I Could Not Stop Crying…
I had one of those “In awe of God” moments last night and I had to stop and write a quick post about it. For those of you who don’t know we recently accepted the call to join the staff of World Harvest Church in Columbus, OH. It has been an amazing journey and we have only been here for around a month. We have seen miraculous outpourings at almost every service since we arrived. Our kids are enrolled in Harvest Preparatory Academy (check out our website) and they are not only receiving a world-class education, they are growing spiritually like never before. The cry of my heart is that God would lay hold of our kids at an early age and that they would never let go.
Awesome Childrens Ministry Video
I came across a video Jessica and I did for recruiting helpers for Kingdom Kids. It is pretty awesome so I thought I would post it for you to take a look.
7 Habits Of Highly Effective People
by: Shlomo Sprung
Here’s the short version, but we recommend you buy his book:
1) Be Proactive
As human beings, we are responsible for our own lives. We have the independent will to make our own choices and decisions, and the responsibility (“the ability to respond”) to make the right choices. You have the freedom to choose your own fate and path, so having the independent will, imagination and self-awareness to make the right move makes you a proactive, and not a reactive, person.
Study Identifies Eight Measures of Personal Discipleship
by Lifeway staff
How do you recognize a maturing believer? A new LifeWay Research study offers some keen insights for five-fold ministers looking for growth among their disciples.
In 2008, LifeWay Research surveyed 7,000 churches to discover the principles involved with healthy congregations. Last year, LifeWay’s researchers went back into the field to focus not on the church, but on the individual believer, asking more than 4,000 people about their spiritual lives and level of maturity.
The project has identified eight Biblical factors that consistently show up in the life of a maturing believer. Those “attributes of discipleship” are:
Arizona Pastor Arrested for Holding Bible Study in Home
Bible study leader Michael Salman is sitting in jail today after his home was raided earlier this week by more than a dozen Phoenix, Ariz. police officers and city officials. His offense? The city says people aren’t allowed to hold private bible studies on their own property.
Salman was sentenced to 60 days in jail, three years probation and received a $12,180 fine for “the crime.” His wife Suzanne spoke with Fox and Friends this morning to express her shock and disbelief at the entire situation. According to Suzanne, the city told her that her husband was essentially arrested because the bible study was at a private house .. and that essentially, it’s a church. Since they weren’t zoned for church, they were told they were breaking the rules.
8 Tips for Designing Events that Transform Students Lives
BY YOUTH SPECIALTIES ON JUNE 19 2012
Here are a few principles to help you ensure that the events you plan as a youth group are maximizing their potential to transform young lives.
Clearly define the purpose of your event
What specific transformational outcomes are we hoping to achieve through this activity we are pulling together?
Strategically calculate adult to student ratios
If transformation happens in the context of relationships are we ensuring that enough leaders are available to facilitate the outcomes we hope to achieve?
Study: Same-Sex Households Endanger Kids
A new study, authored by Associate Professor Mark Regnerus from the University of Texas, shows alarming child endangerment in same-sex households:
• Parental pedophilia is widespread: 23 percent of children with a lesbian mother reported having been touched sexually by a parent or adult, compared to 2 percent of those raised by biological parents.
• Rape is rampant: 31 percent of children raised by a lesbian mother and 25 percent raised by a homosexual man report that they were forced to have sex against their will, compared to 8 percent from intact families.