Helping God Wash His Car

Does God NEED my help? On my podcast today I talked about how to RECLAIM OUR ZEAL IN MINISTRY when we feel it waning. The Theme Verse was: Romans 12:11 Never be lacking in ZEAL, but keep your SPIRITUAL FERVOR, serving the Lord. I used the letters of the word Z.E.A.L. to offer four ways to rediscover ZEAL: Z = Zero in on What Matters Most (get away from the distractions that pull you away from what drew you into ministry in the first place) E = Encourage Others (get the focus off yourself) A = Abandon Busyness (get away from ministry periodically) L = Love Jesus (get back to relationship over service) As I mentioned on the show…why do I have my son help wash my car? Is it because he is actually helpful? Do I need his help? No. In truth, I can wash the car faster and better without him. He actually hinders the task a bit. I let him help because he wants to be a part of what his dad is doing. We wash the car together out of a loving relationship, not out of my need for his assistance. Guess what? Our service to…

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What Makes Kidology.org Different?

What Makes Kidology.org Different? No doubt, there are a LOT of places to interact and get help today on the Internet. Forums and Facebook groups and other places to ask for help and ideas and get resources abound. Twitter, Google+, Instagram, Four Square, Path, and so many other “places” allow us to ‘social network’ and get instant help, ideas and keep in touch. So why contribute and discuss on Kidology.org? In a world of “I need it now” – Kidology.org takes a long term approach to helping Equip and Encourage children’s workers. We know that the same questions are being asked over and over again. What you are struggling with is not new. Others have struggled before you, and others will after you. In fact, the help you recieve, on whatever website you use, you will soon be able to pass on to others. This is what makes Kidology.org different. The help given and shared and submitted to Kidology.org has a longer life-span than anywhere else. A question asked and answered on a Facebook wall gives immediate help, but quickly passes down the ‘river’ of the wall, and is gone forever. That wisdom is washed away by time. The investment…

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Hungry for a Savior?

Whenever there is a cultural phenomenon like Hunger Games, what is seldom asked is why so many people are drawn to the movie. There has been a great deal of discussion over whether the movie is a good or evil and what the deeper messages of the books and film are, but when James Cameron’s Titanic broke all previous records, the block buster sales taught us a lot more about a woman’s desire to find a man willing to die for her, than it did about a famous ship’s collision with an ice berg. What does 450 million dollars in three weeks tell us about our culture?  Money spent to see a young girl defy a culture devoid of morals and that devalues human life? Especially when the young people flocking to see the film live in a culture nearly devoid of morals and that ever increasingly devalues human life? It’s a bit ironic! Perhaps the young people we are wringing our hands over (who are a product of today’s adults, by the way) are not as ignorant and naive as we think. Perhaps they see what is happening in the world around them and they are hungry for a…

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Christian Apps 4 Kids

READ HOW TO WIN A FREE iPAD APP! This week on my podcast, KidminTalk, I featured two beautiful iPad Apps for kids and I’m giving some away! I’m delighted to tell you about The Sounds of the Night and The Lonely Stable Both are stunning story book apps for young children written by Jessica Kirkland from ChristianApps4kids.com The first app is called The Sounds of the Night and it is a story about a boy going to bed and hearing noises outside that make him a little scared, but learning what they are. Each is explained as a creature God created with touch screen interactive options that are fun to discover as well as pop-out words for early readers. The story can be read to you, or you can read it to your child. There is even an option for the book to advance by itself if you are just cuddling and want it easy. And while Christmas may be in December, The Lonely Stable is a story for all year around because it is a story of understanding that we all have a special purpose for why God made us. It also has fun interactive touch elements, shapes, sounds,…

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Kids Church: Impossible!

I got into cooking shows while researching for the Kids Church Cookbook, and I was amazed at the wide variety of shows on the Food Network. One I discovered was called Dinner: Impossible! Loosely hinting at the 1960’s show Mission: Impossible, the host is given a challenge that includes some kind of meal he needs to prepare, some obstacles he has to overcome, and a time limit. He doesn’t know what the challenge will be until he arrives, and then the clock starts counting down. If I were put in that situation, I’m sure everyone would either starve or be forced to eat terrible food. I would love to be the host of a show called Kid’s Church: Impossible! I think it would be a wonderful challenge to be given a Bible story or Biblical topic, some limited props or supplies, and a time limit and have to come up with a complete lesson and then teach it. Perhaps that sounds like a nightmare situation to you, but the reality is, it happens all the time in children’s ministry. Maybe it doesn’t happen on Sunday mornings, because you ought to be planning your lessons weeks in advance. But you don’t…

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