Wednesday @ Kids Camp 2011 turned out to be rainy, yet fun. I guess it’s required “surprise” programming for any camping experience!
source YouTube
Noah’s Ark Waterpark Trip (video)
On Wednesday, June 8, 2011, 27 middle school students and 5 staff people left Hayward, WI @ 4am and bussed down to the Wisconsin Dells, WI to spend the day @ Noah’s Ark Waterpark. It was a great day! The students had a blast! The staff had a blast! I rode on every single ride again! It was fun!
This was the 8th year that I took our middle school group down to Noah’s Ark. This tradition started all the way back in 2004!
source YouTube
The Movie Was Hiding
We rented a movie for the girls at Red Box the other day and Sari had carried it inside. We didn’t watch the movie right away and when it came time to watch it, I couldn’t find the DVD. Misplaced items used to really bother me, but being married and having children has fixed that deficiency in my character!
So, I am calmly looking all over the house trying to locate this elusive DVD. Both of the girls are patiently waiting as I scurry about. Finally I find it on the bookshelf right in the living room in an obvious spot.
Sari says: “Dad, the movie was hiding from you!”
“Some Privacy, Please.”
The other day my daughter, Macie, made a rather interesting request. It was interesting because she is only 2 1/2 years-old.
I had went into their room to get a couple of things as we were headed out the door. If you are a parent, you know the routine: “Get your socks and shoes on!” “No, you can’t wear pajamas to the graduation party!” “Stop fighting!”
As I tried to cross the threshold into their room, Macie was a couple steps ahead of me and had turned to close the door. I stopped her and proceeded into the room as she said:
“Dad, I need some privacy, please!”
I did not see that one coming so soon!
Why Do I Blog?
I’ve written over 250 posts on this blog since June 2010. And, as I’ve discovered, blogging consistently takes time, effort and energy. So why do I do it? Why do I blog?
Well, what I have discovered in teaching youth and children every week in various venues is that using media is important. There is hardly never a time that I am not showing a video or pictures or graphics on the big screen. I am a media collector… particularly when it comes to Bible stories. I am always looking for great ways to help the students “see” (possibly in a different way) a particular story and media generally helps broaden the exposure and communicate using a variety of perspectives (not just mine). I am amazed that what might take me 15 minutes to communicate and navigate (i.e. a Bible story), a 3:00 minute video can do equally as well. I am not advocating just using media all the time to teach. I am advocating using media to augment your teaching. For better or worse, the students I regularly teach are constantly being shaped and interacting with media. So it is necessary (for me at least) to stay current and constantly fresh in regard to connecting the timeless truths and storyline of Scripture to our current world today (in wisdom of course).
That is one of the reasons why I blog. Most of the media that I come across is found (and linkable) online. As I curate media across the web, I wanted to be able to keep track (and share) the media and such that I come across. A blog is a great way to “post” and “categorize” and “search” these things.
Another reason is exposure. As a children and youth pastor, father/parent, and husband (and all-around good guy!) I come across lots of stories and thoughts related to those arenas of life. Having an online space to share those thoughts and stories that might be relevant to people is helpful. I’ve tried email newsletters, but I don’t like the idea of “invading” people’s inboxes on a consistent basis. This blog is a vehicle to write articles, thoughts, and stories and if people find them helpful then they will come back to this space on their own. There are also a lot of great content out there on the web and other blogs that I love to share with the growing audience on this blog. Again, if people find this helpful, great. It is just another easy way for me to keep track of all the articles and thoughts I write as well as all the ones I find across the internet.
So that’s about it. That’s why I blog. I’m trying to keep it simple. As all things go sometimes, it might grow into more things (as I, personally and professionally, grow into more things) over time. We’ll just have to see, won’t we?
In the meantime, I’m working on some more blog posts about parenting… and as I head into Kids Camp 2011 this next week, I’m sure a few thoughts and posts will come from a week spent with 3rd, 4th and 5th grade students!
Seth Godin & Tom Peters on Blogging (YouTube Link)
A Simple Request: Please Wash Your Hands!
I was at Starbucks the other day and I saw this “instructional” sign in the bathroom and it made me think of something. Now, this might be a little gross, but stay with me for a second.
When I am in the men’s room, whether it is at church, the airport, restaurant, wherever, I can’t tell you how many men DO NOT wash their hands! I have no idea about the statistics with women not washing their hands seeing as how I don’t frequent ladies restrooms! But the men are terrible. I would say in my estimation, that 1 out of every 4 guys actually wash their hands after doing their business.
