Special VBS Announcement!
I LOVE VBS. Your kids LOVE VBS. I would hate to make it anything less than what it could be. I’ve still got kids coming to me and sharing memories that they’ve kept since last year. This is an intense and impacting time for kids who attend and don’t attend our church.
This year, VBS will take place in June 18-22 from 9:00am to Noon. Are you a leader who’s willing to make this event amazing? Childcare will be provided for children birth through age 2 for stay-at-home moms who want to help out. There are 3 shifts available – M-F, M/W/F, and T/Th. If you feel like you can give up a few hours of your time to make memories that will last a lifetime, come to our VBS leader’s meeting!
Choose May 27 or June 3 to come into the Kids Church room by 9:15. Breakfast treats will be provided to you as you learn about the different serving opportunities that VBS has to offer. Even if you can’t help during that week, please come because there are plenty of things for you to do to help out with the set-up process.
I look forward to see you there! (CLICK ON THE SKY LOGO TO REGISTER YOUR CHILDREN OR TO SIGN UP ONLINE TO VOLUNTEER!)
Weekend Update 5/18/12
This Sunday in Kids Church – Spirituality! The kids will learn another attribute of God as they continue to discover who He is and how that fits into the big picture of the Bible. We’ll focus on John 4 where Jesus describes the New Testament way of worshiping - in spirit and in truth. Although no man can fully comprehend the spirit world, it’s important for us to understand that foundation component of our faith. If your child seem to struggle to grasp the concept, tell that it’s ok because no one can! Our minds are finite and we won’t be able to know everything about God until we get to Heaven. Until then, we just do the best we can with what we’ve been told in His Word.
Thank you for supporting your kids as they tithe! No kids had any tithe or offering last Sunday, which gave us an opportunity to explain that that was ok. I personally don’t tithe every week because I don’t receive income every week. If your kids didn’t receive any money that week from allowance or doing chores, they don’t have to give tithe. Now, offering is different because that’s what we give above and beyond our tithe, but please reassure your child that it is perfectly alright to come into Kids Church “empty handed” when they simply don’t have any tithe to bring in.
Thank you for allowing us to partner with you as you disciple your children. It sure is an exciting journey! We look forward to another awesome Sunday morning of worship, fun, and learning with your kids.
Monday Musing 5/14/12
Do you have a dedicated devotional time for you and your kids to read the Bible at the table during breakfast? That’s great. Do you pray together at bedtime? That’s wonderful. But what about all of the time in between?
God gave Moses specific instructions to give to the Israelites to form the foundation of their faith in Him. He didn’t tell them to read a five-minute devotional from a Children’s Picture Bible in the morning and just hope that’s enough to teach their children how to live righteously. Here’s what he said about God’s commandments in Deuteronomy 6:7, “Repeat them again and again to your children. Talk about them when you are at home and when you are on the road, when you are going to bed and when you are getting up.”
You know all of those little moments throughout the day when you feel like it’s your chance to “get away” from it all? Like driving your kids to school and turning up the radio to ease the tension of the morning’s arguments, letting your kids watch an hour of TV after they get home from school so that you have a chance to take a nap, or sending your kids to play outside after dinner so that you can pay the bills. It’s all of those moments, yes, the ones when you feel absolutely drained, that God tells us to take advantage of. Why? Because that’s when you’re most dependent on Him.
Just when you thought you couldn’t repeat the “Children, obey your parents” Bible verse one time to your kids after the billioneth time they’ve disobeyed you, say it again. When you’re at home and finally find a quiet moment in the day, take a few minutes before your nap (those are important, too) to ask your child what’s on their heart. When you’re driving in the car to school or to basketball practice, ask your child how they can glorify God that day. When you go to bed and when you wake up, thank God for all of His blessings, celebrate that things He’s doing, and ask for His help to live out His commandments.
Before you try to do this in your own strength, don’t. You can’t. Humbly ask for God’s grace and wisdom to make it through each day, and to impress upon the hearts of your children that same grace and wisdom. He works best through those who are willing to receive His help. May God richly bless your family this week! I’m praying for fruitful “God moments” to manifest in your household each and every day.
Weekend Update 5/11/12
On Sunday, the kids will learn why we worship one God and what sets Him apart from other “gods”. It’s going to be an awesome day!
After preaching a foundation of the Gospel and the Missio Dei, our kids are ready to dive into our seven month series! Until Advent begins in December, we’ll be focusing on the “Big Picture” of the Bible by looking at “Who He Is, Who We Are, and What He Says.” We’re in the first segment, “Who He Is”, so we’re preaching theology proper, beginning with the most basic point – Theism.
Please remind your kids to give 10% of whatever income they’ve made this week (allowance, money from chores, etc). As I’ve noted before, it’s not about the money, so please don’t feel obligated to give your child a dollar to put into the offering plate. It’s a heart issue! It’s OK if they don’t have money every week.
