Playing for Keeps - Orange Tour 2013

One day.

One day that you and your team come together to hear breakthrough ideas.

One day having conversations about making an impact on the lives of children and teens.

One day could change everything for your family ministry team.

The Orange Tour 2013 kicks off this Fall and this year's theme is 

Playing for Keeps.

"Whether you’re aware of it or not, time is moving.

You can’t stop it. You can’t slow it down. You can’t change it. 

The number of weeks you have to influence a child or teenager is limited.

That’s why what you do THIS WEEK matters.

You have a short window of opportunity to make a permanent imprint on the soul of a child. You have a limited number of days to help start someone on a journey of authentic and life-long faith.

You are playing for keeps."

The Orange Tour 2013 will be heading to 12 cities around the country to lead the conversation about how we can make every week count. There will be main sessions and workshops with fantastic speakers like Mark Batterson, Jeff Henderson, Carey Nieuwhof, Sue Miller, and Reggie Joiner.

There's more (as if that's not enough)!

Something new this year is a bonus volunteer training event the night before that everyone with an Orange Tour ticket can attend. This training session focuses on the LEAD SMALL principles and give practical ideas on being an effective small group leader.

Registration opens TODAY!

So head on over and register you and your team now.

$49 includes lunch and the night-before volunteer training event. 

This price is good for one day only. The price will increase as the events get closer. 

For more information, visit www.OrangeTour.org.

Seriously...go register now.

We're playing for keeps.

My Three Things From Orange

It's been three weeks since the Orange Conference and there was so much to process after coming home. Since I was the only one from our children's ministry team that was able to attend, it was my job to bring all of what I learned home to share with everyone. Knowing that attending Orange is like drinking from a fire hose for days, I had to process before passing on anything. Sam Luce gave me some great advice the first year I attended the conference when I explained that I was a bit overwhelmed. He said to pick three things that I learned and work on those. I went to work on writing up everything on what I wanted to share and presented them to our director.

So here are my three things.

All three things are from from Gina McClain's workshop.

Gina had spoken about how essential it is to highlight the win by sharing stories. These stories will communicate what is important, that there are valuable things happening, and could potentially be an invitation to get involved. 

Prior to Orange our team had briefly spoken about doing some videos to share with the church during service, but they were mostly going to be informational. What I suggested is that we create videos that would tell the stories of why we serve and all that God is doing in the lives of our kids. Informational videos while necessary and definitely useful, often only engage those who actually have children in our ministry. So in addition to the series promotional videos, we are also sharing the stories that we hope will reach everyone.

Gina expressed the responsibility we have to empower our small group leaders with clear goals and values. That everyone should know what to do and how to do it, what is a priority, and what is expected of them. 

The most common ways of communicating these goals and values are a handbook and verbally giving these directions. We had been doing well verbally, but needed to update our handbook for our adult volunteers and create one for our junior volunteers. We took this a step further and wanted to create one not only for small group leaders, but for all leaders in our ministry. We have just finished our junior volunteer handbook and are currently working on one for the adults.

Gina discussed helping small group leaders to think small and that how they are equipped matters. She spoke of empowering small group leaders by giving them a roster of the kids in their group and explaining that these are the ones to know, love on, and pray for each week.

We want our small group leaders to take ownership of their groups and this is a fantastic way to do that. We have completed the roster and are working on additional information to provide leaders including addresses and birthdays of each child. Not only will this provide a list of children to pray for each week, but will also allow them to connect and build relationships outside of Sundays.

These are just a few things I brought home to share with our team that we are currently working on applying to our ministry.

What were your takeaways from Orange?

How are you implementing them?

Have you checked out the great deal on the Expanded Trial Curriculum Package yet?

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2 months of First Look Preschool Curriculum.

2 months of 252 Basics Children's Curriculum.

3 week series from XP3 Student Curriculum.

Environment enhancements, an Orange strategy video, and your very own Orange Specialist.

ALL for $29!

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This deal is only available until June 30th, so don't wait!

