Encouragement

The post-Christian culture we live in today has forced church leaders to evaluate, seeking answers to the questions such as: What happened? Where did we go wrong? What can we do better for the next generation? The search for answers has added words to our vocabulary such as nones, deconstruction, and church hurt. Church hurt is not a new term. I would argue it has existed since the church began. However, church hurt is a term that children’s ministry leaders and parents today need to be acutely aware of. The future church depends on it. In Stephen Mansfield’s 2012 book,...

I credit my mother for fostering my lifelong love of the Bible. She began reading and teaching me Bible stories at the age of five. However, other than my mother, it was certainly children’s church that had the most significant impact on my childhood spiritual development during the elementary years. I looked forward to attending church every Sunday, especially children’s church. My pastor’s son was the children’s church leader, and he had the ability to make it interesting and fun. I still remember a particular lesson he shared; it was the story of Billy Sunday who was on his way...

The kids cut out the shapes of a sword and of a bandaid. Words had been flying, tears flowing. We posted the cutouts where we could all see them to remind us that our words can hurt or heal. They can sting and cut, or they can strengthen and build. Our words are powerful! What is said is important, but how our words are said is equally important. Tones are the packaging that words come in. They impact our conversations and our relationships. Have you taken time to listen to the tone in your home or classroom or workplace lately?...

I may be concerned about many things, but I am responsible for just a few. I must focus my energies toward those few. Do you know what YOU are responsible for? Over the years, I have been plagued by what I viewed as illogical or poor decision-making by ministries that I had no responsibility for in my church. Let me give you an example. Let’s imagine that there is a ministry adjacent to me. The leader of that ministry is my peer. I do not oversee him and he does not oversee me. However, I have observed a brand new...

I feel like a lot of times in the parent world we’re so busy with jobs, hobbies, family time, meals, cleaning, tasks, maintenance, things outside the home, friends, weekend activities, kids activities, school… so many things that we need to do. But when it comes to our kids’ spiritual well-being, sometimes it’s the last thing we think about. We can have prayer with our kids before bed. We can lead a devotion with our kids during a meal. I feel that during this season that so many people are home, at-home discipleship, if it existed, has really taken a back...