No worries, this isn’t some final post as I depart to my final destination… just as I head off to Yosemite Summit for a week of 100% complete and total disconnect from work, e-mail, Twitter, Facebook and anything that distracts me from my relationship with God.

The 5th Annual Summit is Complete:

Meet: Tom, Travis, Alan, Johnny and Tim. The gang has met up in Sacramento and fellowshiped at the Official California #Kidmin Hangout:

The super observant notice my Panda Express, I already had In-N-Out twice as guys arrived, and the Holy Spirit (or my cardiologist) would not allow me to eat it three meals in a row!

Two of them had their FIRST In-N-Out Burger:

We have shopped till we dropped, chilled in the hot tub, and eaten out at the mall, but in the morning, all the tweeting and facebooking and crazy pole pics come to an end. (See more pics on the my Twitpic Page)

WHY?

Yosemite Summit is not a conference. It is the UNconference for men in ministry because it is a break from ministry. As it’s description says, there is:

No Workshops – Just Worship
No Resources – Just Relationships
No Networking – Just God Working

My inbox is still full. My voice mail is still full. And I have lots of stuff still unchecked on my to-do lists. But Yosemite Summit is my annual time to just walk away from it all, and simply Walk with God. (literally and figuratively.)

It is when I show Him tangibly that He is more important than all the “stuff” I do for Him and I spend time just being with Him. It is when I show that I mean it when I say He is more important than anything or anyone else. It is how I show that I’d walk away from it all for Him – by doing just that once a year, for an entire week. Just dropping it all… as it is. Undone, uncompleted, unneat and untiddy and just let it lie… as it is. My office is just as thought I got up and walked out, because I did. I just go. I’m never ready for the Summit. It just finally comes, and I just go. Just like that. If I waited until I was ready, it would never happen.

If you e-mail me, you’ll get a polite auto-reply. I will DELETE all e-mail accounts from my iPhone and MacBook Air. They won’t even exist here in CA a few minutes after I post this. I only have my Air for downloading pictures each evening. That’s it.

I’m firing myself from my job. I won’t think about it for an entire week. I’ve had people say that must be hard for me. There was a time when it would have been. It’s actually quite easy for me now. Because my identity is no longer my work. There was a time when it was. But I’ve gotten over that. So I can turn it off and on as needed. And as soon as I hit publish on this post… it’s off.

And I’ll just be Karl: Child of God. Sara’s husband and Luke’s dad. Nothing more.

The rest that I am and do will be back in a week. Until then…

CHECK OUT THE GUYS I’VE SHARED THIS EXPERIENCE WITH THE PAST FOUR YEARS AND CLICK ON THE PICTURE FOR A REPORT, HIGHLIGHT PHOTOS AND VIDEO: (I’ll update this post with the sign pic from this year when I return.)

2008

2009:

2010:

2011:

Will you be in the 2013 picture?

Someone posted in the Kidology.org Forums about a really tough first Sunday as kids pastor with discipline in their first Sunday’s Kids Church. We’ve all been there, haven’t we? I wanted to blog my answer here, and encourage others to jump on over and share their words of advice and encouragement as well:

Their Post:

I just accepted a children’s pastorate at a good sized church.  Today was the first Sunday.  I have lots of cm experience and have never had discipline issues with kids.  These kids walked in and read to tear the person leading limb by limb.  I didn’t know the names so I could call their names (even though we made name tag), and I was fully prepared.  I am going to find a smaller venue to hold kid’s church.  Seems that the larger room (gym) kids just want to run loose.  I asked what they really liked to do in kid’s church for future planning and they said playing games in the back (foosball, etc) They are only in kids church maybe 30 min.  It was a rough first Sunday.  Any feedback?

My Answer:

[Edited down] First of all, (I hate sounding like a sales plug, so if you can’t afford it, e-mail support and we’ll send it to you for free – but consider getting The Kids Church Cookbook – the whole sh’bang – it will help you from planning, recruiting, creative teaching, and using kids on your team – TONS of help, over 270 pages and 7 training videos. While I hate “selling” – helping folks like you is why I wrote/created it, after teaching over 1000 kids church services I’ve learned a few things, as I was once where you are. [:s] It will help you turn things around, and save me from writing a book in this post. [:o] Like I said, if you sincerely need it free, just ask for it. My gift to you! I want you to have it if you can’t buy it. But I do know people tend to use what they invest in. So if you have a budget, invest in yourself.

Sounds like you need help, get helpers so you aren’t correcting kids from the front, that is a joy-killer and makes the tone negative. You need to the positive one, and get others to do the correcting. And I can’t encourage you enough to start a kids krew (My K.C. Krew) turn those trouble makers into your helpers! When kids are involved, they can’t criticize. Of course, its not overnight, but it makes a huge difference. Even if you have to cancel children’s church while you get ready, so they sit in “Big Church” for awhile to realize it is a privilege to be there.

If things are really bad, you may need to establish control quickly with some clear rules -

1) Stay in Your Seat.
2) Raise Hands to Speak.
3) Follow Directions.
4) Have FUN!

(Let them know #4 can only happen when 1-3 are being followed.) Then you have a three warning system per child, and after three warnings, they get a week out of kids church. You’ll gain control really fast when they aren’t allowed in Kids Church. You have to gently, kindly, soft voice but with tough love just say, “I’m not sure how things were before, but this is how I’m doing things now. I won’t have that.”

A verse I will share with you that you CANT share with a parent (!!!!) is Jesus said not to toss pearls before swine. What they meant was you can’t let the rest of the kids suffer because of a few. You love those few, but it is OK to get rid of them for the sake of the rest. They will be back, and they will start to respect you. I have stepped into really bad situations and instituted control and rules and within 6 weeks I had order and obedience because while I had creative and fun teaching – that is not enough. The kids have to know I will not tolerate disorder and craziness. (Unless it is under my direction, of course!)

You are NEVER mean, you don’t raise your voice, your face is always kind and your voice loving and soft, but you simply have rules, and they are enforced, with grace and understanding, but you are not walked on by kids. Period. They are not used to that. I’ve had inner city project kids who will obey me at church, who would not obey at home or school, and their parents are baffled. They ask, “I don’t get it, why do they obey you and not me?” And my simple (gentle) answer is, “Well, its because I expect it.”

So, my answer is (so much for short) you need help, and you need to set standards, and you need to enforce them, and within 6-8 weeks you can have control of a classroom. But you can’t do it alone. AND at the same time, the quality of the program must be improving, but they must be happening at the same time.

