It was July of 1967 when I read my first comic book, “Amazing Spiderman #50”. In this dramatic issue Peter Parker decides to quit being Spiderman. He is struggling with balancing college life, super hero life and his dating life. Peter makes a decision to give up the super hero lifestyle. Almost immediately there is […]
There is a flood of controversy surrounding Paramount’s new movie “Noah” opening in theaters March 31. When I first saw the trailer I was blown away. I was looking forward to seeing “Noah” with great anticipation. I posted a link to the trailer on my Facebook page and was surprised to get negative comments concerning the movie. In case […]
Two years ago I had a great job at a good church. I had served in children’s ministry for 30 years and was making a good salary at an influential church in Minneapolis, Minnesota. I had helped the church grow from 1,000 people to over 5,000 members. At 52, I should have been content to coast into retirement, but […]
I recently wrote a new curriculum on leadership for kids. It may be the best curriculum I have ever written. Why do we need to teach kids about Leadership? Allow me to answer that question with a story. Imagine that Johnny is at a friend’s house and his buddy wants to watch a movie that Johnny knows […]
When I was a young father my primary goal was to get my kids to obey. It was a good feeling when I asked my kids to do something and they did what I asked. I felt like I was a successful parent because my children obeyed me, however we should parent with the end in mind. If […]
This Sunday I am teaching on Boundaries with Kids. Children are not born with boundaries. This is why Solomon said; “A child who gets his own way brings his mother to shame.” It’s the parent’s job to make the rules. It’s the child’s job to break the rules. This does not mean that your kids […]
You may not think very highly of me after reading this blog, but I’m willing to take the risk. It’s hard to talk about failure, but it might help someone and it’s therapeutic for me. Bottom line, even if it doesn’t help you it will help me. “When I was a boy of 14, my […]
Every church has circles of friends. Circles of friends can be good, but sometimes they can push people away. We call these kinds of circles cliques. Cliques are not healthy for kids or for the church. You need to understand the social dynamics of your group before you can help the kids in this area. At my church, […]
When I first started in kid’s ministry I saw myself as a victim. I loved the kids, but I felt like my ministry was totally at the mercy of other people. I played the blame game a lot. Things would get better if: ….parents place a higher value on their children. ….more people would step up and […]
At the start of my ministry to children I could not think past the next Sunday. I spent the entire first year going from service to service. One Saturday, I was begging God for a sermon and I felt like He said to me. “All you have is six years to prepare your kids for adolescence.” Why […]