Review: Instant Bible Lessons for Nursery (Give Thanks to God)

The church nursery is often thought of as simply a place to babysit children so they do not disrupt the church service. However, it is so much more than that! The church nursery is where babies and toddlers begin to form their perception of the church, experience God's love, and learn foundational truths about who God is and what He has done.

Obviously with this age group, caregivers will need to be flexible and allow freedom to spend time exploring the activities that especially capture the children's interest, but I appreciate a curriculum that is designed just for the youngest members of the congregation and that is intentional about teaching God's truth to them through systematic lessons.

The simple concepts and foundational truths in this curriculum are perfect for young children to grasp, and the activities provided take into account their developmental abilities, providing activities that will stimulate them with sights and sounds, and challenge and encourage their fine and gross motor skills. The lessons teach Bible stories that this age group can relate to and concern things familiar to them such as family, home, pets, food, and clothes, through activities and objects they will enjoy such as building blocks, snacks, songs and rhymes, pictures and visuals, reading books, and coloring.

One concern I had with the curriculum is that although it is listed for ages 0-18 months, some of the activities include supplies such as yarn, paper, and paper fasteners that would not be appropriate for a young baby and could even be choking hazards. Hopefully, the caregivers using the curriculum would be wise enough to choose appropriate activities from those listed based on the age of those in their care and provide appropriate supervision.

Disclosure: I received a free electronic copy of this curriculum for review as part of the Rose Reviewer Program from Rose Publishing. 

My Children's Ministry Experience

Let the little children come ...
This is the call of Jesus and my life mission. I have worked with diverse groups of children in a variety of settings. I have had the privilege of serving as Vacation Bible School director for four years. I have developed curriculum for our VBS programs as well as Sunday children's programs. I enjoy finding interactive, engaging methods to help children discover the truth of God's Word and of His great love for them, helping build a foundation of faith in their lives. I have directed special outreach events for children and taught both large and small groups. I have also had experience recruiting and leading teams of volunteers. On the administrative side, I have created and managed budgets, established safety policies and procedures, tracked attendance, created promotional materials, and prepared mailings to families. My calling is to give my life in service to others and proclaim God's truth. I want to help families and children know and grow in Jesus. Let the little children come to Him!

Creation Rap

I came across a fun song today to teach children about God's creation. The song is actually a rap that goes through each of the seven days of Creation from the book of Genesis. I think boys especially would enjoy this one.

Click here to preview the song at HaveFunTeaching.com.

Disclosure: The Have Fun Teaching website has offered a free song download to bloggers who create a post about their website. Click here for more information.

Book Review: Christmas Uncut

Christmas Uncut: What Really Happened and Why it Matters was written by Carl Laferton. According to the publisher’s website, the book would make a good gift. The book is less than 70 pages long and available for under $5. I feel that it would be best suited for the young adult crowd, both Christians and non-Christians alike.

I have mixed feelings about this book. On one hand, I like the author’s intention to focus on the details of the authentic Christmas story as described in the pages of Scripture. However, his way of going about it bothered me a little. Throughout the book, he mocks the traditional children’s nativity play, beginning each chapter with a story of an acting scene gone wrong. He then continues each chapter by relating the true historical events of the Christmas story and their importance. I agree that some Christmas performances may not always be entirely faithful to the biblical text, but I do not think they are all bad either. I believe they can be a great way to introduce children to the true story of Christmas. As a children’s ministry leader, I couldn’t help but take offense.

With that aside, the book does help to correct false ideas that have become part of the Christmas story as it has been idealized over time in our culture. The author seeks to reveal truth and help readers look at the Christmas story in a new way, thinking on details often overlooked. Near the end of the book, readers are given ideas of ways they can explore more, and the closing sections seek to provide a rebuttal to some objections readers may raise. I appreciate the author’s desire to point people to the true hope, joy, and love found in the real Christ of the Christmas story.

Disclosure: I was provided with a free copy of this book from the Good Book Company as part of Cross Focused Reviews’ Christmas Uncut blog tour.

