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Discipleship, Family, kids101
January 4, 2021

3 Big Truths I Wish I Had Learned as a Kid

By Brian Dembowczyk

It wasn’t a difficult choice really. My family was living in suburban Baltimore, Maryland, when my father shared that his company had asked him to work in Hawaii for a couple of years. We loved where we lived in Maryland—it was home for both of my parents and all of our extended family lived in the area—but you cannot pass up the opportunity to live in a tropical paradise. So we packed up our home, put on short-sleeve shirts in the middle of the winter, and jumped on a plane.

Here is what I remember most from my time in Hawaii as a seven- and eight-year-old kid: I trusted in Christ and was baptized at Mililani Baptist Church, the school lunches were terrible, and my parents often wanted to take dreadfully boring drives around the island we lived on, Oahu.  Yes, you read that right. I was in the middle of one of the most beautiful places in the world—a place people dream of visiting and where Magnum drove around in a red Ferrari (no, we never saw him)—and I was bored by it all. I was simply too young to appreciate it at the time. I look back now and wish I had been able to drink it all in, but as the saying goes, youth is wasted on the young.

I wish I knew then what I know now. I wish I could have appreciated the beauty of Hawaii and savored every moment of living there. But that is far from what I most wish I had understood as a child. Rather, what I most wish I could have understood better was the gospel. Here are three big truths about God—about the gospel—that I wish I had known.

Big Truth 1: In Christ, God Has Credited Me with Christ’s Righteousness

I loved my Sunday School teacher in Hawaii. The axiom is true: I remember very little of what Mr. Chen taught me, but I remember that he cared about me. I remember his encouragement and grace as I tried my best to memorize the books of the New Testament to participate in an ice cream party. And I remember my family eating dinner in his home. Mr. Chen was faithful to his calling, and because of that (and my parents), I heard the gospel and I trusted in Christ.

I knew that I was a sinner. I knew that Jesus is the Son of God. I knew that Jesus died for my sins and that He rose from the grave.

But here is what I didn’t know: that Jesus is a kind and generous companion. He did not take my sin from me and give me nothing in exchange. Rather, He gave me His righteousness. I knew the John 3:16 of the gospel, but I didn’t know the 2 Corinthians 5:21 of the gospel.

Had I only known. I spent years after trying to earn God’s favor by obeying enough, never feeling confident that God loved me and accepted me fully because I knew my obedience was never full. Had I only known then what I know now, that God’s acceptance and love for me is indeed full and perfect because they are not based on what I have done or might do, but rather on what Christ has done—His life of perfect obedience.

Big Truth 2: God Is Sovereign, and That’s a Good Thing

We ended up living in Hawaii for about 18 months of the 24 months we were supposed to. Midway through our time there, my father’s company had a new idea: how great it would be if we lived in Munich, Germany, for a while. So we put on snow suits and jumped on a plane headed to Europe. I loved my time in Germany. By this time I had reached the age where I could actually appreciate it, and looking back, those five years were among the best of my life. My time in Europe shaped me in critical ways and I am grateful that God, in His kindness, sent us there.

But that is the second big truth I wish I had known as a kid. I know it now, but didn’t know it then—that God is sovereign and that going to Germany wasn’t a matter of chance. It was part of God’s design for my life. At the time, I don’t think I ever even heard of the word sovereign, let alone grappled with its meaning. I thought life was just happening around me, and as I plunged into my teenage years, the worries of fitting in, dating, nuclear war—yeah, that was a thing then, and so on plagued me at times.

We know that there is a tension between human responsibility and God’s sovereignty, at least from our perspective. We know that the Bible teaches both and that we must embrace both. We are to take our decisions seriously, but at the same time, we are to rest securely in God’s sovereignty. I wish I had understood this back when I was a kid. I wish I would have had the ability to take my worries, my cares, and my uncertainties and lay them before our loving, sovereign God. Had I only known that I cannot mess up what God controls.

Big Truth 3: Everything Was Created for God’s Glory

When I was in Hawaii as a kid, I failed to appreciate its beauty. God’s fingerprints were all around me but I was clueless to it all. My time in Europe, however, was a different story. I was amazed by the splendor of Germany, Austria, and Switzerland. I appreciated the different cultures. And I was grateful to be around so much history.

