Russell Cunningham Baptism

Pretty cool!

Not to belittle the awesome day this was or anything, but watch how many times I move my hands. I didn't notice until I was watching the video how much I looked like I was trying to swat flies....

Good thing the day wasn't about me!

Our God is up to something good!

I found it interesting

http://www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,1916406,00.html?cnn=yes

This was from an article in Time Magazine about the mind of babies...

How about moral development? One of the great philosophical debates is whether people are born with an innate sense of right and wrong, or whether it develops over time. Does your research shed light on that question?
Yes, there's quite clearly an innate basis for our moral sentiments.

When I was a kid, I always worried about people in villages in Africa. I was always concerned about how they would know who God is if no one told them. I was concerned about all the people that would die not really having a concept of who God is. Almost like, I was given just one more thing they weren't.

I remember talking to my Dad about all of this when I was young. He shared some things with me then that is "breaking news" in science now.

People are born with a sense of right or wrong. Even people in the most remote areas of the world know it is wrong to murder. They know it is wrong to take someone else's livestock. They do not have to be taught that causing pain to someone is wrong. We are not taught what physically hurts, it just happens. I think that is true when we are talking about the bare, instinctive sense of right and wrong.

The Bible, God's letter to humanity, told us this a long time ago. In Genesis 1:27 tells us that we were created in God's image. Would God give us a physical representation and leave out the spiritual/moral, which is the biggest part of who he is?

In Psalm 139 we read, " you created my inmost being"- I haven't studied it but that kinda makes me think soul.

Does this mean that we can be hands off as parents when it comes to trying to teach our kids about right and wrong, NO! Even though we are born with a sense of right and wrong, we still need reminded. Teaching children about who God is, IS the most important thing we can do.

In all three of the synoptic Gospels (Matthew, Mark and Luke. John had a much different theme and occasion) the story of Jesus and the children is mentioned. I find it interesting though, that when the followers of Jesus wanted the kids to go away and be quiet, Jesus became indignant or angry. There are very few times in scripture that Jesus gets mad. The only other time I can think of is when the Jesus started flippin tables.

Most of us remember from our college psychology classes the discussion of which plays more into the forming of a person, nature vs. nurture. In my opinion, I don't think it is so much a competition as it is an order. I think nature forms the beginning of a person and nurture helps cultivate what nature provided innately.

Im not a psychologist, scientist or even a theologian and I appreciate the importance of research and knowledge. I just think it is funny that we have answers to so many things in the Bible, but we take the long way and figure it out with countless amounts of time on scientific research. Maybe I should look at it more as science is proving what the Bible says...=)

Example of Children's Ministry Job Description...

Making Disciples.

God is so incredibly good!

Excitement

My mom is flying in to see me today.

Anyone that knows me, knows I have been talking about it, facebooking about it and doing everything I can to have the place clean and ready for my mom. I want everything to be the best it can be for when she arrives.

I was making my coffee this morning and it hit me. I talk for weeks about my mom coming and hardly mention in my daily life about Jesus, my daddy coming back. Ya know, those moments you get when you feel like you should have a certain spiritual feeling? Then the idea started to develop in my mind. Shouldn't I want to keep my heart clean and ready for Jesus? Do I tell people enough that he is coming. Am I excited about the moment when I get to run and hug Him?

I have such an aversion to "turn or burn". I think the devil uses my fear of sounding like that to shut me up. I don't like getting caught up in what color the moon is or what Nostradamus' calendar says. I just know he is coming sometime and I need to be ready and I need to tell people about it. I want to be excited about it. I want to be planning for the reunion party.

I may be way off.... I know when Jesus comes back it will be judgement time. The Bible paints a crazy picture of what that all looked like in John's dream. I see something different in all of that.

To me, Jesus coming back is a huge gesture of love. A greatly fulfilled promise. Once again, lowering himself to come and bring us with him. We don't deserve that, I don't deserve that.

Following Jesus is so much more than living right to get out of hell. It is the chance to develop a friendship with the divine God that wants nothing more than a relationship with you.

How much fun will the reunion be, if we don't really know who he is?

What would be the first thing you would say/ when you meet Jesus?

Parents, have fun with this... ask your kids what they would say/do. Maybe talk about what kind of party we will have in heaven praising God. If you have pre-schoolers, have a praise God party. Sing songs and dance!

Everybody Loves Raymond

So I get home yesterday and, "Everybody Loves Raymond" is on. This show always cracks me up, so I watched it. This episode really captured my attention though. If you have not watched the clip yet check it out.

In this episode their daughter had been asking them big questions out of the blue. First they thought she was asking about sex and how people get here (To me, that has to be the most awkward thing to talk to your kid about). Instead it was questions like, "Why are we here?" and What is the meaning of life?" That I can handle. Throughout the episode Raymond and his family are trying to figure out the answers to these questions and more over, why she was asking them.

I am usually not a , "talk to the TV person, but in this case I was about to pop! I felt like the little kid in school that knows the answer and is waving their hand back and forth so the teacher will call on them.

Then it got to me. On the show, the kids don't go to church and the parents don't pray with them at night. How is it that this little girl thought to ask about God and the meaning of life?

I was reminded of how God has given everyone and everything and innate desire to know who and what he is. This is another reason why it is so important for parents to be a part of a their kids faith development. Whether you like it or not, your child's faith development is a reflection of you. In some way you will frame your child's spirituality. It is up to you on which direction it goes (Good thing we don't have to do it alone).

I also thought it was interesting that people who do not give any attention to God are still plagues with the same questions as Christians. Why are we here? and What is the meaning of life?

I started thinking about what I would answer to those questions if I didn't have faith. I could not come up with anything substantial. Everything fell flat.

"To do good for others?" -ok then what?, we still die

"To make a lot of money and be successful?" - ok then what?

"To enjoy every moment?"- great idea, but what about when they are over?

The list goes on and on...

I think the answer to the meaning of life is found in what is after life.

Something New

So I finally decided to jump on the blogging bandwagon. Begin the endeavor of invading the internet with my thoughts, ya know? I have generally considered myself, "cutting edge" on all internet, computers and all. That is changing. Twitter still kinda baffles me and it took me forever to get this set up. Before I know it, I if I am not careful, I will be prone to just being comfortable and not trying to figure things out. I hope I don't become one that thinks new things are not worth the hassle.

That is so relevant to ministry and life.

I have not been at it long, but I can tell with Children's Ministry that it is much easier to keep things going. Yes, new programming would be great. Yes, evaluating current leaders would be a good idea. But sometimes we don't know if we really want to start that ball rolling. Even though it takes work on our part who benefits? The kids, greatly. Kids benefit from cutting edge curriculum and programming that changes as they and their culture change. Kids benefit from leaders that are passionate instead of leaders that have just always done it.

What about at home? Starting a Bible reading plan is a good idea, but. Talking to my kids about God. Spending time engaging in god's story together. That's a great concept. What if they ask a question I can't answer. By the end of the day with sports and school, the kids just need rest. They go to church, that is sufficient.

There will always be a hassle for something that is new. The return though, is so much greater than the investment. We have all heard, "You can't get something for nothing". We cannot experience an adventurous life with God unless we are willing to have a little hassle for something new.

My goal for the blog (after dealing with the hassle of setting it up) is that it be a place to toss around Children's Ministry ideas. I want this blog to be a place where parents at WellSpring (my church) can see what is going on for kids for the week or the month. Take-home papers are hard to keep up with during the week. We all have 5-10 min. to check a blog for ideas on how to talk to our kids about God. Last, I want this to be a place where my friends and family can see what is going on with ministry in my life.

peace