Prayer

May 13, 2020

National Day of Prayer for VBS – May 17, 2020

By Rhonda Vancleave

Each year, the third Sunday in May is designated as the National Day of Prayer for VBS. It is at this time that thousands of churches are ramping up their focus on VBS. VBS directors are making final preparations. VBS leaders are organizing their resources and gathering the items they need to make VBS fun and exciting. This special day of prayer focuses on the leaders who are preparing, the kids who will come, the friends they will bring, and especially those who will discover their need for a Savior.

Sunday, May 17, 2020, is this year’s National Day of Prayer for VBS, and we find ourselves in a set of circumstances that may be drastically different for each church. But, some things are still the same. God is still God. He is sovereign and good. God’s message is still true. Jesus is the only way to receive salvation. Churches are still finding ways to share that message with the people around them.

Some churches are changing their VBS dates and discovering the unique adjustments that entails. Some are looking for ways to gather in smaller numbers or in locations that are safer for their circumstances. Some are combining the powers of technology and various delivery systems to help kids have a special VBS experience at home.

Let us all commit, on this unique day of prayer, to bring this ministry before God. May He guide churches as they consider how to reach kids and their families. May He give leaders the courage to focus on the “why” of VBS in order to determine their best “how.”

John F. Kennedy is quoted as saying, “When written in Chinese the word ‘crisis’ is composed of two characters—one represents danger and the other represents opportunity.” A variety of fears may be facing our churches, but the biggest danger is missing the opportunity to reach families who may be looking for answers for the very first time. We know the answers are found in God’s Word and in a relationship with His Son, Jesus. Join us in praying that churches will rise to the challenge of this crisis to embrace the opportunity of sharing the love of Jesus with their communities. His love IS our rock solid foundation.

Kids Ministry, Parenting, Prayer

February 26, 2020

Did Jesus Get Hand Cramps?

By Kids Ministry 101

I started praying for a family I’ve never met a few weeks ago. Thanks to the internet, I learned that a Christian artist I’ve followed for a while suffered a tragedy. Her daughter, one year younger than my oldest, had a seemingly minor fall which resulted in a traumatic brain injury.

Doesn’t news like that just jostle you when you have kids of your own? It feels impossible — the reality that these precious children we raise could leave us in mind or body in a split second fall. Doing normal things. On a regular day.

I started praying for this little girl, and led my daughters to pray for her, too.

Then, a few weeks later, my youngest needed extra snuggles, so I was laying in her bed with her, and I heard my oldest daughter from the other room praying out loud. She started praying for the little girl to be healed, as we had been praying for weeks, and then her prayer changed.

“Jesus … actually, can you just come back? Yes! If you would just come back, the little girl would be healed and her mommy and daddy wouldn’t have to be sad anymore … I have to do school in the morning. What was your favorite subject in school? Well, you didn’t … WAIT, you probably did! You had to have your hand cramp and have your day be so long! Why did you do that? You could have just stayed in heaven …”

I cried. And I’m crying again now. What a prayer.

How often do I forget Jesus’ humanity? How frequently do I pray a list of demands rather than praying with the humility that would ask questions like, “Why did you leave heaven to come here and live this life of pain and suffering and the hand cramps of carpentry? You could have just stayed in heaven …”

You know how the Spirit answers that why question, right?

“Because I so love you …” (John 3:16).

And isn’t that what we’re all wanting to know?

I spend a lot of time teaching my daughters about who God is and how much He loves them, but my 8-year-old daughter’s prayer last week taught me. He is so powerful that He can change anything for any prayer at any time. And He’s so approachable that we can talk to Him about His favorite subject.

So, pray that God will help you teach your children about this glorious mystery of a God who loves broken people. Pray that God will work wonders. But also pray that He’ll help you see and learn from these little children, about the kind of faith that knows He hears.

Scarlet Hiltibidal is the author of Afraid of All the Things and He Numbered the Pores on My Face. She lives in Middle Tennessee.

Kids Ministry, Leadership, Prayer

January 18, 2017

Developing a Kids Ministry Prayer Team

By Jerry Vogel

I’ve probably never met another Kids Minister who said he did not believe in prayer. But, do we really? Do we truly practice biblical praying when it comes to our kids ministries? I must confess that as a kids minister I often rushed into action exerting my own efforts and then prayed, “Dear God, bless this mess!”

