Archive for 'Parents'
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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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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Spiritual parenting advice
Posted on 14. Jan, 2012 by Kenny.
No, I’m not dispensing advice today, but asking for a little. I’m hoping to lean on some of the wisdom of you who have been doing this longer than me. Here is my situation.
Titus is four and a half years old and he’s really into construction machinery. He loves his backhoes, rollers, mixers and tractors. A few months ago, he took several of his excavators to the park to play and accidentally left his toy grader at the park. He mentioned it when he got home, but I don’t think Sara or I really understood what he was saying. Several days passed before we realized that his grader really was missing. He would bring it up every now and again and with all the excitement of Christmas, I think we expected to have heard the last of the grader.… Read the rest
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The dropout myth?
Posted on 04. Jan, 2012 by Kenny.
There’s a very interesting article worth reading over at childrensministry.com about the infamous “dropout” rate that is causing many churches to question the effectiveness of their ministries and causing many churches to swing to a family model. I’ve actually sited the significant dropout statistics as a reason for our church to move to a more family centered model.
I’m very glad that this article was written as it draws attention to the issue. However, I have to say that I’m not in agreement with several parts of the article, but some excellent points are made.
First of all, I’ve not heard of this 9 out of 10 dropout. For the last 3-5 years, I’ve been more familiar with the studies conducted by Lifeway, the Assemblies of God (I think) and the research the Barna group has done and none of those posted a dropout rate as high as 90%.… Read the rest
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Children’s Bible Review: My First Hands-On Bible
Posted on 12. Dec, 2011 by Kenny.
A few months ago I was given a copy of “My First Hands-On Bible” while at Group’s Kidmin Conference. It seemed to be just the right age for my son, so I was anxious to get home and see how it worked as a Bible he and I could read together.This Bible appears to be a cooperative project of Tyndale Kids and Group Publishing. This Bible intended for preschool age children is very unique from most other children’s Bibles aimed at this age group for two main reasons:
- The Bible follows Groups philosophy of R.E.A.L learning (Relational, Experiential, Applicable and Learner-Based). Every Bible story includes questions and activities that engage kids in R.E.A.L learning. This is not a passive children’s bible, but requires active engagement.
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The Homeless Blogger: Things I’d tell the old me (Part 3)
Posted on 02. Nov, 2011 by Kenny.
You ever wish you could go back in time? Of course we all do. All of us have do-overs that we’d love to take. I’m no exception. There are a few things I learned over the years that would have been great to know when I was just starting out 10-15 years ago.
Thanks to Jim Wideman for hosting my last Homeless Blogger post. In this post I tell the old me, “Pay attention to the parents!” We hear this message all the time now through conferences, books and curriculum publishers. However, I remember questioning this stuff 9-10 years ago and not really know what to do with it. I don’t have any real ministry regrets, but sometimes I do wish I had known what I know now when it comes to equipping parents.… Read the rest
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