10 Awesome Kids Ministry Finds

I'm so excited to be leading our church children's ministry again, after taking a year off to get through the hardest part of the dental hygiene program.  I really missed it!  Kids ministry has been my passion since I was 12 years old, when a wonderful pastor's wife introduced me to it by letting me help with puppets. 

I've got tons of new ideas to try!  Here are some awesome products and ideas that I'm either already using, or I've recently ordered for my classes, or that I'm working into my budget for the future...

1. Drama Tool Kit from Awesome Video Stuff - If you're short on time, skip to Backdrops Vol. 2 and watch the sample...I can't wait to teach about the burning bush or the pillar of fire once I get this program!
2. Animated Bible Maps from Awesome Video Stuff - Wow, talk about making the Bible come to life...when I get this one, my husband and I may be fighting for custody of it - he wants it for his sermons, too!
3. Child Training Bible - What a great concept for kids and parents to easily look things up!  I'm thinking about helping the parents in our church make their own.
4. PrayKids curriculum - I'm going to work this in as a part of our regular weekly lessons, spending about 10 minutes per week on it.  It teaches big concepts and big truths in a kid-friendly way.
5. Hillsongs Kids Worship - I already have two of their DVD's and am about to buy more.  Their kids worship songs are just as amazing as their adult worship songs!
6. Voice of the Martyrs: Kids of Courage - It's been a long time since I found such an amazing resource to use when teaching missions to kids.  Tons of great resources to teach kids about the persecuted church and missions.
7. High Point curriculum - I've been using this for a while, and I love it!  It's a little pricey, but it's so easy to work with, and completely adaptable to whatever group size you're working with.
8. Boys and Girls Missionary Challenge (BGMC) - The best kids missions program ever!  Not only does it teach kids about missions, but it encourages kids to give to missions, and shows them how the money they give is changing kids lives!
9. Welcome to Holsom comics - My 10 year old LOVES this great comic book series from Gospel Publishing House!  These Christian-themed comics are great for outreach, Sunday School, children's church and more. 
10. What's in the Bible - I've been a huge VeggieTales since they were just getting started (and I was a teenager, lol), and this series from Phil Vischer is just as awesome.  I was amazed at how much my children's ministry kids learned when we went through unit one.  They were rattling off things like "septuagent" and "primevil history" - wow!

A Little Christmas Vacation Reading List

I'm so excited about the beginning of Christmas break!  Once I take my last final of the semester on Tuesday morning, I'm free!  What to do with all that time normally taken up by studying?  For a book lover like me, the only answer is READ.  I always have a long list of books, and I know I'll never get through them all, but here's a sample of what I want to get to on my break...

What reading list would be complete without at least one book from my favorite author...so I'll start my list with THREE, thank you.

1. Mortal - Ted Dekker
2. The Sanctuary - Ted Dekker
3. Identity - yes, another by Ted Dekker
4. Opening Moves - Steven James
5. Comes a Horseman - Robert Liparulo
6. Rest - Keri Wyatt Kent
7. Becoming More Than a Good Bible Study Girl - Lysa Terkeurst
8. Grace for the Good Girl - Emily P. Freeman

To get through my list, that will mean two books a week over break.  I'm not sure that I'll get them all, but it's not unrealistic to shoot for half that list.  I can't wait!  What will you be reading this Christmas?

The Lessons I Didn't Want To Learn

It's been a tough month for me...a tough two weeks especially.  God has been teaching me lessons that I didn't really want to learn.  He's been teaching me to fail.

I've spent the past 2 1/2 years in school - first taking prerequisites for the dental hygiene program, then working through the program.  Now, with a nightmare semester coming to an end, I'm not sure I'll move on the final semester.  I've dealt with numerous patient cancellations and patients arriving late for appointments.  I failed a skill test and had to retake it.  I've struggled to find the patients I need to meet requirements.  Now it all comes down to today and whether or not I can finish.  It's possible...but it's going to be hard.  It's scary that it's really completely out of my control.

I have no idea where I'll be at the end of the day today.  I have no idea what's next for me.  It's terrifying.  Before dental hygiene school, I held a life-long 4.0 GPA.  It was down to a 3.5 before this semester started, and it will drop lower than that once grades are posted.  Over the past year and a half, I've failed both written tests and skill tests.  It's hard.  It's humbling.  It's something I did not want to learn.  But apparently, God thinks it's important for me.

A couple of weeks ago, after I failed that skill test, I was praying, crying, and begging God for a reason.  "What are You trying to teach me?" I asked.  He didn't give me the kind of answer I was expecting...I'm learning that He seldom does...instead, He answered with His own question:

"Do you trust Me?"

 

Maybe that's the answer...maybe this is all so I will learn to lean totally on Him, doing nothing in my own strength or ability. Maybe I'll never really know why. Either way, all I can do right now is cling to Him and His grace.  It's all I can hang onto right now as I wait to see what the future holds.




Thankful for Thanksgiving

I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving!  We did.  I enjoyed a much-needed break from school, got some Black Friday shopping done, and got caught up a little bit at home.  I had to share pictures from our puppy's first Thanksgiving ever...I'm loving my new iPhone and all the fun Instagram apps!

The High Calling

I was recently introduced to a great website, The High Calling.  This site is so practical!  I checked out their newsletter and I'm very impressed!  The articles apply to my everyday life, covering many aspects of Christian life, from work to family to culture.  There are lots of great resources that are perfect for working moms.  I think The High Calling fills a much-needed gap.  I hope you'll stop by and check out their main page and their newsletter.

Time to Re-focus

It’s so easy to let life get out of focus.  When you balance family, home, work, church, and more every day, important things can slip off our radar screen before we even notice they’re gone.  We can get so wrapped up in the good things that we let go of the best things.

I sat down this weekend and really took a hard look at where I am in regard to my goals and priorities.  Let’s just say I’m not where I want to be.  My extreme stress levels and bad habits are taking a toll on my body, from aches to trouble sleeping to anxiety attacks.  My scattered mind is struggling to focus on anything for more than a few minutes at a time.  I have a lot of good things going – family, teaching children’s church, school, writing, and more – but I realized that some of the best things – like my times with God and my workouts - are slipping away from me.

It’s time to re-prioritize some things.  For me, that means time with God and time to work out are essential to every single day.  I’ve been struggling lately with old issues that I thought I’d moved past.  As I wondered why, it dawned on me that my time with God has gotten shorter and shorter as the past few weeks have rolled by.  No wonder I’m struggling!  My fitness routine has totally gone by the wayside.  I’m six months away from graduating as a dental hygienist – a physically demanding job (and mentally exhausting while I’m in school!).  If I don’t make sure I am healthy and fit, I may not have a long career.

My goals for this week are simple: (1) Daily time with God (2) Exercise 3 days (3) Write most days - I'm shooting for every day, but I know that's not always going to happen.  I’m going to start simple and stay simple.  The biggest change will be that I want to eventually work out 5-6 days a week.  I'm pinning workouts and checking out YouTube - it won't happen without planning!

When God Sings To You

I'm excited to post today at Must Love God!  I'm sharing about the that times that God has sent just what I needed to hear, at just the right time.  I hope you'll jump over to MLG and take a look.