Lately, God has spoken to me and made me aware that every Kids Ministry should have a Prayer Team. It occurred to me that our churches will always have folks who do not feel led to teach kids on a weekly basis. But, they would agree to be part of a Kids Ministry Prayer Team. My vision would be to enlist a team of folks to your Kids Ministry Prayer Team. The goals of the group would be to:

Pray for you on a regular basis. Pray for your health, your wisdom, and your protection from the evil one. Receive from you “personal” prayer requests.
Pray for kids leaders on a rotating basis. Part of this assignment would also be to write notes of encouragement to leaders letting them know that they had been prayed for.
Participate in “prayer walks” throughout your kids ministry areas … asking God to reach boys and girls and for protection against evil in your ministry area. Some might be willing to prayer walk through your ministry area while teaching is occurring.
Pray for a dedicated classroom and leaders regularly.
Pray for leadership needs in the Kids Ministry area.
Pray specifically for physical and spiritual needs of the kids and families in your Kids Ministry.

I believe there are many folks who would be willing to be a part of your Kids Ministry Prayer Team. Why don’t you take this possibility to the Lord in “prayer” and see what develops?

Jerry Vogel is an Editorial Ministry Specialist in LifeWay Kids. He is a graduate of Dallas Baptist University and has served over 40 years in Kids Ministry at the local church level as well as at LifeWay. Jerry currently teaches four-year-olds at his church.

Bible Study, Devotional, Kids Ministry, Parenting, Prayer, Preschool, Preteen, Resources, Spiritual Disciplines

October 2, 2015

Teaching Kids to Pray

By Kids Ministry 101

by Mary Wiley

No matter if a child is learning to deal with his parents’ divorce or is just sad because he has to wait his turn to play on the swing, kids face battles both big and small. As parents and those who serve kids in the church, you can equip kids to fight those battles wisely through prayer. Teaching kids the spiritual discipline of prayer can feel daunting, and for many parents, they don’t feel capable of teaching their kids something that they also find to be a struggle. We want to equip you in the way you equip kids and parents to strengthen their prayer lives through three resources tied to the movie WAR ROOM.

Below are 5 tips and 3 resources to help you equip kids and parents in their journey toward healthy prayer lives. Let us know what you would add in the comments!

Tip #1: Model prayer daily.

When kids see that you view prayer as important, they will realize that it is also important in their own lives.

Tip #2: Pray for God to do big things.

Remind kids that God is big enough to do all things. He can heal the sickest of the sick and help the most helpless. Praise God for His power and also rely on Him to work.

Tip #3: Pray for God to do small things, too.

Being afraid of the dark or not being able to find a favorite toy might seem big to some kids, but we know in the grand scheme of things it’s a small thing. Make sure to pray for the small things. Never tell a kid their prayer request isn’t worth praying for. All things are worth taking to the Lord, and the Bible says that He cares for all of our concerns.

Tip #4: Talk about what it means to pray without ceasing.

This is a verse we like to throw around sometimes without a lot of explanation, but for a kid’s concrete mind, this sounds like never opening our eyes and having a really bad crick in our necks from bowing our heads for so long. Help kids understand that God wants us to talk to Him like we would a good friend – throughout the day.

Tip #5: Start now!

Don’t feel defeated if you haven’t been praying with your children each day. Each day is new and there’s no better day to start than today! Don’t worry about teaching your children perfectly. Ask God to help you and your children better understand prayer. He is faithful!

3 Resources for Kids:

Peter’s Perfect Prayer Place

This story for ages 4-8 follows Peter as he tries to find the perfect place to pray to God. Peter learns that God hears his prayers, no matter where he is, so the perfect place to pray is anywhere that you are!

Prayer Works

This training guide will equip your 8-12 year olds to develop a strategic, growing prayer life. It is filled with activities, illustrations, and journaling prompts for kids to experience to help them think through why they should pray, why their prayers matter, and if God will answer their prayers.

This Means War

Isn’t being a teenager a war in itself? Grab this book for those 13 and up to encourage them in their prayer life. This book includes journaling space and also short chapters that answer questions that teens have about prayer. There is no better skill to teach your children than to teach them to pray. As you seek to equip parents and children’s ministry leaders, consider offering up these resources developed alongside the movie WAR ROOM. Our children are walking into battle everyday. Let’s teach them the right way to fight.

Parenting, Prayer

November 17, 2014

5 Steps to Start a Family Meeting Tradition

By Jana Magruder

Family meetings are not a new concept – and they are certainly not unique only to Christian families. They can be useful for a variety of reasons including calendaring, celebrating achievements, rewarding behavior, and doing family devotionals. Here are 5 practical steps to help families get started in this healthy rhythm of life, which, most importantly, should assist parents in being intentional with discipling their kids.

