Need Summer Volunteers?

School's out! And summer's on!

If you, like many, need creative recruiting ideas, check out this article in our Children's Ministry Magazine archives: "Does God Go on Summer Vacation at Your Church?"

Here's what one children's minister said in response to the article: "At our church we have a group of teachers and actually rotate teaching every third or fourth Sunday. It works really well, everyone gets vacation time and can switch with each other when necessary. We use lots of sources, one being Live Big, Live your belief in God, It's been very rewarding for children and teachers; our teachers come from almost all the sources mentioned in your article. Darlene Pierson, Community Church at Ocean Pines, Berlin, MD"

Need to Breathe

I heard this on KLOVE in regard to the band "Need to Breathe" and where their name came from. It inspires me! (And I used it in my July/Aug Children's Ministry Magazine Editor Letter.)

There's a story told about the philosopher Socrates lecturing a group of students around a body of water. One student asked Socrates, "When, great teacher, do I know when I am truly seeking knowledge?" Without answering, Socrates walked over and pushed the student's head underwater. When the student tried desperately to push up out of the water, Socrates finally let him go. Then the wise philosopher said, "When you desire knowledge as desperately as you desired air to breathe, you know you're truly seeking knowledge."

How desperate are you to keep learning? How much do you gasp for the air of truth and knowledge in your relationship with God and your children's ministry?

Not That One, This One!

Just avoided a big "oops" in Buzz: Tomb Raiders (Bible stories about resurrections). It's the story of Saul and the witch of Endor from 1 Samuel 28. And, yes, I had approved it earlier in the Scope and Sequence without reading the full text. Upon reading the story, though, I'm cutting it now. We won't include it because it'll raise questions that aren't appropriate for fifth- and sixth-graders to grapple with.

Basically, the story goes like this: God wasn't speaking to Saul, so Saul went to a medium and had her "raise" Samuel. Which she did. And Samuel talked to Saul about why God wasn't speaking to him.

Yikes! What do you do with a story like that with kids? Yes, it's in the Bible. But how can we reconcile that the powers of darkness worked and then Samuel spoke on God's behalf? Well, as an adult, I'm confused!

So it's not a story we'd choose to cover with kids in any of our curriculum. But that brings up a question: What are the filters you use in your children's ministry for which Bible stories you will and won't use with kids of different ages?

All About Twitter...

Interesting conversation on Facebook about Twitter and now I'm blogging about it. The circularity of social media!

Christine Yount Jones Will Twitter be short-lived? Is anyone else struck by the fact that it's primarily one-way communication?

Courtney Fassler Walsh at 2:21pm May 18I hate it. Lol.

Adam Walsh at 2:23pm May 18Twitter was short-lilved with me. I figured not that many people were interested in "Adam's texting while driving", or "Adam is watching a dance recital". I mean, who cares, really? It's just the status update from Facebook...:)

Christine Yount Jones at 2:23pm May 18 Thank you for that comment! i get almost nothing from folks on Twitter. I find Facebook so miuch more satisfying. What does that say about me?

 

Adam Walsh at 2:26pm May 18 That you're needy like the rest of us. ;)

 

Ray Tollison at 2:42pm May 18 Hey CYJ, I do most of my online conversating (hmm is that a word, I need an editor) on twitter. I spend more time on twitter and get a lot more useful info there than I do from FB! But hey that is just me!

 

Ali 'bennett' Thompson at 3:07pm May 18 Ray - "conversing" (editor at your service!) :)

 

Ray Tollison at 3:21pm May 18 Thanks Ali! I kind of like conversating though?:)

 

 Henry Zonio at 3:23pm May 18 If you see Twitter as just a status update, then there will be no conversations... Twitter is more marketing. You get what you put into it and who you follow. It's like walking into a cocktail party, one person put it. What would be your "line"? Then jump in and converse with others. As you do that, you make connections. It becomes a gateway to meeting new ppl, networking with them and contributing to a greater audience. Another person put it this way... FB is about keeping up with ppl you already know, and Twitter is about meeting people who you will get to know.

 

Christine Yount Jones at 3:23pm May 18 You're right, Ray...Twitter is good for learning things from really sharp people...it's just not a conversation, per se.

 

Henry Zonio at 3:24pm May 18 it's a different kind of conversation :)

 

Christine Yount Jones at 3:26pm May 18 A conversation in 150 words or less! I think it's interesting when people say FB is so yesterday. I wonder if FB and Twitter meet entirely different needs. Not sure I could leave FB and only do Twitter, but I am getting exposure to some new people on Twitter.

 

Ray Tollison at 3:26pm May 18 Henry, well put!

