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Make ‘Em Laugh!

Some things never change! Enjoy this great video from 1952 – a great reminder that the best communicators are those who can make their audience laugh! While none of us can do the stunts in this movie (Singin’ in the Rain) – we CAN think of things that will make kids laugh. Physical humor is always effective (walking into things) but so is verbal and visual humor. Whenever you are preparing to teach, ask yourself, “How can I make them laugh?” And you’ll have them eating out of your hands!

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Bring a Familiar Bible Story to Life

It was my turn to teach this Sunday. (I rotate with other volunteers.) I get my lesson plan mid-week and see that my Bible story is David and Goliath. I immediately can hear in my minds eye, “We know this story!” My Mission: Bring this story to life in a new, fun and interactive way. The Secret: Use the kids! (And lots of props) I have always said that children’s ministry is “stuff-intensive” because children are both highly visual and sensory. Their brain engages when they are holding things. If you aren’t bringing a box of stuff with you any time you teach, you may be undermining your effectiveness! So, as I reviewed the Bible story, I looked for something new. By the way, always review directly from the Bible no matter how well you think you know the story – new insights will always jump from the page, and the familiar will make new things stand out. As I read about David’s father sending him with snacks, I thought of a funny way to communicate that visually. as you will see. I also made a list of props I would need. Since I couldn’t take pictures during my lesson,…

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What is your WOW factor?

I dropped by a church this week just to see a friend and drop something off. As is my habit, I took a peek in the kids area and saw these GIANT board games on the wall! I couldn’t help saying, “Wow” out loud and imaging the impact these have on kids on Sunday, especially guests visiting for the first time. They say we love kids! We value kids! We welcome kids! Before you simply react, “How do I get those? Can you buy them? Are there plans?” Ask yourself, “What can we do wow kids? To show parents they are loved, valued and welcome?” Sure, you can copy this idea, but you just might come up with something even better! It all starts with wanting to do something that is extra special, extra cool, and that will make your kids say “Wow!” on Sunday. At the church we are currently attending and serving it, their wow factor for my son started with an ice cream truck outside as we arrived our first Sunday, followed by donuts inside, of course, but then the kicker… Not one, but TWO jumpy houses in the children’s area. And this is a mobile church,…

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Happy Birthday Me, Got the new iPhone 7 Today

So, my wife says, “Hey, honey – got an e-mail from Verizon. They are running some kind of deal today on upgrading your iPhone.” So, over lunch I drop in to see what the deal is. Turns out I can double the memory, get way more data and some extra coolness on the side for no money down and only $3 more a month through some creative clicking by my “Solutions Specialist” Josh. At one point I ask him, “So how long has this new iPhone been out?” Suddenly everyone in the store goes silent and turns and looks at me as he answers, “Um, today.” No kidding. “So that’s why there are balloons and free donuts!” I say. Turns out there were lines this morning, but I was in and out in 20 minutes. So far Iike it. But as with most major upgrades, ot is not without some head scratching. Current issues Videos won’t sync, though I notice it now allows Shared Libraries, so I can see movies on my iMac, but not the ones selected in iTunes to transfer. Music Playlists won’t sync, probably a related issue. Music displays every song you ever bought (while none that…

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Celebrating a Year at Kids Rock

It’s hard to believe it has been a year since I started as the children’s pastor at the Rock of Southwest! As I reflect back on the year, it is so satisfying to think of all the amazing things I have gotten to do as I’ve worked with some incredible staff and volunteers! Just scrolling through my Facebook wall is overwhelming and brings back so many memories. I inherited a ministry that was well staffed both from paid staff and volunteers; a place where kids were valued and where there was freedom to be creative and try new things. It was nice to start a ministry that wasn’t “on fire” and be able to build upon a solid foundation. Here are some of the highlights for me from the past year: We started with “POOF” – a meet the new Kids Pastor magic show that was a lot of fun! Relaunching children’s church as The Outpost and teaming up with some amazingly creative volunteers to bring a whole new level of large group learning filled with time machines, Minecraft portals, fun green screen videos, puppets and more! Launching The Outpost Crew and getting kids involved in leadership! Making videos with them!…

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