Step one: Declare a time and place – this can be after dinner while enjoying a healthy treat, outside on a quilt, in the living room sitting on pillows, etc. Try to stay consistent, building a tradition that your family will look forward to each week.

Step two: Share something from scripture. Depending on the ages of your children, this could be one verse or a whole chapter. Discuss what the Bible is teaching through the passage and what it means for your family. Consider using Bible content that kids learned about in church or find meaningful verses that you want your family to learn. An age-appropriate devotional can be a tool to use during this time, coupled with the Bible.

Step three: Allow time for each family member to share something. Establish the topic such as: prayer requests and praises or answering a question like, “Where did you see God today?” or “What did you learn?” If there are any sibling apologies that need to be made, provide a safe way for that to happen.

Step four: Discuss family business such as calendar events for the week, reminders about household chores, technology usage, etc. Keep this brief and focus on what you really need your family to take-away from this time. Don’t bring a laundry list of items, though laundry might be one of the items you discuss!

Step five: Close in prayer. Pray for any prayer concerns shared, family needs, and any missionaries your family supports. Above all, praise God for your family and ask Him to be glorified through all of you.

Jana Magruder serves as the Director of Kids Ministry Publishing. 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.

Encouragement, Prayer

April 16, 2014

Devotional: Are You in a Slump?

By Cristy Whitlock

“God, I really need a hit this at bat. I’m in such a slump. Help me get a double?”

I remember having these conversations with The Lord during softball season. Maybe it sounds silly, but my belief in God’s sovereignty and His tailored pursuit for my love is enough to convince me that He cares about batting averages. After praying these things, I remember standing on second base, third base, or even back in the dugout after a homer and thanking God for helping me see the ball into the zone.

When you play a game often enough, slumps are inevitable. Over time, exhaustion, apathy, and a gradual decrease in attention to details can bring about disappointment. This can be true in kids ministry. Your kids ministry team might be doing extremely well this season. Maybe your numbers are growing, volunteers are overflowing, and you’re watching kids catch onto the beauty of the Gospel every Sunday. If this is the case with your church right now, praise God! Seasons of abundance are encouraging and strengthening to the rest of us!

For those in a slump, here’s one piece of advice:

Ask God for help.

While this seems obvious enough, sometimes we forget to make requests to The Lord. If God cared about the amount of hits I got in a season of softball, he most certainly cares about the details of your kids ministry. So today, tell God exactly how you feel. Are you tired? Are you out of ideas? Do you need encouragement? Ask.

“Don’t worry about anything, but in everything, through prayer and petition with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses every thought, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:6-7).

Cristy Whitlock serves with the LifeWay Kids Marketing Team. A native Texan, her heart for ministry led her to Nashville in 2013. Her passions include loving on African children, playing sports, and serving in college ministry, which she does at Cross Point Church in Nashville, TN.

Leadership, Missions, Prayer, Training

February 25, 2014

Missions: Are You a “Goer” or a Sender?

By Jana Magruder

The truth is there are “goers” and senders in the call to missions. “Goers” are those who actually go to the local or international destination to share the gospel. Senders are the ones who pray, help raise funds, support, and prepare missionaries to go! Both are necessary and we as followers of Jesus are called to one or the other or both. Teach this to your children.

I’ve been wrestling with something lately both as a mom and a KidMin leader. Are we teaching our children to have a heart for the Nations? Do we disciple them to love and champion and obey the Great Commission?

As church cultures are changing and family schedules are becoming busier, kids are going to church less and less. Therefore, we have to use every opportunity that we have to teach kids the gospel and then help foster an urgency for them to share their faith with others. This includes their community, their city, and unreached people groups in foreign nations.

KidMin leaders only see kids 1-2 hours per week at the most. Therefore, we need to make the most of our teaching hours on Sunday mornings and any other time during the week, always including stories of missionaries and those who have not heard the gospel. We need to equip parents to embrace the Great Commission at home, teaching their children what it means to “go make disciples.”

We must ask ourselves these questions: Who are the next goers and senders to the unreached? How are we preparing our children to say yes?

This good news of the kingdom will be proclaimed in all the world as a testimony to all nations. And then the end will come (Matthew 24:14, HCSB).

Leadership, Missions, Prayer, Training

January 7, 2014

Service: Teaching Kids Spiritual Disciplines

By Jana Magruder

As the new year rolls in, what better way to discuss “resolutions” with kids than to talk about developing new habits and disciplines.

