Happy To Be A Cracked Pot

Do you have a favorite super hero? 

 I have to admit, I'm a superman fan!  

I mean, super speed, super strength, super hearing, super sight, the dude can fly and he never seems to age...what's not to like??!   

I think as Moms, Dads and ministry leaders, we fluctuate between wishing we had super powers and truly believing we actually DO have super powers!  I mean, how else can you tame a room full of 4 and 5 year olds for an hour or answer the questions that 5th and 6th graders throw at you?  How else can you keep up with soccer schedules, PTO meetings, dance recitals, church ministry, grocery shopping and cleaning the house??  It's got to be super powers!

As much as I like to joke about being "super", when it comes down to it, more often than not I feel pretty inadequate.  Which is why, I love a verse that a friend shared with me a while ago...I love it so much, that it made it to my office wall!(**see below)

     "But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all surpassing power is from God 

and not from us." 

 2 Corinthians 4:7

We are purposely made with cracks and inperfections so that when we are "super", the cracks can show that the super power is from God alone and not ourselves.  Isn't that a relief?!  We don't have to be super, we just need to be connected to our super God and allow Him to shine 

through our cracks and crevices.  

So, this fall when we begin Kidz Club (or your church's midweek school year program), keep in mind that as awesome as you already are...lean on God's strength and power, He wants to shine through your cracks and be glorified through you!  

Want to read more about my crazy office wall??  

Click here>> http://kidzthisnthat.blogspot.com/2015/11/this-wall.html

They Raised Their Hand AGAIN...Are They Saved?

My desire on this blog is to be able to encourage 

Kids Ministry volunteers and parents as

 they walk through and "do" life with their children. 

 One of the greatest moments in a parent's life or in a volunteer's life of ministry, is being able to lead a child to accepting Jesus.  It's exhilarating!  It's life changing for both the child and you!  After all...THIS is our goal, leading kids to Jesus!  

So, we teach God's forgiveness, we teach God's love, we teach the only way to Heaven is through Jesus.  And then, we ask who would like to accept Jesus. As we are looking out over the group of kids, praying for a child to make a decision, those little hands raise as the 

Holy Spirit is working.  

 And I'm chuckling as I write this because, there's always those few kids that raise their hand or come and talk/pray EVERY time we ask, right!!??  Be honest...isn't there just a little bit of an unseen eye roll and sighing under your breath?  Mmmmhmmm....sigh. 

So, are they saved?  They come every time...they say every time that they want this and believe.  They are genuine.  

They pray earnestly each time.  

Have you ever noticed how nothing lasts today?  Marriages don't last, friendships don't last, families don't last....everything around kids seem to come to an end.  It's hard for a child to understand in today's world that Jesus love lasts forever.  That Jesus doesn't just forget us, that He holds us so tenderly in His hand, forever.  Forever is hard to fathom!

"My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me.  I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one will snatch them out of my hand.  My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my Father's hand.  I and my Father are one. " John 10:27-30

Isn't that beautifully said?!  No one can "snatch" us away!  So many things are taken/snatched away or just don't last today.

  Jesus' love is forever.  

Acts 16:31 says "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved".  Believe and be saved.  You and I cannot see a child's heart, but the Bible is very clear, believe and be saved.  If a child has prayed and accepted and believes, who are we to question how many times they come to us?  In a world that FOREVER is non-existent, it's hard for kids to understand once and done, forever is forever.  

So, that same child comes again and again...to me, that's precious...their heart is so tender, they want to please God.  Usually a child that comes to us multiple times is learning something new each time.  Maybe they were completely sincere the very first time they came to us, but maybe they didn't completely understand.  Now is the time for discipleship!  This child is ready to learn how to be a follower of Jesus, how to live like Jesus wants, 

how to have a full relationship with Jesus.  

So, the next time that same child raises their hand for the 4th time....take time with them, show them how to begin growing, don't make light of the fact that they came to you again.  Remember, we are all growing and learning.

...And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the Lord's holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge-that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.  Ephesians 3:17b-19

Want to know more about discipleship?   Comment below and I would be happy to help!

Why Does God Let Things Happen?

I think one of the scariest things to hear a child say to you is "Why did God let that happen?".   It's a question that makes parents and kids ministry leaders nervous.  And, I think some of that nervousness, if we were really honest, comes from us deep down thinking and wondering the same thing ourselves.  Why...why, did God let this happen. 

In our little Pennsylvania area, we are asking that question a lot in the past 2 weeks.  Several situations have hit our church and community rather hard.  Things that make us grieve deeply and ask hard questions.  Things that make us hug our children 

a little closer tonight before bedtimes.  

So, how do we as parents and kids ministry leaders answer this question?  How do we help kids deal with grief and loss?  How do we help them to understand and work through their feelings?  

I think the first place to begin is we, ourselves, being in close contact with God.  Being in prayer and searching the Bible for comfort from Him.  I don't think we can answer kid's questions about such a deep emotional subject without God's help.  