Pay It Forward

Each Sunday I gather a group of girls in a circle

sharing Jesus and loving on them. 

I listen to their hopes and dreams shared bravely

and their prayers lifted with open hands and hearts.

These are my moments to pay it forward.

I look into these beautiful faces bursting with anticipation 

for all God has in store for them 

and pour words of love and encouragement into their hearts.

I tell them...

The most important thing you can 

and will ever do is love God with all you are.

You must love the Lord your God with all your heart,

all your soul, and all your strength.

Deuteronomy 6:5

You are precious, honored, and loved by Him far beyond measure.

Others were given in exchange for you.
I traded their lives for yours
because you are precious to me.
You are honored, and I love you.
Isaiah 43:4

You may get frightened or discouraged along the way, but you need to 

remember that He will be with you to give strength and courage.

This is my command—be strong and courageous! 

Do not be afraid or discouraged. 

 For the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.

Joshua 1:9

There may be steps along the path that you don't understand,

but trust Him with each one and to look to Him to lead the way. 

Trust in the Lord with all your heart;

do not depend on your own understanding.

Seek his will in all you do,

and he will show you which path to take.

Proverbs 3:5-6

You should lift everything up to Him in prayer, find joy in every moment 
of the journey with Him, and give thanks over and over again for it all.

Always be joyful. Never stop praying. 
Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will 
for you who belong to Christ Jesus.
1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

He prepares the way and has His hand on you.

You go before me and follow me.
You place your hand of blessing on my head.
Psalm 139:5

It is important to remember that everything is from Him, through Him, and for Him. 
It is all for His glory. Everything should point to Him.

For from him and through him and for him are all things. 
To him be the glory forever! Amen.
Romans 11:36

These are just a few of the truths that I get to speak into their lives. 
Then I am blessed to watch God work in them and through them.

We will not hide these truths from our children;
we will tell the next generation
about the glorious deeds of the Lord,
about his power and his mighty wonders.
Psalm 78:4

Isn't that really what it's all about anyway?
This legacy of truth we so long to pass on to our children.
We pay forward these words that give life 
to our dreams that God has placed in our hearts. 
All for His glory.

Empowering and encouraging to dream God-sized dreams.
I not only am blessed to do this for my sons in the every day,
but also for these precious girls that God has placed in my life.

That's part of my God-sized dream for sure.

How are you paying it forward?

My friend Holley Gerth invited me to join a group of dreamers that she affectionately calls her God Sized Dream Team. What a blessing to be part of this group. 

We will be gathering each week on Tuesdays at Holley's to encourage each other to dream those God sized dreams.

Won't you join us?

What is your God-sized dream?

Holley had written a love letter to dreamers. Her book You're Made for a God-Sized Dream is full of words of encouragement and will speak to your heart.

Blessings,

Coaching the Small Group Leader - Gina McClain

Gina is a fantastic friend and I love hearing her heart for small group leaders.

Today I attended her workshop

Coaching the Small Group Leader

Here are my notes.

How to Best Coach Your Small Group Leaders

Clear Goals. Clear Values.

Goals tell people where we are going. Goals give them direction and something to focus on.

Values are the behaviors that you want your small group leader to embrace.

They are a foundational piece that must be in place.

Why are goals and values important?

Empowering

Their responsibility is to equip God’s people to do his work

and build up the church, the body of Christ.

Ephesians 4:12

Ways clear goals and values empower

Knowledge

What do you want me to do and how do you want me to do it?

Priorities

Small group leaders are inundated with information.  

Let them know what the bottom line is that you want the kids to leave knowing. 

Make sure they know that prayer time is important.

Expectations

Sit down and actually tell them what is expected.

What’s ok and what’s not.

Language

Give them the words that communicate the values you want them to embrace. 

You can use the ones shared in Lead Small.

If you create your own – keep it memorable and simple.

Have a strategy to cultivate your goals and values.

What sows your goals and values into your ministry?

They have to encounter them every way every time they serve.

