Archive for 'Resources'
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.
- This preschool Bible actually uses real Bible text. Where most beginner Bibles are edited down into a much easier way to read, My First Hands-On Bible used abridged passages from the New Living Translation.
My First Hands-On Bible contains 85 different stories from the Bible, most of the stories you would expect to find from a beginners children’s Bible. The Illustrations are excellent, modern and fitting for a preschooler as illustrations from some beginner Bibles look and feel dated. On the pages containing the story, you’ll find simple activities in the margins. Although the text for each story is short, the activities break it up and make it fun – which also bolsters learning and understanding. Little handprints in the text prompt you exactly when you can do the simple activity. These activities are simple like moving your hands in a specific way or marching around the room quickly.
The end of each story contains several elements. Each story ends with a section called the “Jesus Connection.” I’m not sure if this was inspired by “The Jesus Storybook Bible,” but aI greatly appreciate it’s inclusion. Essentially the “Jesus Connection” points what happened in this story to who Jesus was or what Jesus did. This is excellent as most kids (and adults) loose the connection of what a particular book or story has to do with the redemptive nature of Jesus and his mission. Each story ends with two characters that kids will recognize from any of Group Publishing’s curriculum, Pockets the Kangaroo and Cuddles the lamb. Pocket’s ends the story with a prayer that ties the story into a response to God. Cuddles leads the reader into an activity that is a little more involved. It might be something you do throughout the day, during a meal or even while in the car. Each one is different. Usually each story has two activities that you can do with your child. Finally, there is a section called Let’s Talk. It’s two age-appropriate questions inspired by the story that help kids think about how what they read interacts with their lives.
I’ve been using this Bible for a little over a month and it’s been wonderful. My son, who is four and a half really seems to enjoy it. Some of the questions are a little over his head, but often as we talk about the subject and the questions, he often “gets it.” Too often we use this Bible at bedtime, which is unfortunate since there are several activities that we can’t do.
I highly recommend this Bible for the 4-6 year old child (although 6 year olds are going to be getting close to being done with it). Honestly, I think that this Bible is better designed as a devotional Bible. If a family is looking for ways that it can have family devotions, this Bible is probably all you need. With a handful of activities, some great questions and just a little preparation (probably 5-10 minutes at the most), any parent could lead a great family devotion for preschoolers that will create strong memories, bolster biblical learning and be fun.
To order your own copy, click here.
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Behind the Music: The Rizers
Posted on 07. Dec, 2011 by Kenny.
On Monday I wrote a review of the Rizer’s new album, Rise Up. They asked me to post an honest review, but I wanted to do more than just a review. I wanted to know more about who they were and what their motivation for selling albums were. I asked a handful of questions which was incredibly helpful in getting to know the band. Here are the answers.
The Rizers meet the kids (and parents)
Greg, Zach and I all have kids- we’re just a bunch of Dads who love our kids and love Jesus and want our kids to love Jesus. We realized that there was a lack of good music that was all about Scripture Memory for kids. While Veggie Tales has fun songs and good moral songs, we couldn’t find much of anything else. The Rizers (short for Memorizers) was born out of our desire to change that. There’s nothing cooler than parents sending us videos of their kids singing the songs, singing actual, word for word Scripture! PLUS, then I don’t just have to say the scripture to my kids- I can sing it and really drive them nuts (kidding, sort of) “Do nothing out of selfish ambition…but in humility consider others better than yourself. (phil. 2:3-4)”
The Rizers sound is energetic and fun. We write radio friendly pop songs that sound current and modern. Best of all (and in our book, the most important), The Rizers sing straight up Bible verses. Putting Scripture to music really aids in the memorization department, plus it’s a lot of fun! We don’t want to be a “gimmick” band like, “Hey, our music is horrible but you should listen to it because it’s Bible verses!”
Anything more coming from The Rizers?
While music is the “fun” aspect of what we do, our heart for The Rizers is ultimately Scripture memory. We want our music to help kids (of all ages) remember God’s Word and point them towards Jesus. We would like to do Sunday School curriculum, shows, videos and more- any avenue we can to help Bible verses stick and convey its importance and relevance in a kid’s life.