Please get the Kids Church Cookbook, even if I must give it to you, it has the answers and tools you need for success!

Your Turn: GO HERE

On my podcast today I talked about how to RECLAIM OUR ZEAL IN MINISTRY when we feel it waning.

The Theme Verse was:

Romans 12:11 Never be lacking in ZEAL, but keep your SPIRITUAL FERVOR, serving the Lord.

I used the letters of the word Z.E.A.L. to offer four ways to rediscover ZEAL:

Z = Zero in on What Matters Most (get away from the distractions that pull you away from what drew you into ministry in the first place)

E = Encourage Others (get the focus off yourself)

A = Abandon Busyness (get away from ministry periodically)

L = Love Jesus (get back to relationship over service)

As I mentioned on the show…why do I have my son help wash my car? Is it because he is actually helpful? Do I need his help? No. In truth, I can wash the car faster and better without him. He actually hinders the task a bit.

I let him help because he wants to be a part of what his dad is doing. We wash the car together out of a loving relationship, not out of my need for his assistance.

Guess what?

Our service to God is exactly the same.

God doesn’t need our help. In fact, truth be told, our efforts probably hinder and hurt God’s efforts. However, He allows us to work with Him because He loves us and understands that we want to work with our Dad. Get this: We serve God out of a loving relationship, not because of God’s need for our assistance.

It makes you wonder why we work so hard…and often without God. It would be kinda like my son trying to wash the car without me. Pretty pointless, don’t ya think?

Listen to the free webcast.

No doubt, there are a LOT of places to interact and get help today on the Internet. Forums and Facebook groups and other places to ask for help and ideas and get resources abound. Twitter, Google+, Instagram, Four Square, Path, and so many other “places” allow us to ’social network’ and get instant help, ideas and keep in touch.

So why contribute and discuss on Kidology.org?

In a world of “I need it now” – Kidology.org takes a long term approach to helping Equip and Encourage children’s workers. We know that the same questions are being asked over and over again. What you are struggling with is not new. Others have struggled before you, and others will after you. In fact, the help you recieve, on whatever website you use, you will soon be able to pass on to others.

This is what makes Kidology.org different. The help given and shared and submitted to Kidology.org has a longer life-span than anywhere else. A question asked and answered on a Facebook wall gives immediate help, but quickly passes down the ‘river’ of the wall, and is gone forever. That wisdom is washed away by time. The investment of time and expertise and sometimes links and uploads are washed away never to be seen again. The same help, asked and answered on Kidology.org becomes part of a massive database of help that will help others again and again.

That is why when people ask me a kidmin question via Facebook I say, “Ask me in the Kidology.org forum, and I’ll answer you there.” It isn’t to push my website – it is because I want to invest my time and energy in a way that will help more than just that one person. I know that when I answer on Kidology.org, that post will have a life that will extend after that one day, it will continue to be read by others, and continue to help others for years to come.

People are constantly thanking me for help I gave them in posts and articles that I wrote on the site – many written years ago. If I had posted that info solely in a Tweet or a Facebook wall or on a site where it disappears after a short time, think of the many who would never have benefited.

And this is not only true of the things I write. This is true for you too. Your questions and answers are equally valuable! My words are now only a fraction of Kidology.org as the site has grown since 1994. And I know that after the Lord calls me home someday, it will live on to continue to fulfill it’s Mission of Equipping and Encouraging Those Who Minister to Children.

So let me invite you. Be active all over the web – as I am – it’s important. But be sure you are taking time to invest in the growing content of Kidology.org, for you will be helping others in a multiplying fashion, perhaps even long after you are even in ministry, or walking this earth! As long as the Lord Jesus shall tarry.

I’ve always called it giving a tithe of your ministry time to share what you are doing. Whether you are asking the questions, or giving some answers, content, ideas, or curriculum – everything helps us continue to build the Internet’s largerest source of Kid’s Ministry help on Kidology.org

Want to help keep it growing?

• Submit something to our Content Zones
• Join the Discussion in our Forums
• Sell something you’ve created in our store.

There has been a great deal of discussion over whether the movie is a good or evil and what the deeper messages of the books and film are, but when James Cameron’s Titanic broke all previous records, the block buster sales taught us a lot more about a woman’s desire to find a man willing to die for her, than it did about a famous ship’s collision with an ice berg. What does 450 million dollars in three weeks tell us about our culture?  Money spent to see a young girl defy a culture devoid of morals and that devalues human life? Especially when the young people flocking to see the film live in a culture nearly devoid of morals and that ever increasingly devalues human life? It’s a bit ironic!

Perhaps the young people we are wringing our hands over (who are a product of today’s adults, by the way) are not as ignorant and naive as we think. Perhaps they see what is happening in the world around them and they are hungry for a savior? Have we gotten so out of touch with our culture today that they can’t see the Church and Christ as the Answer? Have we become so like the world that they see no difference? (Statistics would suggest so.)

May there be Katniss Everdeens among our young people willing to stand up to the World, who might discover the real Christ and find that they can fight the World, not lose who they are. May they discover that they can be in the World, but not of it, and make a real difference! May what they Hunger for be found in Christ – even if the Church and those who profess Christ have let them down and failed to reflect Him accurately.

Perhaps the popularity of this film reflects not a love of violence but an awareness that not all is well in our culture and what entertains the adults above them. Could it be this film reflects a hunger for someone to stand up against it all and say, “Enough is Enough. No more.”

It ought to be us, but it may need to be a new generation of youth must rise to lead the charge. Hunger Games may just wake some up. Wouldn’t that be a twist?

WHAT DO YOU THINK?

See Also: Hunger Game Titled Wrong?

This week on my podcast, KidminTalk, I featured two beautiful iPad Apps for kids and I’m giving some away!

I’m delighted to tell you about The Sounds of the Night and The Lonely Stable

Both are stunning story book apps for young children written by Jessica Kirkland from ChristianApps4kids.com

The first app is called The Sounds of the Night and it is a story about a boy going to bed and hearing noises outside that make him a little scared, but learning what they are. Each is explained as a creature God created with touch screen interactive options that are fun to discover as well as pop-out words for early readers.

The story can be read to you, or you can read it to your child. There is even an option for the book to advance by itself if you are just cuddling and want it easy.

And while Christmas may be in December, The Lonely Stable is a story for all year around because it is a story of understanding that we all have a special purpose for why God made us.

It also has fun interactive touch elements, shapes, sounds, words and more for young kids to enjoy and the same reading (or be read to you) options.

