Mercy Ships is a missions organization that we support @ Hayward Wesleyan. In particular, the children support Mercy Ships through our boy vs. girl change offering @ VBS. Over the years the kids have raised thousands of dollars that go directly to surgeries and care for people, like those illustrated in the video above. Incredible! […]
This is fascinating… I wonder what kind of conversation this would spark, not only in the family unit between father and son, mother and daughter, but also in the faith community as a whole as we try to “intentionally” pass on faith (and wisdom) to the next generation… As the parent of a teenager, you invest a […]
I am really passionate about “discipline” in ministry. To me (and I think to God), discipline (especially to children and youth) is essential to their spiritual formation. When a student is in trouble, I think their heart is ripe and fertile soil for a “teachable moment.” In other words, discipline equals discipleship. In a ministry […]
This past Sunday, May 22, 2011, I was given the opportunity to preach @ Hayward Wesleyan. Our small group had been studying Philippians this past year and we ended our year with reviewing what we learned and wanted to consolidate our thoughts into a letter. I was tasked to write the letter and I ended […]
This past year in Followers, we were asking the question: “What does it mean to be a follower of Jesus?” Below are most of the Bible verses that the students interacted with in the pursuit of understanding, thus living out what it means to be a follower of Jesus.
Sometimes other people have said things (and organized their thoughts) better than I could do, especially regarding dealing and coping with the topic of death. There’s no way to avoid this simple fact: death happens And, when it does, we often struggle with how to approach talking to our kids about the subject. Recently, in […]
God’s people the Israelites are allowed, by decree of King Cyrus of Persia, to return to their homeland. Upon arrival they realize the extent of the devastation the exile had on the city of Jerusalem. They begin work on the Temple, slowly rebuilding it. Video link (vimeo.com) Audio file (3.76mb, mp3) Story lesson (396.85kb, pdf)
I’m not a frequent commenter on blog posts. I read a lot of blogs, but I don’t normally comment. I know bloggers get frustrated at the lack of comments when they know that hundreds (or thousands) of people are reading their posts, but if I don’t have something to say, I don’t. If I have […]
45% of kids say they feel more comfortable online than offline. The reason? “It’s easier to be who you want to be, because nobody knows you and if you don’t like the situation, you can just exit and it’s over.” Children’s Ministry Magazine May/June 2011 pg. 20 Group Publishing
Funny. I don’t think we are quite in danger of losing books, yet. However, the more our children interact with “screens” rather than “paper”, I wonder if this will be more applicable in the coming future? In Hayward, WI, each middle and high school student is getting either an iPad or a MacBook laptop computer […]
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via MattMcKee.me
Chris Spradlin over at EpicParent.tv wrote a list of 40 parenting tips in honor of his 40th birthday. It’s a noteworthy list: 1. Take lots of pictures 2. Leave notes in your kids lunches 3. ALWAYS ASK FORGIVENESS 4. Let your kids fail 5. Laugh 6. Stop aggravating your kids! Still trying to learn this one 7. […]
I credit this to my Mom! When my brother Brad and I were young, my Mom would help us memorize Bible verses. We had no idea at the time what an impact knowing these Bible verses would be. So, drawing on the tradition of my family, in our home we’ve been trying to do some […]
After a series of “evil” kings, the LORD God sends King Nebuchadnezzer of Babylon into the land of Judah and exiles its king and people. Later, King Neb destroys the city of Jerusalem and the Temple of the LORD. For a period of 70 years, the people of Judah are in semi-permanent time-out. Video link […]
Wayne Stocks wrote a great article entitled: Five Ways to Get Kids to Shut Up! Humorous and intriguing title, right? Read below: 1. Keep them Engaged When kids are engaged they are much less likely to talk and cause problems. This isn’t always true, but it holds up as a general rule. So, make sure […]
I’ve almost had this blog for one year. It’s been fun. As a matter of form, I usually don’t like to talk about the function of blogging (self-promotion) in that I think that content speaks for itself whether it is useful for readers or the internet community at-large. However, I do like to look at […]
Two months ago, Charlene Rohr called me and told me about a dream she had the night before. In her dream, she saw youth groups from around the area at an event together, in unity, in the metropolis of Drummond, WI. I thought it was a great idea and told her I would support her […]
I’m currently 33 years-old. I’m not that old, yet, But in a teenager’s world, I am OLD! And I feel it… not in a diminishing physical way, but in an ever-widening gap between me and the middle school students way. I was in middle school (grades 6-8) from 1988-1991. There was no internet (as we […]
Almost 2 years ago, we relocated our church’s nursery to another part of our facility. In conjunction with this move came a refocusing of our programming and curricular intent. We thought it was important to use the hour the infants and toddlers are in the Nursery for intentional spiritual instruction rather than just mere childcare. […]