Archive for 'Reviews'

My CPC thoughts

Posted on 17. Jan, 2012 by .

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No, I didn’t attend CPC this year. I explained why here. However, I must say that I was keeping my finger on the pulse of the conference all last week. I was constantly following the CPC twitter hashtag, texting friends who were there and peering in any way that I could. Believe it or not, I actually have some opinions about this year’s event. But, I need to share some background.

I first attended CPC in Atlanta back in 2003 (I think) and it was actually a great experience. It was the first time I had ever attended a Children’s Ministry conference and I learned a lot. Several years later in 2007, I attended again in Orlando. I wasn’t really impressed. I had fun and it was valuable time, but not as much because of CPC but because of the time I had with my staff. I figured that it would probably be the last year I attended CPC. The following year I went to Orange, mainly because it seemed to be the event that was attracting the leaders who were speaking to my heart and ministry.

About a year ago, I got a phone call from an executive head hunter. They were looking to fill the vacant role of Executive Director of INCM. The head hunter asked me a lot of questions about INCM and CPC. I was brutally honest, but I remember telling her that I had a lot of hope for CPC. I felt (and still do) that there’s always room for more voices in the world of kidmin and it was my hope that CPC could turn the corner and be a significant voice in kidmin. I was thrilled when they hired Michael Chanley (one of the people I recommended to the head hunter) because I knew that INCM and CPC had a fighting chance!

What I experienced last week at CPC (through blogs, tweets and texts) showed me that the CPC is not through. It appeared that CPC knocked it out of the park and was the voice of relevance and significance it had been for so many years (even if it lost its way for a time). Many of the keynotes and breakouts were conversations about things that really matter. I really wish I’d been able to be there. Next year I won’t have any infants in the house, so hopefully I’ll be able to participate.

Great job Michael Chanley and your INCM team! I look forward to seeing what ya’ll can take this thing to!

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My 2011 Reading List

Posted on 03. Jan, 2012 by .

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I must admit, I’m very proud of myself. I think that this is probably the most books I’ve read in a year since I was in college and I had a lot of extra time on my hands. I think I did somewhere between 8-11 books in 2011. The funny thing is that I’ve been incredibly busy this year with starting up Illuminate and picking several new speaking opportunities. So, what changed?

Reading for a purpose:

There were several books that I picked up because I really needed to brush up on something or learn something for a breakout I was going to lead. Reading for a purpose seems to provide much higher motivation for me than just reading a book because someone said it was good.

Reading on the iPad allows me to multi-task

It was in April or May that I installed the Kindle app on my iPad and I started taking it with me to the gym while on the treadmill. I spent several months in the spring preparing to hike some mountains in Colorado and I found that the Kindle App allowed me to read while exercising. I love it. This alone helped me read more and kept me motivated to keep working out. Many times I went to run just because I wanted to read.

Here is the list of books:

Tomorrow I’ll share with you my top 5 favorite books of 2011 and why. I’ve written reviews of several of the books already, but those I haven’t reviewed, I’ll do so in the coming weeks. Maybe one of these books will end up on your 2012 reading list.

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Free Children’s Bibles for Christmas

Posted on 15. Dec, 2011 by .

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A few days ago I wrote a review about Group’s “My First Hand’s on Bible” and I’ve gotten a lot of positive feedback saying that the review was very helpful. Well, I’ve got something even more helpful for you. How would you like 18 of these Bibles for your ministry? I know I would! Click here to see more info on this great give-away! Merry Christmas!

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Children’s Bible Review: My First Hands-On Bible

Posted on 12. Dec, 2011 by .

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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:

  1. 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.
  2. 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 .

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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)”

What do you think is different about The Rizers? 
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.

Bottom line, here’s what I love so much about the Rizers.
  1. 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.
  2. 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.
So, hopefully you know a bit more about this great band. Go out and pick up their latest album today or visit their site to learn more about them and their music.

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Book Review: The Checklist Manifesto

Posted on 17. Nov, 2011 by .

