yikes

May 24th.... that is the date of my last blog post.   maybe I need to make a goal of the number of post before the end of the year.   Basically for me life gets busy, and I fail to keep this blog updated.   Ok how about a goal of 12 posts before the end of the year?  That's about one per week.

Maybe if I can get that far, someone besides me will actually start subscribing and reading my blog. 

My first (and last) two posts of 2010 were about the book "Think Orange".  Back in January, orange leaders around the US took a week and blogged about Orange.  This morning I stumbled onto one of those bloggers at http://danscottblog.com/   I found his blog by Googling "Elevate Community".   He has some great posts about the Orange concept and even has a promo for the Family Experience at his church.

Think Orange - 5 "Principles"

So the book "Think Orange", written by Reggie Joiner,  is about thinking about how church is done in a different way.  That probably doesn't do it justice.   Let me break it out into the principles mentioned on page 82:


1. Nothing is more important than someone's relationship with God/
2. No one has more potential to influence a child's relationship with God than a parent.
3. No one has more potential to influence the parent than the church.
4. The church's potential to influence a child dramatically increases when it partners with a parent.
5. The parent's potential to influence a child dramatically increases when it partners with the church.


That's a tidbit to get me started.     One thing to keep in mind, thinking orange isn't children's ministry or youth ministry, it's breaking down the silo's and helping a parent look at a child with the end in mind.

Thinking Orange

So I'm a slow reader.  Mostly because I have a hard time blocking the noise that is a family with 3 little girls.   Anyhow, I'm reading a book called "Think Orange" by Reggie Joiner.   It presents kind of a whole new way of thinking about the church.  I've got to go now (re: the 3 little girls).  In the very near future, I'll post more about the Orange concept.

Come Thou Fount (Verse 1)

Don't take my translation as totally the greatest, 

but it's a start.
feel free to suggest other possible re-phrases.

1. Come, thou Fount of every blessing,
tune my heart to sing thy grace;
streams of mercy, never ceasing,
call for songs of loudest praise.
Teach me some melodious sonnet,
sung by flaming tongues above.
Praise the mount! I'm fixed upon it,
mount of thy redeeming love. 

Translation:

Come, you Source of every Blessing,
(Bring into Harmony) my heart to sing your grace;
Your streams of mercy never stop,
make me want to praise you without holding back.
Teach me a new beautiful song,
sung (or given) to me through the Holy Spirit given from Heaven.
Praise you for Jesus dying for me, I am thinking about it now,
The place where Your love redeemed all.

Hymn translator

I might step on toes with this, but I was worshiping in my church on Sunday and was wondering what kids think when a hymn comes along and the words include fetter and thee, thou and thine.   So I think I am going to try to translate a hymn... see where things lead.   The song was "Come Thou Fount".   BTW - initially I had "Come Now Fount"  so that shows my point exactly.... I can't even remember the title because... to me...  it I can't understand the lyrics/title, I'm not going to remember it.

So as Brad Stein says,  "Put yer helmet on!"

I am not a good blogger.

I just looked. 2 posts in 2009.... not very good blogging frequency. :( maybe 2010 will be an up year in my blogging adventures.

From the Bradford Archive

As we were moving last week, I found a CD from our past (The Bradford Archive).   I picked up Young Warriors "It's Our Turn Now" years ago and loved the "Throw Up Song".  So I decided to spin the 1st two songs in children's church last week.  It was like the song was new all over again.  Our group of 13 kids were dancing and grooving to these songs long ago lost at our house.   You should check this CD out..... it's a lot of fun.

Tim Hawkins

Long time no post.

Well this post is to share with you a very funny dude.   His name is Tim Hawkins.  He has many funny (wierd-Al) like songs.  Here's a youtube clip of a kids rock commercial:

Midnight in Chicago

I found this podcast/blog this morning. 

http://www.mic.mypodcast.com/ 


which is a number of podcasts about various issues relating to autism. most interesting to me was the podcast called:
Autism on the Homefront: Parenting Autistics

The casters mention research pointing to research that is uncovering that autism has genetic links. 
So things like Chelation Therapy (which is to try to remove heavy metals from the body) probably aren't going to be to affective if autism spectrum disorders aren't caused by environmental issues.