Prioritize your influence

You speak into their lives.

You leverage influence of your key influencers.

Invest time. Invest vision. Invest heart.

Highlight the win

Share stories with your small group leaders, parents, and your Pastor.

When you highlight the win you communicate what is most important.

Communicates that there are valuable things happening there and I want to be involved.

That parent is potentially a small group leader. They just haven’t said yes yet. Telling a story can make the yes happen.

Ask the right question

How did it go? Vs. how did the kids connect with the story?

This will cause them to not only look at what they’ve done but also how they will lead in the future.

Help them think small

How you equip them matters.

Supplies, information, and kids

Supplies (communicates for the group of ten rather than all kids)

Information (communicate what matters most – bottom line, prayer time, connections made in group) kids (roster of kids for each sgl – those are your kids. They know who they are connecting with and praying for each week. Love on these kids and really know them.)

They won’t fully invest in their 10 the way I want them to until I give them the 10.

Area matters.

Large rooms vs classrooms

Emphasize small within the big (greatest tool – rug for each small group)

Deepening your bench

Find your best equippers.

They can help build your 2nd string. 

(pair them up with new leaders. They can explain what we do and why we do it.) 

They become stronger leaders.

Develop a culture of invitation.

Make it part of what you do – constantly invite.

Church wide vs ministry specific.

Gina McClain is originally from Broken Arrow, Oklahoma. A graduate of the University of Central Oklahoma, she worked in International Banking before joining the staff of LifeChurch.tv in 1999 where she remained for over a decade. Currently, Gina is the Children’s Ministry Director at Faith Promise Church in Knoxville, Tennessee. Gina is driven by the idea of equipping parents for the journey of teaching their kids how to follow Christ. Based upon her experience as a mom, she identifies with the everyday challenges parents wade through. Gina and her husband, Kyle, have three kids, Keegan, Josie and Connor.
Blog: www.GinaMcClain.com
Twitter: @gina_mcclain

Desperate - A MUST READ for Mommas

Sarah Mae and Sally Clarkson have written a book - 

Desperate: Hope for the Mom Who Needs to Breathe. 

One to speak to our momma hearts. 

I recommend this book for every momma and not just the ones expecting

or ones with tinies, but mommas in every stage of parenting.

You can read my Desperate Momma story here.

The Kindle version of Desperate is on sale today only for $3.99

and you can get it here. Seriously, go now.

If you've been thinking of starting a book study of Desperate, this week would be a fantastic time to get the books. If you buy five *paperback* copies of Desperate this week (through Friday) you can get the Desperate DVD for FREE! Go HERE (or your favorite store) to get the books! Then just take a picture or scan your receipt and send it to: desperatebook@thomasnelson.com

To celebrate the release of the Desperate DVD, Sarah and Sally are giving away a $100 GC to a maid service, a Yankee candle (winner's choice), a "breathe" custom necklace, 5 books, and a DVD. You can enter at sarahmae.com or itakejoy.com.

 

Friends...believe me when I tell you that this book is simply a gift from these two incredible women. It is a gift you can receive and one to give away as well. Buy one for yourself and get another for your friend. Buy one for every momma in your church or a momma you might encounter through your day.

Blessings,

A Peek Into My Small Group

I have had a few people as me what small group looks like for me in our children's ministry. I lead a small group of girls in third through fifth grade.

Here is a peek into my small group.

We are dismissed from large group time to break out into our small groups. One of my girls will grab our small group bucket which contains our activities and supplies. As we gather in our circle, I will ask how everyone's week was and if anyone has something about it that they would like to share. Now in a group of girls this could take some time, so I usually limit it to just a couple of stories.