- They’re dad’s like me. They’re writing songs for their kids and sharing the songs as a tool for me as well. They’re not just musicians looking for a unique niche where they can sell albums, but meeting a need in their own lives as parents and sharing it with the greater community. You can’t go wrong with that as motivation.
- Their vision seems very clear. Certainly they want to make great music and I’m sure they want to do great things for God and the community, but the whole point behind it all is to get the Word of God into the hearts of kids.
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Rise Up: The Rizer’s New Album
Posted on 05. Dec, 2011 by Kenny.
If you’ve visited my blog in the last 2-3 weeks, you’ll notice the new Rizers’ ad on the right of the page. They’re trying to get the word out about their newest album. So, a few weeks ago they sent me the music and asked me to review/promote it on my site. I’ve been enjoying the album and I wanted to write and tell you why you should pick up your own copy of the CD (or download it… does anyone by CD’s anymore?).
If you’ve not ever listened to the Rizers, it’s essentially scripture verses put to music. They’re not the first to do this and let me be honest with my opinion, “scripture memory” songs is a mixed bag. Some of the songs are great and some of them are not so great. Hats off to those bands who commit to doing it because they’re locked in lyrically. The point of “scripture” songs are to help people memorize the God’s Word which is awesome, but you don’t have any flexibility like you would if you were writing lyrics from scrap. Because of this limitation, I think some “scripture memory” songs just don’t stick or they feel forced.
Okay, back to the Rizers. Of all the “scripture memory” options out there, they are by far my favorite. They have a very fun, youthful and energetic buzz around their songs. There are a few songs that didn’t make my cut (personal preference), but most are awesome. I’ll incorporate them into a mix to use in our lobby as kids are coming in as well as recommend them to parents as great songs to play in the car as they scoot around town. There’s something significant about hiding the word of God in our hearts and if snappy songs help with that, then consider me sold! I think an album like this fits perfectly into any churches model of equipping parents to lead their kids spiritually. So many parents don’t know where to start. This could be a great tool in having families listen to songs like these, talking about what they mean and memorizing the verses together as a family. How easy is that? This is a resource that could pay out blessings in your family for a very long time! Go to iTunes and pick up this album right now. Visit their webpage here!
Oh, and stay tuned for tomorrow’s post. I love a good resource as much as anyone else, but I also love to know the story behind a resource. I had the opportunity to ask the Rizers some questions about who they were and why they’ve developed the band. So, come back tomorrow and get to know the Rizers.
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Killer Deal on Jesus Storybook Bibles!!!
Posted on 05. Dec, 2011 by Kenny.
Last night I was fortunate enough to see a tweet from @samluce mentioning a one day sale by Christian Book Distributers. For that one day, you could pick up copies of the Jesus Storybook Bible for less than $6.00. That’s $10 off retail price and even $6 better than Amazon’s best price. I took advantage of the opportunity and bought 50. I’m still not sure at the moment what I’ll need them all for, but I couldn’t pass up the deal.
Unfortunately, that deal has expired. The individual price on CBD is $9.49 a Bible. However, if you’re into buying in bulk, the phenomenally low price still is available. If you order 20 or more, you can still get them at $5.69 each! Click here to get this deal. Absolutely incredible! Just passing along a great deal!
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Animoto: Still one of my favorites
Posted on 30. Nov, 2011 by Kenny.
Over the years you’ll see me post about various tech solutions for life and ministry. Some of these apps stick, others lose their luster over time. Back in 2008 I discovered Animoto, a slideshow application and fell in love. Of many of the things I find, Animoto has remained one of my absolute favorite tools. I know that there are many who read this blog who didn’t back in 2008, so I thought I’d visit this little app again and talk about what else it does as well.
When Animoto frist came out, it was an intelligent and simple slideshow creator. You simply upload photos and music and it would create a randomly generated slideshow using amazing transitions that seem to just move with the music. Well, over the years they’ve made adjustments and you can also add video. So, you can turn photos and short video clips into an amazing presentation.