Continuing with our series on Spiritual Disciplines with kids, service is such an important part of modeling the most important commandments — “Love the Lord God with all your heart and your neighbor as yourself.” Kids need to understand that once they become part of God’s family, they are part of the body of Christ. This means they get to be the hands and feet of Jesus by serving and helping others to know Him.

Here are three simple ways to incorporate the spiritual discipline of service into the daily life:

1. Action

The saying goes, “Wherever the need, is the call.” Therefore, teach children to be aware of those in need around them. This could mean physical work for a single mom, writing letters to someone who lost a loved one, playing with a lonely classmate or just carrying books for a classmate who is disabled.

2. Giving

A big part of serving is giving. Teach kids to give by teaching them to tithe to their church home, donating items and/or money to various causes that help those in need, or participating in fundraisers that contribute to the kingdom.

3. Praying

Remember to follow up acts of service by praying with kids. This is the next step that helps children continue to have a heart for those in need. Pray for those who are poor and hungry, for those who have experienced loss, for those who do not know Jesus and for the missionaries who are serving around the world.

Most importantly pray that the kids in your life would have a heart to serve and let that begin by us modeling and prioritizing the spiritual discipline of service in our own lives.

Read other posts in the Spiritual Disciplines series.

—

Jana Magruder serves as the Director of Kids Ministry Publishing. Jana, her husband, and their three kids moved to Nashville from Austin, Texas where she served as the director of children’s ministry at the west campus of Austin Stone Community Church. Jana brings a wealth of experience and passion for kids, kids ministry, and the local church.

Bibles, Prayer, Training

January 3, 2014

5 Ways to Utilize Devotionals in Your Kids Ministry

By Jana Magruder

This article is a great reminder of the importance of encouraging kids to read the Bible and pray — even when it seems like it doesn’t make a difference. This ParentLife article by Debbie Dickerson shares five ways to maximize the use of devotionals by the kids we serve. Also, here are some excellent Kids Devotionals you’ll want to check out.
–Jana Magruder

I caught my son reading the Bible and spending time with God. Alone. Mid morning. Without being told. All his life, I had prayed that he would hunger for God wholeheartedly. Why did I unexpectedly find him seeking God now? I wonder how many times and how many ways I had encouraged him to read his Bible and have a quiet time with God. Then suddenly, it happened. Well, it shouldn’t have been unexpected and it really wasn’t sudden. Years of repetitious reminders and encouragement to spend time with God came from his family, Sunday School teachers, children’s minister, and pastor.

Don’t think that every time you tell the kids you teach, “Be sure to read your Bible and talk with God,” that you are wasting your time. Say it, time and time again. Find different ways to remind and encourage them. Here are 5 ways to use the kids devotionals to help your kids develop that hunger for God.

1. Take a pic.

My children’s minister says the kids devotionals are best tools to mentor children, but they have to make it past the floor of the mini-van. Get the devotionals inside the home by taking a photo of the kids in your group and attaching it to the front of each devotional. Kids love seeing pictures of themselves and parents value anything that has their kid’s photo on it. As you send them home, say, “Be sure to read your Bible and talk with God.”

2. Hide a note.

Peak the kids’ curiosity to look inside the devotionals by writing a personal note to each kid somewhere in his devotional. As he leaves your room, hand him his devotional and encourage him to look for the hidden note. Remind the kids, “Be sure to read your Bible and talk with God.”

3. Choose a day.

As part of your prayer time with the group, hand out the devotionals. Instruct each child to write the names of people in the group, friends, and family members on as many days as they can. Encourage the kids to take their devotionals home and remember to pray for the people they listed on the days they chose. As you tell kids goodbye, say, “Be sure to read your Bible and talk with God.”

4. Spread the Word.

Equip kids to be intentional about telling others about Jesus. Suggest they cut out some of their favorite verses, devotionals, facts, jokes, or games and leave them where a friend will find them. Remember to say, “Be sure to read your Bible and talk with God.”

5. Make a scrapbook.

Help kids develop a sense of missions. Each month, read the missions emphasis. Keep a scrapbook in the room and add the mission story each month. Don’t forget to say, “Be sure to read your Bible and talk with God.”

One day not so suddenly, expect to catch the kids reading the Bible and talking with God.

Debbie Dickerson is the production editor for More, Adventure, and Bible Express and a mom to two boys.