Kids need to feel safe when they are grieving.  They need to understand that it's ok to feel angry and sad- that these are  normal emotions to go through.  And, I think they need to understand that questioning is not wrong.  So many times people think that questioning God is wrong, when in the Bible, many of who we think of as heroes of the faith, questioned God!  There is a difference between questioning and blaming or accusing God of wrongdoing.  Questioning God opens us up to answers that God long to give, comfort that He wants us to have.  

Questioning opens the communication lines with God.  

So, why did God do this? How do we answer that?

First, it's important to understand that God didn't "do" this to someone.  Bad things happen in our world because this world is not perfect-sin entered our world many years ago.  Therefore, bad things will happen.  Second, God loves us so very much and does not seek to harm us.  Jeremiah 29:11 "For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."  God loves us and has a plan for our lives.  And that's the hard thing to understand-we don't get to see the ultimate plan.  We only see a little section of what's happening....what's right in front of us.  God sees the whole picture.  When bad things happen, we don't always get to see the "good" right away, we are too much in the middle of the hurting.  But, God promises in Romans 8:28 "And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose."  And third, remind that child that if the person they are grieving loved Jesus, that they are with Him right now!  This concept is hard enough for us as adults to understand and it's difficult for kids to grasp Heaven.  Heaven is a place we've never seen, that the Bible says is better than anything we know, which makes it so "out there" that it's difficult to understand just how amazing being there will be.  

That being in Heaven, for the person who has gone, is the best, 

most amazingly fabulous thing that has EVER happened to them! 

 They are with JESUS.  

So, maybe when a child asks "Why did God let this happen?", maybe the best thing is to turn this around to them..."What kind of good do you think God could bring out of this?" Let them think about that, help them to think about the situation from a broader view.  And, point kids to God.  I started this "thought" this morning with the understanding that we need to  be connected to God.  Point kids back to that, ask them who they would like to pray for, and let them know that praying for their own understanding and their own hurting heart, is ok.  God loves them and understands their feelings of hurt.  Pray with them, pray for them.  Keep the lines of communication open.  Let them talk, let them be angry and hurt, remind them that God loves them.  

I don't think there's a magical answer to the "why things happen" question.  But, I do believe there is a God who cares beyond what we can even understand, cares about our grief, cares about our hurt. 

1 Corinthians 1:3-4  "Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God.  

This Wall

My office is like an explosion of color, toys and crazy kid stuff.  Sometimes adults walk in and cannot handle the sensory overload, but...I love it! 

 This is just a little taste of my world... :)

I love that kids can come to my office and not feel out of place.  I have blown bubbles in my office, played sticker games, talked serious family stuff with kids, talked about Jesus, held small groups and just hung out with kids here.  

But my favorite wall in my office is right next to my desk.

  This is what is looks like...

This wall is where I hang some of the pictures

 kiddos color or draw for me. 

This wall is where my favorite encouragements come from. 

This wall is where I post verses that I either LOVE or 

that I NEED to see often. 

 This wall is where kids and friends 

plaster sticky note encouragements for me.  

This wall is always changing and growing.

  I need this wall.  

Kidz Ministry is draining.  I love it, but it does drain ya.  Kids are needy!  They NEED to know they are loved.  They NEED to know that God is there for them...over and over and over again.  They NEED to have hugs.  They NEED your attention.  

It's easy to get caught up in what's happening in the kid's world, what is happening to them, what the next special night is at Kidz Club, what the next theme is in Kidz Church.  It's easy to be fully overtaken by the need and the programs.  It's easy to get lost in what is on the schedule.  It's easy to get lost in the kidz ministry world.

That's why one of the verses on "my wall" is 

 2 Corinthians 4:18.  So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.  

Fix your eyes.  That means they stay there and don't wander.  What your eyes are fixed on is the most important thing in the world.  If we remember to fix our eyes on Jesus, not on what is around us, we won't get lost or caught up in what is happening.  And then, we can truly minister to what is around us!  

We will begin to see it through Jesus Vision!  

As teachers, helpers, kids ministry leaders...if we fix our eyes on Jesus, if we REALLY fix our eyes on Him...what do you think will happen in our ministries????  

Possibilities are endless.

Jesus And A Worry Doll

I was trolling through some Kidz Ministry ideas on Pinterest one day and ran across a post that piqued my interest.  The post was about showing kids how to use "worry dolls".  The gist of the thought was, that a child can tell this little doll a worry and then it's off their mind, because the doll will worry about it for them.  

Sounds like a great plan...except I don't know any dolls that know how to worry like I do! 

This got me thinking about prayer. 

 I have a habit of falling asleep while praying.  Yes, I know, this is probably severely disrespectful to God, and I feel awful every time.  HOWEVER...when I am intentionally going through my thoughts at night and giving them to God (and fall asleep in the midst), the sleep is SOOOO sweet!!  Why?  Because the worry is in God's hands now, what better place than that?!