As you can see, these books are gorgeously illustrated. But I can’t show you on the blog, the fun interactions, you’ll have to experience that on your iPad!

While I think every reader of mine should support this effort of Jessica’s by buying these for their kids so she can quickly come out with the next book – she gave me some iTunes Store codes to give several away for FREE – just listen to my podcast to find out how you can get one of these two books for free!

I would love to be the host of a show called Kid’s Church: Impossible! I think it would be a wonderful challenge to be given a Bible story or Biblical topic, some limited props or supplies, and a time limit and have to come up with a complete lesson and then teach it. Perhaps that sounds like a nightmare situation to you, but the reality is, it happens all the time in children’s ministry. Maybe it doesn’t happen on Sunday mornings, because you ought to be planning your lessons weeks in advance.

But you don’t have to be in children’s ministry long to learn that there are many situations in which you find yourself suddenly needing a lesson. Perhaps your senior pastor comes up with a special program and asks you to provide “child care” at the last minute and even says he’d like you to teach on the same topic as he will be teaching to the adults. Or maybe one of your volunteers calls in sick the night before and can’t send you the lesson plan but says, “we are learning about Joseph and are right up to the point when he becomes second in command and his brothers show up.” You’ll need to pick up right where last week’s lesson left off. You may even be out of town on vacation and visiting your family’s church when the children’s pastor gets ill, and they say, “Aren’t you a children’s pastor? Can you do Kid’s Church? It’s Missions Sunday, can you take over?” No sweat! You can jog your mind through the C.R.E.A.T.E. mental triggers or whip out your CREATIVE IDEA THING-A-MA-JIGGER*, and you will be good to go!

I hope that you have been encouraged to start flexing your creativity muscle. The more you create, the better and faster you will become. Soon you will be amazing yourself and your students with your creative ideas. And don’t forget, you can share your ideas on Kidology.org so that other teachers all over the world can use your them too! Imagine…children in classrooms all over America, literally in classrooms thousands of miles away, laughing and learning because of YOUR idea!

Because Jesus Loves Children,
Chef Karl D. Bastian aka The Kidologist

[Reprinted from the FINAL TOUCHES conclusion to Chapter 5 of The Kids Church Cookbook: Getting Creative]

*The CREATIVE IDEA THING-A-MA-JIGGER is a device that comes with the Kids Church Cookbook Part 5 that I invented that helps you trigger creative ideas… Here are some quotes about my little invention and how it has helped people who didn’t think they were creative:

At CPC last month, I did a workshop titled “10 Steps to a Ministry Reboot.” You can listen to it and get my notes for a limited time here: www.kidology.org/cpc12

In short, it was 10 basic areas of ministry / tips you need to address in order to both keep your sanity and have a well functioning ministry. Some of the tips are a little shocking to newer administrators. Like “Don’t Recruit” and “Stop Leading.” In other words, you should only recruit a leadership team, and they should do the rest of the recruiting (under your guidance), and don’t lead any ministries yourself. Equip leaders who lead under your leadership. It’s a workshop that often saves the sanity and ministry of those who hear it.

In response, I got the following e-mail today:

Hi Karl,

….Last week I had the opportunity to attend CPC in San Diego.  I attended your breakout:  ”Ten Steps to a CM Reboot…”  I appreciated the things you shared.  I am currently on a sabbatical that my church has blessed me with and this is exactly where I am at right now… I am at a point in my life where I need to re-invent myself as a leader and our ministry.

My question is, HOW does one make these changes.  It seems impossible and impracticable to implement all of these at one time.  So where does one start?  How do you implement these in the midst of trying to keep everything afloat?

Thanks again for sharing your wisdom and insight.

Blessings… [name removed]

It’s a GREAT question! I wanted to share here on my blog a little of what I shared with the person who wrote to me:

You are correct. You can’t do them all at once! Reinventing yourself and ministry WHILE keeping it going is the trickiest part of ministry, isn’t it? The key is prioritizing what needs to change and working on one area at a time.

What a blessing to have this sabbatical to refocus and get an opportunity to step back a bit and get some perspective. There is no “quick answer” – but I can encourage you to consider a few things.

1) Take a look at the Kidology Online Training I’ve put together. It contains five leadership labs to help leaders do just that. There are five training videos and five download kits to help walk you through this very process.

There is also a pack of all five available. If you work through these, it will really help you! It’s almost like having me as a personal coach.

2) That leads to the next best thing, getting yourself a personal coach, which we also offer on Kidology, known as Kidology Coaching.

A coach can really help you step by step to take things to the next level in your ministry by helping you set goals, holding you accountable, and helping you troubleshoot and problem solve specific problems while also identifying areas you can improve both personally and in the ministry itself. Perhaps a church that will invest in a sabbatical would also invest in coaching?

But the simplest answer is to take those “10 steps” and put them in priority order and address them two or three at a time. When I started my last ministry, I made a list of 12 areas I saw that needed to be addressed, and it took me eight years before I felt like I had addressed all 12 (and none to perfection, mind you!). I didn’t get to the ugliness of the facilities until the 7th year, and most CPs seem to start there – decorating. I wanted recruiting and the strength of the educational ministry to be my foundation, therefore I addressed those first, but not before I first addressed forming a leadership team. I had a list of my priorities (that no one saw but me, or I’d scare them all away!), and I hit them one at a time (or maybe two) and worked my way down the list, sometimes going back to refix things that were breaking because I had turned my attention to other things.

3) If you are not a member of Kidology.org yet, do join, and use the forum to ask specific questions as well, and you will find people answering with great advice.

Bottom line: you are not alone, there is help, and you can do it! Being willing to seek help, digging for answers, trying new things, and knowing you need to do some reinventing are half the battle. It is those who are content that have a problem.

I’m enjoying my 38th or 39th consecutive CPC. I’m trying to figure out how many I’ve been to, but in order to get the exact number, I need to know how many years they hosted three! But for the past 17 years I have not missed a single Children’s Pastor’s Conference at any location.

Every time people say, “were you at the one where….” I smile, because I have been at all of them since 1995. It hit me this year that soon my age will be the same as the number of Children’s Pastor’s Conferences I have attended.

I have been here as an attendee, as a speaker, as a performer, as an exhibitor…but mostly I am just here to walk around and talk to my friends who love kids ministry as much as I do.

I love meeting new people. I love seeing old friends. I love encouraging folks going through tough times. I love giving a word of advice or counsel to those just starting out in ministry or business. I love just being here among those who are as committed as I am to reaching and teaching kids or equipping and encouraging those who do.

