Home Articles posted by kidologist (Page 76)

Join Me at the Colorado Kidmin Ministry Conferences

EVEN IF YOU AREN’T IN AWANA! If you are in kids ministry, and if you are in Colorado, let me encourage you to JOIN ME at one of the Colorado Awana Ministry Conferences that I’ll be ministering at this fall! While there are some workshops specifically for Awana Clubs, most of the training (and all the classes I am teaching) are general Kidmin Training that will apply to ANYONE in children’s ministry! I am speaking and doing workshops of two of the Awana Ministry Conferences coming up in the Colorado/Utah Region: AUGUST 17-18, 2012 in Colorado Springs and SEPTEMBER 21-22, 2012 in Denver (Wheat Ridge) MY WORKSHOPS: Friday Evening: Making Your Class Rock (extended session training) Saturday: Workshop 1 – Teaching Lessons That Last What makes a lesson memorable? Learn how kids minds and memories work – and how you can teach lessons that last not only through the week, but into their adult life and genuinely impact eternity! Kids love to learn – but they learn best through experience! Create lessons that impact kids beyond just the brain. Get them excited about their faith and walk with God. Workshop 2 – Object Lesson Explosion! This is a fun, interactive,…

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Awana and Speed Stacks?

UPDATE: The LIMIT FOR TRIAL CHURCHES IS NOW CLOSED. But – read on, it’s still exciting! It is no secret that I am a HUGE fan of both Awana and Speed Stacks. For years I have had a dream…that the two could somehow come together. Just as Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups are the ULTIMATE CANDY, blending chocolate and peanut butter, in the same way, I’ve dreamed that Awana could collide with Speed Stacks. Maybe you are old enough to remember those commercials where someone was walking eating chocolate and another person was eating peanut butter, and they bumped into each other: “Hey! You got chocolate in my peanut butter!” “You got peanut butter in my chocolate!” They take a bite and say together, “Hmmmmmm” Well, years ago, I began to mix ministry and sport stacking and found it to be one of the most effective outreaches that brought new kids to church. You can check out the archived Speed Stacks site from one of my previous ministries here: VCBkids Speed Stacks. I’ve also had an Awana Club in nearly every children’s ministry I’ve led and have written about how it is one of the most effective ministires of the entire…

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Spooky Lessons from the Bible?

NOW AVAILABLE in the Kidology Store! Some might be surprised that I would write a curriculum for October that addresses Halloween – especially four weeks worth – a few offended even, others thankful. So in advance of it’s release I want to explain why. The decision regarding whether or not to write this unit was not an easy one. I understand that the feelings surrounding Halloween and how we are to respond to it as Christians run strong on both sides. On one end, there are those who decide to completely ignore the ‘holiday’ (in quotes for it is hardly a ‘holy day’), and on the other end are those who wish to take advantage of the opportunity to reach kids and families through outreaches and Fall events, with many views in between. By writing this unit, I am in no way condoning the events and practices surrounding Halloween that Christians disagree with and even sought to be very cautious in the images selected to both reflect the season while avoiding anything that is contrary to our belief system. I therefore focused more on bats, pumpkins, spiders, and items that exist in nature and that the kids enjoy. But why…

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Chic-fil-a and Apple Computers

My eating at chic-fil-a today had NOTHING to do with my support for marriage being defined as that between a man and a woman, nor because I oppose gay marriage. BUT BECAUSE I AM AN AMERICAN. If I ate somewhere because of my political positions, I would have to get rid of the MacBook Pro I am typing on, my iMac, my MiniMac, my MacBook Air, my iPhone, my iPad, my Apple TV, (even my Newton! LOL) and the countless Apple products my staff use and close my Christian non-profit business account I have with Apple who treats my Christian organization wonderfully giving me great discounts despite the very liberal (and often non-Christian political beliefs) of it’s owners, founders and probably a vast number of it’s employees. But they make excellent products. And this is America – the Land of the Free. Free to disagree with me. And free to create awesome products despite what we passionately believe religiously or politically. That is America! Have people FORGOTTEN THE TYRANNY our Founders FLED to found this country? Chic-fil-a should ALSO be free to make chicken, sell chicken and it’s owner have political views that are different than what some liberal Chicago…

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It’s That Simple, It’s That Difficult

My podcast this week is in response to a post in the Kidology forum where a Kidology member laments, I’m working at a new church and realize that the youth don’t know that much about the God’s Word or Jesus. I’ve sat and scratched my head trying to figure out what approach to take. Many of the youth have been coming to the church as kids, but haven’t really learned about a relationship with Jesus. ….they aren’t interested and neither are the parents. The majority of the youth ….are moving on and the youth director assigned to their age group is clueless. They focus on events rather than ministering to the kids. I’m about to pull my hair out because I feel like I’m the only one who see’s the problem. HELP!” If I had to answer you in one would, it would be: DISCIPLESHIP. The church today spends too much time and energy and money trying to turn out disciples through mass/large groups ‘events’ and what you describe is the results. “The proof is in the pudding” as the saying goes. If you want to see the solution, you have to look no further than the ministry of Jesus.…

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