Use LifeWay Kids Devotionals with purpose and intention and watch how doing a devotion on a regular basis can actually lead to being devoted to Jesus.

Encouragement, Prayer, Training

January 2, 2014

Fasting: Teaching Kids Spiritual Disciplines

By Bill Emeott

Here are some practical ways to teach kids about fasting through experience with short and intentional opportunities.

Of all the disciplines, fasting is probably the one I have personally practiced the least. For those of you who know me, that doesn’t come as a surprise. Denying myself food doesn’t come easy to me. While many of us have bought into the idea that unless we’re having three large meals (and several snacks in between) every day, we’re starving ourselves. The truth is that many of us could easily cut back and even find ourselves healthier. In Matthew 6:16 Jesus gives some instruction on fasting. Verse 16 starts with, “When you fast…” not “If you fast…” That would say to me that it’s something we are to do.

Scripture refers to fasting as abstaining from food for spiritual purposes. Normally fasting includes abstaining from all food, solid or liquid, but not water. Occasionally, we find what has been called an “absolute fast.” or an abstaining from both food and water. That appears to be for desperate measures to meet dire emergencies. For the purposes of this post (and when dealing with kids), I want us to consider a partial fast or a restriction of one’s diet but not a total abstention. Daniel talks a little about this in chapter 10.

Here are some practical ways to fast with kids:

Make different choices. For a period of time, choose healthy foods for snacking. Instead of cookies, choose carrots. Instead of soda choose water. Instead of fast food, choose nutritious meals.
Abstain from sweets. Lead kids to not eat sugar-based foods (candy, cake, pastries) for a designated time.
A digital fast. As a family, decide to fast from technology. This could be as simple as not using the DVD player in the minivan to complete abstinence for a week or month.
Grow from short to more intensive fasts. Don’t start with a 40 day, “no (fill in the blank)” fast that will be difficult to achieve. Start small and build on success.

Be intentional about helping kids understand why you’re fasting:

Fasting must center on God. If you fast for any reason other than to center on Him; His will and His desire, it will be in vain.
Fasting reminds us that God is our provider of every good and perfect gift. Help kids find this reality.
Fasting helps us focus. The point of a fast is to focus on a particular issue, need, concern, or desire. Determine the point and be very intentional to share and help kids understand.
Fasting is a discipline not a punishment. Don’t use the biblical discipline of fasting to ease your guilt or need to punish poor behavior.
Model biblical fasting. Kids learn more from what they see than what they simply hear. When teaching the discipline of fasting, know that you can’t lead kids to do something that you’re not willing to do yourself.
Don’t sell kids short. While the practice and understanding of biblical fasting will be best suited for older kids, teaching and allowing kids to participate in age-appropriate ways will lay foundations for deeper and more meaningful experiences in the future.

This inwardly expressed discipline (not publicly shared but a private matter between the individual and God) in its traditional sense should be approached with a lot of thought and care. For us to ignore this discipline would be a blatant disregard of Old and New Testament practice as well as Christ’s expectation shared in the Gospels.

Obviously, there are physical issues and limitations to consider and, quite frankly, fasting may not be for everyone — especially kids. You may want to check with a doctor before beginning a fast from food. But ultimately, I cannot think of a reason why we would ignore teaching about fasting and at some level help kids understand, through experience, short and intentional opportunities to practice what Jesus (and many Bible heroes) practiced.

What do you think?

We’ve been sharing ideas on how to teach kids spiritual disciplines over the past few weeks on this blog. I’ve become very challenged on this subject. While understanding the value of spiritual disciplines in my own life, I’ve really never purposefully considered helping kids develop and practice them. Please take a moment to go back and revisit some of the other posts on Spiritual Disciplines. I’ve found them very interesting and helpful.

Since 2003 Bill Emeott has served as a Kids Ministry Specialist for LifeWay. His passions include childhood ministry leadership training and development, leading children’s Bible Study, and being an Uncle! Bill has been teaching children at First Baptist Nashville for ten years.

National Day of Prayer for VBS – May 17, 2020

Did Jesus Get Hand Cramps?

Developing a Kids Ministry Prayer Team

Teaching Kids to Pray

5 Steps to Start a Family Meeting Tradition

Devotional: Are You in a Slump?

Missions: Are You a “Goer” or a Sender?

Service: Teaching Kids Spiritual Disciplines

5 Ways to Utilize Devotionals in Your Kids Ministry

Fasting: Teaching Kids Spiritual Disciplines

All Ministry Sites

Digital Resources

LifeWay Network