Now this is gross for any number of applications, but I’m thinking about one in particular. I am a pastor at a fairly large, medium sized church, and as such, I end up shaking many people’s hands over the course of a Sunday morning. If my statistical analysis holds true, then 3 out of every 4 men whose hands I shake haven’t had them sanitized! Gross, eh? Yeah, I know… tell me about it!
So, I have a simple request. It doesn’t take long and it might actually help you stave off the occasional sniffles: PLEASE WASH YOUR HANDS.
UPDATE:
Maybe it should say: “Everyone, please wash your hands before returning life.”
Worship of a Sandwich?
Yes. It is.
I like Jimmy Johns and all (that’s where this photo was taken), but it’s not worthy of worship!
OREO Bible Quiz
At the end of the school year, we have what we call the “OREO Bible Quiz” in Main Street. It’s a blend of an end-of-the-year party along with assessing what the students learned as we navigated through the stories of the Bible the past year. And we leverage the ever-popular OREO cookie to accomplish this.
This year there were 50 questions in the quiz on the stories we covered in Main Street – Year 2. We divided them into two teams. We would ask a question, then whoever stood up first on one of the teams got to try and answer the question. If they get it right, that person comes up front and grabs one OREO cookie out of the box and places it on a table or chair. If the person gets it wrong, then it goes to the other team, and back and forth until one team gets it right. When a team places 5 OREO cookies on their respective table or chair up front, then the whole team gets to come up and grab 1 OREO cookie to eat (we also had milk in the back of the room if anyone wanted to compliment their OREO eating experience the right way!). When a team places the next 5 cookies (which would total 10), then the team gets to grab 2 cookies. All in all, the students ate roughly 5-6 OREO cookies that morning. Not too much!
If my memory serves me well (and sometimes it doesn’t!), we have done this tradition for the last 5 years. The students really like it and the tradition has grown to become a highly anticipated event at the end of the year.
Can I Tell You a Story?
Just like the post below, I believe in the power of a story to teach. I’ve got to admit that as a young parent, it is easy to default to the “lecture” format, but I’ve found that telling a story, whether real or make-believe, has been very powerfully effective. My friend, Jesse Smith, shares some great insights in “Once Upon a Time”:
There once was a little boy…
Long, long ago in a galaxy far, far way…
It was a dark and stormy night…We all recognize these beginning, they are popular beginnings for a story. They immediately peak our interest, there’s something coming, something interesting. Stories have power – they break down barriers, open our hearts, and get us thinking.
As a father, I’ve found that story is one of the best, if not the most powerful, tool I have. When my children have added to the rules, tries to pit mom against dad, or any number of things they’ve often heard a story. Sometimes it’s a story from the Bible and other times its from another source (or just made up) but the message is almost always clarified by story.
Why?
It’s not a lecture
As parents we want our children to not only understand the rules but the reason for those rules. Often our response to an infraction is overly wordy. At a time when the child just wants to escape your wrath a lecture falls on deaf ears – they just want out. A story opens a new world, a place to escape and a place where they have some control.In a story there is a chance to explore both sides, a place to talk about solutions – a place for discussion.
Models
When we have a culture of story telling, our children not only hear stories when there is a problem, but all the time. Stories stick with us and when a similar situation occurs, children have a better idea of what will happen as a result of their choices. They can connect to the characters and that starts of joruney oof wanting to model for others.Stories are natural
Simply put, we’re wired to remember stories. Think about how easy it is for them (or you) to quote their favorite movie or show. They can remember what Blue weeks ago said but not what Mom said 7 seconds ago because stories naturally connect.A Place to Explore
Stories promote thinking. They are a safe place to think about what loss feels like or what it means for a child to be disabled. Children can easily explore their emotions and behaviors without serious consequence.If you’re looking for a place to start, I suggest that you pick up a few story books from your library and have a bed time story. If you feel like they might be too old for a bed time story, read the books yourself. Think about how the story flows so that you can begin to form your own stories so you don’t sound like you’re lecturing all the time.
Then, when you’re ready to go to a new level, pick up The Jesus Storybook Bible. This is, by far, the best storybook bible that I’ve read. It mad me cry more than once. It’s full of great models for our children and could easily become your child’s favorite book.
Another plus is that it’s more theologically sound than many storybook bibles out there. It’s not simply a collection of stories; it’s an overview of the primary theme of scripture.
How could you use stories in your home?
via Coffee With Dad