Just DO it !

I;m talking to myself as much as anybody else. How does God communicate to us - many ways but I think primarily and often the most clearly is through His word - so why am I so apt not to read it?
Carey fives us a challenge here - Could you do it ? 15 minutes a day for 2 years? O think reading it to yourself and asking the Holy Spirit to make it come alive for you in your life/circumstance is great.

If you have primary aged children why not involve them and they'll keep you on task.

Perhaps in a large group we might follow John Dyer's challenge of leaving the Bible at home so we can hear the word in our mind, yes, even using a little sanctified imagination.

Family Activities

Doing thing together as a family is great. One of Clayton's and Courtney's favourite things always was and is having a family outing/event. Sometimes it's going to the beach, making blessing t-shirts for each other, just going out to eat together.
I've come across a couple of posts that have good ideas too. Try them out.

Grover's idea is here.

And another one here.

Challenged to tell the better story.

I'm not sure where I heard this(can you help me?), but Rob Bell is recorded as giving advice to a parent whose teenage daughter was starting to make a lot of choices that were leading down a bad path. She was "writing" her own story because the story(Parents Faith walk/talk) she was receiving was not very exciting for her.
The advice was give her the better story. The husband went home prayed and started a journey that would involve his family in starting an orphanage in a third world country. The daughter changed her path to her families.
Faith is an adventure - but often we turn it into something else. Reggie Joiner elaborated at Orange leader's forum which is described well by Kenny, check it out here.
Are we living God's story for our lives and will we help our youth catch His story for thir lives?

Computer games inspire children and youth

Thank you Online Telegraph. It's funny old world. When there is some credit to be taken from something people are happy to own it. But if you suggest that some games might inspire violence all of a sudden there's "no proof."

Don't get me wrong I think its great to inspire children and youth to "make a new song" with their God-given talents and gifts. but ...
Lets get real ! We are all influenced by outside sources, why do companies still spend millions on ads or commercials? As influencers of Children and Youth is our influence good or not so good?

God help me to be a influencer for His good!

Families eating together

This time from a different sauce (lol).

A return to family mealtimes and a focus on seasonal food would help create a "more caring" society and bring people together, top chef Raymond Blanc has said. (thanks to the Daily Telegraph)

The importance of families sitting down, even putting the TV off or at least turning the TV down and seeing/hearing each other is highlighted by a chef !

Children and parents often have limited common experiences. That is to say something where the adult can facilitate a conversation, perhaps around values or experiences. Watching films together is another opportunity. But it seems to me that mealtimes are great times for 'being' together. So I'm going to make a New Year resolution that we'll eat more meals together and who knows maybe go see more films together.
How 'bout you ?

God speaks to us through our children

On another blog I follow, Perry Noble shares a family event from last week. One that spoke loudly to him. It involves kissing and toilets !

I was in the bathroom the other day taking a “pee pee” when I turned to my right and there was Charisse staring at me. (It was totally awkard!)

SO…I told her, “Daddy is pee pee’ing in the toliet…you will do that one day.”

She looked at me, smiled and said, “pee pee!!!”

read the rest here !

Praise>Money

Tim Sanders has a great blog that parents(that includes me) might want to take a look at. He highlights a Japanese study that finds that people prefer praise to cash in the hand !
At day camps and other such I have often implemented "caught you being good" awards. The awards are not cash ! Usually stickers our something that act as pseudo-praise. I think I'll make it everytime now.
I'm also going to be on a more careful watch to catch Clayton, my son, doing paraiseworthy stuff however small !
thanks Tim.

Faith begins at Home coming to Eastern GTA

Mark Holmen who wrote Faith Begins at Home - the book KIDSZONE gave to all parents last year and was the focus of discussions at FEAST(Families Eating And Sharing Together) through the year.
He's at Calvary Baptist Church, Oshawa on Friday May 2 at 7pm check out the church's website for more details. We will be car pooling so let me know if need a ride or have space. Find directions here.

