CLICK HERE to download the registration form for Kids Camp (Deposit is $25 – Deadline is June 18)

Before we go about answering that question, let’s get something straight. God speaks to children. Take Samuel for example. I love this kid. While the high priests are busy thinking of ways to dust the Ark of the Covenant without touching it, Samuel is using it as a pillow to sleep on (1 Samuel 3)! Not only is he allowed to enter God’s presence without dying, but he is clearly welcomed into it. God has big plans for this kid, and He’s trying to get his attention. However, Samuel is a lot like our kids of today who grow up in the church. He experiences a divine moment, a time where God is truly speaking to him and is about to change his life, but poor little Samuel can’t tell if it’s really God talking or if it’s just his own mind hearing natural things. There are a few things that we can learn from Samuel’s response that will help us to teach our kids to hear the voice of God:

1 – Don’t ignore it. Samuel could have so easily forced himself to count sheep and try to fall back asleep. I have a sense that God is speaking directly to our kids all of the time, but they ignore it because they’re not sure if it’s real. Encourage your kids to pursue that feeling that God might be speaking to them.

2 – Test it. When Samuel heard his name being called out, he tested it to see if it was real. He went to his trusted counselor to find an answer. When your child feels as though God may be speaking to him or her, encourage them to come to you, a pastor, or some other older figure in their life that can offer some wisdom. You may not have all of the answers, just like Eli didn’t have all of the answers, but he did come to a godly realization before Samuel did because of his experience and sensitivity to the Spirit which is definitely something that you can do.

3 – Listen. Teach your children these precious words, “Speak Lord, your servant is listening.” Did you notice that God didn’t immediately just start talking to Samuel? He first called out his name to see if he would listen. Your children must be willing to humble themselves in order to hear the voice of God. Samuel was in a very godly place when the Lord spoke to Him. For your child, that might look like the quietness of their room, the alter at church, or the worship service at Kids Camp. Wherever it is, encourage your children to tell God that they are ready to listen.

The Bible says that children are powerful creatures in God’s kingdom, and I fully believe that with all of my heart. As parents, you play a tremendous role in their lives that will either support or hinder the voice of God. I’m praying that God will grant you the wisdom necessary to do the former.

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!)

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.

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.

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!

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.

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.

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!

“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.