Honest: Be a Truth Sleuth

Children's Pastors Conference 2011 Orlando, Florida

What do you get when put 1700 passionate children’s ministries workers in a room with equally passionate children’s ministry leaders and innovators? Well, frankly the excitement was palpable. The 2011 Children’s Pastors Conference in Orlando, Florida a few weeks ago was abuzz with children’s pastors, children’s ministry directors and children’s workers from all over the country eager to learn and draw on the experience of presenters and speakers who have been there, done that and now are doing something totally new.

The International Network of Children’s Ministry, Children’s Pastors Conference is the premier children’s pastors’ conference in the country if not the world. It has been our privilege to have attended in years past. This year being Lorraine’s fourth, Deb’s third and my second year to attend. Every year we have come away with tangible ideas, curriculum, and products to implement but that’s not the whole story. Attending the Children’s Pastors Conference reminds us of why we love serving our Lord Jesus through children’s ministries. The fact is that children are so much more receptive to the truths of God than adults. Their hearts and minds are soft and open to hear the Gospel and respond positively. The Bible says in Proverbs 22:6 Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it. It is our honor and privilege that God has called Lorraine, Deb and I to come along side of parents to help train up their children and CPC has been an integral part of that process.

Why we teach in Sequence

iAM teacher's set the bar high

 Sometimes in life, the best discoveries are found by accident, and so it was with us. It happened because we took the time to honestly access if something was really working. We asked ourselves the question “Are the kids in our ministry really understanding who’s who in the Bible? Do the kids really see the big picture of the Bible and why we need a Savior?” A few years ago Anna and I discovered that all to many kids were confused with regards to the Biblical order of events. The kids didn’t know if Moses and Jesus lived at the same time, or how the Old Testament connects to the things that Jesus taught in the New Testament. So after a number of months of teaching by topics, we decided to teach in the sequence of the Bible. We had to look far and wide to find curriculum that teaches that way but after awhile we found some. As I stated earlier we, by accident, discovered that as we taught kids the Bible in the proper sequence, the kids began to put the right people in the right order. God’s order of things is not random, so as we changed how we taught, God blessed our class with clearer understanding! The moral of the story; pay attention to details, and if something isn’t working well, don’t be afraid to change it.

Christmas Wishes

Simple, Yet

Priceless

  Gigi Tchividjian

                                            

Have you ever wondered how that first Christmas Eve might have been celebrated?  Let’s look at some of the men and women who were involved, their hearts were right and their gifts were simple. 

• Joseph gave his obedience
• Mary gave her body
• The shepherds gave their adoration
• The wise men gave their worship.

However there were those who missed that first Christmas altogether:

• The innkeeper was too busy with the mundane cares of his guests
• The guests were too concerned with their own comforts and personal affairs
• King Herod was too absorbed with his insecurities and his pathetic dreams of glory.

I’ve been asking myself this past year whether I have also missed Christmas.  Have I been too busy, too preoccupied with lost relationships, hurt feelings or just fear of what tomorrow will bring my way.  Perhaps this year my Christmas lists should read:

• More attention to children because they make us feel so alive with feelings
• More time and appreciation for friends and spouses
• More unconditional acceptance of everything
• A Biblical view of Gods grace and kindness creating in us hearts that are filled with gratitude

Jesus loves us with all our faults, failures and fears.  This year give yourself to God.

• Never give up,
• Never give in and
• Never stop giving.

Explanation of a parable

Traditions Instill a Strong Sense of Identity

 

The Calling

I am a minister. I minister to the largest mission field in the world. I minister to children.
My calling is sure. My challenge is big. My vision is clear. My desire is strong. My influence is eternal. My impact is critical. My values are solid. My faith is tough. My mission is urgent. My purpose is unmistakable. My direction is forward. My heart is genuine. My strength is supernatural. My reward is promised. And my God is real.
In a world of cynicism, I offer hope. In a world of confusion, I offer truth. In a world of immorality, I offer values. In a world of neglect, I offer attention. In a world of abuse, I offer safety. In a world of ridicule, I offer affirmation. In a world of division, I offer reconciliation. In a world of bitterness, I offer forgiveness. In a world of sin, I offer salvation. In a world of hate, I offer God’s love.
I refuse to be dismayed, disengaged, disgruntled, discouraged or distracted. Neither will I look back, stand back, fall back, go back or sit back. I do not need applause, flattery, adulation, prestige, stature or veneration. I do not have time for business as usual, mediocre standards, small thinking, outdated methods, normal expectations, average results, ordinary ideas, petty disputes or low vision. I will not give up, give in, bail out, lie down, turn over, quit or surrender.
I will pray when things look bad. I will pray when things look good. I will move forward when others stand still. I will trust God when obstacles arise. I will work when the task is overwhelming. I will get up when I fall down.
My calling is to reach boys and girls for God. It is too serious to be taken lightly, too urgent to be postponed, too vital to be ignored, too relevant to be overlooked, too significant to be trivialized, too eternal to be fleeting and too passionate to be quenched.
I know my mission. I know my challenge. I also know my limitations, my weaknesses, my fears and my problems. And I know my God. Let others get the praise. Let the church get the blessing. Let God get the glory.
I am a minister. I minister to children. This is who I am. This is what I do.
by Roger Field