FamJam This Sunday at 11:00am

With all the positive response from the pilot FamJam back in January, I'm excited to see what God will do with this one. I've had positive feedback from some that were at the first one and how much they enjoyed the presentation as well as the Family Time Package. I've also had some who missed the first one who I guess have spoken to those that were there who have said they're looking forward to coming on Sunday.

This month's virtue is "Conviction - standing for what is right even when others don't."

"What gets asked gets done !"

I've heard this saying many times and often think about the questions I regularly ask. Especially the questions I ask my partners in ministry. But Derek Sanford has caused me to think about the questions I ask my son.

And as a follow-up I have found it to be so important to ask my kids the right
questions at the end of the day. Often parents talk about "how was school," and
"what did you learn." More and more I've been asking my kids "how were you an
example to your friends and teachers today?" and "who did you show Jesus to?"

Thanks Derek.

What questions do you ask your children ?

FamJam to return after Easter

Following on from our first and pilot FamJam in January, after the conclusion of our Forty days of Community campaign and after Easter we'll having our second FamJam. The time/date is Sunday March 30 at 11:00 in the Multi-purpose room. The virtue for the month of April is "Conviction" - standing for what is right even when others don't.

So plan to bring your children K through grade 5 with you to enjoy a faily presentation that will include acting, singing, games, short videos and of course the FamilyTimes resource.

Summer is coming soon !

I know summer is not far away when we start receiving brochures from camps for their summer programs. It is that time again.
I totally believe in summer camp ministry. I've known so many people that have responded to God at camp - whether it's being in a more nature-ful setting or just being out of the nromal setting, God seems to speak very clearly at camp (and maybe we're more ready to hear:) )
Although there are many good camps throughout Ontario, here at First Alliance we have a great relationship with Camp Miniyowe. Many of our kids over many years have spent some of their summers at Miniyowe and then gone on to be on summer staff.

Personally - my favourite camp is back in Quebec - near Magog, near Sherbrooke. Camp Livingstone. I have some very fond memories of times spent there and its also the place I first met my wonderful amazing wife - Dawn, she grew up there too. If you don't mind the trip it'd probably work out chepaer than going to camp here in Ontario !

Keeping hope alive!

On Sunday our parent group (FEAST) discussion was around chapter 5 of Dr Tim Kimmel's Grace-based Parenting. It's focus is for us to lay a foundation of hope in our kids lives.

Childhood is a time we should move our children from dependence on us to
dependence on God. And knowing there will face challenges they can’t handle
but God can.

Tim goes on to give us two things that are needed to raise hope-filled kids

A) They need to see/watch parents who place confidence in the only true
God. When they see parents who say the right words but without much joy, with much fear and lack of love for not yet Christians they get a mixed message.

B) They need to be raised by parents who treat them the way Jesus treats us. With grace.

The importance of this really struck home when I read about 17 young adults in a Welsh town hanging themselves and 3 youth in Northern Ireland

As Jesse Jackson says we need to "Keep hope alive!"

Dr Kimmel goes on to say that childhood is a time we should move our children
from dependence on us to dependence on God. And knowing there will face
challenges they can’t handle but God can.

He also talks about parents being there for their kids so the kids know that
there is someone bigger than there problems. This helps them understand as
they get older that God is bigger than any of our problems.

Unless you become like one of these ..

Thanks Perry for reminding us that we don't have to be afraid when it comes to approaching our Daddy.
The