I ask everyone to open their Bibles so that we can read our Bible verse together and talk more about it. For example, this past weekend our Bible verse was Proverbs 3:5, so I first asked if Proverbs was in the Old or New Testament. As the girls were looking up the Bible verse, I told them about Solomon and how he asked God for wisdom and that Proverbs was written to share that wisdom. We will then read the verse aloud a few times as not everyone has the same translation and the girls enjoy reading how it is worded in their Bibles. Then I asked the girls what they think it means to trust God with all of their heart. Then I asked the girls if we should only trust God for some things and not others. Then I asked what it means to them when the verse tells us not to depend on our own understanding. We listened to everyone's answers and discussed each of them. We do this on a regular basis with our weekly Bible verses.

At this time we will move on to our activity provided with our curriculum. Sometimes I will add a craft to our activities which the girls can take home as a reminder of what they have learned and a way to share with their families. This past week we made beaded bracelets with a heart on them to remind us of our Bible verse. This activity time is when my girls are most talkative. They share about what is happening in their lives, talk about our Bible story, and really connect with each other. 

I guide the conversation by asking questions, but for the most part I am listening more than talking during this time.

Towards the end of our time together, I ask the girls if they have any prayer requests. We listen as each one shares. I repeat each one and remind the girls to be praying for each other through the week. The girls will also share any answered prayers during this time. Then we pray together. I ask the girls if they would like to pray out loud and explain that no one has to do so. We do "tap a knee" circle praying. Once a girl is done praying, she will tap the knee of the girl beside her. If someone doesn't want to pray aloud, then she will tap the knee of the girl beside her. This goes on until the circle comes back to me and then I will close the prayer.

Most times the girls are released to their families from our small group. If we happen to have time left before pick up, then I usually break out playing cards (Uno is our favorite right now) or blank paper and colored pencils (I get lots of artwork to hang on my fridge this way). We continue our conversations in the extra time.

Although I am a big believer in planning and preparing for each week, there have been times when the Holy Spirit has prompted me to put all plans aside in our time together. This happened once when one of my girls shared that they were being bullied in school. We spent our time in group discussing this issue and I watched these girls encourage and love on each other. You can't plan those moments.

I love these sweet girls and am so very blessed to be part of their lives. They are smart and funny and sassy and so very precious. In this circle, I have watched them grow in their faith, love on each other, and become a tribe.

What does small group look like for you?

Blessings, 

10 Must Read Kidmin Books

Here are ten must read books I recommend 

to those leading and serving in children's ministry.

Making Your Children's Ministry the Best Hour of Every Kid's Week

Sue Miller and David Staal

Transforming Children Into Spiritual Champions

George Barna

Think Orange

Reggie Joiner

The Fabulous Reinvention of Sunday School

Aaron Reynolds

Shepherding a Child's Heart

Tedd Tripp

Building Children's Ministry

Tina Houser

Deep & Wide

Andy Stanley

Children's Ministry Volunteers That Stick

Jim Wideman

Leadership Essentials for Children's Ministry

Craig Jutila

Lead Small

Reggie Joiner and Tom Shefchunas

What other books would you add to the list?

Blessings,

Riding the Rollercoaster

Leading a small group of preteen girls is both rewarding and challenging. They are in that in-between stage and learning how to navigate new waters and we are part of the journey they are taking between child and teenager. Part of this new path is changing hormones and the emotions that accompany them. 

A preteen girl’s emotions can be up one minute and down another. 

This rollercoaster of feelings can sometimes manifest itself in bouts of tears.

Here are four pointers in dealing with this kind of emotional outburst:

◦Deal with it. Don’t ignore it or trivialize it. The situation may seem silly, but to a girl in the midst of the outburst it can be scary and overwhelming.

◦Talk about it. Taking the girl aside and giving her a chance to share how she is feeling and helping her identify why she is feeling that way is a huge help.

◦Normalize it. Reassure her that what she is feeling is normal for her age. Let her know that other girls are going through this same thing.

◦Pray about it. Take this time to pray with her and for her. Let her know that God wants to hear how she is feeling and will be there for her.

Part of being a small group leader of preteen girls is riding this rollercoaster with them. We are here to support and encourage them along the way.

I wouldn’t trade a moment of it and am so blessed 
to be a part of my small group girls’ lives.

