Looks Like a Binkey

June 28, 2009 at 8:54 pm · Filed under Children's Ministry, Humor, Kidology, Luke

The all new Kidology.org has just gone live, and we were having fun showing Luke the walk-out videos (linked below) and Sara was trying to explain to Luke that this website is Daddy’s job, and he just made a new website. Luke took one look at the web page and said, “Looks like a binkey.” At first we thought, “Huh?” but on a closer look, we could see what he was talking about:

I guess our logo does look a little like a binkey, after all!

We hope the new website will pacify many as they seek to reach and teach kids for Jesus!

Check out the walk about videos at these links:

What is Kidology? and Who is Karl?

For an overview of all that is new, be sure to visit: What’s New?

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Yosemite Summit 2009 Report and Video

June 16, 2009 at 1:57 pm · Filed under Children's Ministry, Conferences, Kidology, Leadership, Spiritual Growth, Yosemite

Don’t miss the video at the end of this post!

I’m still feeling the effects of Yosemite Summit 2009. It is difficult to describe this event to someone who has not gone; it is truly a wonderful trip on so many fronts. But it is my prayer that some descriptions, some pictures, quotes from the guys and a video might help you get a glimpse of the unique experience Yosemite Summit is for the guys who take the time away from ministry to invest in their walk with God and a few other good men who share their passion for children’s ministry.

After the neat group of guys God brought together for the first Summit, I honestly was a little worried that the second year might feel different, but again God brought together a group of men who all got along great and seemingly instantly we were like old friends. I now get to pray the same for 2010!

There is simply no way to describe the grandeur of the vistas at Yosemite National Park. Pictures can’t even come close to capturing the awe of looking out from one vista to another across the sprawling valley below. It is like you can reach out and touch the presence of God.

One of the highlights of Yosemite Summit is getting some time alone in magnificent places to think, pray and journal your thoughts. All the usual distractions of life are hundreds of miles away… and somehow God’s voice is just so much clearer, if not louder.

Thanks so much for an awesome week! It was a real joy to hike with fellow CPs. I was blessed by each guy sharing each night and energized by the encouragement and new ideas shared. The spiritual challenges from Karl, were spot on and a great tool for God to work in my life. I look forward to continuing our new friendships. God Bless each one of you and may your lives and families and ministries never be the same!

We often were together as we hiked, but then had times to split up for some solo time as well. The balance between fellowship and solitude is not managed strictly, but seems to just naturally unfold as we hike at different paces, regroup at the most spectacular sites, and gather for meals along the trails.

How do you describe the feeling of standing at the top of a mountain? While we always stayed a safe distance from truly deadly or dangerous drop offs, you are often near places where the ground soon gives way to sky where hawks and eagles drift by. To be looking straight across at a water fall that is pouring hundreds of feet to a valley below you is awe-inspiring. While the falls seem distant, often you can still hear their roar as they crash into rocks thousands of feet away below and across the valley.

While much of what is experienced in Yosemite remains here or in our memories, the time invested in journaling helps take much of what God stirs within us back home. I love rereading from my Yosemite journal and then closing my eyes and remembering the place where I wrote those words.

Yosemite Summit met all my expectations and I came away feeling like it was one of the best things I could have done for my relationship with the Lord and my ministry.  I love the idea of allowing retreat, re-create times to rekindle my love for God, my family and my ministry.

Because of today’s technology, it is wonderful to be able to have worship music playing in head phones as we hiked, journals, or just relaxed. At other times, walking in silence and allowing God’s creation to be the sound track was equally beautiful. With the distant roar of countless water falls, the chirping of birds, rustling of leaves and the occasional scurry of an animal broken only by the steady plodding of our footsteps, Creation offered us the most fitting background music.

I never in all my 20+ years of ministry had taken a “real” break away where I could focus on my relationship with Christ. Because of my time at Yosemite, I have committed that I would take a break regularly because of the impact this has had on my ministry, family and my relationship with Jesus. Yosemite Summit gave me the opportunity to refresh my soul, to renew my spirit and to come back home with a new resolve to fall in love with Jesus more, to serve  him with a wiser focus and to honor him with the way I lead my family and my ministry. - Tom

I loved seeing the guys relaxing and can’t help wondering, how often do they truly get to relax back home - where they totally and completely let go of everything and just enjoy the presence of God?

