Connection — English

There’s an elephant in the room. Everyone sees it, but no one wants to do anything about it. Maybe no one knows what to do about the elephant or how to handle the elephant or some are hoping that if they ignore the elephant long enough it will just go away. Go ahead and open your eyes. Is the elephant still there? What is the elephant’s name? How about we call it what it is, “conflict on the team.” How did this elephant show up? Especially at our church and on our team? Look out, here comes the first lob...

Every one of us in children’s ministry has a unique story. Mine began several years ago when I was volunteering in the nursery at our church. On a semi-regular basis, I would show up and love on the little ones with no preparation and no real responsibility. I had noticed that we often didn’t have any babies, but we had a room full of toddlers who were just playing when they could be grasping biblical concepts we weren’t teaching. But my children are grown, so I wasn’t looking for involvement. That fateful Sunday, when I was volunteering in the nursery,...

All parents struggle from time to time, feeling overwhelmed or too tired to follow through with what they think they should be doing. One of the strongest things to keep you going in those moments is a clear purpose. All parents need something to hold on to when they’re tired, discouraged, overwhelmed, or simply too busy dealing with the demands of life. Some parents burn out — even on a daily basis, because they don’t know why they’re doing what they’re doing. Once you understand and apply a clear philosophy of discipline, however, you can reverse the trend of burnout...

Getting a job done is important, but what about when kids roll their eyes or mumble? Is a bad attitude inevitable? Sometimes parents excuse the attitude by saying, “At least he did what I asked.” Others use excuses like, “She’s tired,” or “He’s only eight” and ignore the attitudes they see. Unfortunately, attitudes don’t typically get better if unaddressed. They get worse. If the heart is in the wrong place, a crisis is just around the corner. Some parents mistakenly ignore attitudes because their children comply. Kids need to learn how to respond well to the challenges of life even...

The dark storm clouds erupted as I pulled my rental car up to Gate A15 at the Orlando International Airport. Johanna Townsand, my seminar co-teacher, jumped into the passenger’s seat, dripping water from her trench coat. “Hey, friend,” she said, hugging me. “Are you ready for another great adventure?” We were part of a children’s ministry team that trained leaders throughout the U.S. every fall. Our grueling travel schedule gave us time for girl talk and had truly deepened our friendship. “Guess what I did last week?” I said, “I bought a house!” “Me, too!” said Johanna. “Well, mine is...