Tag Archive - kids

Violent Prayers

January 7, 2011 in Personal with 3 Comments

When I was in Bible School I remember it being said that we should pray 5 minutes of violent prayer every day. By violent prayer, it was meant praying like the world depended upon it. Praying with fervency and passion for what you were believing in prayer for. There are times that it’s easy to pray violently, but most of the time it isn’t. Life is just too easy for us.

Recently I spent time with some parents that are going through a difficult time with one of their children. It was gut wrenching to see how broken their hearts are about the decisions their child is making with their life. They are physically exhausted from praying for a miracle, and are desperate for their child to see God in some real way. If I put myself in their shoes, I’d be the same way. I’d pray for hours, fast innumerable meals, and spend countless hours on my face before the Lord if I knew my own kids were in imminent danger of messing up the rest of their lives with a collection of poor choices.

But aren’t they already in danger? I’m raising three kids in a corrupt world. I’m raising them to hear God’s Voice when He calls, but I’m doing it in the midst of a noisy, noisy place. As my own heart was burdened by the pains of others this week, I felt a strong conviction to spend time in violent prayer for my own kids. Right now they’re dripping with innocence, but that season is already wearing off on my 8 year old. The questions are coming fast and furious, the emotions are starting to scatter all around, and the world is out to get my kids. I see it everyday. It is time to pray for these kids of mine.

Christmas Traditions Worth Starting

December 23, 2010 in Links, Personal with 1 Comment

When I hear the word Tradition I get an uneasy, uncomfortable feeling.  Besides making me think of that horrible Barbara Streisand movie (sorry ladies, I’m not a fan), the word Tradition makes me think of boring churches, old colleges, and mistakes that I repeat constantly.  For instance, it’s a tradition that I must stub my toe on the frame of any door when walking through the house at night.  If I’m not careful, I can turn the word tradition into something bad, and yet it doesn’t have to be.

As the parents to three kids, my wife and I are the people that create memories (or traditions) for our kids at Christmas time.  We consider ourselves the chief memory-makers in our house, and part of the responsibility means that I start traditions for my family.  For example, for the past three years we have honored the Advent schedule throughout December.  We will light our candles, and more importantly take time every Sunday leading up to Christmas looking forward to the birth of Jesus; and his eventual return to earth!

We have also started a tradition of…

To read the rest of this blog post visit my friend Cody Winkler at www.codywinkler.com.  I’m guest posting over in his corner of the blogosphere, and I’m sure he’d love to hear from you!

Choosing to Give

December 21, 2010 in Links, Personal with 0 Comments

HelpHaiti.gif

This year my family has chosen to give one of our gifts to someone in need.  I’ve written about it in years past, but every year we have given our kids three gifts a piece; yet one of those three gifts is given to somebody in much more need than us.  In years past we’ve made contributions to Charity:Water to build a well, and last year we bought a goat through Heifer International.  We do this to show our kids that with all that we have to gain at Christmas, we have that much more to give.  The best part of all is that they don’t protest one bit!  They love that we do it, and start asking and pondering what we will give weeks in advance.

This year we have chosen to make our small gift to the Haiti Earthquake Relief Fund through Compassion International.  We have sponsored a child through Compassion for almost two years now, and trust the organization of Compassion International to do amazing things with the little we bring to the table as a family.  So this weekend we watched this video as a family, filled out the online forms, and prayed as a family for those in desperate need in Haiti and those there helping them.

You can choose to help Haiti as well.  Take time to click the image below to find out how you can Help Haiti this holiday season.

The Gift of Community

December 9, 2010 in Links, Ministry with 1 Comment

The following is a special message from my good friend, Michael Chanley.  Of course, everyone considers Michael to be a good friend.  He’s somebody special with a burden for those that work with kids.  Whether you’re a paid staff member, a volunteer, or somebody with just past experiences; you’re invited to participate in the discussion everyday over at CMconnect.org!

The online community for children’s and family ministry has changed dramatically in the last two years. Social networking has transformed our ability to connect online.

There really is no reason to be a silo.  There is no reason to do ministry alone.

CMConnect is just one small piece of the vibrant online community. Facebook, twitter, and the blogosphere have all played major roles in the revolutionary way we are connected to one another. Additionally, traditional print sources, like Children’s Ministry Magazine and K! Mag, continue to change and adapt to equip the community. Then, there are the conferences… micro-conferences are springing up everywhere and new regional events. The conferences, traditional media, and online community have together transformed our ability to refine our talents.

However, there are still many out there doing ministry alone. They struggle week to week not knowing how to answer the problems they face in their ministry. They have no broader community to draw encouragement and wisdom. They share our passion; yet, they are disengaged.

Will you help us reach them?

This December, I’d like to challenge you… give the free gift of community.

Here are some ideas on how you can engage with the broader kidmin and fammin community:

Read more about giving the free gift of community in this post from Wayne Stocks.

Catch up on the latest from CMConnect Radio.

Visualize your global children’s and family ministry and add yourself.

Support our free community with a donation and please click the ads from our sponsors.

Thanks for all you do… it is a huge honor to be able to serve you and your church through this ministry.

// Michael Chanley, cmconnect.org

Group Kidmin Conference

November 23, 2010 in Links, Ministry with 0 Comments

In October of 2011, Group Publishing is hosting a special gathering of Kidmin leaders.  It’s called, believe it or not…the Kidmin Conference. I’m excited about the conference because they are looking to gather the Kidmin leaders that are leading large groups of kids, those leading small groups of kids, those leading in denominations, those leading in traditional churches, those leading kids for decades, and those leading kids for only a few weeks.

It’s gonna be on like Donkey Kong, and you can already register.  Stay tuned to jonathancliff.com for more and more details as we approach October in 2011.

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