God Speaks to me RIght on Time

We had a very interesting weekend in Adventure Kidz.  I scheduled way to many things for one weekend, and yet they all went off without a hitch.  I am amazed at how God works through people to say some really great stuff to me.  John had a message this morning on the Parable of the Sower and it was awesome, it really made me stop and think. Then I get to kids church and I have a few people who are starting this morning and they are just excited to be there.  It is always fun when new people start serving in AK.  I love teaching people how everything works.  

God has also blessed me with some really great friends.  They stepped up big time and took MJ for the day so I could get some work done and she could play with their kids.  They are awesome.

I am off to CMA Leadership Conference this week.  It should be good.  I just finished preparing my classes and I am looking forward to seeing some old friends and making some new ones.

When I'm Tired

I have had a lot going on the last few weeks, and it has really reminded me of something.  When I am tired I really struggle with having a positive attitude.  It is amazing to me how great my attitude can be when I am feeling refreshed and energized, but when I am tired, it seems like it is really easy to complain.  I have to be extra careful to make sure that my life honors Christ when I am tired.  

I Love Hope Fellowship

I just want to take a minute to brag on the team that I get to be a part of.  It is so amazing to me to be a part of something as awesome as Hope Fellowship.  Each member of our team brings a different piece to the puzzle.  I got to spend about an hour with our Lead Pastor, John McKinzie, today.  It is so cool to hear his heart for Hope and to have him be willing to help me with a class that I am preparing.  Sarah and I are truly blessed to be a part of such a great place.  

I'm Sore

I played basketball for the first time in about 3-4 months today.  My body is aching.  I remember when I could go all day up and down the court and not miss a beat.  Not any more.  My body is reminding me how close I am to 30.  This was a great weekend though.  We saw record attendance in Adventure Kidz, and more important than that, we saw some really cool things take place in the lives of people (both kids and parents) who came to Hope.  I love serving at a church and on a team where everyone is such good friends.  Hope has truly changed my life, my family, and my ministry to kids.  

Look at me Daddy

Those of us with kids have a unique perspective on how God must feel.  I was reminded again this morning when MJ said "Look at Me Daddy".  Her greatest desire in life is to impress her parents.  She is always showing me how far she can jump or how fast she can run.  (I must admit for a 3 year old she is quite the athlete!)  What I love most about her though is when she simply climbs up in my lap and gives me a hug.  God must be up in Heaven watching all of us running around being so busy for Him, trying to impress Him.  I think what He wants more than anything though, is for us to just stop and spend some time with Him.   

March Madness

This is one of my favorite times of the year.  I love being able to turn the tv on  just about any time of day and see a basketball game.  It is fun to watch and see which teams "rise to the occasion" and which ones "crumble under the pressure".  Leadership can be a lot like "March Madness".  There are so many opportunities each and every day to either rise up or crumble.  Scripture tells us that we should always be on our guard because the enemy is prowling around looking for someone to devour.  We have to bring our A game to the dance each and every day!

National Children's Ministry Conference

I am preparing to go to this conference at the beginning of next month, if you are a children's pastor who is looking for a conference to go to this year, you should really check this one out.  Some of the Sessions will be led by Jim Wideman and Phil Vischer.  It should be great, the guys who are putting it on have some great things lined up.  For more info check out www.cmalead.org 

Busy Summers

As kids pastors, our busiest time of year can be the summer season.  It feels like I am preparing for about 1,000 different events including: Schoolz Out Days, Kids Camp, and a summer series we are going to be doing in place of VBS.  I feel like this is going to be a great summer though.  I am really looking forward to it.  What are some ideas that you have for summer, I would love to hear what you are doing this year that is new and exciting.

Choosing to Cheat

There is an Andy Stanley book that came out a few years ago called "Choosing to Cheat".  The basic thought behind the book is that you are going to cheat someone/somewhere.  He says that you are either going to cheat your work or your family and he goes on to give some practical ways to make sure that your family will not feel cheated.  

I love Mondays because it gives me an opportunity to spend lots of time with Sarah and the girls. Today was cool because I got to help out around the house doing some things that Sarah really needed, plus I got to spend some quality time with Madeline.  (It is always fun to hold Myah too.)  As a kids pastor I have a lot of kids who want my time and attention, it is always important to make sure the kids in my house know that there daddy loves them.

Hug your kids today!

Leaders can make or break you as a Children's Pastor. If you are wise, you will do everything in your power to surround yourself with the right people.  People who are committed and passionate about reaching kids.  I am so blessed to serve Hope Fellowship and serve along side such a phenomenal group of leaders.

I am excited to see what great things are going to happen this week during our Easter service.  I think we have the potential to see really cool things.

What a day!

I remember when I used to think that two services in the morning and another one at night was a long day.  What was I thinking.  Three services on Sunday mornings and then a HighPoint session on Sunday Afternoon and I feel thoroughly exhausted.  Today was really great though.  We talked about Fasting in kids church and I think a lot of the kids really got it.  I had the kids write down what they were going to fast this week.  Some wrote things like video games and tv (pretty cool to see them willing to give these things up on Spring Break Week) and others wrote things like candy or desserts.  A few of them kinda missed the point though, my favorite was "I am going to fast talking to my sister".  All in all it was a great day.  God has blessed me with a great team of people in each of our services.  I just wish I could duplicate them within our Early Childhood department.  It is such a struggle to get people in there who really love to be in there.  We have a few but could use a ton more.  I know that God will work it out.

Saturday Nights

We had a pretty good Sat. Night service tonight.  I really like my Sat. Night team.  When they are all there, things go so smoothly.  The challenge is getting them all there.  Saturday nights are tough.  There are so many things that come up on a regular basis.  I know that the commitment level for these leaders is huge and I am grateful for the sacrifice that each of them makes to be there week in and week out.

Some of My Favorite Books

I love to read.  Here is a list of some of my favorites:

"Three Signs of a Miserable Job"  by Patrick Lencioni

"In a Pit with a Lion on A Snowy Day" by Mark Batterson

"If you Want to Walk on Water You have to Get out of the Boat"  By John Ortberg

These are just three of my favorites, each of them very different, but all of them contain great leadership principles.

Here we go

I am brand new to the world of blogging.  It should be pretty fun to write about how my life and my leadership are developing.  Any constructive criticism is always greatly appreciated.