Archive for 'Family'
Don’t raise well rounded, well educated and happy kids
Posted on 03. May, 2012 by Kenny.
I’ve been working alongside parents now for fifteen years, but I’ve only done this from the perspective of actually being a parent for the last five. Having kids of your own certainly changes your perspective. We all have hopes and dreams for what our kids will grow up to be. Every time we host a child dedication class, we ask the question, “What does parenting success look like to you?” We also ask another question that hits the same issue from a different angle asking, “If you could pass only one thing to your child by the time they become an adult, what would that thing be?” I know that we put parents on the spot with these questions, but I’m amazed how often parents give answers like, “I want my son to be happy” or “I wan’t my kids to be successful” or even, “I want my child to have respect for all people.” I’m not going to say that these are wrong things, but if these is the greatest hope this generation of parents have for their kids… well there’s no wonder we’re seeing moral and spiritual decay. My goal is that by the end of the baptism class, I’ve either convinced them or at least built a case for wanting an authentic relationship with Jesus for their kids.
I absolutely loved Craig Groeschel’s talk at Orange this year. He essentially communicated many of the philosophical and strategy positions behind Orange, but from his own personal perspective and experience. His shocking statement was that we should not aim to raise well rounded, highly educated and happy children. That’s what our culture communicates as a need, but this doesn’t line up with the scriptures.
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ORANGE 2012: Game Changer
Posted on 26. Apr, 2012 by Kenny.
I’m at the 2012 Orange Conference and so far, it’s been pretty amazing, but Orange is always like that.
I’ve actually been able to attend more breakouts than last year… and I’ve actually been paying closer attention in the general sessions as compared to last year. I hope to publish my notes from some of the sessions/breakouts later tonight. I also had the opportunity to lead a preconference breakout on yesterday, and include some notes from that as well.
Stay tuned…
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The Eric Trap Blog Tour: Day 6
Posted on 17. Apr, 2012 by Kenny.
It’s week two and the blog tour is at it again with three more stops, yesterday.
My friend Brain Dollar posted a great review on his blog. He shared with his readers the three reasons why he liked this book so much.
- It’s a leadership fable – who doesn’t like a leadership fable?
- Eric is easy to relate to – because he’s just like so many of us.
- The lessons are impacting – even those of us who have been dong this for a long time slip in these areas from time to time.
Brian is giving away a few copies, so if you want one, check out what you need to do to win.
Jeremy Echols also posted a review of The Eric Trap. My favorite part of his review is in his “Spoiler Alert” section.
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The Eric Trap Blog Tour: Day 5
Posted on 13. Apr, 2012 by Kenny.
Today marks the last day of the first week of The Eric Trap blog tour. In five days, twelve people have given unique perspectives of this new book in blog posts, facebook updates and youtube videos. Not only do we still have two more weeks, but almost 40 more reviews. Wow! We’ve got a lot more coming your way, so we’re going to take a breather on Saturday and Sunday and start back up again on Monday.
Today though we had three more great reviews.
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Task list vs. wish list
Posted on 11. Apr, 2012 by Kenny.
I’m in the middle of writing an article about family ministry and it made me think of a specific frustration that I and my team experience so many times when it comes to family ministry. I thought I’d post my thoughts here as it isn’t likely this aspect will be covered in the article.
I and my staff team have all sipped the family ministry kool-aid. We’re all believers and have great vision for what family ministry could look like at our church. However, there’s one massive barrier. We’re all so busy doing what it takes to make the weekend experiences successful that there’s not really any time to do some of the things we’ve dreamed of doing.
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Family bias
Posted on 07. Mar, 2012 by Kenny.
My family and I had dinner with Evan Doyle last night. He was in town for a few days this week and it’s always good to see him. Last summer he spent 8 weeks with me as an intern for our kid’s ministry.
We had several great conversations about curriculum, resources and the fact that the 90′s lacked great music. However, he asked a really compelling question that’s had me thinking all day. We’ve talked a lot about family ministry and efforts we’re taking to connect with families. His question was, “What are you all doing to help families of single parents or blended families?”
Hmmmm.
I honestly couldn’t give him a great answer. It’s not to say we’re not doing a lot of great things for families and how we’re developing strategy to equip families, regardless of whether they’re conventional, blended or single parent families.… Read the rest
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Orange Tour Online
Posted on 05. Mar, 2012 by Kenny.
So back in January, I took 20+ staff and volunteers to the Orange Tour in Dallas. What can I say, I’m a huge believer in the regional conference! This Orange Tour was easily the best one yet… but all of them have been so incredibly good.
Tomorrow (Tuesday, March 6th you and your team can experience the Orange Tour right from the convenience of your computer. Orange will be streaming the conference from 1:00 PM until 3:45 PM (I’m assuming that this is Easter Time). It’s a free web event, you just have to register here.… Read the rest
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Orange Week: I need help!
Posted on 08. Feb, 2012 by Kenny.
It’s been almost four years since I first learned about the Orange strategy. One of the most compelling concepts was it idea of two combined influences – church and home. This really clicked for me as a long-time children’s pastor who felt such an unbelievable burden to raise and disciple kids yet struggled with doubts about long term effectiveness. Clearly defining the family as the other part of the combined influence wasn’t an “out” for me, but a moment of clarity on how I could use my time more effectivity… or even strategically.
However, as a dad who “knows his stuff pretty well,” I’ve come to realize how much help I really do need. Four years into unpacking the Orange strategy, this stuff has hit home in a new way was my four an a half year old boy has come to an age where what I say and do has significant consequences.… Read the rest
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Make it easy for parents to win!
Posted on 25. Jan, 2012 by Kenny.
I think my last big take-away from the Orange Tour was this little concept.
Make it easy for parents to win!
In Think Orange, Reggie describes the four levels of parenting.
- Aware – These are parents who may be outside your church. Studies have shown that most parents are aware that the moral and even spiritual development of a child is their responsibility.
- Involved – These are parents who are in our churches. They’re around, maybe following Christ, but they’re not really doing anything intentional with their kids.
- Engaged – These are parents who are beginning to be intentional. They’re trying things that they’ve not done before.
- Invested – These parents get “it.” Whether you provide a plan or not, they’re going after it, developing spiritual champions.
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Orange Tour Gleanings
Posted on 23. Jan, 2012 by Kenny.
Last Friday I took 24 staff and leaders to the Dallas Orange Tour and Bent Tree Fellowship. What can I say, I’m a big believer in the local conference… something that’s close and affordable to inspire volunteers and staff that I can’t afford to take to the national events. It’s why I started Illuminate.
This Orange Tour was different for me. I was a little nervous. This was the first time I’ve ever taken student ministry volunteers. In the past I’ve brought my student pastor, but the team as a whole had never really been represented. They were very excited to have been invited and showed up in force. The Orange strategy is certainly something I believe in and I was more nervous that the student ministry volunteers would not connect with it or that it would somehow be a miss for them.… Read the rest
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