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stuff that's helped me over the years

Alright - these next few posts will really be a brain dump of what I hope is useful information for someone. It's just a few items each post that are useful bits of info that have helped me over the years. If it helps anyone else - then I'm doing what I believe I was called to do...

1. Network with others in ministry
This will be your greatest resource. Get on CMConnect and Kidology. Get on the phone and call churches that have ministries on the same level as yours, churches that are at the next level and churches that are at a level under your church's. Who knows, perhaps you'll save $100's just by learning what to do and what not to do!

2. Be a list maker
list stuff when you think of it - I mean... everything! I have to-do lists, lists of lesson series, lists of leadership topics that I want to cover, lists of silly rules characters can use when we review the rules in kids church, lists of object lesson ideas I've gotten from visiting a favorite store, lists of fun ideas for a Sunday school class, I just looked at a list of as many object lessons as I could think of with balloons.

No idea is a bad idea unless it's an unused or undeveloped idea. (consider sharing those ideas you can't use now with someone you're networking with). I have a mentor who has a file cabinets with unused ideas and a big fat hard drive full of ideas he's never used and doesn't think he ever will - wish he'd sell it all to me!

3. Make kids, individually, feel like a million dollars
I learned this from one of my earliest mentors. When I was a kid He would walk into a room and look me in the eye, shake my hand and tell me he was so glad that I was in kids church that day - I felt like the most important person in the room for the rest of the day! He did that to every kid - I swear!

The Two Ways Kids Interpret Their World

Kids really see stuff in two ways:

1. This is either FUN
or
2. this is really BORING

Yep - that's really the mindset of a kid.

Now let me bring some definition to the information above...
These two viewpoints of the world are really interpretations of the world around them. For instance: an activity or experience that is exciting, engaging, delicious, funny, intriguing, inclusive or tailored to their wants and needs will be interpreted as "FUN".

on the other hand... any activity or experience that is uncomfortable, uninteresting, over their heads, too predictable, non-engaging, unfamiliar, not welcoming or negative will most likely be interpreted as "BORING".

Now here's what you've wanted to hear all day: Children will react differently to each of the two ways that they see the world.

1. If they interpret the world around them as being "FUN", they will engage, participate and have a positive attitude about that activity or experience. With this experience, you can harness that energy and help guide it into a moment of learning, and experiencing God. This, in my vocabulary is called: "CONTROLLED FUN". Please take note that, "CONTROLLED FUN" is good.

2. If they interpret the world around them as being "BORING", they will disengage from the activity, despise the adult who is initiating the "BORING" activity or experience and ultimately, make an attempt to create their own "FUN". When a child attempts to create their own fun in defiance of the "BORING" activity or simply, quite .possibly a non-existent activity, this, in my vocabulary is called: "UNCONTROLLED FUN". Please note that "UNCONTROLLED FUN" is NOT good.

How's your Children's Ministry doing with all of this?