I was closer, but still not all of the way there. All of what I appreciated and enjoyed was for me. I liked going to Paris and Venice. I liked skiing in the Alps. I liked eating the different foods. There’s nothing wrong with any of that, of course, but what I failed to do is reach the true end of all of it. Paris, Venice, the Alps, and wienerschnitzel were not created ultimately to bring delight to me, but rather so that I might ultimately delight in their creator, God. My delight in those good things was to be a conduit toward a greater delight in the giver of those good things.

Had I only known then what I am continuing to learn today: that God is our greatest good and that everything was created for His glory. My enjoyment of those things would have been further magnified, but more importantly, I would have been able to worship God through those things, which I did not do as a kid. Oh, if I could only go back and worship God in the Alps. If only I could have connected God’s goodness to every good thing I experienced.

As I reflect over these memories and experiences, I am not filled with regret of what I missed then. Far from it—I am filled with a deeper sense of awe of God’s mercy and grace. That He lavished such good things on such an undeserving kid—such a clueless, ungrateful kid—fills me with great joy. And it also encourages me to seek God’s face in the moments of my days today, and to help my kids do the same.

Kids Ministry, kids101, Leadership, Training
August 13, 2018

KidsMinistry101.com: LifeWay Kids Free Training & Equipping Content Portal

By Chuck Peters

The genuine heartbeat and ultimate motivation behind the LifeWay Kids team is to equip the church for more effective ministry to kids and families. One of the most obvious ways we seek to accomplish this is by writing and publishing teaching resources for leading kids in Bible study and discipleship. We know that what churches teach matters—a lot—so we are committed to using Bible college and seminary trained writers and editors to write, edit, and review every resource we provide. We are fully committed to providing doctrinally-sound materials that communicate content you can trust. From this value, we will never waiver. You can take confidence knowing that everything we publish has gone through a stringent approval process. We know that what we teach matters. That’s what makes LifeWay LifeWay. We also know that providing teaching resources is only one aspect of equipping the church. In order to be good teachers and leaders, people need training, inspiration, and encouragement. That’s why we have created Kidsministry101.com.

Kidsministry101.com is your destination for training and equipping resources from the LifeWay Kids team. There you will find our blog, podcast, gospel presentation videos, training links, and a place to subscribe to the free Kids Ministry 101 quarterly print magazine. Our goal is to provide you with articles, interviews, and resources that inform, instruct, and inspire you as you teach God’s Word to kids, recruit and lead volunteers, manage the administrative side of your ministry, and connect with families. The content here is based on the best practices and practical experience that the LifeWay Kids team has amassed over decades of service in ministry. As we share ideas and insights with you, you can share some, or all, of the posts and resources with your team members, leaders, and even the parents of kids in your church.

Kidsministry101.com is your one-stop destination for a wide array of free ministry equipping resources to help you do what you do well. You can visit the URL directly by entering kidsministry101.com in the browser of your desktop, laptop, tablet, or smartphone, where you can subscribe to have new blog and podcast episodes pushed to you, or you can “Like” LifeWay Kids on Facebook to receive new blog posts and podcast episodes in your facebook feed.

Chuck Peters is Director of Operations for LifeWay Kids. A graduate of Columbia Bible College, Chuck has served vocationally & voluntarily in Student and Children’s Ministry for many years.

Encouragement, Encouraging, Kids Ministry, kids101, Leadership, Podcasts, Resources
June 9, 2016

Greatest Wins in Children’s Ministry

By Andy Dukes


http://media.blubrry.com/lifewaykids/p/ministrysites.s3.amazonaws.com/podcasts/kidsministry/EP41_LIFEWAYKIDS.mp3

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Leadership can often times be challenging and discouraging. Any seasoned leader will tell you that having community with other leaders is vital. It’s critical for a number of reasons, but often times, that community is where is an encouraging word that can lift up your spirit as you seek to follow God’s direction to lead the ministries He has entrusted to you. On today’s podcast, we sit down with 3 children’s ministry leaders and ask them one question: What is your greatest single win so far in your ministry? We believe their answers will surprise you. Our hope is that what God is doing in the lives of these leaders will be a catalytic moment in your own ministry & leadership. Today’s guests include Heidi Hensley, Chad Overton, and Chad Owens.

