Home Archive by category "Children’s Ministry" (Page 122)

Category: Children’s Ministry

If Yosemite is God’s best, Cedar Point is Man’s

If Yosemite is God’s best…. then Cedar Point is man’s best display of how we have harnessed God’s natural laws and the creativity he gave us and made: Roller Coasters. Yes, Roller Coasters are man’s cheif creation. Since the Tower of Babel man has always desired to go higher and faster… and nothing demonstrates man push for speed than the roller coaster. Sure, race cars and airplanes (and rockets) are faster, but they also have practical purposes: transportation and shipping. Only the roller coaster was built (at the cost of millions of dollars) simply for the pleasure of pushing the common man’s human limits. When we strap ourselves into these wood or metal machines we are saying we want to experience what we were not created to experience in our day to day life – height and speed are were not given to us – but the creativity to think of what does not yet exist and the intellectual ability to make it exist is one of the greatest gifts God gave us when He made us in His image. Forgive me for getting too philosophical about Roller Coasters – but they are one of my favorite things – and…

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A Jedi with a Shepherds Heart…

The hills as you drive to beautiful Corvalis, Oregon are filled with sheep lazily grazing on wide open green pastures. Counting the sheep would have been a pointless effort, as there were too many and constantly moving. Just a few hours from the coast of Oregon, it is a beautiful place to live and minister, and the sight of sheep on the way in was fitting, as we were on our way to meet a young father and pastor with a true shepherd’s heart. Strong in the Force this Children’s Pastor is… Henry and his Padawan Learner… After church at Kings Circle (See Kings Circle Gallery) we headed out to lunch at my favorite restaurant that is now sadly missing in Chicago… The best former Chicago restaurant in Chicago. Allow me to rant: The busiest restaurant at our local mall in Chicago went ‘out of business’ due only to upper management mistakes. Soon all the other Baja Fresh’s in Chicagoland started to disappear, and rumor is that they are pulling out of the MidWest. Dumb. Why would a popular busy highly profitable restaurant close? I’d like to say to Baja Fresh’s Leadership: “I find your lack of vision disturbing.” A…

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Karl’s Oregon Coast Wallpapers

Yes, we bought matching shirts. Yesterday we started our journey down the Oregon Coast. In one word? Breathtakinglyamazinglybeautifullyspectacular. The Oregon Coast FAR EXCEEDED my expectations, and they were pretty high already. It has proved to be even more spectacular than I had even hoped. Colorado? You may need to step aside – you’ve got the mountains, but not the rivers, ocean, lakes, and lush greenery. I still claim Colorado as my favorite state, but is more due to my personal roots there… It is getting harder to say it is the most beautiful state in the Union. The first day we traveled from Portland, North to the Coast, and then started straight down. We ended in Newport for the evening with dinner with our friends, the Helts, who I met through Kidology. Pam Helt has co-authored a few of my Kid’s Church units with me. We had lunch this morning at Coca Mocha Joe’s before heading on our way again. We also visited their church, but more info and pics on that later. I can’t get over the amazing displays of God’s Creation here! It just never ends, for hours on end. No photos can capture it, but I tried.…

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Hinson Memorial Baptist Church…

We are currently in Portland, OR. Not only did I get to visit with my long-lost buddy and pal Rich Stafford (as usual, more pics to come!), but we got to visit a dear sweet grandma named Evelyn Monnier. There is no slowing down this 85 year old saint! Just a few years ago, she and a friend (not much youger) drove all the way to Chicago for a visit, on the way to the Cove in North Carolina! This time it was our turn to make the trek. Returement is a time when most people slow down, but not for Evelyn. Since retirement she has served on the mission field and been active in church and was on staff with ISI. (International Students International) It was while she was in the Philippines serving with Sara’s parents, that she was adopted as ‘Grandma’ to a 9 year old Sara. Evelyn with a picture of herself at age twenty. Quite a catch, eh? Rock of Ages. This church supported Sara’s folks years ago. Tonight we went with Evelyn to church – Hinson Memorial Baptist Church – and met the children’s ministry director, Judy Busch, who I was surprised to hear was…

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Children’s Pastors "Havefunner"

Who is the Man Behind the Mask? Allow me to travel back in time, a few blogs anyway, to Portland Oregon where we visited Shiloh Hills Fellowship. (see post and photo gallery) Spokane held a few surprises for us. Besides the amazing hospitality shown to us, I was glad to get to meet a great children’s pastor. Our original purpose in visiting Spokane was to meet Danile Bigler, a gifted young man who has impressed me (and many others) with his contributions to Kidology.org A Young Man with a Heart for Preschoolers. Daniel proved to be a fascinating young man with many talents and passions that could lead him in many directions… though I’m encouraging him to be a children’s pastor, one of his many possibilities. But whatever he does, he will have a great impact on the Kingdom, I’m sure. I was very glad, however, to find out that he is working as an intern for a fantastic children’s pastor at Shiloh Hills Fellowship. Daniel is at home with kids… Rick “Havefunner” Pastor Rick Haffner, (often called by his kids Rick “Havefunner”) has over thirty years of children’s ministry service, having served both in the church and public school…

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