2010 Snuck Up On Me!

It seems like just yesterday I was blogging about how I hoped 2009 would be better. And here it is 2010! Aren’t we supposed to riding around on hover boards and beaming from place to place by now? I read that post, and instead of writing a post about my New Year’s Resolutions, I think I can just say “ditto” to that post! But I suppose I shouldn’t be surprised that an entire year has passed by when I reflect on all that I accomplished in 2009 – it’s actually quite an astonishing list – no wonder I am so exhausted! Survived a heart attack! Survived being struck by lightening!! Hosted the 2nd Yosemite Summit Started a retreat for women: Unbridled Relaunched a completely NEW Kidology.org Oh, and an entirely new ToyBoxTales.com as well Not to mention, a brand new curriculum: DiscipleTown AND two completely free three year curriculums! Attended CPC Nashville & San Diego Published an article in Children’s Ministry Magazine (PDF) Then got a column in CM Magazine and CM Pro Launched the Kids Church Cookbook! Squeaked out a few more podcasts All while moving from Illinois to Colorado! And I wonder why I’m feeling exhausted?! No wonder…

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Free Bible Curriculum? Are We Crazy? Doubly So!

Since 1994 Kidology.org has been the Internet’s leading and ever growing source of supplemental ideas for teaching children in the church. And while there is a LOT of curriculum in our Zones and for sale in our Store, we have never had a complete and comprehensive Bible curriculum available for our members. Until now. Starting in January 2010, we will have not one, but TWO complete three year comprehensive Bible curricula on Kidology.org! And are you ready for this? THEY ARE FREE. One is free for Kidology.org Premium Members – that means for only $60 a year you’ll have access to a complete three year curriculum for your entire elementary education. Too expensive? The other is completely free for Kidology Basic Members. (Yeah, those who sign up for nada, zippo, zilch!) Check them out: Discovering God’s Path: a wonderfully designed and visually appealing completely reproducible curriculum. Released quarterly on Kidology.org and downloadable for free for Kidology Premium Members or available in its entirety for purchase in our store. (January is already available with the rest of the first quarter of 2010 available next week!) Again, this curriculum will be free for Kidology Premium Members. It will be released online one…

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The Eyeball Game

I almost hate giving away this “ministry secret” but it is truly a powerful invisible tool for connecting with kids and making sure no matter what you are doing, you are connecting with each and every kid in your ministry… HERE’S THE SECRET: I make it a point to try and look every child in the eyes at some point during the service. I call it the “eyeball game” but it is only a game in my mind. No one but me even knows I am playing this game. As I am talking to the kids I am looking out over their faces and making eye to eye contact with each and every child. If a child isn’t looking at me, I will come back to them. If I need to walk out and among them to look into the eyes of every child – then I do that! If I need to gently put my hand on the shoulder of a child to get them to look up, then I do that. If I need to kneel down to see their eyes, I do that. No child is missed. I have no Bible verse to back this up, but…

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A Free Resident CM University?

Over the weekend I finally got to unpacking all my books from Chicago – a lifetime of children’s ministry and the inheritance of two pastor-dads and the heritage of a CE Director mother and as Kidology’s founder (who gets samples from publishers) –  I am blessed with what could be the ultimate children’s ministry LIBRARY! I may have nearly every book and magazine ever published related to children’s ministry – and many go WAY BACK… it’s both incredible and frustrating. Not only because I could never read them all myself, but because I don’t know how to make them available to others. I couldn’t ever sell them, I don’t want to donate them, and yet they are all here sitting on shelves just LOADED with wisdom and ideas and sage advice and pages upon pages of knowledge! I wish I could scan them all and put them on Kidology.org, and yet for many of them, I’m not sure I’d have the right to do so – and researching the rights of each book would be too tedious to under take – and so here they all are – the ultimate children’s pastor library, here available only to me. It got…

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Buzz Buzzed CAPTION THIS CONTEST Winner!

As promised on Facebook and Twitter, here is the picture I posted and the captions that were entered in my “CAPTION THIS” contest: OTHER ENTRIES: To manyz donutz hurted my tummiez… (Allison Waters) “i said KRYPTONITE!” not krispy kreme! (Barbara Neiger) Luke became overwhelmed after learning that Buzz Lightyear – not Darth Vader – was his true father. And to think, the clues were there all along. (Jordan Bastian) To infinity and beyond…the Krispy Kreme! (Todd Liebenow) Buzz asked Jr. to taste test his new recipe that he got from Karl’s new cookbook! (Tammy Jones @vbscrazy) Toy Story 3: No Doughnut Gets Left Behind (@alyssaglick) To Immodium and beyond! (@marc_romero) the evil pirate Zorkons were approaching us from the aft vector to raid our donut loot, but I was able to prevent them. *burp* (Glenn Woods @thurios) Donut try this at home, I’m a trained professional (@samluce) EXPOSED: Buzz Lightyears secret desire-join the police. (@j_doss) To Naptime and Beyond! (@fathershousekid) This is what happens when those intergalactic cops have their fill of doughnuts. (@franktan) AND THE WINNER IS: “To infinity and….oh, are those doughnuts? Um….never mind, saving the galaxy can wait. MMMMM….. doughnuts……” (Rob Siebert) Rob: Twitter or FB message…

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