What is Family Ministry?

The 2012 Olympic Games have come to a close. Team USA walked away with the gold in some of my family's favorite events, including women’s gymnastics, men’s basketball and women's water polo. The hard work, training and dedication of team members paid off as they reached the goal they had all been striving for: the gold medal!

Sports competitions are a great reminder of the importance of teamwork. Each member of the team must fulfill his or her unique role in order to help the group accomplish their aim. Teammates must be on the same page as they cooperate and work together toward the same goal. 

This summer, the Family Ministry Blog Tour has asked individuals to consider the question, “What is family ministry?”

To me, family ministry is about a TEAM – church leaders, congregations, parents and families all working together with the same goal in mind: the salvation and spiritual growth of individuals.

Family ministry acknowledges that children are under our care at the church for approximately an hour or two each week, while they are with their family for many more hours per week. It acknowledges how much of an influence family members have on one another, and that the family is the bedrock of society. Family ministry considers the whole of the family unit, not just one individual in that family. Family ministry looks at the needs of the family and ministers to the whole family – parents and children. We must be praying for them, encouraging them and equipping them.

I believe that family ministry seeks to break down those walls that may have separated and segmented our ministries in the past. Children are often downstairs in the church basement learning and doing activities while their parents are learning something else upstairs. When church is over, parents pick their children up, ask if they had fun, and the conversation about church ends there.

Family ministry is intentional about keeping parents informed and involved. I want the families of children in our ministry to know what their kids learned on Sunday morning, so that they can continue to talk about it and review and reinforce that message with them throughout the week. We should partner with parents as part of the team to help children grow and develop in faith. Church leaders have a responsibility to teach and train these children, giving them a solid foundation in the Scriptures, but the responsibility for spiritual training also must belong to the parents and family. Part of our calling as leaders is to equip God’s people for the work of ministry (Ephesians 4:12). Some parents may not feel qualified to teach their children about biblical matters or may not know where to start. As church leaders who may have the professional training in Christian education and child development, we must be equipping parents to daily guide their children to grow in faith in the Lord. We can help provide families with the tools, resources, training and encouragement they need to help their children grow and learn and to help them survive the ups and downs of family life. In today’s busy culture, we can also provide special family times, opportunities that encourage families to spend time together and talk about their Christian faith with one other.

Of course, the success of these kinds of family ministry efforts requires the cooperation of the parents to accept and embrace their God-given roles as spiritual guides for their children. Sadly, this does not always happen in our congregations. Many children attend church on their own, and their family may not share their faith. Nevertheless, we must continue to encourage and love both the children and their families, reaching out to them and continuing to cultivate the children’s faith as they are in our care. Perhaps the child’s life, faith and behavior will be a witness to their own family members.

Family ministry is about a team. As church leaders, we are one part of that team and must work wholeheartedly as we seek to see children and families grow in the Lord. With continued love, prayer, patience, and the power of God’s Spirit, families will be transformed through Jesus.

Click here to visit the FamMin Blog Tour page and find other views on family ministry.

Book Review: Love without Walls

Love without Walls was written by Laurie Beshore, leader of local and global outreach ministries at Mariners Church in Southern California. The book is part of Zondervan’s Leadership Network Innovation Series. It contains practical ideas for any church that desires to reach out beyond the four walls of their church building and change their communities and the world.

The book shares the journey Mariners Church has taken as their outreach ministry has grown over the past 25 years, allowing readers to learn from their mistakes and successes. According to the book, the foundation for effective outreach must be to understand the community and the culture being served and to develop positive relationships with those individuals. The book mentions that we must listen, learn and love. With that foundation, the world will take notice of the radical love they are experiencing as we seek to share the gospel. The world is need of Christians who truly listen, learn and love as we seek to fulfill the Great Commission. There are many people hungry to experience a true incarnation of God’s love and truth, and we must be the hands and feet of Jesus in the world.