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As this year is wrapping up, I’m spending more time than usual looking over all that has been done in 2011. One thing I am proud of is that I’ve read many more books than I have in past years. I truly think this can be attributed to the kindle app on my iPad. Although it has been the busiest year of my life, I’ve made more time to fill my mind with new ideas (as well as a little time to escape). So, in the coming weeks I hope to write a few reviews of the books that have made a difference for me this year).

Over a month ago, I wrote this post about checklists. It was inspired by Sam Luce’s review of the Checklist Manifesto which I had read at his recommendation.

Unlike a lot of other books, as soon as I finished reading it… I had to call someone. I immediately called Sam and spent the better part of an hour on the phone with him discussing the implications of this book on Children’s Ministry. I’ll get to that a little later though.

The premise of this book though is about the importance of checklists. It’s not that we’re stupid and we need checklists, but it’s that because we are often caught up in higher-level thinking that sometimes little things get missed because we’re solving complex problems. Often times these little things that are missed can make the difference of life and death.

Atul Gawande, the author of this book and a surgeon recognized how many other professions where precision and perfection make the difference of life and death utilize checklists. Every pilot follows a series of checklist before flying, before landing and there are checklists for emergencies. Whenever a new situation arises, new checklists are developed and pilots are equipped with the data. Atul wrote about the recent plane crash in the Hudson river a few years back. What helped cause everyone to survive was the crew that worked together and followed the protocol set up for them through checklists. The same was true with the building of massive skyscrapers. Every day’s work is managed by a very complex set of checklists. Without adhering to the checklists, these buildings wouldn’t stand. When’s the last time you’ve heard of a building collapsing on itself? Checklists work.

Atul noticed the lack of checklists in the medical profession. However, he began experimenting with them. Although there are thousands of variables in the operating room where no two operations are the same, a simple checklist was devised and over the course of months and years, thousands of lives were saved from overlooked mistakes and tragic infections. Checklists work!

One of the things discovered is that the use of a checklist improved results with absolutely no addition of skill. It got me thinking, how much more effective could our volunteers be if they had a set of checklists to follow. Although you can’t “checklist” a relationship, you can create a checklist around how often and when a leader engages relationally. We can create classroom checklists and task checklists. So, this book has influenced me and I know that the coming months may see the creation of new checklists in my ministry… and I’m sure I’ll share them with you here. Regardless, I do recommend you pick up this book. Get your own copy right here.

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Do you use Things?

Posted on 26. Jun, 2011 by .

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I don’t mean to confuse any of you with the title. More than likely only some of the Mac users understood my question right away. I’m wanting opinions and thoughts on the task management software – Things. I remember hearing many say good things about it in the past, but I wanted some details. Anyone using it now who swears by it? Is it worth the money? Why is it better than Remember the Milk or other similar systems.

I just finished a good book on productivity and I want to take my to-do list to the next level and it looks like Things could help me do what I need it to do (with tags and such).

Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated!

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Blue Like Jazz: The Movie

Posted on 20. Jun, 2011 by .

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Four or five years ago, many people were telling me about the book Blue Like Jazz, encouraging me to read it. I wasn’t reading an awful lot at that time, so I didn’t ever pick it up. Then in 2008, I heard Donal Miller speak at Orange for the first time. I’ve been to four Orange Conferences and I’ll be honest, the sessions/breakouts I still remember from 2008 was a breakout with Nancy Ortberg, the opening session with Reggie Joiner and the general session with Donald Miller. The stories he told have never left me.

After he was interviewed by Reggie at the 2010 Orange Conference, I finally picked up his books Blue Like Jazz and A Million Miles in A Thousand Years. His talk about story really intrigued me… and it was the stories he told in 2008 that stuck with me. So, last week I finally finished A Million Miles. Incredible. In a few weeks, I look forward to picking up Blue Like Jazz. It should be interesting reading since A Million Miles was based on the process of creating a screenplay of Blue Like Jazz.

A few months ago is when I learned that they were actually making a movie of Blue Like Jazz as I learned about how they were raising money for the movie through Kickstarter. They raised way more money than they needed and the movie is being made. Over the weekend I saw the first trailer. It looks weird, but I must admit, I’m really excited to see it. It looks like the kind of weird that impacts you significantly. We’ll see. So, check out the trailer below. If you haven’t read Blue Like Jazz or A Million Miles, I encourage you to pick them up for some summer reading. You’ll certainly enjoy Donald’s style.

