last week i spent a couple of great days in lexington, ky with some kid’s ministry folks at the first ever children’s ministry expo. the expo was the brain-child of ken dovey and roger fields at kidz blitz . i went partly because i wanted to see what things are coming up the ladder towards student ministry. while there i had a chance to spend some time with alan root. i’ve known alan for about 10 years…and think he’s one smart guy when it comes to understanding where today’s “tweeners” are. take some time and check out this breakout he did the first day…tween ministry with 10 Heads & 20 Feet. those of us in student ministry need to understand more clearly where the hearts of our incoming middle schoolers are in the life of the church and what we need to be inviting them into. after you’ve watched it, please leave a comment would love to start a conversation…and mark your calendar for next year’s cmx, july 7&8, 2011 in lexington, ky.
the “root” of ‘tween ministry – #kidmin
Fatherhood Crisis-winning one dad at a time
this weekend i preached on the question: is there a man in the house? in big church. it was week two of our series on the home. the core focus was on helping men to understand their role as husbands and fathers. and although i didn’t make mention of this image (was saving for week 4) yet a post, entitled In Miami, the Son Also Rises (read whole article here) today by National Review Online editor-at-large Kathryn Jean Lopez offers a reminder that the cultural battle is not yet completely lost. Here’s a clip of Kathryn’s closing thots:
Fatherhood still may be in a state of crisis, but we’re fighting for it, one devoted dad at a time. Drew Brees, fatherhood’s latest poster boy, has struck an inspiring blow for the cause. Like all of us, he’s only human, but there’s great virtue in cheering him on and celebrating the beautiful Super Bowl moment that he shared with his wife and son — and all of us. No paid ad time. No controversy. Only love.
some good folks have set upThe We Love Baby Brees Respect Life Fan Clubon Facebook in honor of Drews good work.
PNO! giving CHRISTmas away…
we’re hosting a PNO ~ (Parents’ Night Out) next week at the outpost. a fun time with the 5-11 year olds. pizza, crafts and games and the new Saint Nicholas video from Veggietales. there’s a fun, cool video with matthew west and amy grant propping samaritan’s purse operation CHRISTmas child program. sit back and enjoy this fun music video. how can you give CHRISTmas away this year
american character, highway 50 and Jesus.
been working through the whole mission and vision thing of being a local church. a task that must be diligently worked on annually. in the tension of that process comes more conversations than i want with good-hearted people who are working through job loss, financial pressures and disharmony in the family. in the midst of this week i learned of a national conversation that former tv news anchor tom brokaw has helped spearhead called characters unite . particularly brokaw set off on a coast to coast roadtrip along US Hwy 50. The full documentary won’t be aired until january 2010 on the one year anniversary of the current president’s inauguration. there are some good video pieces up now that offer a glimpse into the current conversation about our character as a nation. brokaw hosted a townhall on dec. 2 in washington that was incredibly insightful.
one segment especially is enlightening with fellow purpose driven pastor pastor kendall granger
of new life community church in east st. louis
the issue of what is the american character is huge. the mission and vision of the local church is larger, but has to address the brokenness in our land. as a pastor i’m living in it every day with my students and our families. my bride, as a sr high school instructor is living in it with her students. we are living in times that are unparalleled in our nation and even in western civilization. this work by brokaw and the discussion beginning deliberately with the folks at characters unitecan be helpful to stimulate our (yours and mine) response as followers of Christ through our faith community. this is messy stuff. but our failure to engage and offer our response would be messier. i’m hoping yesteday’s townhall gets posted. there were some great questions from students at the end of the 2 hr discussion with the panelists. if that becomes available i’ll add it. your thoughts?
alan root – kids musicianary
alan root on stage at new hope community church
tuesday is the “natal anniversary” (per mr. z @ wcrf) of alan root. i’ve known alan for about 12 years now. he’s become a good friend and i’ve enjoyed watching him grow in his place in the Kingdom. he has such an amazing heart and is able to empower so many to step deeper into the Story and find their place. he’s newest work, the maker and the master (you can click the link to hear it) came today. in fact it was a creative invite to a cd release party right in my own office at the outpost. and you know what?
invite to his cd release party
i’ve already given away my copy…i mean that’s what you do with something that’s this good. so a “tribe” of young boys are dancing their hearts out as i type. so cool. so i’d heartily encourage you to do three things today…head over and take a listen yourself and sign up for his newsletter. you can also drop by his blog and leave a comment (maybe he’ll blog a little more often if he knows we’re interested) and tell him how grateful so many are for his ministry to the “tweeners” and how even as adults we find his music a blessing. alan root is still a great secret.
check this out
