All Pro Dad

All Pro Dad is a great website with lots of tools and insight for fathers.  (See iMom for a related site for mothers; both sites are programs of Family First, out of Tampa, Florida.)  The goal is to help Dads do their most important job better.

You can sign up for the Play of the Day, "the most popular and most read daily fatherhood e-mail in the world."  Each email will have brief direction and inspiration, as well as links for additional reading if you so choose.

There is also a database of Top 10 lists, such as:

• 10 Specific Compliments to Give Your Children
• 10 Ways to Talk to Your Children about Sex
• 10 Ways to Earn the Trust of Your Wife
• 10 Ways to Be Financially Secure

Let us know if you signed up by leaving a comment here, to encourage others to do the same.

Meet Our Volunteers: Chris & Dorsey Ward

Dorsey Ward, mom of 3 young children and a long-time volunteer in our Nursery programming, says this about her husband,

"Chris thinks that if he keeps me serving in the nursery, it will be keep me from wanting a fourth baby, because it will fulfill my need to love on newborns!"

While that maybe a valid motivation, this couple also mentions another great reason to serve in Children's Ministry, "the opportunity to meet and build relationships with others parents that have children the same ages as their children." 

You can read more about their story, and how else they are being used by God to pour into others, on our Meet the Volunteers page.

Preschool Curriculum: God is Love

"Love the Lord your God with all your heart, 

and love your neighbor as yourself."

Luke 10:27

Starting this upcoming weekend, and continuing past Thanksgiving, we will have a series studying the divine attribute of Love in our Preschool programming.  All of us, kids and adults, are called to love others, not just because it is a good thing to do, but out of a worship response towards God's love for us.  We will use the account of the Good Samaritan to help our kids understand what it means to "love your neighbor."  Here is the Leader Prep material for this series:

Despite all our technology, we live in a very disconnected world.  We become so consumed with our own lives that we often become blind and isolated from the world around us.  It is in the midst of that reality that God calls us to "love our neighbor as yourself." 

Over the next few weeks we will be sharing the story of the Good Samaritan (Luke 10:23-37).  During this unit we will also be giving our children an opportunity to apply what they are learning to their own lives by collecting donations for our less-fortunate neighbors.  As Jesus points out int his parable, it is not enough to just know the commandments; we must also live them out.

There are many reasons why we fail to love our neighbors as ourselves.  One of the biggest reasons is that we just don't see them.  We're so busy with our own needs that we don't even notice the needs of others.  This leads to another reason for our failure -- pride.  Our love of self has poisoned us to see the needs of others as interruptions instead of amazing opportunities to be a part of God's plan.  And often we fail because of fear -- fear of sacrifice, fear of discomfort, fear of being taken advantage of, fear of rejection.

Whatever the reason for our failure, the answer is a better understanding of God's love for us.  God acted on His love for us by providing a way of salvation through His Son, despite our unworthiness.  His love is freely given, with no strings attached.  And He did all of this for His own glory -- so that He would be praised, not us.  Our compassion for others is merely a reflection of God's love, mercy, and grace in our own lives. 

As you prepare to share this lesson with your class, first spend some time meditating on the love of God.  What blessings has He poured on you?  What has He saved you from?  Then ask Him to show you how to share that amazing love with the people He has brought into your life.  

As always, you can see our curriculum outline on our website.

image courtesy of Billy Alexander via sxc.hu

300

No, we're not talking about the movie about the brave Spartans.  We're referring to the fact that this is the 300th post on this blog, in just under two years.  We are now averaging 700-800 views per month, along with dozens of followers and subscribers.  Thanks for your support!

To celebrate, we are going to give away gift cards, and you have two ways to win:

1. To enter to win a $15 gift card to Chick-Fil-A, leave a comment on this post that includes your favorite kids movie of all time.  Be sure to include your contact info, in case you are selected as a winner.
2. To enter to win a $15 gift card to Moe's, subscribe via email through the FeedBurner link (located to the right, near the top); you must activate your feed by clicking on the link in your email.  If you are already a subscriber, you do not have to do it again; we'll include you.

You can try for both, but only once for each contest.  The contest closes on Thursday, November 18.  It just takes a couple of minutes of your time, for a chance at a free meal!

Also, don't forget to follow us on Facebook, too.

Let's hear those movie titles!

(Update:  See the winners here.)

Is God Sovereign Over Disability?

Of course He is!  John Knight writes: 

"God's sovereignty doesn't mean he merely permits disability. . . .  [H]e sovereignly intends it, both for his glory and for our good." 

See this article on Desiring God blog for the full answer.  In this article, note his creative paraphrase of Psalm 139:13-16, with specific descriptions of disabilities.

Camp Grace Curriculum: Following Jesus

This coming weekend in our Camp Grace (1st - 4th grade) programming, we will be learning about what it looks like to believe in and follow Jesus.  From John 1:35-51 and Luke 5:1-11, we'll look at how the disciples left everything behind in order to follow Christ.  Of course, this not only applies to our elementary-age campers, but for our Children's Ministry leaders as well.  In our Leader Prep section, we remind them that they need to be open to hearing God speak, and to be willing to leave behind their plans in order to receive God's plans for them.

Additionally, we need to remember that our goal must not be to make disciples for ourselves, but that we must point others to Jesus, so they can follow Him.  Here's an excerpt from this week's Leader Prep:

"As you read John 1:35-36, notice how John's disciples left John to follow Jesus.  As we seek to disciple our campers, keep in mind that our desire is to point them to Jesus.  We want them to see their sin and realize that Jesus is their only hope.  We do not want to create disciples for ourselves; we want to prepare our campers to recognize, believe in, and follow Jesus."

As you go through this week, think about ways that you can point others to Jesus.  That was John the Baptist's purpose; let it be yours, too.

12 Good Blogs for Those Who Lead Children

Besides the "Related Links" to the right (and besides this blog, of course), here are a few blogs that we like, according to general categories:

For Children's Ministry Programming

1. Growing Kids Ministry.  "A place to share stories, resources, and ideas."
2. Ministry to Children.  Tons of resources.
3. The Inclusive Church.  For special needs ministry in a church.
4. Relevant Children's Ministry.  Lots of great thoughts from a Children's Ministry veteran.

For Parents

1. Shepherd Press.  Great articles for Gospel-centered parenting.
2. Been There Learned That.  Random and helpful tips.
3. A Different Way.  "Rethinking how we disciple the next generation."
4. Creation Inspirations.  Helping people (adults and kids) see the glory of God through His creation.

For Spiritual Formation

1. The Gospel Coalition.  As the name implies, deep Gospel-centered theology.
2. The Resurgence.  Clear and simple theology.
3. Stuff Christians Like.  Truth, mixed with humor.
4. Desiring God.  From John Piper.

Any other blogs that you like that fit into one of these categories?  We especially are looking for more blogs and websites that have a Gospel-centered (not just values-centered) approach to parenting.