This week, our church has been hosting our annual Vacation Bible School for children in our community. We are a smaller church, but VBS is one of our major outreach events of the year. So many children are in need of positive relationships, knowing that someone cares enough to listen and to love them. But the benefits are mutual. The relationships built during VBS benefit both children and volunteers, and God’s love continues to spread to more and more people. Children too are being developed as leaders, as they learn to reach out with God’s love to their community.

One part of the book discussed developing volunteer leaders, a subject of interest to me. The journey of Mariners Church began with just one volunteer, but their team has since grown to more than 7,000. I was encouraged by how the book mentioned that it all still takes place “one relationship at a time.” Whether your ministry is to a single person or an entire community, you are still changing the world. Keep at it; the work must continue.

Disclosure: I received a free copy of this book from Zondervan as part of the Love without Walls blog tour.

Book Review: The Envy of Eve

The Envy of Eve: Finding Contentment in a Covetous World was written by Melissa B. Kruger. The book, geared for women, takes a closer look at the sin of coveting, one that I believe is often overlooked and misunderstood.

Coveting, like all sin, keeps us from truly loving God and our neighbors. With personal stories and biblical examples, the book describes what coveting is, the root of the problem, and how to overcome it in Christ. Several chapters are devoted to looking at different types of coveting as well as specific examples of coveting from the Scriptures. The book also includes questions for the reader to reflect on personally or discuss with a group.

As part of this blog tour, reviewers had the opportunity to ask the author a question related to the book. Below is my question to the author and her response.

Q:  Recently, we have been teaching the children at my church about the Ten Commandments. The children were not familiar with the term "covet." Do you have any suggestions on how best to explain this concept to children? 

A:  I love this question. I find that when I can explain something to a child, then I really understand it myself! I teach Children’s Church and usually find it easiest to teach using visual aids and asking questions. So, my lesson on coveting would probably go something like this:   

• Good morning children! I want to ask you to help me. I am going to pass out different flavored lollipops (or markers, pieces of colorful paper, or musical instruments if you didn’t want to use candy) to everyone in the class. Hold them in your hand and wait until everyone gets one.   
• Can someone show me what it looks like to whine and complain about the lollipop they received? (Usually, the children will have fun with this one!)  
• Now, can someone show me what it looks like to be content or happy with the lollipop they received? (Hopefully, they will say something like “thank you” as an example of contentment.)  
• Well, I want to teach you a new word today. Please repeat after me: COVET  
• Children, when we covet, we whine and complain about what we have and want what someone else has. Can everyone show me what a whiney face would look like again? Can everyone show me what a content face would look like?  
• And then I would tell the story of Achan in Joshua 7 as an example of someone in the Bible who coveted. At the end I would review the word and the definition.

Disclosure: I received a free copy of this book from Christian Focus Publications as part of The Envy of Eve blog tour.

#OC12 has begun!

Around 5,000 ministry leaders from all over the world have gathered in Atlanta this week for the Orange Conference. Although I could not join them in person, I enjoyed watching the opening session live online Wednesday night. I felt like I was worshipping and learning right along with my fellow brothers and sisters!

Here’s some insights I gained from watching the opening session:

Reggie Joiner spoke about the "messiness" of the gospel. God has called us to go into the world with His truth and love. That doesn’t mean it is always easy. Jesus experienced ridicule, opposition, pain, and sorrow. But He endured. He went to the cross, but He rose again to life. He sent His disciples out into a messy world to share the story and teach the good news. We are called to go and make disciples too. As we invest in people in our ministries, we can be sure that it will get messy sometimes. But it’s OK. Jesus knows messy, and He has promised to be with us. As leaders of the next generation, we are helping to prepare children and students for the messy world, helping them to trust a God who is bigger than our imaginations.