 

 

 

Kids Ministry, kids101, Leadership, Levels of Biblical Learning, Podcasts, Resources, Training
May 12, 2016

Developing A Philosophy in Children’s Ministry

By Andy Dukes

http://media.blubrry.com/lifewaykids/p/ministrysites.s3.amazonaws.com/podcasts/kidsministry/EP50_LIFEWAYKIDS.mp3

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In this week’s episode of the LifeWay Kids Podcast, Chuck Peters, LifeWay Kids Director of Operations, sits down with Dr. Shelly Melia at last year’s Kids Ministry Conference (now called ETCH Family Ministry Conference) to discuss how important is it that we have a distinct philosophy behind what we do in children’s ministry. Having a philosophy helps provide clarity and focus in our ministry and that focus helps us to know what to say yes to and what to say no to. In other words, it’s a critical aspect as a children’s ministry leader, to help build and develop a philosophy for how you do what you do.

Many start out in children’s ministry in reactive mode. To develop a philosophy, you are getting to the 30,000 foot level where you can think about the big picture and become more proactive to your approach. Dr. Melia helps us think about practical steps for how we can start to develop a philosophy of ministry.

Dr. Melia has been in children’s ministry for over 20 years and currently serves as the Director of the Master of Arts in Children’s Ministry program at Dallas Baptist University.

Kids Ministry, kids101, Leadership, Training
March 3, 2016

Why Showing Up is Only One Layer of Discipleship

By Kids Ministry 101

http://media.blubrry.com/lifewaykids/p/ministrysites.s3.amazonaws.com/podcasts/kidsministry/EP14_LIFEWAYKIDS.mp3

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rp_Jana3-150x150.jpgWe get asked the same set of questions at virtually every event, camp, conference, and training session.

How can I do a better job of recruiting volunteers? How can I keep my volunteers once I get them? We could probably give you a formula that would help you in both areas. There are some very creative ways to recruit volunteers and incredible ways to honor them once they serve in your ministry area.

But what if, instead of considering your volunteers as merely servants in your church, which they are, you looked at them as opportunities for discipleship? Looking through this lens might change your leaders, and your KidMin forever.

Listen in as we discuss the “layers” of discipleship that go way beyond the point that volunteers just show up. We’ll touch on some of these points…

  • What it means to be a discipled-volunteer
  • Casting a vision that will compel leaders to want to volunteer in your KidMin
  • Moving beyond the recruitment to the development of leaders
  • The Payoff of investing in your volunteers

Jana Magruder serves as the Director of LifeWay Kids. Jana brings a wealth of experience and passion for kids ministry, education, and curriculum writing. She and her husband, Michael, along with their three children attend Forest Hills Baptist Church where she teaches The Gospel Project to preteen girls.

 

CentriKid, Events, Kids Ministry, kids101, Leadership, Uncategorized
February 18, 2016

Succeeding at Big Events by Managing the Little Details

By Kids Ministry 101

http://media.blubrry.com/lifewaykids/p/ministrysites.s3.amazonaws.com/podcasts/kidsministry/EP17_LIFEWAYKIDS.mp3

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JEIn the scope of Church ministry, events that require planning tend to fall more in the space of children’s ministry than just about any other area. VBS. Camps. Family events. EVERY weekend, right? Fewer staff leaders have to navigate the art of delegation and management more than those in KidMin.

You’ve got to listen to this sit-down with Jeremy Echols (JE), who manages the team that leads most of LifeWay Kids’ events. It’s critical to understand that a successful event involves ideation and planning as well as great communication and delegation. This is the perfect podcast if you are about to launch into the planning for VBS or summer camp. (You’ve started that, right?)

Key points from this insightful podcast:

  • Establishing the “why” or “mission” of your event
  • Going from the idea to the execution
  • Staffing to your weakness
  • Artful delegation and evaluation

Speaking of events, it’s not too late to check out or register for these events. Just check out these links!

CentriKid camps

VBS events

ETCH conference

JE (@coachechols) leads the @centrikid camps and events team for LifeWay Kids. He met his wife Emily working summer camp, they serve in the kids area on Sunday’s at church, and they are blessed with their daughter #BabyMadison who was born in 2011.

Apologetics, Kids Ministry, kids101, Parenting, Podcasts, Uncategorized
February 11, 2016

Theology and Kids

By Kids Ministry 101

http://media.blubrry.com/lifewaykids/p/ministrysites.s3.amazonaws.com/podcasts/kidsministry/EP36_LIFEWAYKIDS.mp3

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DSC_3857Sometimes, in children’s ministry, we “wait” to take kids deeper, assuming that the next leader, say, the student pastor, will handle that. What generally happens is that we have churches full of adults who were never challenged to grow in their knowledge of God, which is, by definition, their theology. They are “a mile wide and an inch deep.”