I use Animoto for every child dedication, for many of our baptisms, and promos for many of our events as well as for personal family slideshows and video clips. Below are several videos I’ve made so you can see for yourself.
The great part about Animoto is that it’s so inexpensive. For the dedications, I’ll pay an extra $5 to export the high rez video and it’s absolutely brilliant. Now you even have HD options, which I haven’t tried yet.
Bottom line. For a lot of your video stuff, you don’t need to spend hours learning how to use iMovie or other programs. You’ll save a lot of money… and a lot more time using Animoto to do what you need… and it will probably look better than anything you’ll put together yourself (unless you’re really good and have spent a lot of time learning the tools).
To check out and start using Animoto, click here!
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Your ministry needs an app!
Posted on 29. Nov, 2011 by Kenny.
My friend Matt McKee just announced something incredible. It’s called 1000 apps for Christmas. His company, ROAR, is offering 1000 free apps in the next 30 days. That means if you want an app for your ministry, they’ll build it for you for free. All you’ll pay for is the hosting. This is an incredible deal. I’ve seen places where you can get apps for cheap, but in most cases, you get what you pay for. ROAR is different. They build quality apps that are fast, stable and current technology. So, if you’ve been thinking about getting an app for that ministry or program… now’s the time!
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Searching for the perfect check-in kiosks
Posted on 28. Nov, 2011 by Kenny.
I’m on a search for new check-in kiosks. A few months ago, we permanently moved our Middle School program to an are we call the Garage which is a great environment for the teens. To accomodate check-in, I just brought in two of the stations we weren’t using for kids. They’re nice looking kiosks (we use them all over the campus), but they have a serious design flaw. They’re made of laminated particle board. We just wheel them in and out of the Garage every Sunday, but going over the door frame and caused one of them to cave in already (another design flaw I’ve found… but I won’t go into details). So, I’m looking for new kiosks for the teens that looks good and is a little more rugged.
So, first of all, if you have some great check-in kiosk you’ve found, let me know. I’m still open to new ideas. Maybe you’re in the same places as me, so I’m going to share a few ideas of what I’ve found out there already. Lastly, I’m going to link to what I’m probably going to pick up at the end of the week, but my mind could be changed if someone lets me know of a better option.
Cornerstone Cabinetry
I wrote about these guys a few years ago. I think that they are associated with Granger Church in IN. We bought 3 of them at a past church I worked at and these were FANTASTIC. However, they we’re really expensive. Honestly, you get what you pay for. They were well made, they looked great and they were going to last a really long time. Read my post about them here. Visit their site here.
Build it Yourself Plans
Literally last week, I saw a tweet from James over at Help I’m A Children’s Pastor. He recently designed and built his own check-in station and it’s pretty cool looking. It feels very “Apple INC” in design. Although they wouldn’t really fit well in my building, they might be a good option for someone out there. James is a really creative guy and these are super sharp. Check out his post here.
From Your Local Sam’s Club
I was touring a local church 10 days ago (I’ll blog about that one later) and I came across some pretty cool kiosks for their Middle School space. They told me they got them from Sam’s Club. I went and they carried the entire line, but what they had at the church, Sam’s no longer carried. A little searching online, and I found them. Here’s a link. The front isn’t really all that impressive, but I figured that I might be able to dress that up a little… but I really like the carts. Honestly, what I like is the whole line of products from Seville Classics. I’m thinking of ordering the workbench for our media table as well as some of their stainless steel lockable cabinets on wheels.
So, that’s what I’m looking at right now. Anyone else got any ideas? I’d love to hear them!
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Searching for a Student Pastor
Posted on 03. Oct, 2011 by Kenny.