The opening session also touched on the growing diversity of our world and our neighborhoods. We have been called to love God and love our neighbors. The love that the Father has poured out on us inspires us to lavish that same love on our neighbors. The world needs a true incarnation of the love of God. Reggie Joiner pointed out that our love is the one thing that sets us apart from the world. Jesus Himself said,

“This is how everyone will know that you are my disciples, when you love each other.” – John 13:35 CEB

I fear that too often we allow our differences to hinder us from living in that true love, both outside and inside the church, including differences of worship style, doctrine, or ministry practices. Beyond our church and denomination, we as followers of Jesus can be united in the simple truths of the gospel and in God’s love.

The Orange Conference does a great job of bringing together leaders from all over the world, from different denominations, and from all the ministries of the church – children’s workers, youth leaders, family ministers, senior pastors. Each member of the Body of Christ has an important role to play. This includes all Christians, not just those in full-time ministry. When we work together, doing our unique part, we can live as the Church God intended us to be. Living united in His love allows the Church to be a shining light in the world, sharing this love with our neighbors.

May your heart be filled with the uncontainable love of our Heavenly Father in a way that inspires and enables you to truly and radically love your neighbors – all of them!

Looking forward to more Orange this week!

Think Orange

Today is the first day of the Orange Conference! That means ministry leaders are gathering to network with other church leaders, attend workshops and gain insight from great speakers, and think Orange! The Orange strategy is all about churches and families partnering together to aid their children's spiritual development, uniting the light of the church (yellow) and the heart of the home (red).

For those like me who can't be at the Atlanta conference in person, you can get a glimpse of the happenings, including the opening session, backstage interviews and more. Click here to learn more, and follow the official hashtag #OC12 on Twitter.

The Eric Trap, a new book for ministry leaders from Jim Wideman and his team, officially releases today at the Orange Conference. Click here to read my review of the book.

Book Review: The Eric Trap

The Eric Trap was written by a group of children's ministry leaders under the leadership of Jim Wideman. The book presents an insightful, engaging and honest look into the daily, real-life experiences, struggles, thoughts and emotions of a children's pastor. This book reveals the reality of what it's like to serve on a church staff and details Pastor Eric Newman's relationships with fellow staff, volunteers and family.

Although Eric is a fictional character, I believe many leaders will relate to his experiences and struggles.

The book was an easy and enjoyable read. The chronicles of Pastor Eric are presented in the form of a story. Integrated into the book are chapters with practical ideas and commentary drawing on principles presented in Eric's story. The end of each chapter contains questions to help readers apply the principles to their current life and ministry situations.

These chapters cover important topics including:

• Relationships with Volunteers - the importance of delegating and equipping others for ministry, allowing them to develop as the people and leaders God desires them to be.
• Relationship with the Senior Pastor - understanding and aligning your visions for ministry, and submitting to the senior pastor's leadership for the benefit of the church as a whole.
• Relationships with Parents - equipping parents to guide their children's spiritual development, since their impact goes much deeper than the one hour or so a week the children spend under our influence at church.
• Relationship with God - abiding in Him and relying on Him, not our own strength in ministry, and measuring our growth and success in His terms.
• Relationships with Family - keeping priorities in line and maintaining balanced and healthy family relationships.

I currently volunteer as a kidmin leader and am looking to possibly be in that role of a full-time children's pastor someday. I believe this book is good for current leaders, who can likely relate to Eric's experiences, realize they're not alone, and hopefully find a way out of any traps into which they have fallen. The book can also serve as a warning for future workers of the snares that may be ahead so they can avoid falling into those traps.

Disclosure: I received a free copy of this book as part of The Eric Trap blog tour.

Want to learn more about Eric and his book? Check out TheEricTrap.com, and follow Eric's Twitter account @e_newman and hashtag #erictrap.

#KidMin Music

Music is a wonderful teaching tool for people of all ages. The catchy tunes and lyrics stick in the mind and heart for years to come. Especially for children, music can be an effective way to teach biblical truths and encourage Scripture memory.

But if we're not careful, it could become bad theology. I've heard some interesting lyric mix-ups from children of my church:

• "I will not forsake you" has become "I will never save you"
• "You washed my sin away" has become "You washed my zit away"
• "I am a friend of God" has become "I am afraid of God"

Needless to say, the messages they heard were not the messages that had been intended.