There is nothing like the opportunity to get away, on your own, with no distractions while you listen to God’s voice. The memory will not quickly fade. Jesus made many different times to get away. He even took 40 days before beginning his ministry. How much more do we need to get away and just be with God? Yosemite Summit is this strategic opportunity. - Steve

One of the ways I worship is through the lens of my camera. While no film can capture the majesty of this place, it sure is fun trying. At least you get to take glimpses of it home to enjoy over and over again. Around every turn is yet another “perfect shot” that for some segments of the trip, I had to simply put my camera away and soak it in knowing that being there is better than any picture from there.

While we don’t do any ‘real’ climbing with ropes and gear, there are plenty of rocks that whisper, “Climb me!” And once ascended offer either a better view, or simply a satisfying feeling of having accomplished something worth relaxing and soaking in.

Nothing makes the heart pound like being near the edge of a cliff. And while our wives may fear our curiosity, we were always safe and looked out for each other. But nevertheless, sitting near an edge is a profound way to realize one’s humanity and to appreciate every day God grants us to worship and serve Him!

One of the highlights of Yosemite Summit is a hike that will most likely be included every year, the Mist Trail. There is a stretch where you’d get drenched to the bone if you didn’t wear a poncho! The mist from the thundering waterfall becomes so thick it is almost blinding and the sound of the water fall thrilling. Plus, realizing you will soon be standing at the top at the very edge (behind a railing!) makes the countless stone stairs worth every step.

This is Taft Point, one of the highest vista look out points in Yosemite (and one of the few with a railing) where you can peer straight down over 3500 feet! It was while hiking back from here that I was nearly stuck by lightening in a hail storm that rushed in on us!

The time away at the Yosemite Summit gave me the encouragement I needed, the time I needed to confront the hard issues I had been pushing back, and the conviction to embrace who I truly am in God’s eyes.

Yosemite Summit is an event that will recharge you as a child of God, a husband of your wife and a father of your children.  The investment is worth it because the event will impact your walk with God and your relationship with your wife and kids.  I can tell you that this single week will have an impact on the rest of my life.

Yosemite Summit 2009 may be over, but it’s impact will last a life time. It is now time to start praying about whether God would have you join us for Yosemite Summit 2010!

Yosemite Summit was a huge blessing and a very worthwhile investment in helping me be refreshed in my relationship with God and helping to keep me centered in my relationships with my wife, kids and my church.  Walking by yourself part of a day through towering Sequoia trees praying to God and enjoying his handiwork after having spent time being encourage by and with 8 Christian guys is priceless! - Scotty H.

2009 Highlight Video:

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A Shocking Yosemite Experience

June 5, 2009 at 12:15 am · Filed under Adventures, Kidology, Life, Photography, Yosemite

Well, I was going to keep this kinda quiet… but word is getting out about my electrifying experience with lightening in Yosemite and the pressure for me to tell the “full story” is increasing, so I’m giving in hoping this doesn’t discourage anyone from coming to Yosemite Summit in the future!

The question I keep getting is, “Were you really struck by lightening at Yosemite?” Well, since I’m typing this from my current location on earth (rather than heaven) the technical answer is, NO! But… I was in the middle of a strike that hit trees all around me and there is that mysterious jagged hole in my poncho to account for! So when I posted on Twitter and Facebook that my most exciting experience at Yosemite was being struck by lightening… it wasn’t much of a stretch!

So here’s the story! We started out Day One with a spectacular all day hike that began at Sentinel Dome, where the view is absolutely breath-taking. Here we all are on the top of Sentinel Dome:

After our chapel time and quiet times alone, we took the Ponomo Trail, a little traveled segment of a longer trail, in order to loop around through the woods and then to the edge of Upper Yosemite at the top of Sentinel Fall. Here we are at the top:

Yes, I photo-shopped myself into this picture, since I took it! You can’t see the water fall in this picture, because, well, we are above it, BUT you can see we are higher than El Capitan in the background! O.K., here is a picture of the falls… as close to it as I wanted to get:

It’s hard to tell in the picture how HIGH we are, but that is the valley below, some 3000+ feet below! Here is a view of it (from Google images) from the bottom, it cascades for awhile before it final long drop to the valley floor:

Next we left the sunny warm open areas and entered into a forest where the temperatures were still cool and snow was still on the ground!