You know the names of some of them because you read their books, use their resources, and subscribe to their twitter and blog RSS feeds. But my favorite conversations at CPC are with the folks I meet who are in the trenches of ministry, week in and week out, year after year. They are the ones for whom coming to a Children’s Pastor’s Conference was a big investment. They may only get to come every few years, or maybe it’s their first time, and they are still wide-eyed at all the workshops and resources, and they are amazed that there is an ocean of people like them – nuts about kids, and eager to more creatively reach them.

I love the conversations I get to have just sitting around after a workshop or in the aisle of the resource center or around the convention center with folks who tap my arm and ask for a minute of my time. They are the ones I’m here for.

I spend a lot of time all year looking at a computer and answer e-mails. At CPC those e-mails become associated with faces and stories, and that’s why I never miss one.

I hope to see you next year at CPC. Let’s sit down and chat, O.K.?

Related: Why CPC?

Several of these kids I still know and some I am friends with now on Facebook, even though this was 1993 at the Village Church of Lincolshire, IL. (Pictured here are David and Hannah Shaw, Tina Myers, Athena (Rebecca) Stephens, Tyler and Kelsey Hagen, Matt, Sam and Gab Fuqua, Jennelle, Jenene and Jenna Stanonik, Amy Lane, and others I only remember first names. I am getting old!)

Here is a fun game event I did in my Rookie Year as a full time children’s pastor that I called Sumu Kids:

First, the TEAM PHOTOS:

We did this at a “Sack Lunch Sunday.” Every first Sunday of the month, I let all the grade school kids stay at church for a themed afternoon of fun and games. Its purpose was simply to deepen my relationship with the kids as well as to give parents a nice Sunday afternoon off. (Parent Points!) There was always some spiritual teaching, yes, but that wasn’t the main emphasis. Building relationship was, as it made my teaching more effective during church. (Remembering all these names some 19 years later is proof that Relational Ministry works!)

Here are the kids getting their Sumu Fighter ready:

Hannah Shaw

and another:

Jenna Stannonick

and…

The white suits I got from Abbot Laboratories

Abbot Laboratories was located near our church, and I asked volunteer at our church (Byron Wingerd – thanks!) for a few of these awesome zip up lab body suits and he gave me a bunch. (I still have some!) And then the kids stuffed them with toilet paper!

Sam Fuqua

Then….. THE BATTLE!

Of course, the goal was to knock the other person (not over) but out of the circle! The Sumu Kids had to keep their hands either on their hips or just out in the air and could only use their belly to fight. It was hysterical! The kids loved it of course.

Oh, and did I mention they were BLINDFOLDED? Their teammates had to coach them on where to go by yelling instructions! But it was hard to tell which yelling kids were your team, so it took concentration.

The spiritual application?

1) You have to listen carefully to which voices in life you listen to.

2) There are enemies out there who seek to knock you over!

3) We need to work hard to not fall down!

SCRIPTURES I MIGHT HAVE USED: (I don’t actually know, but I know myself and how I think, so I would have used verses like this. NOT ALL of them, but I’m just showing you that after a FUN game the Bible has a LOT to say about standing firm and NOT FALLING DOWN!)

Psalm 36:12
See how the evildoers lie fallen— thrown down, not able to rise!

Psalm 145:14
The LORD upholds all who fall and lifts up all who are bowed down.

Ecclesiastes 4:10
If either of them falls down, one can help the other up. But pity anyone who falls and has no one to help them up.

Ephesians 6:11
Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes.

Joshua 7:10
The LORD said to Joshua, “Stand up! What are you doing down on your face.”

1 Corinthians 16:13
Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be courageous; be strong.

Matthew 24:13
but the one who stands firm to the end will be saved.

1 Corinthians 10:12
So, if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don’t fall!

Luke 21:19
Stand firm, and you will win life.

Mark 13:13
Everyone will hate you because of me, but the one who stands firm to the end will be saved.

1 Corinthians 15:58
Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.

Philippians 4:1
Therefore, my brothers and sisters, you whom I love and long for, my joy and crown, stand firm in the Lord in this way, dear friends!

James 5:8
You too, be patient and stand firm, because the Lord’s coming is near.

1 Peter 5:9
Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that the family of believers throughout the world is undergoing the same kind of sufferings.

IN SUMMARY:

Have FUN playing games – make it count by incorporating some spiritual teaching – but at the end of the day, we aren’t in ministry to have fun, and we aren’t even in ministry simply to teach. I’m not sure if many of these remember the lesson I taught that day. (Though a well taught lesson becomes part of who they are.) But the relationship impacts deeper than a lesson, and in two directions. I miss these kids very much. Some I’m still in touch with. Others, I cross paths with from time to time, others I know I won’t see again until the New Heaven and Earth – and what a Day that will be!

I think I’ll challenge them to a Sumu Match on the shore of the Crystal Sea!

CHECK IT OUT:

We know you use Kidology for great ideas, such as those found in our Easter Zone.  If you are looking for more resources, such as helpful curriculum, here’s a guide to some Easter products in the Kidology Store you should explore!

Jesus is Real 4-Week Curriculum

Tadpole Tails brings bring you a 4-week, sitcom-style video series featuring the news team from Breaking Action Daily News. This small-town newscast is dead last in the ratings until the skeptical producer, Bentley, orders news anchor Walter Riley to report that Jesus is a fake.

With the help of a young boy and a mysterious janitor, Walters investigative reporting leads him to a pastor, professor, physician, and printer. Each episode sheds new light on the fact that Jesus is real! While this may be “good news” to Walter, it causes lots of tension with the B.A.D. news team.

Buy Now for $58 – Member Price

X-treme Feats 4-Week Easter Curriculum

X-treme Feats, a 4-week Easter unit from River’s Edge, can also be used any time of the year. Explore John 3:16 in a fresh new way as kids learn about Jesus’ birth, Nicodemus and spiritual birth, and Jesus’ crucifixion and resurrection. Kids will walk away with not only a deeper understanding of John 3:16 but will learn how belief in Jesus transforms their lives.

The lessons include Plungerman (drama), X-treme Feats trivia, X-treme Feats performer story, Bible Story, Prayer, X-treme Feat (illusion/science experiment), X-treme Stunt along with optional activities – craft, snack, comic strip, Bible memory activity, small group questions. A one-page X-treme Feats Herald is included for kids to take home. The Herald gives parents ideas for discussions and activities to do at home.