I like to use videos with the song lyrics shown on the screen, which is good for older children, but for pre-readers, this still doesn't help much. I think it is important to talk with the kids about the meaning of the lyrics, explain any unfamiliar words or concepts, and define pronouns in the song. This could be as simple as the leader summarizing the meaning of the upcoming song briefly between songs during music time.

Whether you use pre-recorded music or live singers, make sure that the words are clearly expressed and pronounced. Don't let the music drown out the message.

From One Generation to Another

Senior adults may not have the ability to serve on the frontlines of children's ministry like they once did, but they still have the desire to make a positive impact on the next generation. Tapping into the wisdom, love and gifts of these older members of your congregation will be beneficial for all ages. There are many ways senior adults can be involved in children's ministry. Here are a few ideas:

Prayer Warriors: Senior adults are some of the greatest prayer warriors! Give them a list of names of kids and volunteers in your ministry and encourage them to pray for those individuals and their families.

Birthday Patrol: Senior adults can lead a card ministry. Give them a list of the birthdays of children in your ministry and let them send out a birthday card to each child for his or her special day!

Preparation Time: Senior adults may be able to help with some of the preparation duties in your ministry, from folding newsletters to preparing craft supplies.

Tasty Treats: Utilize the cooking and baking talents of senior adults. Ask them to make a batch of cookies for snack time or prepare a meal for children at your mid-week program.

Nursery Duty: Many older women especially love cradling newborn babies. Encourage them to serve in the nursery or at least stop by and give some love and attention to these little ones.

A Friendly Greeting: Have senior adults serve as greeters to welcome children as they arrive or depart from services, VBS, or other programs and events. Children will appreciate the smiles and hugs from these grandparent figures. 


Listen to Their Stories: From their years of experience, senior adults have some pretty interesting stories. Perhaps there is a story they can share with your children during an upcoming lesson - maybe from a past missionary journey they took part in, or of an interesting happening from their own childhood. Older children could even interview these adults. Keep a copy of the interviews in your church library as a treasure for the years to come.



Serve Them: These adults have been a blessing to many individuals throughout the years. Let your children's ministry be a blessing to them as well. Get your children actively involved in serving senior adults in your congregation and community. Take a visit to a nursing home and sing to the residents or have children hand out crafts or cards they have made. Older children could take part in service activities such as raking leaves for an elderly person.



Note: Wheelchair races are not recommended.



"You’ve taught me since my youth, God, and I’m still proclaiming your wondrous deeds! So, even in my old age with gray hair, don’t abandon me, God! Not until I tell generations about your mighty arm, tell all who are yet to come about your strength, and about your ultimate righteousness, God, because you’ve done awesome things! Who can compare to you, God?" -Psalm 71:17-19 CEB 

In what ways are senior adults involved in your church's ministry to children and families?

Sharing the Story Behind the Stones

You may have noticed that the current background of this blog features stones. Why stones? Because sometimes stones can tell a story …

After the Israelites miraculously crossed the Jordan River, God instructed Joshua to have the people set up 12 stones, taken from the middle of the Jordan River, as a lasting memorial. In the future, when Israelite children saw the stones, they would inquire of their parents to find out the reason they were there. The parents were to retell the story of the miraculous help God provided to the Israelites, allowing them to cross into the Promised Land. The stones were a constant reminder of the Lord’s mighty works. They were also a tool used to point children to faith in the Lord as these stories were passed down from generation to generation.

Click here to read the full story in Joshua chapters 3 and 4.

What memory stones are you leaving as a legacy for the generations to come?

What can you share with your children – memories of God’s answers to your prayers, stories of God’s miraculous deliverance in your life, pictures of God’s continued faithfulness to you and your family?

These reminders will point your children to our faithful God as they learn to put their trust in Him. Let them learn from your journey with Him and the stories of His power and faithfulness in your life and the life of your family. Perhaps there is also an older individual in your life from whom you can gain wisdom and encouragement as you listen to the stories of their life’s journey.