When kids become young adults and stop going to church, it may not simply be because church is boring to them, though that might be part of the problem. It’s more plausible that they never found that deeper connection as kids that created in them a desire to continually go deeper with God as adults. Beyond salvation, good theology draws in the human soul to the Spirit of God that resides within us.

Join us in this brief conversation with Shannon Scott, a great thought-leader on parenting, kids ministry, and life, in general. We’ll hit these topics…

  • Positive trend in kids ministry towards stronger theology
  • The difference between internal heart-transformation and external behavior modification
  • A tip on how to teach the concept of the Holy Spirit to kids

To get more from Shannon, you can check out her blog here.

To get more inspiration and family ministry insight than you can handle, be sure to register for this year’s conference in Music City! Click here to register for the Etch Conference.

 

Apologetics, Bible Study, Kids Ministry, kids101, Podcasts, Preschoolers, Resources, Spiritual Disciplines
January 21, 2016

Going Deep With Kids. Deeper Doctrine and Theology is Possible!

By Kids Ministry 101

http://media.blubrry.com/lifewaykids/p/ministrysites.s3.amazonaws.com/podcasts/kidsministry/EP11_LIFEWAYKIDS.mp3

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Don’t dumb it down. Very often, good doctrine and theology are sacrificed on the altar of creativity. It doesn’t have to be that way.rp_Jana_new-150x150.jpg

You can have a vibrant and creative children’s ministry that draws kids in, not just to your church, but to our God. Wouldn’t you rather have kids that graduate from your ministry, equipped to do good work and ready to articulate their faith than a group of kids that simply like (or even love) your church? They will love your church even more when they connect with the Savior THROUGH it.

This is a powerful podcast where we unpack several great questions…

  •      When do we start to shape the theology of our kids?
  •      How do we communicate doctrine in a way that kids will understand?
  •      How is spiritual learning similar to other models of learning?

Give us 15 minutes of your time and we will save you hours of frustration in wondering whether or not your kids are grounded in their faith.

You can also get a free resource HERE. It’s the Levels of Biblical Learning®. It gives a wise path of discipleship to unpack key Biblical concepts. One of our curriculum lines, Bibles Studies for Life, Kids uses this discipleship plan as it’s framework.

Jana Magruder serves as the Director of LifeWay Kids. Jana brings a wealth of experience and passion for kids ministry, education, and curriculum writing. She and her husband, Michael, along with their three children attend Forest Hills Baptist Church where she teaches The Gospel Project to preteen girls.

Kids Ministry, kids101, Leadership, Spiritual Disciplines, Uncategorized
January 14, 2016

New to KidMin – The Basics for Beginners

By Kids Ministry 101

http://media.blubrry.com/lifewaykids/p/ministrysites.s3.amazonaws.com/podcasts/kidsministry/EP21_LIFEWAYKIDS.mp3

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MeredithTeasleyAre you new to kids ministry or do you know someone who is? You’ve got to hear this sit-down we had with Meredith Teasley. She lends her expertise to this topic that can help leaders avoid pitfalls in leadership. You might even hear “Peanuts” in the background. OK, you’ll just have to listen to know what we’re talking about on that.

What is the thing that is MOST important in children’s ministry in order to lead well? Listen in to this brief conversation and find out. You can follow Meredith on Twitter @meredithteasley.

You’ll hear us discuss…

  • Establishing Credibility as a leader
  • Going beyond the kids to lead others who might lead them
  • How to avoid a few common pitfalls in leadership

Also…

You won’t believe what’s in store at our conference later this year. Register your entire family ministry team for the ETCH Conference and hear dozens of leaders share their insight. You’ll also be able to connect with like-minded KidMin leaders in music city!

Encouragement, Kids Ministry, kids101, Leadership, Small Groups, Sunday School, Training
December 30, 2015

Best Podcast from 2015.

By Jeffrey Reed

Although we only launched a few months ago, thousands have tuned in to the LifeWay Kids podcast. By far, the most popular podcast of the year focuses on the essence of kids ministry. It’s called “The Top Three Things a Kid Needs To Hear Their Small Group Leader Say.”

You can click here to go to the original posting. (and we recommend it!)

Thanks for being a part of 2015 as we serve you in your ministry of making disciples. We have great things in store and hope that you’ll continue to tune in to our weekly podcasts.

Happy New Year from the LifeWay Kids team!

 

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