Two weeks ago I got to spend a few days with Jim Wideman. If you’re  a Children’s Pastor and you’re not familiar with Jim Wideman, what rock have you been hiding under? This week I’m going to share a little about the impact this man has had on my life over the past 3 years. The cool thing is that he’s not this “far-from-reach” guy, but very approachable and so willing to mentor the next generation of leaders. More on that later though.

While with him I picked up three new books. One of them is a book he’s had out for a while (I’ve just never read it) and the other two are brand new.

41xulavd4+L._SS500_Connect with your kids has been out for at least a few years. I really don’t know a lot about it other than I’ve had a lot of people recommend it to me (other than Jim). My boss here at Gateway met Jim several years ago and picked up a copy and had told me about the book on many occasions. In addition, my friend Jonathan Cliff has given out TONS of these books as gifts to his paretns. So, I picked up 15-20 of these little books. I’ll write a review in a few weeks so you’ll have more info about this as a resource. Click here to order a copy for yourself… or a dozen.

51yXZD4pr+L._SS500_One of Jim’s newest books is this one: Beat the Clock. If you’ve spent any time at all with Jim in a conference or any kind of mentoring relationship, you’ve heard about time management strategies. He’s the guru when it comes to managing his time. I often joke with people that he schedules his bathroom breaks. The amazing thing is that he’ll tell you that he never was naturally organized this way. This has become a learned behavior which has given me hope. I haven’t read this one yet, but I know it’s going to be worth your time… and as a result it will probably save you time. Click here to buy it!

51No44vaR2L._SS500_I know absolutely nothing about this book, but I’m very excited about reading it. I’m betting that this is going to be a great resource for our parents, especially those with kids who are a little bit older. I’ll be reading this one in a few weeks and I’ll review it for you as well. Click here to pick up your copy.