I Was a Corporate Spy, Really!

At the airport this morning I stopped at McDonald’s to get a healthy breakfast… O.K., to get something to eat while waiting for my flight to Oregon. After I got my food I commended the young employee for her excellent work. She looked  surprised. So I said, “Well, you completed all of the six steps flawlessly. Well, except for Step #, but I understand that one has been dropped. But to make up for it, you still did the Bag Principle – so I give you extra credit. When I was a McDonald’s Corporate Spy, I would have noted your name this store number from that plague over there and recommended a bonus for you in your next pay check.” The manager over heard me and came over and said I’ve always wanted to meet a McSpy and shook my hand. You see, when I was a McDonald’s employee I heard about this McSpook’s myself. I think I can confess I got to be a McSpook for awhile without killing anyone – since I was honorable discharged over twenty years ago. But let me back up. You might be wondering what the “Six Steps” are and the Bonus Bag Principle…

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Are You On Track For My Fast Track?

Are you coming to San Diego in March? (previous blog post) Let me invite you to my ALL DAY Kidology Training! I’m looking forward to spending an entire day in sunny San Diego with a select group of folks talking about children’s ministry and enjoying some sweet fellowship. It will be a fun intimate setting with great practical training! GET MORE INFO! REGISTER NOW! TWEET IT: http://tinyurl.com/regCPC2011 TWEET IT: http://tinyurl.com/cpc11sdprecon

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Social Media Bad for Kids?

Social Media and Kids from a Conflicted Social Media Junky by Karl Bastian (a.k.a. Kidologist) See at the bottom how to WIN A FREE BOOK and Download the Complete Kidology Report on Social Media and Kids that includes additional authors. I both love social media and fear it. I can’t attack it too much or I’d be a hypocrite I have over 10,000 “tweets” so far, and nearing 1000 friends on Facebook, but why do I still feel so lonely? Social networking is a part of my daily – O.K., let’s be honest, moment by moment, life! I do not, not, think it is an addiction or bad for me! (I could quit any time I wanted to, right? I just don’t want to!) Quite to the contrary, it has given me yet another avenue to amplify the message God has given me to share. Unlike many who live their lives like a pin-ball game bouncing through life from one opportunity to another with no clear game plan, I sought God for a very specific Life Mission at age nineteen and have had a laser focus on that Mission ever since. It is written and defined and has enabled me…

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Kidology Crash Course – ONE DAY ONLY

You’ve Always Wanted to Become a Kidologist, and Master the Ways of Kidology! Now is your chance to spend an entire day with me and learn my ministry secrets in person! What are my secrets for connecting with kids? How can you make your classroom one that kids will talk about years from now… and tell their kids about? How do share the Gospel with kids in more creative and effective ways? And how can you Unleash your own creativity? Take your own personal ministry technique up several notches in 2011! ON MARCH 15th, 2011 – you can spend an entire day with me in San Diego at the Town and Country Resort in a very informal learning environment as I takes you on a learning journey through my four favorite training sessions! The cost is only $69 and I can tell you that I will make it well worth your investment with the resources you will receive that day! (I am under-promising and will over deliver!) This is a MUST-ATTEND EVENT you do NOT want to miss! HOW IS IT POSSIBLE? I’ll be doing a PRE-CONFERENCE as part of the Children’s Pastor’s Conference – BUT – you do not…

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The Future of Children’s Ministry

Here is the first of 18 articles from Greg Baird’s series from Kidmin360.com In January 2007, I presented ten trends I predicted would characterize children’s ministry in the years ahead. As we approach January 2011 and I review those, it is interesting to consider which of those have trends still resonate as hot trends, which are assumed or fading, and which I wish were of greater emphasis as I scan articles, workshop descriptions of conferences or forum discussions of various websites. Whenever I am asked to write or speak on the “future” I often start with one of my favorite quotes, which always goes off better verbally… “I’m not a prophet, nor the son of prophet. In fact, I work for a non-profit organization.” The reality is, I’m always faced with a very real dilemma. Do I respond with my Predicted Future, or my Preferred Future? Because in many ways, unfortunately, they are very different when I look over the children’s ministry landscape today. I often feel as though I am both fighting against the advance of the kidmin culture as well as contributing to it. On one hand, I’ve been a significant influencer of children’s ministry over the years,…

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