasons WHY we love stories in the first place and revealed the SECRET FORMULA of a great story (I’m not revealing that here!) and wa-la – it turned out to be an awesome assembly I have turned into a regular Family Program!
Kidology 101: Secrets of Effective Kid Communicators
Making Your Discipline Problems Disappear!
YOU! The Missing Piece in a Child’s Spiritual Puzzle!
Then, on Sunday morning – I not only get to teach Kid’s Church at Bethel Church at Vista Pointe - but I just found out after church is a Bring a Friend Party that I get to attend – and I’m event bring a puppet friend with me! (I mean, it IS a bring a friend party!)
It’s going to be a great weekend, and I can’t wait to board the plane! I DO hope some of YOU can hook up with me up there on the Oregon Trail!
I’m looking forward to spending an entire day in sunny San Diego with a select group of folks talking about children’s ministry and enjoying some sweet fellowship.
It will be a fun intimate setting with great practical training!
Object Lessons on Steroids! That’s how I described Kidz Blitz when I first saw it at my church back in 1999 at the very first Kid U conference! Children’s Pastors have been using object lessons for as long as… well, since Jesus used them! But it was Roger Fields who decided to take them and blow them up ten times bigger. (Sometimes literally!)
Roger Fields, the creator of Kidz Blitz, is a pioneer of Children’s Ministry. In fact – he was one of the first workshoop presenters I heard at my first CPC waaaay back in 1995 at my first CPC. I loved this guy’s passion and unique approach to ministry and knew right away he was a guy to watch, learn from, and one who would always approach ministry differently than everyone else. He isn’t afraid to try new things – whatever it takes to reach kids. (He was the one who brought leaders the Children’s Ministry Conference Cruise in 2001-2002 and is the creator of CMX!)
Famous for his “T.P. Blower” – Roger is a guy who knows how to “BRING THE FUN” to a kids outreach event!
Here is me “BRINGING THE T.P.” to Roger at CPC:
Kidz Blitz has been a sponsor at more than one Kidology Conference and here is a glimpse into what happened to one of our attendees at the event, to give you a small taste of the fun we had:
If you are looking for the most OUTRAGEOUS and CRAZY and OFF THE WALL event that KIDS and FAMILIES will absolutely LOVE and be talking about for the rest of the year… then KIDZ BLITZ is the event you need to bring to your church!
But it’s not just the fun – it’s the Message too! Roger and his other regional reps use high energy and audience participation and large group repetition to teach kids simple but important Truths about God and the Gospel, so its fun, but with a purpose. It is the perfect outreach or community bridge building event. If you’ve done events that you were kinda embarrassed to invite your neighbors too – it’s time you brought Kidz Blitz to your church and packed out the place!
This is DA MAN who can BRING YOU THE FUN and ENERGIZE your next OUTREACH EVENT!
At CPC last week, I got to teach a workshop with Michael Chanley on technology – and it was a lot of fun! We bantered back and forth, live webcasted and confused half the room with everything we covered, but it was a blast!
I demonstrated remote accessing my Macs back home as well as all my backup drives from my iPhone and iPad among other cloud perks and tried to answer questions on a wide variety of technology issues. I went over why Cloud Technology is so important – why it enables you to have access to all your data from anywhere from any device and never lose your data again, as well as the difference between POP and IMAP e-mail so your e-mail is all synced across all your devices. Plus we did webcasting with live chatting right from my iPhone – and showed how to do that for free and embed it on your website with live chat, also for free. (See it on my blog and Kidologytogo.org as well.)
I’ve had a ton of requests for the workshop, so here’s what I’m gonna do.
Despite the popularity of my ToyBox Tales, I don’t consider “voice impersonations” a talent of mine. I believe the secret of ToyBox Tales is simply the humor and (more importantly) a grown up entering the world of children and playing to teach the Bible – BUT, having said that – Micky Mouse is one voice I have down pat, so much so, when I do it at Disneyland, I get heads to turn and have people thinking the REAL mouse is coming around the corner! Granted, I usually only do this for my son, and when I do this at home, I add the word “Pal” to the end of every sentence. (Quite to the annoyance of my wife!)
Well, Pal, I’m off to CPC 2011 in the morning, and it’s at Walt Disney World, PAL! – and it’s my zillionth CPC, Pal! (I’ve lost track – I haven’t missed a single one since 1995.) If you will be there, Pal – it’s a special year because KIDOLOGY IS EXHIBITING FOR THE FIRST TIME IN OVER FIVE YEARS! So look for us next to DiscipleLand, Pal.
Also, here are my workshops, all on Thursday:
8am – Technology - An Easier Way (Taught with Michael Chanley) We will be explaining some very interesting stuff on using Cloud Technology and how it can make you a better more efficient leader, Pal.
9:15 – Twitter My Facebook - All About Twitter and Facebook. What they are, if you should be on them, the difference between the two, and applications for ministry, Pal.
1:30 – Put the Pastor Back Into Your Job Description. Administration driving you nuts and pushing you away from the kids? (Which is why you got into this in the first place?) Come, I’ll show you how to rescue yourself. Many have thanked me in tears for this class, yeah, Pal.
THEN – THE KIDOLOGY GATHERING! Friday Night, Pal! After the Exhibit Hall Closes, from 9:30 to 11:30p.m. Location RIX LOUNGE, across from Pepper Grill.
Going to San Diego? Don’t miss my PRE-CON PAL! (and no, you don’t have to go to CPC to attend the pre-con.)
Oh, and we are giving away OVER $1000 in FREE KIDMIN RESOURCES TO ONE PERSON PAL!!! So, be SURE to drop by our booth for your chance to win!!!
O.K., I gotta go to sleep and dream of Minnie, er, Disney World! …… Pal.
The highlight of my CPC this year was getting to see Barbara Baker again. I always keep an eye out for her. She is one of my favorite CPC “Regulars”. During the conference, INCM asked some of the speakers and bloggers to make some time to be interviewed for the INCM website throughout the year. However, I told INCM’s Executive Director Michael Chanley they should interview Barb!
When I first talked to her, she surprised me by asking for advice on how to incorporate a remote Internet audience of children she would be broadcasting her VBS to in the summer. I taught her how to use Ustream.tv to share her VBS over the Internet and she went home and did it! Now that’s one cutting edge lady!
Are YOU furthering your kidmin education?