Buy Now for $45 – Member Price

CSI Jerusalem 4-Week Curriculum

CSI Jerusalem is a 4-week Easter unit from River’s Edge. Through fun, hands-on forensics science activities, explore the events surrounding Jesus’ death and resurrection. Investigate the lives of those who knew him well and their reactions to the events.

As we learn about Peter, Mary Magdalene, John and Judas’ actions and reactions, we are challenged to not only believe in Jesus but to allow him to transform our lives through his forgiveness and his love.

The lessons contain drama, puppets (optional), interactive Bible stories, forensic lab activities, object lessons, games, crafts, snack ideas, Bible memory activities and parent take home pages.

Buy Now for $35 – Member Price

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Instead of a Christmas Letter this year (December was just to crazy this year!) I opted for a more electronically savvy method, and created a video to reflect on 2011. Besides, it was too hard to choose which pictures to put into a letter – we started one, and which pictures to choose, was so hard!

This year included a trip to California to see my childhood best friend, Andy, get married, (and a trip to DisneyLand while there) and another trip back later in the year to perform my first wedding for his little sister, Lindsay!

We enjoyed many visits from friends coming to enjoy Colorado and stay with us (when are YOU coming?) and enjoying this beautiful state ourselves as we still discover its vast beauty!

Luke turned 5, and wanted a “real Jeep” for his birthday, so I rented a Jeep for the day! I started “Dad School” a mini-home school to focus on the areas he needed help, and also “Family Pit Stops,” our evening family devotional times as he got old enough for intentional spiritual input from Dad.

Sara is a table leader for MOPS at our church and I continue to write a children’s church curriculum called DiscipleTown in addition to leading Kidology. I wrap up a two year column in Children’s Ministry Magazine after being named one of the Top 20 Leaders in the past 20 years, which was a pretty big surprise and honor. We added three new employees this year, with new VP of Operations starting January 1st, so we are pretty excited about what God has in store for our little ministry.

In addition to my fourth Yosemite Summit, I also got to take Luke and Sara this year – and seeing Luke discover my favorite place on earth, and show him all my “secret places” the tourists walk right past was a real treat, and watching him find his own, “secret places” that he wants to come back to someday. And extra bonus, after speaking at two camps this year, was being invited back to one on short notice (a previously scheduled speaker got called to heaven on short notice) I took my dad with me and we added on a trip to Yosemite, just as father and son – yet another highlight of the year for me personally.

So 2011 was a busy year, but a good year. In 2012, I hope to find a slower pace and perhaps some more margin, but am still eagerly excited to see what God has in store for my family.

Thank you to everyone who calls us family, friends, and who supports us in prayer. If you are not a part of my personal prayer support e-mail list, it’s called the Kidology Champion Prayer Supports List, and you can subscribe here. Just update your Kidology Newsletters to include that list.

I hope you had a Merry Christmas, and we wish you a Happy New Year from our family to yours!

Karl, for Sara and Luke too!

Enjoy our “Year in Review” Video:

The range of products and services we offer our visitors and members now is breath-taking! And I oversee all of it.

It’s a little schizophrenic at times, and my staff are very gracious as I shift roles constantly, but its rough on me, my family and our organization. I also serve on the board of several other organizations and serve as a consultant to other kidmin ministries in our market helping them to succeed and improve behind the scenes. But it has spread me very thin. I have known for years that I needed a full time “right hand man” but have lacked the combination of the timing, funding and the right person for the job.But the time has come.

So we are taking a step of faith – it seems all three have come together. I have hired today a Vice President of Operations and will be shifting out of my current role of running everything at Kidology, moving into a Chief Creative Officer role, and working with a new full time VP of Operations who will work with me in the oversight and coordination of Kidology. Certainly, it will take some getting used to – but he seems to be the man for the job and it is definitely the time for it.

This is one of the times where we are stepping out in faith!

If you are a Kidology Champion – you are a part of making this possible, whether you are a donor, or just part of our Champion prayer network. (sign up, if you aren’t yet)

I would ask for your prayer as we head into 2012 for wisdom, insight, the mind of Christ, discernment and unity as a team as we make the needed changes and adjustments in order to take Kidology to the next level of ministry.

Do you know the IMPACT of Kidology.org?

When we combine all levels of members of Kidology.org, both Basic and Premium, as of right now, it is around 17,000 churches. Let’s be conservative and estimate that each of those churches represent only 100 children.

That would be 1,700,000 kids impacted by Kidology.org each and every week.

I believe it very well could be many more. We are accessed by users in over 70 countries.

God is using our website to make a difference in individuals, in families, in churches – and best of all – in the lives of kids.

OUR MISSION: To Equip and Encourage Those Who Minister to Children.

That’s why I am so thrilled to announce that starting January 1st, 2012 Kidology will have a new Vice President of Kidology. His name is Mark Maestas.

Mark has an Mdiv in Leadership from Denver Seminary. He has served as a Family Pastor, College Pastor, as an interim Children’s Pastor, but most recently also in business leadership at Target Stores here in the Denver area. Sorry, Target, but the Kingdom needs him more.

We look forward the leadership and management experience that Mark will bring to Kidology.org and ask that you pray for him as he prepares to begin in the New Year.

I’m looking for Children’s Pastors and Volunteers who would be willing to help me give an iPad and some special software to a five year old boy whose family has a real need for this.

It could change his life.

Meet Brook. Brook is a lively little boy who can only say a few words – one of which is “God’s House,” which he prefers to say instead of “church” – but for the most part is unable to speak and therefore communication with his sister and mom is very difficult.

His mom has learned about the difference an iPad and some special apps could make in his life – and have tried out a few on an iPhone, and can see that it would be very helpful – but buying one is an obstacle that is out of reach for their family.

As I learned of this need through a family member, and then met this mom and boy, I thought this could be a wonderful way for my network of kidmin friends to show the love of Jesus to this little boy.

If you would like to see the difference an iPad and these special apps can make in Brook’s life, watch this short video from 60 Minutes recently was broadcast.

I would like to raise about $800 in order to purchase an iPad as well as software for Brook. Here are some samples of the software available, to explain the cost:

• Proloquo2Go ($189)
• Verbally Premium ($99)

If you would like to give, your gift will be tax-deductible by giving via the Kidology Foundation at: www.kidology.org/donate

Even if you can only give $5 to $20 (or certainly more) it will all add up. I’ve already put $100 in the fund myself, but there is much more to raise.

Would you consider helping? Just donate via this link, and put “iPad for Brook” in the comment box when you give. I will post here when we have raised enough. Again, no gift is too small! Please consider helping out.

What an awesome Christmas Gift it would be for Brook if we can do this!