We forged rivers… (OK, one creek)

and finally all arrived at Taft Point at different times since the group spread out over time depending on their hiking pace and whether they constantly stopped to take pictures. Which is why I usually am one of the last to arrive at the meeting spots. Taft Point is simply amazing!

Taft Point is one of the highest places that has a STRAIGHT DOWN view, over 3500 feet. (hard to see in this photo, but there is one of the few railings in all of Yosemite at the very tip where you see the guys standing!)

I know, I know… what about the LIGHTENING!? I just want to make sure you know, it’s not like we just went to Yosemite and got attacked by lightening, it was a spectacular day… with an even more spectacular ending! So, on to the lightening…

Here’s me at Taft Point, in what very well could have been the last picture of me ever taken! It indeed was the last picture of me that day! By the time I got to Taft Point, we had started to see some clouds appearing East of us toward Half Dome and heard some thunder in the distance. It is a known fact for Yosemite hikers, that being out on large open granite surfaces is not safe if lightening is even remotely possible, as the lightening, being unable to absorb into the rock, will travel across the surface at, well, lightening speed, until it finds grounding. Being in the path of that lightening is, well, let’s just say, not recommended. Oh, and Taft Point is a huge open granite area, oh, and with a metal railing at the highest point!

As the leader of the expedition, and taking our group’s safety seriously, as soon as I got to Taft Point, I called out to the guys that we needed to leave and skipped going up to the point myself even though I’d hiked all day with this being the final destination. But there was another “final destination” I wasn’t interested in reaching today, if possible. Let me say for all the wives reading this - the group was not in any danger at this point, but we weren’t going to stick around until we were!

We regrouped, counted to nine (something we did often!) and once we knew the entire group was accounted for, headed back to the van. At this point, due to the loop we were doing, we were only about a mile and a half from the van. We headed back, and over the course of that last segment, the group spread out again until six were back at the van and I had two guys with me. About half way to the van the rain started, and by the time we got near the parking lot it was pouring HAIL. Seriously! We went from a beautiful sunny day with clear skies to rain and hail!

AND NOW THE EXCITING PART! (you skipped to here, didn’t you?)

Because the trail was blocked by a creek and in the rain we didn’t want to walk across the log that would normally be the easy way across, the three of us headed down river a bit until we could find some rocks in the creek that were high enough to cross over. I went first, called out to the two guys behind me that I’d found an easy way across, and then headed up toward the road. I could see that I was about 200 feet from the road, and gathered that the parking lot was probably another 200-300 feet up the road. I was almost out of the storm and into the van! I was feeling bad knowing that the six ahead of me were locked out of the van in this hail, but fortunately they had found a small pavilion to huddle under.

At this point everything is both fuzzy and crystal clear - don’t ask me to explain that - but as soon as I reached the road and started to walk toward the van - IT HAPPENED. It is difficult to describe. The words I have to use don’t do it justice. But there was this incredible NOISE - yes, an explosion, all around me. Scared is not the word. I was beyond scared, but only for a nano-second, honestly. It was like I was so terrified in that instant as I had no idea what was happening - I just froze - then I saw red billowing flames ahead of me followed by a pillar of smoke of biblical proportions and realized that lightening had struck VERY close. For the next few seconds, I wondered if I was dead. That sounds strange, but I just had a stent put in my heart a month before, and had been given the OK to go to Yosemite via stress test, but in that frozen moment, I wondered, “If your heart stops, do you feel it?” I couldn’t feel anything anywhere in that moment, so I wondered, “Do you die instantly, or do I have a minute to soak in life?” It was literally just a few seconds and I could feel that I was truly was OK and not about to keel over. I heard the guys behind me calling out to me and asking if I was OK. I heard them, but was still in shock (no pun intended) so while I answered, I knew they couldn’t hear my soft answer. When I could, I yelled that I was OK, and we’d better get to the van as fast as possible. I was finally able to look away from the explosion that was still smoking and noticed wood fragments were scattered everywhere, I instinctively reached down and picked up the piece at my feet before starting toward the van, the last two guys were now with me.