Also, Sunday will be the first day that the ETeam begins their service. Before your child can serve, he or she must be wearing their name badge. Please try to let them arrive 10 minutes early to whatever position they’re serving in. Thanks so much for allowing your kids to minister!
Monday Musing 5/7/12
In a country where you can have nearly whatever you want whenever you want it, how are you allowing God to instill qualities of giving within your children?
I’ll be honest with you. I hate giving. I hate serving. I hate doing anything that requires me to stop thinking about myself and what I want and what makes me comfortable. And if you’re human, you do to. What happened in the Garden of Eden resulted in a severe corruption of our God-likeness. We are formed in His image, but it’s been tainted with sin. How in the world are we supposed to act like anything other than sinners, let alone attempt to teach our children to live righteously?
We’re not. God is. There’s no good in you. God is good. God is in you. Get it?
If you’re struggling to find ways to make your children less-selfish, get on your knees and pray. Pray WITH your children. Then read God’s Word together, paying special attention to the life of Jesus and how He lived in this condemned world. Yesterday was a great day in Kids Church. We taught on the “Missio Dei” (the mission of God) and how we are called to let God live through us so that others might be saved by His grace. We pulled a lot from John 14 when Jesus tells His buddies that He will be leaving, but not before He gives us a helper – the Holy Spirit. We emphasized to the kids that they save NO ONE; God does all the saving and we’re just the tools He uses. This sermon set up a powerful time of worship for the kids.
After church, seven 5th and 6th graders met together for 3 hours to learn about Servant-Leadership. We talked about what it is, who to serve, and how to do it. Each point was backed up by Scripture. Our training ended with a group of humbled children ready and willing to serve others with God’s help.
If you’ve been concerned lately because you’re children have been acting like selfish little rebels, don’t worry. That’s what they are. It’s only by the grace of God that we can live rightly in humility, willing to give and not take.
Monday Musing 4/30
“Our theology is about the Gospel, it is focused on who Jesus is and what He said and what He did. Jesus is the Hero of history and the centerpiece of the entire Bible.”
I don’t expect that many of the kids memorized this whole statement on Sunday, but the definition above is one that I explained this last Sunday as we talked about Gospel Centered Theology in Kids Church. This is my passion in ministry, to teach the Gospel and see how it impacts life. For me, three years of Bible college have strengthened this desire and really convinced me that this is what we have to be about as follower of Jesus.
Two weeks ago we talked about the Gospel, the Good News, in Kids Church and the response was fantastic. Honestly, our group of kids is amazing. I hope that if you have taken the time to read this, you will take a few minutes over the next few days to ask your kids about what we have been learning and where we are going. Here are some of the main points we talked about:
1. Paul called the Gospel the “Most Important” thing he could teach.
2. The Gospel means “Good News”
3. The Bible declares that we are helpless to save ourselves from our sin… the Good News is that God saves us through Jesus!
4. God did this because He has “Agape Love” for us.
5. The Bible says we are saved by Grace… grace is “Unmerited Favor” or “Unearned Kindness” that God has for us!
Put simply, and in a statement that I do hope the kids remember:
“The Gospel is the Good News of God’s Unconditional Love for us.”
The Gospel is at the heart of the Bible and it changes everything.
Weekend Update 4/27
Sermon - Isaiah will be preaching Part 2 of “The Gospel.” The kids have really soaked in these lessons. They’re learning that we’re all sinners, what Jesus did for us despite our sinfulness, and what “grace” and “agape love” have to do with it all. Ask your kids after the service what they learned! Keep the topic fresh on their minds. This will serve as the foundation for our upcoming series on theology.
Prize Central is this Sunday! Remind your kids to bring in their Kids Kash.
Tithe – We’ve been working diligently with the kids to instill within them a desire to tithe. We use the term “untouchable” to describe their tithe because it’s not money that we can have. It belongs to God. They get to put their tithe in a piggy bank instead of an offering plate on Sundays to remind them that money is like our savings. We’re not supposed to touch our savings money because it’s going to be used for other good things. That’s what tithe is. Encourage your child to bring in 10% of their own money (tooth fairy money, allowance, birthday cash, etc.) instead of simply giving them your spare change. It’s not about the money, it’s about their heart!
Thanks so much for supporting your child’s ministry!
Monday Musing 4/23
In Mark 10:13-16, we find the well-known story of Jesus blessing the children. Generally, when this passage is preached, people leave with warm, fuzzy feelings and the irresistible urge to go kiss their child on the head. Personally, I feel reassured that what I do for a living as a Children’s Pastor is worth while. However, when I read it today I felt nothing but intense conviction.
“13 People were bringing little children to Jesus for him to place his hands on them, but the disciples rebuked them. 14 When Jesus saw this, he was indignant. He said to them, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. 15 Truly I tell you, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it.” 16 And he took the children in his arms, placed his hands on them and blessed them.”
