Training

I prefer window seats in airplanes and always request them. I love watching the clouds and bird’s eye view of the world below. Probably most important, when I’m turned toward the window, people in the row rarely talk to me. I get precious hours of silence. I boarded a plane to Arizona. A woman in a business suit was on the aisle and a little boy traveling alone was in the middle seat. I love window seats, but I love kids more. So I offered him my seat. “No thanks,” he said. “I throw up when I look out the...

The ministry focus with children is often mostly targeted to evangelism; presenting God’s plan of salvation and offering children opportunities to accept Jesus as their Savior. This is all well and good, but unless there is effective follow through, children may drift away from a godly lifestyle when going into their teens or adult years. Salvation is only the beginning of a lifelong spiritual journey and walk with God. Children need to be “taught up” in the principles of the Christian life. Prayer goes hand in hand with salvation. Children need to experience a new relationship with God. Prior to...

Children often make things when they come to church. But what kind of making is happening in your ministry? Are you more interested in what things the children make, or in what they are experiencing as they make those things? Focusing on the products of making may yield Instagram-worthy photos, but focusing on the process of making facilitates discipleship. If children are thinking about what they have heard or read in Scripture as they make things, questions and conversations will naturally accompany the activity. If children realize that their results do not need to look a certain way, they will...

Whether you call them tree rings, annual rings, or growth rings, chances are you learned about these formational markers as a child. The growth rings of a tree tell its story. Each of these “growth rings” represents a season of a tree’s growth and development. Within a single ring, we’re provided a snapshot of experiences and events during a particular time of a tree’s life. Trees develop in response to their environment. In years of higher precipitation, they grow more, resulting in thicker rings. Thinner rings show years with minimal precipitation. Rings with dents, knots, or dark scars tell what...

Sammy never let his paralysis due to spina bifida slow him down. He loved Sunday mornings when he greeted everyone at the church door with a big smile. Through countless hospital stays he kept a picture of Jesus by his bed. “Sammy dealt with suffering better than any of us,” said his dad. “Even at an early age, he seemed to sense that Jesus understood.” When Sammy died at age 10, his church family celebrated his life with colorful balloons soaring heavenward. While some children with special needs may not grasp the theological concept of grace, they can all experience...