“One generation shall praise thy works to another, and shall declare thy mighty acts.” -Psalm 145:4

VBS Evaluation - Sky by Group

Group VBS curriculum is always a popular choice, known for its rotational format and "easy" preparation.

This year's theme is "Sky," where children discover that all things are possible with God. This unique theme means that decorations will include such things as clouds, stars, birds, airplanes, hot air balloons, kites and even a flying pig! Cotton balls may become a cheap decorating tool to use as clouds.

I like the repetition in the Daily Bible Points, teaching children that they can trust God no matter what. The experiential lessons will help children understand the Bible stories, which include accounts of Jesus' miracles as well as a presentation of His death and resurrection.


Instead of a craft station this year, Group's VBS features an Imagination Station at which children use fun science "gizmos." I think children enjoy expressing their creativity through craft projects and it is hard for me to imagine a VBS without traditional crafts. However, I think that children will definitely enjoy the cool science activities, such as launching Fizzy Fliers and making their own bubbles, and will still have something that they can take home.

The program includes a separate preschool track, featuring age-appropriate activities and lessons, presented in a simple, clear and easy-to-understand manner for these youngsters. A corresponding program for teenagers is also available.

Other activities include a missions project to help protect kids in Mali, Africa, from malaria; God Sightings, which encourage children to look for ways they see God at work each day; and a get-to-know-you activity to help children build relationships with others in their group. 

Multimedia resources, including several DVDs, are included in the starter kit. The music DVD includes contemporary and traditional songs with videos featuring the motions to accompany the lyrics. I have always liked Group's volunteer recruitment commercials, which are available on the training DVD. An online registration and organization tool is available to help VBS administrators. Children will enjoy watching Chadder the chipmunk in the movie that goes along with each day's lesson. This year the Chadder video features cartoon animations instead of real-life characters and puppets.

Group offers many items children can take home to reinforce what they have learned at VBS including characters with the memory verses printed on them, conversation starter cards, a prayer clip and take-home science experiments. There is also a family-friendly Web site to visit and enjoy after VBS.

There are lots of items available for purchase including tattoos, water bottles, wristbands, picture frames and hats; however, for limited budgets, these items may be cute, but not affordable.

Through Group's Sky VBS program, children will discover that when they trust God, all things are possible! Mark 10:27

Disclosure: I did NOT receive any compensation or products in exchange for this review. I simply wanted to present an evaluation of this curriculum, which may be helpful for children's ministry leaders.

Summer Programming and VBS Curriculum

The groundhog may have seen his shadow, but summer may still be closer than you realize. It's that time of year again when many in children's ministry are considering their curriculum options for summer programming.

There are several things to keep in mind when making this important decision:

• First, pray and ask God to guide you and your team in this process.



Vacation Bible School!

• Survey the needs of your ministry.
• Will your program be focused on outreach?
• Who do you hope to reach?
• What are the needs of these children and families? 
• What truths do you want them to learn?
• What is your budget?
• What is the size of your group?
• What ages will be included?
• How many volunteers will be available? 
• As you browse the various options, your answers to these questions will help you make an informed choice.

In upcoming posts, I hope to provide you with some evaluations of this year's Vacation Bible School (VBS) curriculum offerings, highlighting the unique features and my opinions of each.

A Library of Resource Books for Children’s Ministry

--- Building Children’s Ministry: A Practical Guide

--- Collaborate: Family + Church

--- Energizing Children’s Ministry in the Smaller Church

--- Fashion Me a People: Curriculum in the Church

--- God Sightings: The One Year Bible NLT

--- God Sightings: The One-Year Companion Guide

--- Intentional Parenting: Family Discipleship by Design

--- Kidmin Leadership

--- 9 Things They Didn’t Teach Me in College About Children’s Ministry

--- The Quick Guide to Discipline for Children’s Ministry: 101 Good Ideas for Bad Behavior
--- Stretch: Structuring Your Ministry for Growth

--- Transforming Children into Spiritual Champions