Yes, I thought of taking pictures or grabbing my video camera. No, I didn’t!

When I was walking toward the van my head was down and I noticed that there was a huge jagged hole in my poncho. Was I struck by lightening?!?!? It was a brand new poncho and it had been fine before the lightening strike! It was then that I realized my leg hurt a little. Not much, but like I’d been hit. We got to the van and I just handed the key over and asked another guy to drive, I was still kinda in shock. (not literally!) I was wearing zip off pants that convert to shorts so I unzipped them to look where my leg hurt, and there on my leg was a bruise - not huge, but clearly new. (I took a picture, but I’m sparing you that!) I looked at the wood in my hand and realized I must have been hit with “shrapwood” from the exploding tree! (Later, when putting my PJ’s on, I was to discover multiple bruises, I had been hit in several places by flying wood!)

The conversation in the van was charged with excitement. This was both exciting and sobering. Debate broke out on where the lightening struck, and how close it was to me. The guys by the van saw it hit much higher and farther away than I described. The guys behind me described it as being even closer to me than I thought. It was a bit of a puzzle, but we were curious, so we decided to return the next day to investigate.

The following morning was our sunshine at Glacier Point, which just happens to be a mile or so farther down the road than where we had parked the van the day before. It was pitch black out when we drove by so we couldn’t see anything.

After an awe-inspiring time at Glacier Point and our chapel time, we headed back to to the cabin to pack up for our hike that would begin in the valley today… but not without stopping first at the scene of the crime from yesterday:

Of course, I wanted to go back to the very spot I had been standing when the lightening struck! It felt kinda wierd to revisit the spot. My foot prints were visible and it appeared, that contrary to what I remembered, I had actually moved backward 4-5 feet reacting to the explosion, judging by the foot prints and dug in impressions that matched my shoes. (We were all acting like CSI guys!) Most of the wood debre was now gone, either washed away in the storm, or perhaps cleaned up off the road, but as I was standing in “the spot,” someone pointed out the large piece of tree that was lying RIGHT NEXT to where I had been standing!

It may go without saying, but I’ll say it anyway… what if THIS ’stick’ had hit me? In a very large area, on BOTH sides of the road, wood scraps lay everywhere.

Not all of it was on the ground, some was up in trees:

Look a little closer, that’s not a twig!

As we walked up and down the hill, it turned out ALL the reports in the van were correct, as lightening had struck several trees, on all sides of me, in an area probably more than 50 feet circle.

This is the tree that I saw on fire and whose fragments probably hit me. It doesn’t look like much damage to the tree from here, but up close it’s kinda crazy…

Wood was ripped off these trees so fast and so hard that branches still stuck out in places like rebar from concrete! And the parts of the trees that were damaged spiraled from top to bottom, so it was hard to get a picture of all the damage.

Here you can kinda see how the damage spirals toward the top of the tree! And there is another 8 feet below and up higher on the other side toward the top!

Hard to even image the POWER of something that can rip through a tree like this!

Matt McDaniels holds up a massive segment of a tree he found… yeah, I know.

Me and my tree. Wow.

Well, what can I say? Yosemite Summit was a blast. Can’t wait until next year. Statistically, it can only be safer!

In conclusion, one of the guys shared at our chapel time the next day that God had given him a verse for me, and thought perhaps this could be my theme verse for Yosemite Summit 2009. I think I like it!

He made darkness his covering, his canopy around him —
the dark rain clouds of the sky.

Out of the brightness of his presence clouds advanced,
with hailstones and bolts of lightning.

Psalm 18:11-12

Yes, I still have that piece of wood I picked up, and plan to keep it as a reminder of how God protected me that day. Every day of life is truly a gift… perhaps that is why it is called the Present.