So, I’m four months into a search for a Student Pastor. I’m well connected within Kidmin circles, but not so much among the student pastors out there. I’ve had some resumes from some great candidates, some that I’m still talking with. However, I do feel that we’re looking for a pretty unique individual and it is possible that the search could continue for a few months. So, below is my blurb on Church Staffing. If you know someone who might be the right fit or perhaps you’re the right fit, please send your resume to hr@gatewaychurch.com. However before the blurb, let me share the minimum requirements we’re looking at.
- Minimum of 5 years experience leading students; record of leading student ministries with 250+ weekly attendance.
- Ability to develop and lead adult staff and leaders who in turn organize and lead the ministry.
- Candidate must have an authentic, active walk with Christ and exhibit Christ-like character. Candidate must personally model the Way of Christ and ensure that all leaders are taking next steps to walk the Way of Christ.
- Highly organized with ability to trouble-shoot, create processes and systems with a strong eye for detail.
- Strong gifts in the area of leading/shepherding with teambuilding and interpersonal skills.
I’ll post more this week about what we’re looking for specifically and some of the things I’ve been learning about student ministry over the past four months. It’s been quite the education.
Attention Student Pastors:
Ever feel like the typical and traditional model of student ministry was broken? Have you ever wished you could start over and build a new methodology of reaching students and their families from the ground up?
Gateway Church in sunny (and weird) Austin, Texas is on the search for a very unusual student pastor. This person will work in one of the most exciting and creative churches in the country. Gateway is a highly missional community that is neck-deep in a culture of people who are very far from God. Working in this culture requires one to be comfortable engaging post-modern, post-Christian people who love the arts, tex-mex and their college football (it helps to like burnt orange). Gateway, with its motto of “No Perfect People Allowed†works tirelessly to create an atmosphere where people feel safe seeking faith.
Gateway is seeking out a non-traditional student pastor with three key qualifications:
• Team Player – This candidate must love Gateway, the staff and direction of our church. The student ministry will work very closely (like white on rice) with the children’s ministry (part of the NextGen team) and other ministries to propel students, leaders and families in the direction of the mission/vision of our church
• Team Builder – This candidate must recognize that 90% of the job is leading out through other adult teams. This student ministry will be run by a healthy team of volunteers, where staff don’t get in the way or do all the work.
• Family Focused – This candidate understands that every student represents an entire family made up of parents, brothers and sisters who all have a place at Gateway.
In addition, we recognized that when we partner with parents, regardless of how far they may be from God, our impact on students are exponentially greater.
If Gateway appeals to you and these qualifications sync with your experience and passion, we’d like to hear from you. We’re looking to fill this role as soon as the right person comes along.
Please submit your resume and application to hr@gatewaychurch.com
The application can be found on our website at www.gatewaychurch.com
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Illuminate HashTag
Posted on 26. Aug, 2011 by Kenny.
Some people have credited me for creating the #kidmin twitter hashtag. I don’t claim sole credit, but I was involved. However, I am announcing a hashtag that I am claiming responsibility for (actually, that’s not the total truth as I did as Matt McKee for his opinion). Ha!
So, the official hashtag for Illuminate is #illumin8.
Those tweeting from the event will be encouraged to use the tag and if you feel the urge to tweet anything about Illuminate, feel free to add #illumin8 along with your obligatory #kidmin tag.
Thank you and happy tweeting!
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Donkey Designs: T-Shirts, Design, Banners and more…
Posted on 18. Aug, 2011 by Kenny.
I have to introduce you to my new designer. His name is Don-E. Yeah, that’s a strange way to spell a name, but if that’s how he want’s to do it, that’s fine by me. He operates a design company called Donkey Designs and over the past several weeks, I’ve been keeping him really busy.
Here’s why you would want to use Donkey Design.
- He’s fast. Really fast. I’ll tell you more about that below.
- He’s affordable. Really affordable. I was quite amazed by the prices when I saw them at first.
- He’s a ministry guy. He’s worked in the church for many years, so he knows about budget constraints, timelines and what you’re trying to do. It can be hard working with a secular company that doesn’t get what you’re trying to go after.
- He’s really, really good. When I first opened his design guide… my jaw hit the floor. He’s a gifted artist.
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