So, I was thinking prayer...and kids...and that kids worry a lot.  So much more than when I was a kid.  In ministry, I see kids struggling with family divorce, sick loved ones, struggles at school, body image worries...the list goes on and on.  

Kids worry.  They see adults worrying about something and they take that on themselves.  Worry effects kids (and adults) physically.  It can cause headaches, belly aches and  irritability.  These are some of the symptoms that I have seen in kiddos.

  It breaks my heart!

How can we help kids remember to give things over to God?  

Back to the "worry dolls".

   Kids are capable of praying just as well as any adult can.  They understand that God hears them and that God understands what they are saying.  But, kids also like to touch/feel/see things.  I really liked the idea of a worry doll, but I think we need to change the focus!  

What if we gave a pipe cleaner person to a kiddo,  to remind them that there IS a person they can tell all their worries to and they don't need to worry about it any more?!  Jesus wants to take those hurts and worries from kids AND adults,

 it's just a matter of giving it over!!  

So, yes, I will continue to fall asleep while praying.  I think God wants to hear those worries and that He wants us to rest in His care.  No better place to be resting than that!!  

In peace I will lie down and sleep,

for you alone, Lord,

make me dwell in safety. 

Psalm 4:8

Keeping Kids Focused on Jesus (with help from some duct tape)

Kids love stuff.  Particularly stuff that can go with them wherever they go.   These things are incredibly important to them.  Special.  Loved. 

Kid's stuff + teaching in Kidz Ministry can get a little hairy. 

Last year while teaching Second Graders, they were bringing in a multitude of "special stuff "every week and it was getting harder and harder to teach.   I decided that the stuff had to go! 

I love duct tape. (I may or may not have a duct tape collection...haha) I grabbed a roll of one of my favorites and an empty honey bun box......

And taped up the box, so it looked fun,
then had the kiddos empty their pockets as they came into the room.




  It wasn't that they were necessarily being bad with this stuff...but it was keeping their's and other's attention on stuff.  And, taking attention away from why we were there...Jesus.

I read this great blog post over on the Christian and Missionary Alliance kids website!!  I couldn't say it better than this.  Check out Abby Burg's thoughts on keeping kids focused in the classroom, and how "Chuck" saved the day.  >>>

 http://cmalliancekids.com/meet-chuck-saving-kidmin-one-less-distraction-at-a-time/

Try it out!  Grab some fabulous duct tape and collect some stuff.  

Keeping our kids focused on Jesus...that's the key!  

Prepare and Pray

So a new fall and winter season of Kidz Ministry is upon us!  Time to buckle down and get back into the routine of things! I thought I'd share some lesson planning thoughts to get us up and rolling along again. 

The week before teaching is a great time to just breeze through the lesson.  I like to "chew" on things, put my twist into a lesson-which, by the way, is TOTALLY ok to do!!!  Everyone teaches differently, teach your way, don't ever get hung up on the way someone else teaches. God gives us each gifts, each personalities...use yours :)  

Anyway....back to the lesson...
So, looking at it a week before gives you time to think through the lesson, the better you know the Bible story or Biblical application the lesson is pointing to, the easier it is to teach. This also gives you time to gather any odd supplies you may need.    
Most written out lessons will tell you exactly what you need and what to say during the course of the class time.  They will also give craft or activity ideas.  It's really great that these things are all laid out, BUT, I would hate for anyone to ever get stuck inside the box.  Like I said...everyone has their own way to teach.  If you have a great way to get the Biblical application across, go for it!!  If you are more comfortable with following a lesson as written, that's great too!  

Crafts and lesson ideas are BOUNTIFUL on Pinterest.  (I love that site...it's so fun to sit and pin and pin and pin...)  Why bother racking your brain when someone else already did all the work for you!   You can find some crazy and fun ideas for any Bible Lesson you are looking for.  Here's the link to my kids ministry ideas board on Pinterest:  Kidmin Stuff

If you are anything like me...you will do the bulk of your lesson preparation the night before teaching!  There...my confession.  I'm a procrastinator.  

Which is why looking through the lesson quickly a week before is a great idea! Then, I've already done my idea thinking all through the week.  The last minute details for a lesson prep is marking/underlining any thoughts in the lesson that you want to remember to get across to the class, read through all the Bible passages you'll be reading in class (trying to sound out some of those crazy biblical names on the fly, can be seriously embarrassing), making sure you have all the materials gathered for teaching and pray.  

Don't underestimate the power of praying over your lesson.  Pray for understanding for you and the kids. Pray for the ability to easily remember what you desire to tell the class.  Pray for peace in your room ( yep...sometimes you need this prayer more than others!). Pray for response- you want the kids to respond to what God is saying.  Pray for time management.  Pray for your ability to answer questions (you know...like, how much does God weigh? sigh). Prayer is vital when teaching.  

Teaching is an amazing opportunity.  This is a chance for God to speak through you to the little people that are our church.  They can hear from God NOW and what you teach makes an impact on eternity.  

Be prepared.