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The Best Bargin in Tough Times

June 1, 2009 at 9:03 am · Filed under Children's Ministry, Kidology

As I hear about churches cutting budgets and individuals tightening their financial belts, I just want to remind you that Kidology.org remains your BEST INVESTMENT in tough times.

For what you would pay for a magazine and one good children’s ministry book, Kidology.org gives you access to more help, ideas, resources and fresh content than you’ll probably ever be able to take advantage of! Not to mention all the money you’ll save with member-only discounts in our online store on the BEST children’s ministry resources on the market. Whether you are looking for a new ministry in the Job Center, selling your own stuff in the Garage Sale or taking advantage of FREE Online Training or free ToyBox Tale downloads - Kidology.org is here to EQUIP and ENCOURAGE you! All for a low ANNUAL fee that doesn’t even hint at all that it will unlock for you.

So tighten your belt, but JOIN KIDOLOGY and unleash the power of Kidology.org to help you SAVE MONEY over the coming summer months!

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Back from Yosemite Summit

May 22, 2009 at 9:50 pm · Filed under Conferences, Kidology, Yosemite

Well, I’m back from Yosemite Summit 2009. It was an incredible week! I’m slowly beginning the process of returning to civilization and responsibility. I have 4,517 photos from all nine guys to edit, sort and highlight, so there will be more to tell in the weeks ahead, and of course, a highlight video. But for now I can say that GOD SHOWED UP and each of us had an incredible time connecting with God through his amazing creation and through the fellowship of a band of brothers who are now lifetime friends.

Brent, Scott, Matt, Pat, Karl, Steve, Tom, Scott and Marc.

We journeyed through a process each day reflecting on some key questions for thought and prayer but also simply being open to what God wanted to communicate to us when we were listening to a degree not often possible in “real life.”

Here was our mission statement for the week: (this was a bookmark I provided)

Each day we had a KEY WORD for reflection:

1. REMEMBERING what we had forgotten
2. Identifying how God is REFINING us
3. Seeking to REFOCUS on what matters most
4. Determining a RESOLVE to take home with us.

We also look at four primary callings we have:

1. To walk with God
2. To love our wives
3. To lead our kids
4. To shepherd our ministries

Of course, there was a lot more to these as we unfolded them each day, but it was awesome to see how God weaved through the events of the week, the focused thought and questions, and what God was already doing in each of our lives that brought us to Yosemite.

Coming down Sentinel Dome where there was
still some snow on a warm day!

The weather was fantastic, the views incredible, and the fellowship rich. God revealed Himself to us in a variety of ways, provided for our needs and reminded us often of His love and care for us throughout the week.  It’s hard to believe the second Yosemite Summit is history. It was once again an incredible life-changing event for each of us who took the time to get away and give God some focused attention in a place He seems to have created just for that purpose!

I stopped in Colorado for a day on the way home and soon will be catching up on all the e-mails and voice mails and even snail mail that I know awaits me. But until after the weekend… I’m still on retreat!

By the way: It’s not too late to start thinking and praying about joining me next year for Yosemite Summit 2010! Only eight men can join me… perhaps YOU will be one of them!?

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Over and Out!

May 16, 2009 at 11:15 pm · Filed under Children's Ministry, Conferences, Kidology, Technology, Yosemite

This is my last blog post until AFTER Yosemite Summit! No more Facebook, no Twitter, no e-mail, no cell phone, no work! I’m disconnecting for an entire week. I’ve been praying, planning and preparing for a year and its so exciting to see the eight guys that God brought together for this amazing week in Yosemite. They’ve been coming in over the last two days, and tonight we all gathered for our first meal all together before hittin’ the road in the morning.

Steve, Matt, Tom, Scott, Karl, Scott, Marc, Brent, Pat
(Canada, TX, PA, SD, IL, CA, VA, OK, OH)

Please pray for each of these guys that God would really do a work in each of our lives during this next week. We each come from a different state and one from Canada. Each is leaving family and ministry behind to focus on their walk with God. Each understands that the best thing for their ministry isn’t another idea or resource but a closer walk with the Lord. Pray for safety and for an openness to what God has in store for us. I can’t wait to get started! So time for me to sign off and shut down. No worries, I’ll be blogging pictures and stories afterward! Until then,

Over and Out!