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Book Review: Switch

Posted on 01. Mar, 2011 by .

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Just a few weeks ago I finished reading Switch, written by the Heath brothers. I admit, I have not read their early book, “Made to Stick,” but I’ve added that to my list. If it’s anything like Switch, it’s worth reading. Confession: This is one of the best books I’ve read in recent years. If you do not have this book on your readin list for this year, get it on there now.

Switch is a HIGHLY practical book about the psychology of change. Filled with hundreds of case studies, Chip and Dan Heath walk you through a the process of change. Why is change hard? Why do some changes stick where others don’t? Why are some people motivated to change about certain things, but lack all willpower to change on other thing? Chip and Dan offer practical insight on on all these things.

What I’ll never forget is the change template that they’ve created. They identified three elements: The Elephant, The Rider and The Path. When addressing or leading change, you have to take these elements into account. Sometimes you only have to address one and other times you have to deal with all three. I’ll quickly describe what I’m talking about;

The Rider: The Rider is the rational you. It’s your mind. You often make up your mind to do things a certain way. Reason appeals to the rider and logic motivates you to change.

The Elephant: The emotional you. It’s your heart. It’s your passion. The elephant can do incredible things when motivated with compassion and concern.

The Path: The Path is simply the environment surrounding us that helps us do things the way we do them. This environment often makes change easy and natural or it can make change very difficult.

Here’s how this works practically. When you go to bed at night, you set your alarm to get up at 6:00 AM. The logical you, the rider knows that you need to get up early. When the alarm goes off at 6:00 AM, it’s your elephant that doesn’t want to get up. The elephant is highly influential. When watching that moving video about starving children in India that brings a tear to your eye, your elephant prompts you to open your wallet and give money you didn’t have budgeted to this cause. The path is a little simpler. When I have to wake up before 5:00 or 6:00 AM for a flight or something, I put my alarm clock on the other side of the room. When it goes off, it requires me to get out of bed to turn it off. Although my elephant will want to stay in bed and my rider is powerless to motivate the elephant… the fact that I’ve created an environment that requires me to get up is changing the path.

The book is filled to the brim of case study after case study where you see these three elements in change related opportunities and how manipulating certain things caused lasting change. When looking at changes you need to make in your ministry, you need to understand what will help make change much easier and lasting for your team. What are some of the changes you need your volunteers/staff to make?

  • Moving your volunteer teams to serve every week
  • Getting small group leaders in a routine of calling/sending cards to their kids every 7-14 days
  • Getting you volunteer to arrive 30 minutes before service starts

Have you ever felt hopeless about these kinds of situations? It could be that you’ve not looked at helping make this change easier by understanding what motivates people to change. Read the book!

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The Almighty Bible App

Posted on 16. Feb, 2011 by .

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I regret that I didn’t get a chance to finish my review of The Almighty Bible last week, but things got a little dicey at the end of the week. So, where was I? I wrote about the content and style of this new Bible here. I also wrote about the club here (which I think is what is most exciting). Lastly though, I didn’t talk about the app. Right now you can go to iTunes and download the app for your iPad. It’s a stunning app. Kids can flip from page to page, reading as they go along, or they can put it in auto mode and listen to the stories narrated to them as they look at the pictures. Many of the pictures are animated, almost giving it a 3D look and feel, so it’s not just simply looking at scanned images of the book. It’s a great experience.

I like this app, but I like what’s coming more than just the app in itself. Again, if you haven’t read my review of the club, read it here. Down the road, the people behind the Almighty Bible hope to launch an iPad version of the club. This way your kids can engage in the Bible… all the the books. They can play the games, collect the game cards, read the additional books and more. All of this from inside one app. Amazing! I really don’t think we’ve seen anything like this on the iPhone or iPad yet, and I’m thrilled. Although my three year old is a little young for The Almighty Bible, I will be recommending it to many!

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