Sickness

Today is my first day back in the office after a wave of sickness hit my house. My girls were out for 2 days, then I got it, then JJ and I got it together...yuck. I'm still getting better, but it feels good to be back at my desk working.

Just a reminder for those of you who have been fortunate not to be ill yet - wash your hands tons, use lots of lysol/clorox in your homes to sanitize, and stock up on hand sanitizer. Also, I'm going to start taking some immune system boosting stuff this week. This was my second round of sickness in 2 months, and I want it to be my last!

Also parents, please remember that if you have kids with symptoms, take a break from church! We are doing our part by putting huge bottles of sanitizer at our check in areas (thanks Nurse Janice :) ) but the best preventative measure is always to keep sick kids home!

And last, I'm praying for all of our Bethel families that sickness will stay far from you!

The happenings

Well, school is in full swing, Fall is finally here, and the flu is an ever present reality. Must be October! Great things are happening in the Children's Ministry at Bethel Church.

• In KIDZBLAST we are walking through the Exodus of Israel in On the Trail, a western cattle drive theme. The kids are loving it, and learning a ton! Every week they are excited to see what's next with Tex & Cookie, our friends that are working their way through their first cattle drive. We've learned some great new songs and all grades are learning how to find Scripture in their Bibles.
• CLUB56 is an environment charged with excitement and fun. On Sunday we have been walking through issues that apply to our every day lives such as My School and My Family. Next we're going to tackle My Church! On Wednesday's we're learning tons and tons of amazing stuff about the Bible in Konnect 5.
• Promiseland is plugging away with promotions done and kids adapting to their new classes. Our volunteers are amazing! Stop by Promiseland and grab a Post It off of our "needs" board. We need simple, everyday items like hand sanitizer, wipes, snacks and clorox spray. Thanks!
• Every Wednesday night we have a bunch of boys and girls here at Royal Rangers & Missionettes. Thanks to all of the Commanders and Missionettes leaders that are so faithful. You're doing a fantastic job!
• On October 24th we are taking about 15 kids to Portland to participate in our first JBQ meet of the year. It's going to be a great season. I'm so proud of these kids and their commitment. Go Bethel!!

The Fall is just going to get better and better!

The Word

One of my rally cries lately has been not only to be in the Bible myself, but to find ways to get our kids at Bethel in the Word as well. This is going to be BIG for our Children's Ministry in 2010, and I'm excited to see what God has in store.

The Bible has been a major theme in my life, study and through the things that influence me lately. To me, that says that this is an area that God deems highly important, and something He wants to be embedded into the DNA of the Children's Ministry here at Bethel. No brainer, you say? Not exactly. How many kids are reading the Bible? My 2nd grader can read, and with some help, does really well reading the Bible. But it's not just reading. It's digesting what they are reading, living it out, and then turning back to it time and time again for answers when they need them. A commitment to the Word of God that goes WAY beyond reciting all of the Bible stories that we learned in Sunday School.

Last Sunday morning I poked my head in as we had several kids practicing for JBQ (Junior Bible Quiz). I've had the privilege of being both a Pastor and a Parent in this endeavor as my two girls are participating. I was SO excited to hear all of the kids eagerly buzzing in to answer questions taken directly from God's Word. Now, if only Nickelodeon would turn JBQ into a game show...I'm sure they could fit some green slime in somewhere!

My challenge to you parents - get your kids in the Word. If they can't read it, read it to them. Encourage them to take their Bible to church so they have it when we dig through it during service. Make it your goal as a parent for your child to know more than the stories - take it a step farther so that the Word of God is weaved into the fabric of their lives.

Challenge

"Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up." Deut. 6:5-7

What an enormous task. Or is it? If we are loving God with all of our hearts, souls and strength, doesn't it seem natural that it would be the most talked about thing in our homes? I think about all of the things we talk about over dinner - school, work, the funny thing JJ did today or what we are going to do after dinner. How often are we having those conversations with our kids that are provoking them to think about God and who he is in their lives? They learn a lot at church - I know this for a fact! They have started Junior Bible Quiz and are memorizing Scripture in Missionettes, so I know they are exposed. But, are they "impressed" as it says in verse 7? Are we impressing these things upon their tender hearts?

The challenge to myself today - love God with all of my heart, soul and strength, so that naturally Jesus flows out of my life and is impressed upon my kids hearts. Are you up to the challenge? Let's live out Deuteronomy 6 this week!

4%

I heard recently that of all of the Baby Boomer generation, 40% are aware of God, believe in Him, or have knowledge of Him. If our current generation, the one that I have the privilege of pastoring, keeps walking the path that they are, only 4% will know God. Startling. The same day I heard this statistic, I was reminded that this fact is directly tied to my obedience. I need (as do all of us) to be more aware that I am responsible to rise them up into the knowledge of Jesus Christ and disciple them to be passionate Christ Followers. Pastor Tim said it best Sunday - we want our kids to "love God more than anything!" More than X-Box, Hannah Montana, PS3, Internet, and on and on. We are in a difficult battle today - I imagine even more difficult than ever. Let's be obedient to God's call and rise up and meet the challenge of increasing that 4%! How?

• Pray for them
• Pray WITH them
• Hold them accountable (their time, friends, choices)
• Make church an important part of your families DNA
• Cut back on extra curricular activities that cut into church time

God is our partner in this pursuit; He will bless our obedience in this area. Let's do this!

Launch

Tomorrow morning we are launching 2 new ministry names and logos. I have (alongside a few amazing people) been working all week on a new set for KIDZBLAST, our new Sunday Morning Worship Experience for K-4th graders. Here is our new logo:

We are also launching a new name/logo for our preteen ministry:

Exciting days are ahead for the Kid's at Bethel Church! Beyond new set design, logos and programs, however is the desire to see kid's make a decision to follow Christ for the rest of their lives, grow in their knowledge of Him and excited to share the love of Jesus with their friends. Let's do this!

School Days

Hello Parents. Hopefully by now you have sent your kids (most excitedly I presume!) off to their first day of school. Ours was yesterday, and except for a couple of tears in the midst of confusion, we did fine. (And no, the tears were not mine!).

Something that I want to encourage you to do each day is to pray over your kids. I have begun to see our schools as battlefields lately. Not a physical battlefield of course, but a spiritual one. Some things to pray over your kids...

• Physical safety. It's the first thing on my mind most days. Injury on the playground, exposure to germs...you know what I'm talking about!
• Emotional safety. Kid's can be cruel and say things that hurt.
• That God will guard their hearts. There is so much that kids are exposed to today. Even my first and second grader aren't immune to that.
• For their teachers. They spend 6 hours or more each day with your kids; pray that God will shape the way they teach, and the influence they have. If they're not a Christ Follower, pray for their salvation!
• Good friends. I want the little people who have influence on my kids to be hand chosen by God.
• Their academics. Pray that they stay focused and on task, reaching their full potential as a student.

And rest assured, I will be praying for your kids too. It's going to be a great year!