Thanks for joining me in this great opportunity to help a young boy’s world of communication open up in his family! His mom and little sister will be so blessed if enough people will respond to make this happen.

Thanks!

Well, it took awhile to compile all the responses and pick a WINNER – but that original post has been UPDATED with both the winner and PDFs and WORD documents with all the submissions in a list, so you can compile your very own Kidmin Toolkit and BE READY for the next time you suddenly get called to go teach or serve and have no time to plan or pack or prepare – just grab your Kidmin Toolkit and GO!

GO THERE NOW – to see WHO WON, and download the TOOLKIT LISTS!

Leave your NEW COMMENTS HERE, rather then there. I’m especially interested in whether anyone actually creates their Kidmin Toolkit. If you do, send me a picture and I will post it here in this thread! E-mail to karl at kidmintalk.com as I will probably end up talking about this on KidminTalk soon!

GO!

Writing the Kid’s Church Cookbook was one of the biggest undertakings I’ve ever done. It was bigger than the Order of the Ancient novel, since it required design work and layout involvement that was much more intense, and bigger than the Kidology Handbook since not only is it over 100 pages longer, but it involved me filming seven complete training videos in a custom kitchen studio all while it was closed over a Christmas break… it was an insane time. I won’t even bother typing all that involved, crazy story best saved for telling in person. While it took over two years to get the editing done, the filming was all done in just 3-4 days almost non-stop without sleep!

This post was inspired by some encouraging words I just got from a Kidology member named Martin Maynard, which I thought I’d share, in case you’ve been considering picking it up: (I edited to shorten and leave some stuff out.)

Karl, the reason I am writing is your Kids Church Cookbook is the best training I have ever come across in my years of reading and studying. I appreciate what you are doing through Kidology, what an amazing site.  I wish more folks would grab a hold of what  you are doing. I sincerely think your material is just awesome and it is just what we need.

I just read your chapter on Object Lessons and how you describe how to take an object and just start describing it slowly, giving time for the connection to be made between the abstract and the concrete. Truly amazing. I truly have read tons of books and there are some great leadership books out there, but none really touch on creativeness. Man you tackle creativeness head on and make it not so intimidating. I just think this material is just that good. I feel so blessed to have stumbled on your site and to have come across the material. I feel God lead me to it. Thanks for your work at raising up youth to be disciples.

- Martin Maynard

The Cookbook took several years to write and to produce the training videos that go along with it – and it is so encouraging when people take the time to send a note of encouragement. I have never seen an exhaustive work on Kids Church, and during this season of life when I’m not in weekly church ministry, I felt God telling me to use this time to write “everything I know about children’s church” from having written and led over 1000 kids church services for over fifteen years of ministry. It was hard work, but oh so fun to do it in such a creative manner. (With the Chef theme that really played out nicely as it unfolded.) I tried to cover a wide spectrum of topics from lesson preparation to recruiting to room decorating to advance planning and so much more. It’s kinda the definitive work on Kid’s Church! Like I said, no one else has ever even tackled the topic on this scope or breath before. And with the addition of seven training videos, it really became a hefty project!

But in the end, I think it’s quite a helpful tool that should serve those who teach kids and lead Kids Church for years to come.

Thanks Martin for your encouragement! I’m glad it is helping your kids church team, and I hope it will help many others to cook up lessons that kids are gonna love and provide the tools to assist in preparing more spiritually nourishing lessons wherever the Cookbook is used!

DAY #21: My Customers

Back in 1994 when very few people knew what the “Internet” was, I got an idea for a website: The KidologyWeb:

I was already calling myself “The Kidologist” in my workshops as I sought to equip and encourage children’s workers to approach children’s ministry from the perspective of a child:

By 1996 the first “Kidology Handbook” was published:

VERY FEW people remember when Kidology.org (before I had that domain!) looked like this:

OR when you clicked into it and saw crude pages like this:

Only hundreds were lucky enough to BE on the Internet surfin’ kidmin back then! (And only a few bought the “Life Time Memberships” I offered back then when I needed to raise some money to buy some much needed Microsoft FrontPage software, and yes, they are still members!)

More remember the next version of the site: Kidology 2.0 (which I called it long for “2.0″ was hip)

It had the infamous “frames” that if you navigated just right, would give you frames within frames within frames, which could be kinda fun…

If you were a member then, prove it by putting int he comments the “Secret” entrance you clicked on to enter the Member Area before I had usernames and passwords… it was kinda funny!

Then, due to a huge answer to prayer and grant (told about in my Thankful for Steves post) I was able to hire a real web developer, Ken Kinard, who built me my first real website, with a database driven backstage and got use set up with credit card processing and memberships with usernames and passwords.

Kidology.org finally had a webite platform we could really build on. Our rapid growth soon meant transitioning to a more robust platform and even another complete redesign and before we knew it it was time for yet another complete redesign and platform change… as we went from hundreds to thousands of members and became the leading destination for children’s ministry content on the Internet.

We incorporated as a non-profit ministry in 2000 and by 2006 I had gone full time. That paints a much smoother picture in one sentence that the story is – but anyone who has lived life or founded a ministry knows, no road is smooth, but God is faithful when we continually seek him through the ups and downs on the journey.

Our websites have changed… our logos have changed… staff have come and gone…

A Rejected Kidology Logo!

One thing has remained the same… OUR CUSTOMERS! They come by the hundreds, indeed by the thousands, every day… looking for ideas, for resources, for encouragement, for training, for jobs, for connections, for friendship, for a wide variety of things… things that can’t all be found anywhere else all in one place… and even when they can be found somewhere else, they know they can find it there, but starting here! Because like Miracle on 34th Street… we will direct you to where you need to go.

So far this month, as of this blog post, we’ve have 1,157 new FREE Basic Members sign up on Kidology.org, and that’s just THIS MONTH so far… I’m blown away by how many children’s ministry workers come to Kidology.org. I remember when 1,000 members was the entire ministry of Kidology! (And when we thought we’d never hit that number.)

It is humbling and amazing and such a blessing that this is my employment now. That I have the privilege to get up each day and serve you.

I am thankful for getting to work at home near my family, to get to travel to minister to children, and to get to meet some of my customers when I am out and about serving.

MY LIFE MISSION hasn’t changed since I was nineteen when God gave it to me: To reach and teach as many children as possible with the Good News of God’s Love, and in the process to Enlist, Equip and Encourage others to do the same.

THANK YOU for allowing me to use my God-given talents to bless you and serve you. I stink at a lot of things, but that I get to do what I love, is because of my customers.