 

 Ali 'bennett' Thompson at 4:41pm May 18 Ray: Conversating does sound more fun. :) Also, I like Myspace the best of all. I'm sad so little goes on there anymore, because I felt like I could really express myself there in picture, song, and writing. It's like it's fading away, and that saddens me.

 

Laurie McCormick Copley at 5:52pm May 18 Check out this "real life twitter" on you tube...says it all :-> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tTN9We8unmU

 

 

 

 

 

Hide and Seek

I just edited one of the Bible Backgrounds in Buzz: Hide and Seek for Grades 1-2. I loved how this was worded. It's about the parable of the Lost Coin. Enjoy!

                There’s a place for you in this parable. God searches out those who are lost. He pursues them. And often he pursues them through the words and actions of his followers—like you. God is using you to seek out and touch the lives of children in your Buzz class. To shed light on his Word. To model what it means to love God. As you help your children grow in faith, you’re pleasing Jesus. You’re cooperating with his desire for your children.Thank you.

---

 

Let the Light Shine!

I can't believe how inspired I am by Elizabeth Edwards' grace and courage and resiliency. Can't wait to get her book on that very topic: Resiliency.

I read this today from O magazine...

Above the Edwards' bedroom door, they have written (from "Anthem" by Leonard Cohen)... "Ring the bells that still can ring. Forget your perfect offering. There is a crack in everything. That's how the light gets in."

 I love this quote! We are all broken and wounded vessels that God can shine through.

May God's light shine brightly in all the broken areas of your children's ministry and life this weekend!

Can't Please Everyone

This is one of those weeks where I pulled in so many different directions. The people-pleaser in me wants to be in every meeting, conversation, coffee-time, etc. to make people happy. But I'm proud of myself for choosing priorities (for now the priority is quality-control editing on Buzz--Quarter 3). That means saying no or "later" to others.

It's okay. It just isn't possible to please everyone--and have a life. (OK...I am thinking I'll work some this weekend to please a few.) But as a pattern, it helps to try to prioritize all the things I'm juggling and just say no every now and then.

How do you juggle everything in your children's ministry?

When Will School End!?

Is anyone else weary from all the end-of-school projects, tests, papers, presentations? My son Reed had a HUGE project that was interdisciplinary (which is cool) so it had math, English, and history all rolled up into one presentation on Afghanistan. And, of course, I got to help. Today, he's serving Challow (rice) and wearing a makeshift Afghan costume (I made the Karzai hat from black fuzzy cloth and glue--and it worked!). I'll have to post photos later.

Anyway, as a mom, worker-bee-person, and volunteer in children's ministry...I'm tired. Maybe your volunteers are tired, too. We're all hanging on until the end of May when we get a break. Might be a good time to let your volunteers know you know they're weary. For great ideas, go to the "leadership" tab at childrensministry.com to look for quick affirmation ideas!

Our Lives Aren't Our Own

My Marine son, Grant, put in his request for where he'll be stationed. And he waited....and waited...and waited. And watched others get their orders...and he waited.

I'm learning so much from him about what it means that our lives are not our own. He's under authority. He can't argue, beg, plead, conspire, or anything else to get his way. He waits.

This reminded me this weekend of 2 Timothy 2:3-4: "Endure hardship with us like a good soldier of Christ Jesus. No one serving as a soldier gets involved in civilian affairs--he wants to please his commanding officer."

May everything we do in children's ministry be pleasing to our commanding officer!

Unhappy Mother's Day?

So we listen to country music on the way to school and I got sucked into some of the "talk radio" stuff about Mother's Day. "What does Mom want?" the djs asked. People called in with all of their horror stories of how someone gave them the wrong thing. Then they called in with ideas for what "every" mom wants--time alone, a mani/pedi, gifts, flowers, a card, time with kids, a personal note. Everyone disagreed.

And I'm sitting there thinking (of course, I would never call in), but I'm thinking it's all about Mom's love language. I mean, who hasn't read "The Five Love Languages"? Not every mom wants the same thing. It's not a one-size-fits-all holiday--that's more like a mu-mu, yuk! The best advice is to find out from Mom what her love language is: gifts, quaility time, touch, words of appreciation, or acts of service. Then give her what'll speak her language.

I do have to say, though, that the one idea that caught my heart was that the kids always write a letter to Mom, telling her what she means to them. So I shared that with my kids. (Guess that shows my love lanugage is 'words of appreciation', huh?)

Anyway, whatever you do for Moms in your children's ministry this weekend, make it personal and heartfelt! And Happy Mother's Day to you if you're fortunate enough to be a Mom!