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Goodbye World

Goodbye World! No worries, this isn’t some final post as I depart to my final destination… just as I head off to Yosemite Summit for a week of 100% complete and total disconnect from work, e-mail, Twitter, Facebook and anything that distracts me from my relationship with God. The 5th Annual Summit is Complete: Meet: Tom, Travis, Alan, Johnny and Tim. The gang has met up in Sacramento and fellowshiped at the Official California #Kidmin Hangout: The super observant notice my Panda Express, I already had In-N-Out twice as guys arrived, and the Holy Spirit (or my cardiologist) would not allow me to eat it three meals in a row! Two of them had their FIRST In-N-Out Burger: We have shopped till we dropped, chilled in the hot tub, and eaten out at the mall, but in the morning, all the tweeting and facebooking and crazy pole pics come to an end. (See more pics on the my Twitpic Page) WHY? Yosemite Summit is not a conference. It is the UNconference for men in ministry because it is a break from ministry. As it’s description says, there is: No Workshops – Just Worship No Resources – Just Relationships No Networking…

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A Rough First Week in Kids Church

Someone posted in the Kidology.org Forums about a really tough first Sunday as kids pastor with discipline in their first Sunday’s Kids Church. We’ve all been there, haven’t we? I wanted to blog my answer here, and encourage others to jump on over and share their words of advice and encouragement as well: Their Post: I just accepted a children’s pastorate at a good sized church.  Today was the first Sunday.  I have lots of cm experience and have never had discipline issues with kids.  These kids walked in and read to tear the person leading limb by limb.  I didn’t know the names so I could call their names (even though we made name tag), and I was fully prepared.  I am going to find a smaller venue to hold kid’s church.  Seems that the larger room (gym) kids just want to run loose.  I asked what they really liked to do in kid’s church for future planning and they said playing games in the back (foosball, etc) They are only in kids church maybe 30 min.  It was a rough first Sunday.  Any feedback? My Answer: [Edited down] First of all, (I hate sounding like a sales plug,…

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Blessing Faith Remembered, 31 Years Later

I’ve been going through some childhood papers, sorting, filing, (pitching!) and it’s been very special (and funny) to get these glimpses into the “young Karl.”  Many things I remember, others come as a surprise to me. I was very touched to discover a very simple piece of paper that I had written and colored just a year after my little sister, Blessing Faith, was born…and died. I didn’t want to forget her. She lived only 5 days due to a very rare birth condition where her brain did not finish developing. I got to hold her, and my parents later told me that my strength and trust in the Lord at age 12 helped them through it. It was something amazing for me to grasp at that time, not understanding the simple faith of children and how it can often help us more complicated adults! Anyway, here is a close-up of what I wrote, and a PDF of the entire sheet is linked below. I wanted to make sure I never forgot that day, and here, 30 years after making this simple piece of paper on Blessing’s birthday, I am getting my wish. I am remembering. Some might ask why…

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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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