It was common in Bible times for parents to desire that their child be blessed by some form of authority, so this was not an uncommon occurrence. The disciples, however, decided that it wasn’t worth the Lord’s time. When Jesus saw His own workers shooing off people like an unwanted cat, He became indignant. Ouch. Wouldn’t you hate to be one of the guys who ticked off The Almighty? What was it that made Jesus so mad anyways?
Well, wouldn’t YOU be mad if someone was standing in the way of you blessing your child? How would you feel if you had a buff body guard standing between you and your son or daughter 24/7 because your time was too valuable to waste on your children? I think you’d knock his lights out for assuming such a thing!
That’s exactly what the disciples were doing. They assumed that they knew more about God’s intentions and actions than He did. This is what led to my conviction – “How many times have I assumed that God didn’t want to (fill in the blank)?” Why do we assume that He doesn’t want to forgive us when we’ve made the same mistake over and over again? Why do we assume that He doesn’t want to financially bless us with a pay raise? Why do we assume that He doesn’t want to heal your chronic back pain?
The answer to those questions can be wrapped up into the answer of this one – “Are you a dependent child of God, or one of His assuming disciples?” We all need more grace to live like children.
Weekend Update 4/20
This Sunday, Pastor Isaiah will be preaching on “The Gospel.” This sermon is part 1 of a 2 part introduction into our next major series called, “A Big Picture of God.” From now until the end of the year, the elementary kids will be learning the basic theological concepts of the Bible. We are so excited about this series and think it will be highly beneficial for our kids!
Now that our “One Day to Feed the Word” initiative is over, your child should still be raising money for BGMC, but will only need to bring their Buddy Barrels in on the FIRST Sunday of every month. That is our Missions Sunday and we’ll focus on a country and how BGMC money helps them.
Monday Musing 4/16
I’ve been struggling with a question for the past couple of weeks now. Here it is, “Do teenagers exist?”
And all the parents of a 17 year old boy say, “Oh my goodness YES! And they drive me nuts!” Alright, so let’s try to argue that adolescence exists. What is it’s definition? Here’s what Noah Webster might say,
1. the transitional period between puberty and adulthood in human development, extending mainly over the teen yearsand terminating legally when the age of majority is reached;youth.
2. the process or state of growing to maturity.
3. a period or stage of development, as of a society, preceding maturity.
In America, adolescence is a time “between puberty and adulthood in human development.” Let’s break that down. Puberty is the defining moment in a child’s life when he or she becomes capable of reproducing. Their bodies, although not fully grown, are fully developed. Adulthood, according to the dictionary, is defined as “maturity.” Since that word is broad, let’s define that as well: “fully developed or complete.” So, in arguing for the existence of adolescence, we’re saying that it begins when a child becomes physically developed and ends when he or she becomes completely developed. To put it in the phrase as found in the first definition: “Adolescence is the time between a child’s physical development and complete development in human development.”
Is anyone else confused, or is it just me? It’s no wonder why our children experience a self-identity crisis by the time they reach high school! Our culture has forced them into a time where they’re developed but not developed, mature but not mature, and adultlike, but not an adult.
I’d argue against the idea of adolescence. Based off of the ideas I’ve read in Walker Moore’s Rite of Passage Parenting, America has invented adolescence. He says, “When our society completed the agricultural-to-industrial shift in the early 1950s, we also began to delay the time when our children took on adult responsibilities, such as running a business or working in a factory. At the same time, we didn’t want our adult-sized children sitting around building with blocks or playing with puzzles, so we invented a new concept.”
Walker goes on to say that unlike nearly every other culture, America has no definitive transition into adulthood. It could be 16 because that’s when you can get a drivers license. But it could be 18 because that’s when you’re “legally” an adult. But you can’t drink alcohol until you’re 21, so that must be it. Although, you can’t rent a car until 25 so perhaps that’s it. This confusion leaves teenagers wondering when they really need to “grow up,” and because that’s more difficult than playing Xbox in their mom’s basement all day, they delay it until absolutely necessary.
Contrary to America, other cultures have a very solid line between childhood and adulthood. Most often it is directly following puberty. The line is usually in the form of a Rite of Passage that takes place within the community. In general, these rites are very painful but mandatory. In Bali Indonesia, the upper canines are filed to be even with the upper incisors because the teeth are believed to be symbols of evilness. The Luiseno Indians force boys to lay on a bed of ant hills while being continuously bitten, but are not allowed to show their pain. Circumcision is still commonly practiced today as well. I’m sure any American mother would cry at the idea of her baby boy or girl undergoing such extreme experiences, but to most people outside of this country, it’s simply a way or life and an indication of adulthood.
Having said all that, what do you have to say? How can we as parents better equip our children to walk in the way of the Lord as their enter adulthood? Would that look like a family ceremony of some sort after puberty? Could it be an expected gift like a purity ring? Or could it simply be how much you expect out of your 12 year old such as paying the consequences for his or her own actions and doing their own laundry, etc? I’d love to hear your thoughts.