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Shepherd or Sheepherder?

April 30, 2009 at 8:14 pm · Filed under Children's Ministry, Kidology, Leadership

Remember? Remember when you first got in to children’s ministry? Remember the calling God gave you? The burden you had for children? The awesome responsibility you accepted? The urgency you felt? Back when it was about reaching lost kids and discipling those who had accepted Christ? Remember when the stories were about changed lives and your conversations were mostly about the kids rather than the problems? Remember when you spent a ridiculous amount of time on some minor, but fun aspect of the ministry just so you could see the faces of the kids light up when they arrived? Remember when you didn’t even notice how exhausted you were?

What changed?

You went into children’s ministry because you wanted to be a shepherd of children – and all too soon you became more sheepherder than shepherd. Just getting the kids where they need to be and hoping to have a reasonable adult-to-child ratio became a weekly battle. Managing volunteers, appeasing parents, buying supplies, keeping the senior pastor as well as the janitor happy, answering voice mail, e-mail and snail mail and countless meetings gradually took over. Before you knew it, being a minister gave way to being an administrator. And somewhere the kids got lost in the shuffle. Oh, the kids, are fine. But you feel your heart for ministry fading and you secretly miss when you were just a volunteer and not in charge of the whole operation.

It doesn’t have to be that way!

Children’s Ministry has gone nuts. Seriously. It’s less than a hundred years old and yet we’ve made it into an empire more daunting and menacing than the Galactic Empire! How did the Church survive for so many generations and produce such godly saints without all the trappings of our modern ministry? Perhaps all our advances are a part of the problem. Could it be that all we have created to help has in part become a hindrance? An entire industry of resources and programs (and websites!) has exploded and what do we have to show for it? Just statistics that seem to suggest that kids are worse off spiritually than ever before. How can this be?! Where have we gone wrong?

We forgot our calling to be Shepherds.

READ THE ENTIRE ARTICLE ON KIDOLOGY.org for some very thought provoking and practical tips on how to get back to being more a shepherd than a sheepherder.

I may have to frame this article. It was exactly, exactly what I needed to see right now. You’ve no idea.
- Jennifer R.

DISCUSS THE ARTICLE ON THE FORUM

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NO, TELL ME!

April 1, 2009 at 1:41 pm · Filed under Devotional, Kidology, Luke, Parenting, Spiritual Growth

My 3-year-old has entered a fun, new stage in life. In the past, any time I would ask him a question starting with, “Do you know…,” he would answer “yes,” even if he didn’t. Last week, I encouraged him to answer, “No, tell me,” if he in fact didn’t know an answer.

It has now turned into a game where he has me ask him questions, and loves answering, “No, tell me,” before I launch into explaining to him another aspect of our amazing world. He has discovered that if he asks, I will tell him things he doesn’t already know, and he LOVES learning new things. Plus, with this new openness to learning, I’m teaching him about things I otherwise probably wouldn’t have yet.

It got me thinking about my relationship with my Father. How often do I go through the day acting like I know everything, or at least, everything I need to know to get through the day. But my Father delights when I admit I have more to learn and ask him, “Tell me more.” There are many things He will show me when He sees that I am open and eager to learn. I may know enough to get through the day, but I want more. I want to learn more about Him, about His world, and about His plan for my life.

Maybe it is time to turn to your heavenly Father, and say, “Tell me more,” because He will!

(excerpt from the Kidology Newsletter 4-1-09. Don’t get this idea-packed newsletter? Subscribe today!)

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Angel Wars Exclusive Clip

March 11, 2009 at 12:18 am · Filed under Awesome Products, Children's Ministry, Christianity, Entertainment, Kidology, Star Wars

Kidology.org to release an exclusive clip of the all new Angel Wars next Tuesday!

