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Category: Uncategorized

It All Stacks Up to FUN!

As I leaked last August when I was looking for trial churches, Sport Stacking is coming to Awana Clubs this fall! It’s no secret that I not only love Sport Stacking, but have also used it as an super duper fun outreach in my own ministry. I’ve stacked against an NFL football player, a world champion sport stacker (and won), used Speed Stacks to teach (They All Fall Down), or just for fun at birthday parties (As Angry Birds and in a Human Tower Escape). But my favorite and most effective times are when I use them at church as a way to connect with kids, getting them excited about coming to church and bringing their friends. Which is why I started nicely pestering my friends at both Speed Stacks and Awana years ago about the need for a partnership. After many brain storming meetings with the Sport Stacking experts at Speed Stacks and the Awana Game experts at Awana we have come up with some really fun games for the Awana Circle. Next, we had nearly 50 churches try them out during the last club year, and offer laboratory-tested improvements to make them even better! And now… (drum roll…)…

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TODAY is the BEST DAY of your LIFE!

This is a school assembly I did at my niece Megan’s school back when Order of the Ancient came out. It was a lot of fun – it focuses on the Power of Story, and the joy of childhood. Adults and Kids alike will enjoy the stories and entertainment. It was supposed to be an ‘author assembly’ – but instead of talking about my novel, I decided to talk about why stories are so powerful, and why we all are so drawn to stories, and inspire kids to enjoy every day… TODAY! ENJOY: If you want my novel, you can check out the website here, and order it here. There is also a group discussion guide available.

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Happy 19th Anniversary! (on the 19th!)

Yup! It’s the 19th and we are celebrating 19 years of trying to figure out how to turn two people into one. And we’re doing OK. I told her when we got engaged, “Just remember, everything that is yours will be mine, and everything that is mine will be mine, and we’ll do fine!” She told me, “Just remember – Rule #1: The Wife is Right. Rule #2: If the wife ever isn’t right, refer to Rule #1.” At our wedding Pastor Erwin Lutzer, of Moody Church in Chicago, told a very touching story. He said, “As Sara was standing at the back of the church before the ceremony and about to enter to the music and was looking down the aisle that would forever change the path of her life, she was reflecting on that aisle. Then, she looked upon the altar where she would make the vows that would bind her for life to the man she had chosen, and so she thought about that altar. And then lastly she looked upon him – the man to whom she would soon be married and spend the rest of her life with, and so in her final moments of…

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The Kidologist’s Camp Closet (and CONTEST!)

I am back at Camp Timber-lee! I’ve lost track of how many times I’ve been here since 1998, since I’ve only missed a few years but spoke multiple times other years – it’s like a home away from home for me. And while it was once the camp for the kids at my church, it’s now a camp in Wisconsin I fly back to speak at from Colorado – so I guess they like me! I feel like family here, even though I only get to be a small part of the massive operation here for only one week of the year, but I count it an honor and a privilege every time! This year the theme is TRANSFORMED and what a great opportunity to challenge kids to allow God to transform them or some area of their life. I just got all unpacked and moved in after a long day of travel, so I thought – just for fun – I’d post a picture of my closet in my cabin for you to get a glimpse into my style of teaching. Here it is: I’m posting this for a few reasons. First of all – It just looks like…

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Book Review: Emory’s Gift

I am not one to toss around the words “favorite” or “best” lightly or often, so when I say that W. Bruce Cameron’s novel Emory’s Gift is my favorite novel, I mean it quite sincerely. It is TRULY the best novel I have ever read. Never before have I laughed out loud reading a book, turned away from others lest they see my tears, or just cried boldly on a plane because I no longer cared if anyone saw my tears. I have read lines to strangers who had no idea what I was trying to express because they lacked the context, but I didn’t really care, because I just couldn’t keep that line or paragraph to myself. Cameron’s writing style and insight into the mind of a young boy is truly amazing, insightful, and downright hysterical at times. Truly, I am Charlie Hall, the main character – a middle schooler, around whom the book revolves. And I miss him now like I lost a childhood friend I’ll never get to see again. So real did the author make him, and so vivid did he paint his memories, his experiences, his deep loves, such as Kate, a teacher he was…

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