Blessings,

My Heart Beats for This One

She smiles at me under her lowered eyes as she enters the room each week. She hugs so tight yet whispers her hello to me. She moves into the room slowly with shuffling feet. She stands back from the crowd of boisterous girls with such longing in her face. She doesn't join in the chatter and giggles. During worship she sways back and forth singing praise to Him low enough that you would have to bend down to hear her voice. And then we gather in our circle to talk more about our lesson that day. She hesitates to raise her hand to answer a question. 

But today...such boldness. When I asked my girls for prayer requests, her hand shot up and she told us about her papaw who is sick. When the time came for this circle of girls to pray, her head bowed and her hands opened in front of her. In that moment when she would usually tap the knee of the girl sitting next to her, she instead prayed this quiet reverent prayer to Jesus. With each word offered, her hands raised a bit higher to Him. She didn't hesitate. She didn't whisper. 

This brave, sweet girl raised her voice to a God she knows, asking Him for healing. Thanking Him in advance for all He is going to do. Thanking Him for the girls sitting in the circle. Asking Him to answer all of their prayers today. Thanking Him for the gift of me.

Oh my precious girl. 

I wept. My heart overflowing. Knowing that she knows Him. That she lifts her hands to Him. That she doesn't stand back from His presence, but enters boldly before Him.

My hearts beats for this one today.

 Jesus said, “Let the little children come to me..."
Matthew 19:14 

Around the Tables Again

Today I am joining Lisa-Jo and friends for Five Minute Friday.

This is where we come together writing for 5 minutes without editing or overthinking.

I love this community.

Check out what everyone's is sharing on the word AGAIN here.




We are gathered around the tables again. 
This group of women. This group of mommas.
My friends. My sisters.
We bow our heads in prayer together.
Inviting Him into this space we share. 
We open our Bibles and read aloud the Word.
Seeking Him.
Wanting to know more of Him.
Together.
We talk of things that are usually held inside.
And know that we aren't alone.
We are sharing the deepest parts of our hearts.
And know that we are loved.
Around the tables again.
We end our time together bowing once again in prayer.
For each other. For our families.
Bringing to Him all things.
We hesitate to leave this place.
A sacred place.
On the way home, I weep.
Thanking Him for the gift of you all.
Thanking Him.
For our time around the tables again.

Every time I think of you, I give thanks to my God.
I always pray for you, and I make my requests
with a heart full of joy.
Philippians 1:3-4 

Blessings,

My God Sized Dream

I have sat down at the computer about a thousand times in the last week to write this post about my dream. I wouldn't have guessed how hard it would be to actually put it into words, but I have to admit that it has been a struggle.

I have been serving in Children's Ministry for some years now and I absolutely LOVE it. I have the privilege of loving on and sharing Jesus with an amazing group of kids each week. There is nothing like it. Or so I thought.

A few months ago God opened a door for me to lead a Bible study for moms. To say that I was scared is definitely putting it lightly. I am more than comfortable leading a small group of 4th and 5th grade girls, but to lead a group of women was totally out of my comfort zone. 
So I did it scared.

Something happened those first couple of weeks that I just can't find the words to explain. Sitting around this table with these moms...God broke my heart. Not just for them, but for the moms of our church and the moms of our community.
The moms who hide behind the busy and get lost in the laundry.
The moms who feel discouraged and alone.
The moms who are seeking God and long for community.

My God sized dream is to be part of making that happen. 
A community of moms doing life together.

I don't know what that looks like or how it will happen, but I know that He does.
I am trusting Him to lead the way.

What I do know is: 

I believe God has created and called me to love and encourage 
children and moms through shepherding, teaching, and writing.

My friend Holley Gerth invited me to join a group of dreamers that she affectionately calls her God Sized Dream Team. What a blessing to be part of this group. 

We will be gathering each week on Tuesdays at Holley's to encourage each other and you to dream those God sized dreams.

Won't you join us?
What is your God sized dream?

Blessings,