If you have not seen AngelWars.com you have missed one of the very best Christian animated series for children. Think Star Wars, Lord of the Rings, Narnia, and super heroes all blended together into one visually stunning animated show that mixes awesome music and eye-popping animation so well, you might get goose bumps just watching the trailer. And that’s before you even sit down with the pop-corn to enjoy the entire show!

I’ve been a fan of the original trilogy since it came out, but am excited that an all new feature length version (90 minutes) is coming out NEXT TUESDAY…. and…. that Kidology.org will be releasing an exclusive clip of the show in our newsletter on the same day! Be the first to see an exciting scene from Angel Wars: The Messengers never before seen!

That’s right! While you can view the official trailer at AngelWars.com and there are a few clips here and there, Kidology.org’s free newsletter subscribers will be treated to an exclusive glimpse of the video NEXT TUESDAY, the day of the release! If you are not a Kidology.org newsletter subscriber, join the thousands of others who know where to get the inside scoop on children’s ministry today! Subscribe now so you don’t miss it! We will also be hosting an online Q and A with the creator, Christopher Waters.

But what IS Angel Wars?

Angel Wars is a visually exciting, kid-friendly rendering of spiritual warfare that allows children to imaginatively and visually engage with the spiritual realm. While they are not exactly ‘biblical’ in the literal sense (nor claim to be) they do allow children to imagine what life could be like for angels. However, I imagine real angels may envy the hover boards, gadgets and space ships these imaginary angels get to enjoy! For those who are concerned with aspects that do not perfectly match biblical descriptions of angels, such as the angels having free will, it is important to realize that in any fiction, for the sake of a story, often a few of realities rules must to broken to establish a premise for a story. From that point on, a shared world view can exist in harmony. In Narnia, animals talk. In Lord of the Rings, great evil power can be embodied in a piece of jewelry. In Star Wars, there is an impersonal but guiding and empowering ‘Force’ which binds the galaxy together. VeggieTales not only has talking veggies, but they can pick things up without hands, and no one seems to have an issue with that. In the same spirit, Angel Wars grants a few exceptions to the idea of angels to create a spiritual world (and beings) that kids can relate to, and that allows for some powerful moral lessons. Targeted to attract children ages 5-11, I can’t wait until my little boy is old enough to watch Angel Wars with me. We will discuss the themes and lessons in the stories, and then it will create a wonderful opportunity to look to the Bible to study what God’s Word teaches us about real angels and how they relate to God, this world, and us. In the meantime, I’m enjoying them myself!

What is this new video about? Here is the official description:

In a city of darkness, they are the light.

From some of the world’s most visionary animators comes an action-packed, feature-length adventure of two young warriors in the battle between the forces of good and evil!

Kira and Eli are the newest members of the Guardian Force, a group of angel warriors sworn to protect the world from the powers of evil. Not yet full Guardians, the young duo still has a lot to learn, but when darkness descends over the city, the time for training is over. Faced with the responsibility of delivering hope to a lost city, they must learn to work together to drive back the soldiers of darkness and grow into the warriors they are destined to become.

Karl’s official endorsement:

Angel Wars beautifully combines stunning visual story telling with powerful character lessons. Rarely is something designed for kids so engaging that adults get mesmerized too. Angel Wars delights the eyes, ears and heart all at once. Christian parents, teachers and pastors now have something of excellence their children can enjoy that will teach as well as entertain. It’s Christian and it’s totally cool… imagine that!

Karl Bastian, the Kidologist
Founder and President of Kidology.org

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ToyBoxTales has a NEW Site!

February 25, 2009 at 9:23 am · Filed under Children's Ministry, Entertainment, FREE Stuff, Humor, Kidology, Online Resources, Toybox Tales

In case you haven’t heard, www.ToyBoxTales.com has been completely redesigned and improved!

You can now watch ALL the 101 ToyBox Tales instantly via embedded flash, no more need to download first. And for those who want the downloads for showing at church, they are now all available on one page. Free for Kidology.org members or directly on www.ToyBoxTales.com for a very nominal once-in-a-lifetime fee.

So jump over and check out the ALL NEW www.ToyBoxTales.com and enjoy some Bible stories like you’ve never seen them before!

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