I promised that I’d let my wife pick the winner based on the comment you left on THIS post. I also said she likes people that say nice things about me…

So she picked the following comment:

The only thing better than winning this book would be to get a copy of a book that Jonathan Cliff wrote and autographed.

So the winner is…Aaron Rathbone (@acrathbone). I think it has something to do with the snarkiness of the comment, and my wife’s love for all things snarky… So come find me in the blogger’s lounge Mr. Rathbone and I’ll deliver your signed copy of Think Orange. Unfortunately it won’t be signed by me…

I’ve asked you to follow along with some of my blogging next week at Orange, and in the spirit of asking for some help I’d like to clue you in on two special opportunities. Maybe you’ve heard me speak about ORANGE! and what that means, but you’re still confused. Maybe you’d like a book explaining how to Think Orange? Well do I have a deal.

I have a copy of Think Orange to share and it’s not even released to the general public yet. But you can have it! Leave a comment on this post, and I’ll let my wife pick a winner of a signed copy of Think Orange by Reggie Joiner. That’s right. It’s signed, and NOT by me. Starr will pick the winner on Monday, April 27th and I’ll mail it to you! I’ll give you a hint…my wife likes people that say nice things about me! So fire away with those heartfelt compliments, and win yourself a book!

Secondly you can follow along during with the Opening Session via webcast if you visit www.theorangeconference.com on Wednesday, April 29th!

• Isn’t Easter weekend fun?  Here at Trinity Church, Easter was indeed a great success.  I hate posting numbers, but I’m proud of our team so I’m going to throw them out there.  For 4 services this weekend we ministered to 743 kids and saw 53 kids attend for the very first time.  Praise God!
• Easter also saw the launching of our new Saturday Night services.  Having church on Saturday nights is going to kick my butt.  Don’t get me wrong it was a great time, but my body just isn’t used to ramping up on Saturday nights.  I was with Elementary kids and had a great time with a smaller group, about 60.  I really need to find some volunteers to take that night for me, and I’m sure the job posting will be heading out there from HR any minute now.
• Every time I hear something about Saturday night church I think of this song…Is there something wrong with me?
• One of my favorite things about Easter services, is seeing new kids that I have no relationship with.  It is so fun to meet new people, and make first impressions again.  I know we have new kids every week, but Easter is unique in the shear amount of first-timers.
• I used “The Girly Dress Method” of reaching out to new kids all Easter morning.  It’s classic, and gets a laugh 100% of the time.  I even heard that it works in Austin, TX.
• I got my new Macbook on Good Friday.  I got to hand it to the boys at Apple, cause they know how to package a product.  I almost wanted to wrap it up and take it out of the box again and again.  I’m learning how to work this Macbook, but it’s going to take some time.  I feel like I’m driving a really fast car in a school zone…
• The more I lead people, the more I learn how dumb I am.  How did I get put in charge of so many great volunteers and staff?
• I had a weird dream about a guy whose blog I read.  It was really strange and related to one of his blog posts, so I decided he’d get a kick out of it and emailed it to him.  About 6 hours later I wished I had kept it to myself.  I’m embarrassed.  He said it made him laugh, but I’m thinking he’s lining up the restraining order as I type.
• I need some new music to listen to, any recommendations?
• I am so excited about heading out to The Orange Conference in two weeks, but I’m bummed that I have to miss my 1st graders field trip to the Science Museum, and a Friday night baseball game with both the boys.

I’m so pumped about being at The Orange Conference the last week of April, and you can still join me; and others much more worthy of being joined!  If you haven’t yet registered for The Orange Conference, then go do it NOW.  In fact currently there are 2,909 people registered for Orange.  Think about that, 2,909 leaders of children, teenagers, and churches coming together to inspire each other and our communities to reach families with the life changing message of Jesus Christ. 

The big St. Patrick’s day news today is that if The Orange Conference gets 3,000 registered, then they are going to give the church that registers person number 3,000 four FREE registrations to the conference and to the pre-conference.  And it’s your choice, they’ll either refund you the cost of 4 people or give you 4 additional passes to take more of your team.  Somebody has to be the 3,000th person to sign up, right?  Why not you?

This deal is only good today, so go register RIGHT NOW!

Are you ORANGE yet? Check out www.TheOrangeConference.com for details.

I’m not bragging, but I have an innate ability to get kids to open up to me.  I feel pretty confident that I can get any kid, anywhere, in most any circumstance to talk with me.  Ok, I admit that is bragging. Those that work with kids are thinking, big freaking deal!  I just wish I could get my kids to STOP talking so much!  But I’m not talking about the kids you know, I’m talking about those first time kids that come into our ministry environments, or maybe the kid in the checkout line at Wal-Mart (of course in public make sure you don’t creep the parents out and be sure to invite them to your church).

Are there things you can do to get any kid to talk to you?  Yes you can, and here are a few of my tricks.  Feel free to put them to the test, and I guarantee you that you will get a positive response.

• The Nickname Method: Simply ask them if they have a nickname.  This worked fabulously when I worked with more inner city kids, because they ALL had nicknames!  But even out here in the the nether regions of West Texas I’ve found that kids love to share nicknames.  Maybe they have a name that their mom calls them, or something their friends joke with them about.  Kids love nicknames.  If they don’t have one, then you can offer them some suggestions.  It’s an instant ice-breaker!
• The Girly Dress Method: When seeing a girl wearing something super girly, I tell them that I almost wore the exact same thing today and I’m so glad I didn’t because we would have looked exactly alike.  This has an almost 100% guarantee of getting a little girl to smile.  Of course if you’re wearing a Veggie-tale tie, and your socks are bright orange to match your custom-made knickers; then the kid might find you believable and it then becomes creepy. On this note, be sure to always tell the girls how beautiful they are!  Don’t miss the valuable opportunity to positively affect the self-esteem of the girls we see every weekend.
• The Tattoo Method: When spotting a temporary tattoo on a kid, I always make a big deal about how I can’t believe their parents let them go get a tattoo and warn them that it’s never coming off.  Kids love temporary tattoos, and they love showing them off.  It’s so fun listening to a 7 year old explain that it’s not a real tattoo, I get some personal satisfaction being corrected on this method every time.  Kids really crack me up when they try and get serious.
• The Grade Method: Always tell kids that they must be in a grade that is higher than what you know they are in.  For example upon meeting a new short 2nd grader, ask them if they are in the 8th grade and make a big deal about it.  I ask kids all the time if they drove themselves to church, because they are so big and grown up looking.  Sometimes I will tell a 1st grader that they are too old to attend, because they must be 13 years old.  I’m never very serious, and the kids always know I’m kidding.  However, much like the Tattoo Method, the kids love to explain that they are only nine and always correct me quickly.  Kids love to be told they look older than they are.  Really!

There are so many different ways to get kids to open up and feel comfortable coming into a new environment and I feel that as a Children’s Pastor one of my primary jobs is to help kids not be intimidated by a new church experience.  I’d love to hear what works for you if you work with kids.  Please share in the comments.