other day I had another thought about how awesome the love of God is while I
was spending time with Charisse.
I walked into the living room after being at the gym for an hour or so and Charisse was playing in the floor & was unaware that I had came back home.
I called her name and she immediately looked up at me…AND…smiled. Nothing, I mean NOTHING can warm up the heart of a father any faster than seeing his child smile at him. She didn’t fear me bringing up her past…and her past HAS been nasty if you think about all of the crap and snot and vomit that she’s blown all over the place!
She was not fearful that I was going to yell at her and begin asking her to do things that would eventually hurt her and make her hate life.
She didn’t think that I was going to take something away from her, that I was actually out to get her and make her as miserable as possible.
NONE of that took place. She looked at me with her HUGE blue eyes and smiled because she KNEW that I was about to run to her, scoop her up in my arms and hug her as tightly as possible.
She looked at me with anticipation that something great was about to take
place.
She looked at me with joy because of how good I’ve been to her in her seven months so far on this planet.
She looked at me with complete trust, knowing that I’ve never done anything to hurt her…only to bless her and teach her.
She looked at me like any child should look at a father…and how I should look to God!
He’s not out to get me…OR I’d have already been gotten!
He’s not out to take something from me–what could I possibly have that He
wants. (By the way–it’s already His!)
He’s not out to hurt me, only to bless and teach me.
He’s been so good to me, seriously, He owes me NOTHING!
He’s not out to remind me of myr past–He’s already paid for that and made me brand new.
He wants to see me SMILE at Him, to see true joy in my life and complete trust that He is who Scripture says He is…my PERFECT heavenly father.I am praying that God will continue to teach me to view Him through the eyes of a child…and it is blowing my mind!!!!

40 Days of Community

We've started 40 Days of Community (40DoC). I'm excited because this addresses half of the KIDSZONE vision.

Partnering with parents to raise spiritual champions. (Spiritual champions are kids who love God and love people where nothing else matters.).

There is a reason why loving God comes before loving people in the vision. We can only love since we were first loved by God. And we need His love to love one another unselfishly. It is also a challenge to model God's love for our kids too.

FEAST 2008

Our first Families Eating And Sharing Together (FEAST) meeting of the year took place just last Sunday. Having changed the time of the meeting from 6pm to 12:30pm (Straight after second service) we had a 300% increase in attendance! Everybody enjoyed the pizza - my favourite was the grilled chicken on barbeque sauce(instead of tomatoe sauce). Kids went and had fun in the room next to the adults - thank you Elisabeth.

We had a recap of chapter four of "Grace-based parenting" by Dr Tim Kimmel. Then because there were so many parents we broke into two groups for discussion and prayer.
at the conclusion of the discussion we want onto our customary family activity - this time it was a bit different becasue the kids and parents were seperated for the "family" activity ! The kids were given blank white baseball caps to write blessings and things the kdis saw in their parents. The parents got white t-shirts to write blessings and affirmation of their kids on. afetr 30 minutes we all came togther and exchanged our blessings it was a blast to see the kids reactions.

FamJam Pilot

Families gathered in a crowded Multi-purpose room on the first Sunday of the year. Sunday, January 6 saw the launch of the pilot

FamJam - a family orientated presentation kick starting the virtue of the month. Families receive FamilyTimes resource that has cards with stories relating to the virtue, one a week for bedtime, one a month for the meal table, a cd for traveleling time. It looks like this.

In the presentation, we show a few other short movies that reinforce the virtue interspersed with Family games, acting out the related Bible stories.

All in all it was fun presenting and I think everybody else had fun too. I've heard good reports from a couple of families who are using the materials. I'm expecting to hear from more before we decide to do this on a monthly basis.

FAMJAM - week 1

Obedience - "Trusting those who lead you by doing what you're asked to do "

“One act of obedience is better than one hundred sermons” Dietrich Bonhoeffer

I'm wondering how families are interacting with the FamilyTime resources. Have you listened to the CD ? Do you have the mealtime board on the dinner table ? The bedtime cards by the bed ?
Why not share your or your children's interactions with you around these resources ? Add a comment on here so others can be blessed by it !

The Golden Compass - follow up

Jeffrey Overstreet has some wisdom when it comes to this movie chec it out here

Virtual Worlds for kids taking off

It's something I've noticed in Clayton(my 8 yr old champ) recently. He's much more into online stuff. It's gone from the Kinder eggs -secret code for a game online, now it's a community where he designs his character and walks around a virtual world doing things like "say Hi!" "pat someone on the back!" "Hug someone !" "Challenge someone to a game !"
The computer is in our living room and I regularly look over his shoulder. We don't let him chat with anyone online.
I am wondering if this desire for virtual world and community is related to how my son sees himself and even his Spiritual-esteem.
As I wonder I'm asking myself how can I help him more to know who he is in Christ ? And if he catches his faith from his parents - how can I reflect who I am in Christ better ?