2009?! Already?

I’m headed off to CPC Nashville tomorrow. Let me know (in comments) if you will be there! I’ll be helping out in DiscipleLand’s booth and, YES, I’ll have Kidology Buttons for anyone who drops by to say “HI!” AND, yes, we will be planning a Kidology Get Together, but I can’t announce when/where until I get there and scope out the schedule and location – but be checking here and/or the Kidology home page for the details, or e-mail me and I’ll be sure to let you know! This has been a wonderfully crazy few weeks! For the second year in a row, by design, I did no travel or speaking in December and declared it a “family focused” month – my little boy will only to be little for so long! You’d think I’d have had time to blog, but its been a combination of enjoying downtime and also having too much fun and company to spend time blogging, and I have SO MUCH I want to post! I may be “past dating” some Christmas posts in January! Then, I got a blessing that buried to me too. I was loaned a kitchen showroom that was closed for the…

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Keeping Christ in Your Ministry

(Reprinted from the December ’08 Kidology.org Newsletter) Getting Christ Back into Christmas Your Ministry There is a danger in ministry that is easy to miss. During the Christmas season, we often hear the phrase, “keeping Christ in Christmas,” or reminders that He is the “reason for the season.” But these sentiments have as much to do with our ministry all year long as they do with the celebration of Christmas. While it is certainly disappointing how little of Jesus we see in our culture’s celebration of Christmas, and frustrating to see our Savior being systematically squeezed out more and more every year, there is something far more gradual and eternally dangerous than seeing Christ steadily removed from Christmas. And it is happening every month of the year. It is the slow and unintentional removal of Christ from ministry – or at least the removal of a vibrant relationship with Jesus in the midst of Christ-centered ministry. I have no doubt that children’s ministry leaders and volunteers will keep “Christ in Christmas” during this season. I am more concerned about whether we will keep a relationship with Jesus at the center of our life and ministry. Christmas serves as a perfect…

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A Quiet But Wonderful Thanksgiving!

Big Turkey, Little Turkey This was the quietest Thanksgiving I’ve ever experienced, but I liked it! For the first time ever, neither of us had parents nearby and all our other local relatives had special plans so it was just the three of us. At first we were kinda bummed being used to big noisy family gatherings… but it was a nice change. Yesterday we dug out the Christmas stuff and got the tree up and started the always difficult task of figuring out how to arrange the furniture to accommodate Christmas. We have one of those front rooms where no matter what you do, something ends up awkward. I’d had a long nap so when Sara went to bed I was still full of energy. (Also in part due to some medicine that tends to put my metabolism into overdrive!) So I stayed up super late and got the whole front room all set up and decorated as a surprise for the wife, so she could just enjoy preparing the meal without the hassle of the dysfunctional house! Anyway, all that to say, the day started out wonderful as the little boy got to come down and see the…

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The Dude of Gratitude

Planning for Thanksgiving themed after school club session yesterday, I was reminded of a ToyBox Tale I did in 2004 called “The Dude of Gratitude.” The kids enjoyed it so much I thought I’d remind my readers in case they need something fun for this Thanksgiving holiday. Got some encouraging feedback on over the years: “This is your best yet. I showed this episode to my class this past Sunday and they loved it. It had us all laughing. I especially like the ending when Dude flies off and forgets his baby the 1st time and then the 2nd time and finally remembers to take the baby the last time.” Frank Torres, CA The kids enjoy you, but we youth workers do too! I almost wish we had a Sunday Night Live telecast for the high school and college groups featuring, of course, Toybox Tales. Thanks for allowing God to use you in such a creative and wonderful way. My favorite is the Dude of Grattitude, with take your baby to work day attached–of course. Lynne M. Thompson, Modesto, CA So, enjoy this FLASH BACK: The Dude of Gratitude If you want to download it to show in children’s church,…

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