A Presidential Visit to your Kids Ministry?!?!

Imagine if the President of the United States heard about your kids ministry and decided he needed to see if for himself? That’s exactly what happened to a Sunday School Director named Dwight Lyman Moody… and the President was none other than Abraham Lincoln! I have the honor of being the first children’s pastor on staff at the church he founded well over 100 years ago, The Moody Church. While he is known primarily as the Billy Graham of the previous generation, his ministry began as a children’s evangelist and he had a HUGE impact on the creation and growth of Sunday School. At a time when many churches were supported by ‘rented pews’ Moody rented pews for street kids. When he was told the children weren’t welcome in church (Big Church) he started a Sunday School for street kids that grew so big and well respected that Abraham Lincoln visited one Sunday to see it for himself! Imagine having the President of the United States drop in to see your kids ministry. Moody was passionate about kids but as his ministry grew, his focus shifted to adults. He said at the end of his life, “If I had my…

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Are YOU at CPC San Diego?

Will you be at my historic “42 in 42” CPC? If you are at CPC Orlando this week – look for me! I often wear a BRIGHT YELLOW pull over with the Kidology Logo to help people spot me! And I never mind people saying, “Hello!” Sometimes people e-mail me later and say, “I saw you, but I didn’t want to bother you.” Nonsense. Bother me! I want to meet you! HOW TO FIND KARL: RESOURCE CENTER: He’ll be hanging out at the DiscipleLand booth during the Resource Center times to answer questions and tell folks all about DiscipleTown! THE KIDOLOGY GATHERING! Don’t miss this annual casual and intimate late night gathering that we’ve been doing for years! This year it will be on Tuesday evening, February 19th, during and after the Phil Vischer Show at the Terrace Cafe, which is right in the center of the campus, outside the Resource Center. NOTE: You will need to enter from the back side near the pool as the restaurant will be closed, but will have a room open for us. However, there is a little snack shop that sells drinks and snacks for awhile next to where we will be that…

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Increasing Your Parent Security

You hear a lot about “child security” in kidmin today… but I’d like you to consider “parent security” for a moment. What do I mean by parent security? Keeping parents safe? Accounting for every parent? Returning parents to the proper child? Protecting parents from harm? None of the above, actually. When I say “parent security,” I am referring to that feeling parents want to have that their child is secure. Children are rarely out of their parents care. When they are – there are certain conditions that must exist for a parent to feel secure that their child is not only safe, but that their child feels as secure as when they are with their parents. There is a progression to parents extending care for children. Early care takers are usually family, then very close friends. Next come professionals within secure facilities. As children get older, parents must necessarily lower their standards as to who can care for their kids, or they will never get time away from their kids. They also realize their children need to grow socially independent as well. However, there is a fear that as this circle of care grows, security drops. Once strangers, non-professionals or…

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REVIEW: The Lost Medallion

I found the Lost Medallion! And with it, I traveled into the future and saw this movie that is coming out in theaters NEXT MONTH! Here is my review, before the movie even hits theaters! Truly, the Medallion is powerful! No worries, right before returning from the future, I replaced the Medallion to the place where I found it so as not to disturb the space time continuum – you really don’t want to mess with that! Last time I did, I nearly kissed my mom at a dance in the 50’s! McFly! Anyway, I really enjoyed it. (Dare, I admit tissue needed at the end?) It reminded me of The Princess Bride in that the story was written in response to requests from children (though not many people know the Princess Bride was written from a list of things the author’s daughter asked to be in a bedtime story) – In this movie, it was a group of gathered foster kids who asked for a story. It also reminded me of Second Hand Lions in that while the sets and acting and effects may have been sub-par for a ‘realistic’ major motion picture, it wasn’t intended to be ‘realistic’…

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Are YOU at CPC Orlando?

If you are at CPC Orlando this week – look for me! I often wear a BRIGHT YELLOW pull over with the Kidology Logo to help people spot me! And I never mind people saying, “Hello!” Sometimes people e-mail me later and say, “I saw you, but I didn’t want to bother you.” Nonsense. Bother me! I want to meet you! HOW TO FIND KARL: RESOURCE CENTER: He’ll be hanging out at the DiscipleLand booth during the Resource Center times to answer questions and tell folks all about DiscipleTown! THE KIDOLOGY GATHERING! Don’t miss this annual casual and intimate late night gathering that we’ve been doing for years! This year it will be on Thursday evening, January 17th, during and after the Phil Vischer Show at the Rix’s, which is right across from the Pepper Grill, which is the main eating cafe down by the lake. (The Pepper Grill will be closed.) We will be inside over near the Rix Cafe where you’ll be filling those giant free refill cups, but in the seating area! Come enjoy some relaxed fellowship, fun and conversation about life, ministry and whatever comes up. It is always a great time. WORKSHOPS: Karl is teaching…

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