There is a saying:

LOVE WHAT YOU DO WHAT YOU LOVE.

My customers make that possible. I am thankful for them today.

(Another Rejected Logo!)

]]> http://kidologist.com/2011/11/21/day-21-thankful-for-my-customers/feed/ 0 http://kidologist.com/2011/11/14/day-14-thankful-for-patti/ http://kidologist.com/2011/11/14/day-14-thankful-for-patti/#comments Mon, 14 Nov 2011 23:04:55 +0000 kidologist http://kidologist.com/?p=4632 This is part of a series called 24 Days of Thankfulness. These posts are in RANDOM order, NOT priority order. Each is something I am thankful for leading up to Thanksgiving.

DAY #14: Patti the Bookkeeper

I often joke that I’d be in jail if it weren’t for my bookkeeper, Patti.

There are so many legal and government requirements to running a business it is dizzying! You start a ministry because God gives you a calling in life… then you discover there are a zillion quarterly and annual things to file, fill out and fees to pay and a minutia of government loop-holes that if you don’t tap-dance just right… WHAM-O, fees with interest or you lose your tax exempt status or trade mark or they come ringing your door bell. Seriously!

Patti was one of the first employees I hired and as soon as cloning is figured out, I’m taking her in to be cloned. Everyone should have an employee like Patti. She is loyal and trustworthy and puts up with me through think and thin – and believe me, there has been “thin” and when we’ve in the “thick” of it, she hangs in there.

She’s also the best friend of one of my board members (Sara) so that keeps me in line too.

I know I drive her nuts, but she grins and bears it.

Her awesomeness extends beyond paying the bills – when you are a small business, everyone becomes an expert on things you never planned on being an expert at. The week after we started the IRS showed up at my door and Patti got to figure out how to get a credit in one ‘box’ that exactly equaled a debt in another ‘box’ to balance each other out so the government would be happy again. Not an easy task as it turned out! LOL She’s learned how to fix trademark issues, bank mysterious fee issues, inter-state tax issues (since I move to Colorado) and a host of other things she probably never bargained on, and never once complained or stopped smiling. As a non-profit we do an independent audit every year and Patti works patiently as the firm digs through every little piece of paper and I’m always so proud when we pass with flying colors. When you donate to Kidology you can know that we have a great steward taking care of the funds entrusted to us. She also is the one who sends all you Kidology Garage Sale folks your checks, so you should be thankful to her too!

Today is not the only day I am thankful for Patti. I don’t know what I’d do without her!

Oh, and Patti, if you are reading this, I’ll get those receipts to you soon, I promise!

DAY #10: Steves

There are three “Steves” that I am thankful for. Each has played a critical role in my ministry success. One I already blogged a tribute to after he recently passed away, Steve Jobs: On The Passing of Steve Jobs

But there are two other Steve’s that probably will never be famous. One deserves a lot of credit for the founding of Kidology.org – though few have ever heard his name, the other deserves a lot of credit for keeping it going.

Steve Clindaniel's Family

There was a time when Kidology was a hobby of mine and I prided myself with being a “man of vision.” I often would say, “It is better to dream too big and have God cut it back, than to dream too small and have God frustrated with you because there is so much more He wants to do through you that you are unwilling to see.” I loved to talk of grand visions of what was possible! And “thinking outside the box!”

Then, through some unique situations in his life, God brought Steve Clindaniel to my church for a season. A humble, quiet guy, who I like to tell people is the only common denominator between the nations two largest mega-churches, Willow Creek and Saddleback, since he attended and served as a volunteer in both in their infancy when he worked for Hewlett Packard years ago, and his work had him on opposite ends of the country every other weekend, and he was drawn to these young churches. Incidentally, he was the volunteer who registered www.willowcreek.org and got a little flack from Bill Hybels for spending church money on such a silly thing! (Such were the days back then!)

Anyway, he volunteered to help me in Kids Church and learned about my little website and as he learned of my “big vision” for Kidology – he was the first person who had the nerve to say to me, “I don’t hear a big vision, I hear nothing but excuses and obstacles from you. I hear only what you can’t do. I want you to REALLY create a vision for me of what Kidology ought to be.” I was stunned. No one had ever challenged me like that! He asked to see my business plan. I said, “A what?” LOL Then he coached me through creating a business plan and how to present it to an investor and how to properly launch a business, within one year we had seed money, advertised in Children’s Ministry Magazine, exhibited at the Children’s Pastor’s Conference, rebuild our website properly, hired our first employee, opened an office and took huge leaps of faith that scared me to death. We even incorporated as a non-profit 501c(3) and formed a board of directors. It was time to ger real. The hobby phase was over. Steve Clindaniel dared me to REALLY DREAM and put action behind my words. Those of you who send me kind thank you notes about how thankful you are to ME for all that you benefit by from Kidology.org owe a debt of gratitude to Steve Clindaniel, a man you may never meet, and he likes it that way. Such is his godly character. But when you get to heaven, before you look me up, find Steve, and shake HIS hand first. Because he saw what I was doing at my church, heard my vision, and believed in me and pushed me so that I could minister to you all over the globe via Kidology.org.

As an added bonus, Steve introduced his nephew to our Kids Church to help in the tech booth – a young man who turned out to be a technical genius. He was my first Kidology employee, first uploading PDFs of kids church lessons, then helping create ToyBoxTales.com, and is now Kidology’s IT Director…. Branden Stuck.

Watch Kermit’s Interview with Steve Tanner

Then, there is the Steve that keeps Kidology.org running and constantly improving, Steve Tanner… known to many as Tannerman. Though, around Kidology, we have coined a phrase for things that have been benefited from his masterful touch. Things are either “Tannerized” or not. I create a page or a product and then ask Steve to “Tannerize” it. Basicly, that means to perfect it. If it’s not Tannerized, it’s not quite up to snuff.

Steve was Kidology’s first full time employee and remains our only full time staff member. We have nearly a dozen part-time employees and contractors who help with a wide variety of tasks that must be done to keep this massive operation spinning, and Steve and I somehow manage to keep it all going. While his title is Director of Web Operations, I ought to call him the Mad Hatter, as that role can end up wearing a lot of different hats at times, and I’m often wondering if I am driving him mad! (or at least, mad at me!) When he first interviewed he described himself as a “Swiss Army Knife of Technology” which has proved to be a perfect description of him, since there really isn’t anything he can’t do. Whenever we are out, I often tell people, “Name any random subject and Steve will tell you something about it you never knew. He is the expert on everything. I once said ‘peanut butter’ and got the inside scoop on the peanut butter industry. Another time I tried to do research ahead of time on a topic online (AFL), to impress him with my knowledge on a topic, and he corrected me. I argued, he said I was wrong. I finally revealed my source – the official AFL website – he said the website was wrong! Later, it proved the official website of a franchise sport was indeed wrong, and Steve was right on the fact. I was doomed to be wrong, even with advance preparation! But at least this guy’s on MY team!

