Yosemite Summit – A Defining Momment

What is Yosemite Summit? It’s hard to describe. It’s not just another children’s ministry conference. It’s not just a retreat, it’s something incredibly unique and life transforming. It’s an encounter with God – an encounter with creation – an encounter with yourself – and great fellowship with other children’s pastors. If it’s not a children’s pastor’s event – some ask me why I limit it to children’s pastors (or CM professionals). It’s a fair question. It is because I believe that there are unique challenges that we face as men in children’s ministry that only children’s pastors understand and we need each other to face and overcome them. I’ve faced many of them (not always victoriously) and created this event as a way to share what I’ve learned and provide a safe and unique opportunity for men to come together – unplugged from both the demands of ministry and the busy pace of life (and electronics!) to face some things they may have never faced before and come away with a totally new perspective on themselves, their families and their ministries. Yosemite Summit changes men in ways you can’t understand until you’ve been here. And it is only open to…

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DiscipleTown for FREE?

THIS OFFER HAS BEEN DISCONTINUED. Well over 1000 Churches responded to this free offer and are now teaching How to Use the Bible. It is our best selling unit that equips kids to USE their Bibles for life. It’s only $44.95 for 4-5 weeks and is PACKED with creative tools and resources. It is well worth a closer look. (Only $39.95 for members of Kidology.org) Order Today! Yes! I’m excited to let you know that DiscipleLand.com is giving away 100% free full copies of my How to Use the Bible children’s church curriculum this month to subscribers of their free newsletter. THIS IS NOT A SAMPLE! This is the full and complete 4-5 week curriculum that you can use in your children’s church. This is your opportunity to find out why churches all over the world are using DiscipleTown – even if they don’t use DiscipleLand’s Sunday School materials. It is a strong stand alone children’s church curriculum that is highly creative, scripturally rich, incredibly flexible, engages the family and makes you look sharp! AND THIS MONTH ITS FREE! Why would a publisher give one of their BEST SELLING units away? Because they are a mission driven publisher with only…

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Who is Jesus? Ask the Puppets!

Started my 3-week series in Kids Church this week with WHO IS JESUS? and what better way to start out, than to do a “Man on the Street” interview segment… but instead, I did a “Puppet on the Street” segment, or rather, to be more precise, “Puppets Out On My Back Deck.” But anyway, here was the result: If you noticed, it started raining! I get all the equipment set up, which is quite extensive for a quick video, tripod, camera, and for outdoors you need a mic and mic cables and then booster and power and amp and power strip and then extension cords and clip on and various adapters – and even so the wind was still a challenge. I had 24 minutes of tape left and a wife telling me dinner was ready in 17 minutes and the sun going down and its a Saturday idea, and no script! Just a tub of puppets! It was literally grab and talk and let the puppet decide what it would say! (Kinda like TBT) And then with clear skies while in the middle of recording – rain. Go figure. But I just kept going since I had very little…

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Kid Sizing an Adult Mission

At the church I am currently attending, Creekside Bible Church, they have a well thought out, though very adult-minded mission statement that is described on their website: This fall, they decided to relaunch their children’s ministry with a new name, “Kid City” as they have a passion for the city of Denver and want to be a light in the community, among other reasons. I was not in on the brain storming for the new name – so I am speculating. (I am not in any official role at this church, though I have just volunteered to teach kids church this month to help kick off the new name.) I did, however, volunteer to help the pastor, @joshweidmann develop the new name a little to incorporate the broader Mission of the church so that “Kid City” could take on some more meaning and partner with the church more. So how do you partner the Children’s Ministry with the Broader Adult Mission of the Church? Let me start by giving an example from the past. In my previous ministry, we had developed our own children’s ministry Mission Statement, which I must say, I really liked a lot. (As have others aparently,…

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Hello 2010 Timber-lee Campers!

Helloooooooo Campers! Do you remember the first thing I said to at the beginning of the week? (How could you forget? I said it over and over, emphasizing a different word each time LOL) “This week could forever change the path of your entire life.” Well, I hope it did! I hope that as you listened to my lessons they weren’t “my lessons” but GOD’S and that you heard somethings that will make a difference – because a small difference now – over time – will end up being a huge change over the course of your life – the path of your LIFE WILL BE CHANGED! That’s why I love being a camp speaker, to have that opportunity to be used of God to maybe have that chance to help change the path of your life. Wow, it gives me goose-bumps! That’s for all your words of encouragement, drawings and shrinky-dinks! We had a GREAT theme this year: “Walk the Way” – and we studied how Joseph walked the “way” of his God no matter what happened… and it was a good thing, because God was workin’ an awesome and amazing plan for his life that he would have…

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