Ask the Children's Pastor - Remix #6

Last summer, I did a series called "Ask the Children's Pastor." Each of these documents are answers to a number of questions that our volunteers (some parents, some not) asked. I hope you find them helpful.

Question #6:

How and why did you get into children’s ministry? What is your background in children’s ministry (how long, where, etc.)? What landed you at Firewheel Church? Why did a strapping young man like yourself with so much potential and talent (I added that last part…if you couldn’t tell) end up in children’s ministry? Basically, why do you do what you do?

My Story

Robert

The Big, Bad FLU

You've heard it before...get a flu shot. There's a lot of talk going on right now about the flu, and especially the H1N1 flu (affectionately known as "swine" flu). So what can you do? Here's the latest update from the CDC.

Center for Disease Control - Latest Flu Update

There website (www.cdc.gov) is extremely helpful as well. If you're a hypochondriac, it may be safer to get someone else to go there on your behalf. (That's a joke...by the way).

This is also a great reminder about our church's "well-child" policy. You can help us prevent the spread of potential harm by paying attention to whether or not your child has a fever or other symptoms.

Robert

Ask the Children's Pastor - Remix #5

Last summer, I did a series called "Ask the Children's Pastor." Each of these documents are answers to a number of questions that our volunteers (some parents, some not) asked. I hope you find them helpful.

Question #2:
Did God change between the Old and New Testaments? For instance, God commanded his people to kill entire nations (including women and children), but in the new testament, it clearly tells us to love our enemies, etc. Was it the time period? Did Jesus arriving on the earth change something? What do I say to kids who ask these kinds of questions? How should I treat those "difficult" passages in the Old Testament? And more...

Did God Change?

Hope you find it helpful!

- Robert

Food for Thought...#3

Don't use words too big for the subject. Don't say 'infinitely' when you mean 'very'; otherwise you'll have no word left when you want to talk about something really infinite. - C.S. Lewis

I ran across this quote from C.S. Lewis the other day. It got me to thinking about how we use language to convey meaning. I fall into the "trap" he describes almost every day. In one moment I might say that I "love" God, but if you're talking to me a couple of hours later, I might be talking about how I "love" sweet tea from Chick-fil-a. Now, you and I both know that the "love" I'm talking about is very different. You would hope (for my sake) that my "love" for God is quite a bit larger and more intense than my love for sweet tea (although the sweet tea at the Chick is AWESOME!).

So, here's the question for thought. How do I use language? Do I use certain words to convey meaning, and then cheapen that meaning by my later usage of that same word (i.e. example above)? If you have very young children (2-4) who are just learning language are they really learning the grand meaning behind words like "love," "infinite," "awesome," and "amazing."

Reality is that children are always learning from us, and at some point, we ought to consider Lewis' warning about how we use language...especially in regards to how it affects our children's understanding of these great, biblical concepts. I'm not saying that you can't talk about how much you "love" something like sweet tea (otherwise I would be as guilty as anybody), but it might be helpful to take inventory and maybe make some small changes in the language/particular words you use...because it will influence your children (because everything you do models something). Just food for thought.

-Robert

Ministry "Man-Crush"

Ok...ok...I'll go ahead and admit it. I have a ministry "man-crush." I'm a huge fan of a guy named Tedd Tripp. I'm mostly a fan of how he approaches the Bible and how he uses it to urge parents to "parent" in a biblical manner. His main claim to fame is that he authored the classic book, "Shepherding a Child's Heart." About a year ago, he did a 5-session parenting conference. The link below leads to the audio/video of that conference. If you're wanting to a quick, parenting boot camp or you just want to try and learn a little more about how you can approach parenting in a biblical manner...this is just for you. These kind of great resources (especially for FREE) is a huge deal and I am thankful to the folks at The Resurgence (www.theresurgence.com) for making it available to all of us!

Biblical Parenting Conference

P.S. - If you haven't read "Shepherding a Child's Heart," do yourself a favor and put it on the top of your list!

Robert

Ask the Children's Pastor - Remix #4

Last summer, I did a series called "Ask the Children's Pastor." Each of these documents are answers to a number of questions that our volunteers (some parents, some not) asked. I hope you find them helpful.


Question #4:
Kids and Salvation - How do you lead a child to Christ? How do we explain to a child who took Christ into their hearts at a young age and then get to be younger adults (even a couple of years older) and question their salvation? Is there an age where kids are too young? What do kids have to understand to trust Christ? And others questions…

Children and the Gospel

Principles in Leading a Child to Christ


Robert

Food for Thought...#2

"If you don't know where you're going, then any road will get you there."
- George Barna, Revolutionary Parenting

Do you have a plan? I mean...really...do you actually have a written or stated plan for how you plan on raising your children? Do you know what your priorities are? Tougher question: Are your "stated" priorities actually what you prioritize or do they just sound good? Do you really spend the most time on the most important things? What's your goal? How will you know if you've been a success in parenting?

Just a little food for thought on a Thursday. The book where this quote came from is excellent. If you haven't read it, add it to your list.

Robert

Ask the Children's Pastor - Remix #3

Last summer, I did a series called "Ask the Children's Pastor." Each of these documents are answers to a number of questions that our volunteers (some parents, some not) asked. I hope you find them helpful.

Question #3:
According to Christian values, when is an appropriate age to have the "birds and the bees" talk with children? I've heard it's best to introduce to topic in doses. If so, what do you introduce and when?

Birds and Bees...HELP!!!

Robert

Food for thought...

Have you ever thought about what you're really teaching your kids when you talk about God? Are you only telling them about God's rules or are you telling them about God's character? There's a big difference. One may unintentionally lead to Pharisaism...while the other may lead to a relationship of love and devotion. Are you helping your kids fall in love with God which will help keep God's "rules" in proper perspective as loving parameters that will lead to a full life and a fullness of joy in Christ?

I ran across this audio recording from John Piper that addresses this very topic. I found it to be very thought-provoking!

How can we teach our children about God's character and not just his commandments? - John Piper

Robert