This is important to get right! After the summer activities that I’m involved with, I typically feel pretty burnt out. It’s vital that I maintain these simple ways in order to keep me going amidst the stress. HT Jonathan Cliff
USA Today article entitled, When Parents Split, Preschoolers Show Behavior Problems, relates an interesting study of the effects of a divorce (or some kind of change) on behavior issues: The study found that such disruption, particularly in the child’s first three years but likely as long as five years, “more strongly influences children’s development than […]
Hayward Wesleyan Church‘s youth and children’s ministries are moving to a small group centered approach to our ministry programs. I’ll write more about this in the near future. But I remember thinking a while back that God had already thought about “small group” ministry long before the church did. In fact, it was around since […]
Fascinating that we need to look at development and education in a “whole” person-centered way. Students are not just in need of physical or mental education. Rather students need emotional, spiritual, and social learning environments as well. There is an interesting article on Good.is referencing a particular approach to public school education called “Whole Child-Centered […]
The remarkable thing about the way in which people talk about God, or about their relationship with God, is that it seems to escape them completely that God hears what they are saying.
We used 5 gallon pails ($2.87 from Walmart) along with some Tiki torches (around $4.00 from Walmart), and some rocks “borrowed” from our landscaping at the church. We used these as a “hanger” for the signs for the different stations at Adventures on Promise Island VBS @ Hayward Wesleyan Church.
This picture was taken when we invited the Christian Motorcycle Association to come and share their testimonies with the middle and high school students. Then Kathy Baker took the picture and placed it on an “imaginary” magazine cover!
I have always loved raspberries and I couldn’t wait until I could grow them on my property someday. Well that day was about a month ago, when I picked the first raspberry on the Mavis property. I know, I know, these kinds of plants grow and spread like wildfire. Yep. That’s what I’m hoping for!!
Ministering to families ALWAYS seems like an overwhelming task. This is life we are talking about… regular, average, normal, everyday life. Messing with “their life” seems invasive and most passively (with smiles) resist. Have you ever tried to tell a family what to do? Most families are content with giving up an average of two […]
At Youth Camp a couple of weeks ago, Dave Ward shared a message in the middle of the week asking this question: Are you a practicing Christian? Or a cultural Christian? This message seemed like the one that got everyone really thinking and assessing their Christian life. Here are Dave Ward’s categories, or list, of […]
Since being involved in the Banderdinker, I have learned that the number 23 is a big deal. One for the 23rd Psalm. Two for the circumference of Nelson Lake = 23.4km. And many for times in Banderdinker Pam’s life where the number 23 would show up. I couldn’t think of a better way to continue […]
My in-laws own a sign company in Spokane, WA called National Barricade and Sign. While we were visiting them last week, my father-in-law was telling us about a robin who was trying to build a nest in their shop on top of the garage door opener. Every time they would remove the robin’s attempt to […]
Bible memorized. Scripture alive. Character enacted. Kingdom ethics embodied. Spiritual disciplines engaged and practiced. Discipline applied.
It is on this informal level that real, long lasting life change is fostered, developed and matured. God has ordained the family to be the primary vehicle for the laboratory of faith development. It is regular, mundane, average life that incubates a robust spirituality. And the best context for that is a home. Some are […]
I am not against principles or truths or topic based curriculum. However I do see inherent dangers in these types of approaches: Bible stories are used improperly I believe in the Bible. I believe it is the Word of God. It contains not only the truth of God, but a vast narrative about the world […]
I believe that elementary aged students should be taught Bible stories. I think they should be immersed in Bible stories. They should hear them, see them, act them out, engage with them, review them, memorize them, be able to retell them. For six whole grades (six years), a children’s ministry should, on the formal level, […]
It seems that what happens in the woods is often very mysterious!
Our pastoral staff went and checked out a couple of church buildings for sale in a nearby community. In a side office of one of the churches, this sign was hanging on the wall behind the door:
The church must assume the role as a training ground for parents to be the soul doctors for their children … in order to bring spiritual healing. Parents must learn how to really be present with their children and to create space for contemplation and reflection in their homes. Nurturing Children’s Spirituality, Holly Allen via […]
Every day, countless young people leave the church and, worse, abandon their faith for something “more” in North America. What has been our response? More programs? Better curriculum? Stricter accountability to godly behavior? I wanted to understand how we had been led to believe that faith is simply knowing the right information about Christ and […]