Autism and Faith: A Journey into Community

Here's an interesting story of a 13 year old autistic boy who was banned (even to the point of a restraining order) from church.

That led me to another find Autism and Faith: A Journey into Community which I would love to get a look at.

Looking at my church, I wonder what would happen if a boy like Adam Race and his parents showed up to worship. I would hope that the reaction wouldn't be the same. But does my (or your) church have a plan for providing for the needs of a boy like Adam? Would it be inclusive or would you provide a separate space?

I am a bad blogger

I have tons more inbound blogging than outbound. I have like 100 feeds I check for updates everyday, but I post (or even comment) maybe once a month.

hey we're half way through 200-8... time to start new... (8= new beginnings right?)

I will try to blog at least once a week and see where things go.

Great Workshop Slide Deck from Dick Gruber

Cultivating a Cutting-Edge Children's Church

From: childrensministry, 1 day ago

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Pre-conference workshop by Dick Gruber and Jason Rhode entitled, Cultivating a Cutting-Edge Children's Church offered live at the 2008 National Children's Ministries Leadership Conference. For more details regarding this workshop and for links to additional resource materials and the slides referenced during the sessions, visit www.cmuo.com/workshops/kidschurch


SlideShare Link

oh yeah! Jesus-is@live.com

Dude! I am like so geeking out!!! I just scored the e-mail address jesus-is@live.com

How cool is that? Yes, I did have to sign my life away to Microsoft. But I'll still use google for my real work. :)

Long Time No Blog - Off Topic of Kids Ministry

Wow it's been a long time since I've blogged! So what's new in my life since April when I last blogged? I'll try it in bullet points.

1. Baby Dana has grown to 8 months old.
   
1. Dana had RSV in the summertime. Dr said "Hmm I've never seen RSV in the Summer."
2. Took family vacation to Disney World at the end of July/Beginning of August.
1. Disney World was just OK
2. We have lots of luv for Disney's Vero Beach - lot's less to do there
3. Work has taken a lot of my time beginning in August.
4. We redefined Wednesday night kid's ministry - we were using Faithweaver Friends - now we use the keys of kids devotional as a "mini-lesson" and then we do something special - make your own cookie, myo sundays, talk to a missionary. It's been different. with FWF, we had so many adults required for so few kids (like 8 adults for 20 kids) that it made it difficult to recruit and keep workers and if workers didn't show, it caused some pain.
5. The Coudersport Sheetz now has deep fryers and a specialty drink machine, so we got ourselves a real life Redneck Starbucks!
   

That's all I have for now!

Hillsong Kids Supers Review

This is a review of the Super Series from Hillsong kids!

The Evangelism Linebacker is back for Easter 2007

The Evangelism Linebacker is back for Easter. Watch out Easter bunny

http://www.sermonspice.com/videos/5300/easter-linebacker/

Story by Steven James

This weekend I started reading a book by storyteller steven james. The introduction does a wonderful job of drawing the reader into 3 different mini stories that end up all coming together.

I'll have more in my next post. (which should be soon).

Flock

My last post was put up with a program called Flock.  basically it's firefox only changed a little bit.....  it allows you to quickly post to the blog of your choice.    It also has a "Blog This" on the right click menu inside the browser window so you can quickblog someone else's information.   All in all, I like it!

Blogged with Flock

Part Two of Truth or the Consequences of Internet Truth

So back in the late summer to early fall when the Trailer for "Jesus Camp" got put onto youtube. within hours there were THOUSANDS of outraged people saying how scary this "movie" is. Commentaries about a movie that was gleaned from a 2 minute trailer that wasn't even created/edited by the films directors....

So, if you watch a clip on youtube or video.google.com... maybe even a movie trailer... should you comment on the whole movie from the clip?

sure it's another one of those "you just use common sense" type scenarios.... but what about the thousands of responses to Jesus Camp?

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