So three Steves are critical to the success of Kidology – Steve Clindaniel help found the company, Steve Jobs provides many of the tools we create it with and Steve Tanner keeps it running and improving.

Today, and I am thankful for Steve’s!

It’s really just something I need to DO MYSELF – but I thought maybe others might want to join me, and I’d enjoy reading/seeing what others are thankful for. So you are welcome to use the Word doc, or just post in the forum what YOU are thankful for! So let me begin today, with my first post. These are NOT going to be in priority order, otherwise I’d have to go God, Family, etc. and then later on, people might judge me for putting one thing “above” or “before” another – so right out of the gate let me say, these posts will be in RANDOM ORDER of things I am THANKFUL FOR!

DAY 2 – God’s Word

DAY 3 – My Mom

DAY 4 – Photography

DAY 5 – Pandora

DAY 6 – George Lucas

DAY 7 – Breckenridge

DAY 8 – Barq’s

DAY 9 – Mercy & Grace

DAY 10 – Steves

DAY 11 – Freedom

DAY 12 – Luke

DAY 13 – Sara

DAY 14 – My Bookkeeper

DAY 15 – Science

DAY 16 – Da Cloud

DAY 17 – Awana & Sunday School

DAY 18 – My Dad

DAY 19 – True Friends

DAY 20 – Scottevest

DAY 21 – My Customers

DAY 22 – Tennis Balls

DAY 23 – Flight

DAY 24 – Jesus

I’ve long said, there are three types of people in the world:

1. Those who make things happen
2. Those who watch things happen
3. Those who say, “What just happened?”

Steve Jobs was one of those who MADE things happen, and equipped others to make things happen too – which was why he was my hero. He enabled me to create. A lot of people spend their time talking about what others are doing, I prefer to DO. A lot of people spend their time talking about what others are writing, I prefer to WRITE. A lot of people spend their time talking about where others are going, I prefer to GO. A lot of people spend their time talking about what other people are creating, I prefer to CREATE.

Steve Jobs was the man who taught me this. When IBM said “Think” – he said “Think Different.” He didn’t listen to conventional wisdom, he listened to his inner voice and went against the grain and did what his instincts told him. Often it led to mistakes. But he never let his mistakes stop him from pushing forward toward his dreams. He had a vision of what people needed and he was relentless in giving people what he knew they needed. (and wanted, whether they realized it yet or not!)

That is why I created Kidology.org in 1994 – I had a vision of what children’s workers needed long before most were even using the Internet. I hope that someday when I am gone, I too can be remembered like Steve Jobs, as someone who never gave up, pressed on after mistakes, and pushed against the grain to give my customers what they need to succeed in their ministries.

While I have nowhere near his genius, I hope I have his tenacity to keep at it to the end.

(Close to what my gift looked like)

It is one thing to talk about something in the abstract. Kids need real stories from real people they know. Have you ever had a bad attitude that cost you something? Too often we give the impression that we have always done everything right and it is only the children we teach who make mistakes. Telling our students real stories of times we have blown it can help encourage them in profound ways.

I remember a time when my dad came home with a gift for all three of his children. To each of my sisters he gave a gift of a different type of magnifying lens. I was in shock! Didn’t my dad know, it was I who collected magnifying glasses?!?!

My older sister got a magnifying sheet the size of a full page of paper! Then my younger sister was given a magnifying ruler. You could place it over what you were reading and as you moved it down the page the words would magically grow as it passed over them.

I was so jealous! How could my father DO this to me? Again, didn’t he understand that it was ME who collected magnifying lens, not my sisters?! They were girls, after all. They needed dolls or something of the sort. I was so caught up in my anger and jealousy and wanting what they had been given that when he handed me an old two inch long cylinder object that I didn’t recognize instead of asking what it was, I just threw it on the ground, breaking it, and yelling, “I don’t want this dumb thing, I want a magnifier!”

My dad simply left the room obviously disappointed in me. Later, after I calmed down enough to ask about the object I had cracked, he explained that what I had thrown down and broken in my anger was actually a very valuable and high powered magnifier he had found at an antique store. In his desire to bring a little treat for my sisters as well, he had stopped at the five and dime store bought them cheap magnifiers so he could have a gift for each of his children.

My impatience and disrespect cost me that precious treasure.

I have kept that broken lens to this day as a reminder that my Father knows me best and delights in giving me what my heart desires if I will just be patience and wait to hear His explanation.

I do.

You watch.

I do.

You help.

You do.

I help.

You do.

I watch.

It summarizes the process of discipleship or training it a nutshell. This summer I volunteered at my church to teach the preschool Bible stories for our churches sports camp because my son was attending. (I knew that fit my skills better than volunteering to coach sports!) I used props and objects to illustrate the Bible stories. For my own self-training purposes I video taped the sessions with my flip camera. (I like to watch and learn to improve.) One of the leaders had to teach the same Bible stories a few weeks later for the second week of sports camp when I was off to teach at a camp and couldn’t volunteer. I boxed up all my props and spent a little time coaching her on how to do it and gave her copies of the flip videos to watch and study. She did great!

This week she is on a mission trip to Nairobi and I just got this picture posted on my wall via Facebook:

Imagine my joy to see my “student” using the same technique so many miles away! It brought tears to my eyes! I had used action figures in a boat to teach about Peter walking on water and given all the kids “waves” and had Peter walk out among them “on the water” – and here is Shelly doing the same lesson on a mission trip.

I did.

She watched.

Now she did!

I watch.

That is what equipping and encouraging is all about. I live for this! It is why my LIFE MISSION STATEMENT since I was age 19 has been:

To reach and teach as many children as possible with the Good News of God’s Love and in the process to Enlist, Equip and Encourage others to do the same.

It is why I created Kidology.org, Toyboxtales.com, wrote OrderoftheAncient.com, lead YosemiteSummit.org, write DiscipleTown, created the KidsChurchCookbook.com and now BeTheDadToday.com

I do and I help – so that others can too, and then I sit back and watch. And it blesses my socks off.

Live for something amazing and you will never be bored!

Way to go Shelly!