-
Becoming a Grace Dispenser
In my last blog, I spoke of bullying and how we should be cognizant of what is going on in the lives of those in our ministry. I urged you to “create a safe environment in our churches for our children and youth”. What I did not do is elaborate some on what that safe environment looks like. Let me begin by providing an example of what it does not look like.
-
Sticks and stones may break my bones but words can kill me
“Sticks and stones may break my bones but words can never hurt me.” I remember singing that little song as a child wishing it was true. The fact of the matter is, words do hurt and leave scars sometimes far deeper than any physical scars we may have. In my many, many years of working in Children’s ministry I have learned that children can so sweet and so cruel, especially to one another. That cruelty can often manifest itself in the form of bullying…something we all will need to deal with at one point or another. Bullying has made national headlines recently so I thought the topic deserves some attention.
-
teach them how to use this tool
“The B I B L E, yes, that’s the book for me. I stand alone on the word of God, the B I B L E.” I attended a Children’s Ministry conference at DBU a couple of years ago where the key note speaker revealed some startling statistics. In his presentation, he offered the results of a poll taken where conservative evangelical Christians were asked about basic ‘Christian’ practices. One of the questions asked how many of those polled used the Bible as their moral compass for decisions in life. While I do not recall exact numbers, I do recall the number was quite high, in excess of 75%. That…
-
Recruit Me! Train Me! Keep Me! (2)
In my last blog, I mentioned I took an unofficial poll of committed children’s ministry volunteers from various cities and churches and asked them three questions: 1) What made you want to volunteer? 2) What kind of training do you need and would you come to? 3) How can I serve you so that you will want to remain on the CM team? I compiled their responses into what I hope is a helpful list for you, the Children’s Minister as you work to staff your ministry for the fall season.
-
Recruit Me! Train Me! Keep Me!
It’s that time again! The fall season is fast approaching, promotion Sunday is just a few weeks away and you, the Children’s Minister, must recruit volunteers for the new school year. You make your appeals from the pulpit, beg and bargain with your friends and plead with the parents of the children in your group and still, you find yourself with more children than volunteers. Volunteer recruitment can be the Children’s Minister’s least favorite part of her job and is often the most difficult. If only you could get into the mind of your perspective volunteers and see what they are thinking…what can you say or do that will produce…
-
Show me Your Glory part 2
Do you, Children’s Ministry Director or leader, struggle to find volunteers? Do you ever wonder why it seems God sometimes leaves you hanging? Could it be that He wants you to depend on Him and only Him? Could it be that He wants to show you His glory?
-
Show Me Your Glory (part 1)
A group of ladies and I were having lunch one afternoon enjoying good friends, good Mexican food and great conversation when one asked somewhat randomly, ‘What do you look forward to most in heaven?’ The responses of the ladies were as different as the ladies themselves. One replied she looked forward to the absence of sin and temptation to sin. Another replied she looked forward to talking to some of the great men and women of the bible. Still yet another commented how she looked forward to hearing God’s voice. As for me, I look forward to gazing into the eyes of Jesus and hearing Him call my name. Have…
-
Sometimes, the Giants Win
Have you ever composed an email with the best of intentions only to have it received the wrong way by the intended recipient? That happened to me not long ago. I was asked by one (via email) to comment on my experiences with some particular teachers. I replied (via email) with some positive remarks about the teachers in question and added a couple of comments of my own. The recipient of the email read more into my comments than I intended and walked away from that email deeply offended and very upset with me. Emails can be tricky things. Sometimes, people read into emails something other than what the author…
-
Welcome to Heartprints
Welcome to Heartprints… Why Heartprints? In my lifetime, I’ve had the opportunity to live out in the country two times and with life in the country come certain inevitabilities; one of those is field mice. Much of my early married life was spent living on Offutt Air Force Base just outside Omaha, NE. Not far from base housing a corn field provided certain field mice a pleasant home for the spring and summer months. In early October, just after the first freeze, these furry little creatures sought warmer shelter indoors and inevitably, one or two found its way into our home.