We have a daycare that runs in our church.  I spend time with the kids in the daycare on occasion and I do a chapel once a week.  Over time I have gotten to know some of the children really well. 

We have this one child who is raised by his grandmother and we have recently seen some disturbing behavior.  He is usually such a sweet child and then recently he has not wanted to participate in anything and wants to answer every question in the most negative way he can think of.  Sometimes he exhibits some violent behavior but not all the time.  We have found a few techniques work well in getting him to respond but they require more attention then a teacher with a group of kids would be able to offer.

Just last week his behavior had escalated to acting up even when his grandmother came to pick him up.  He refused to go and because he is such a large child they had to get me to come pick him up and put him in the car.

This got me and the director talking about all the possibilities.  We discussed the possibility of him being a drug baby, autism, defiant disorder, bipolar, depression, along with many other options.  We did finally get a good confirmation when a teacher who had been out sick came back.  She has a much more vocal and stern approach then the teacher that had been with him over the last few weeks.  At one point while she was sitting near him and making motions with her hands the child flinched.  This happened a second time. 

Our conclusion is that he might have been having a bad day or maybe he is a drug baby and that can be frustrating.   An adult in his life must have been frustrated and made the ultimate mistake.  One hit is all it takes.  A child can tell when your hitting to punish (spanking) or hitting out of anger.  Hitting out of anger will create a fear in that child that never really goes away.  The child then walks around on egg shells hoping to not make anyone mad because their natural tendency is to please people.  This tension can cause depression or a number of other problems that will ultimately affect the way they live their lives. 

One mistake can be devastating... Do you know how to walk away?

As parents we will all get frustrated and we will have those times on the edge.  All good parents know that consistency is important so they try and finish what they started and they get closer to the edge.  Is it better to lose consistency for a moment to assure that you don’t make that devastating mistake?  I say it is.  I know we "must" deal with the problems as they happen and that doing it 15 minutes later is not a good option but sometimes you have to make that sacrifice.  When you see yourself doing something in your head or you have flashes of rage where you just wish the kid would understand then its time to step away.  If you find yourself yelling, gritting your teeth, anything that is obvious signs you are tinkering on the edge of anger then you need to step away.  Come back and deal with the problem in a few minutes.  No one is above abuse.  It happens to the very same parents who are appalled by the thought of someone beating their child.  It’s these same people who toy on the edge of anger because they don’t worry about what they will do.  Never ever punish a child while you’re angry.  You may have to tell them they did wrong and send them somewhere so that you can cool down and think of an appropriate punishment but never decide on the punishment while you are angry.

The biggest thing to remember is that you are not above it.  Be cautious and be proactive to prevent it.  Make sure you handle your anger well and you can even be honest with your child about your anger.  Let them see how you deal with anger and they may have a good example to live by.

The church I am working with now is the second church I have been a staff member of.  Something they did recently really makes me love working here.  While I was working for the old church in South Carolina I felt like I didn't know the members of the congregation as well as I would have hoped.  The same is often true of this new church.  It’s the nature of children's ministry to be secluded from the rest of the church.  Not long ago right before I was about to tell a story to the kids some of the members of the church came into the room and told me they needed me in the sanctuary.  They had a couple people stay in the room and watch my kids while I went.  When I arrived I was called up to the front with all the other pastors and some of the members of the church brought us each a basket with a pen and a plaque.  The plaque was basically a letter from the member saying how much they appreciated what we were doing.  Each letter was unique to the pastor and I have to say I never felt so appreciated.  It’s not the stuff it’s that they pulled me out of service to tell me that they loved me.  The old church never seemed to notice unless something went wrong.  When a church calls you out for a good job it just strikes you as different.  Pastors get called constantly with all the improvements they can make but not often with a thank you.  What have you said to your pastor recently?

Each week we have training for all the people who work with our kids.  It gives us a chance to get ready for the week, to pray for each other and to train in some area of children's ministry.  This past week we prepared and then practiced a song we will be singing with the kids the next few weeks.  After we were all tired out I had them sit down and told this story. (I’m an animated story teller so you will not get the full effect but I hope you get the purpose behind it)

Once upon a time a long long time ago there was a Duke who loved to be praised.  He tried his hand at many things but he never did anything halfway.  He always got the best stuff to learn and had the best teachers.  He was never satisfied with a skill until he was the best. 

After watching an archery tournament he decided that he would try his hand at it.  He hired the best teachers from all over the world and bought the most expensive hand made bow he could find.  He practiced day and night trying to achieve his goal.  He wanted to shoot the arrow into the bull’s-eye every time. 

After many many hours of practice he would hit the bull’s-eye sometimes but not every time.  He would pull the bow back and release and sometimes it would hit but sometimes it would miss.  Sometimes by a lot and sometimes by just a bit.  He was frustrated that he just couldn't seem to achieve his goal.  He tried many things but nothing seemed to work.

One day he decided to travel to see another trainer.  He hoped that this one would have the answer for him.  He got into his carriage and started on the long journey to find this archer that lived deep in the woods. 

The people who went with him began to get hungry and as they approached a small cottage they decided they would stop and ask for food and lodging for the evening.  As they got closer the Duke caught sight of a barn outside the house.  He stared and stared.  On the side of the barn were three targets and right in the center of the three targets was one arrow.  He was amazed at the skill this must have taken and was excited to meet the great archer who shot those arrows.

They all went inside and had a nice meal with the family.  After the meal was over the Duke could not bare it anymore.  He stood up and asked "Who was the great archer who shot those arrows into the barn?” 

The family responded a bit timidly but pushed forward a young boy of maybe 9years old.  The Duke was shocked but humbled himself to ask if the boy would show him how it was done.  The boy agreed and they went outside.

They both stood there in front of the barn and the boy said "Now you do what I do".  The boy pulled the bow back, closed his eyes and released the arrow.   The arrow flew through the air and struck the barn with a surprising force. 

Suddenly the boy dropped the bow and ran toward the barn.  He stopped at the corner and picked up a bucket of paint.  He approached the place where the arrow hit and painted his target around the arrow...

That was the story I told them.  After that I talked to them for a bit about how we expect something to happen with the kids we work with.  We have goals and ambitions for what we want to teach them that day.  This story helps to remind us that it’s more important to appreciate what you actually hit.  Don’t be upset when things don’t go as expected.  The teachable moments are the places where the arrow actually hits not where you wanted to hit.  These are the things that are really important.  Make sure that when you experience the teachable moment that you redefine the target/goal.

Ive had a few chats with the person who sent me that email.  Now we plan to pray for each other and share ideas.  The vision she has for her children and family ministy sounds similar to ours so I think we will have plenty to share with each other.  I also believe the best prayer partners are ones that understand what the other one is going through.  God can create something out of nothing.  Good stuff.

 Today I recieved an email from a lady named Lindsay in the UK.  I had given up on this site because I figured no one actually read what I wrote.  Today I find out that is not true.  She emailed me to find out more about that service I did for the family about Noah and the Ark.  I hope I can help her but I just wanted to post on here today to say what an encouragement that is. 

Our first family service went really well.  We didn't have very many people come but everyone came up to me after the service very excited.  They all expressed their desire for a service made for them as parents.  We all need help in parenting.  We all need a set of fresh eyes for perspective and some new ideas to shape the way we do things.  I believe this will be a great ministry for the children.  What more could we do for the children then effect their daily routine?  If we can help the parents to do "church" at home then we may not see some of these awful statistics next time.

Here is our updated children's ministry page 

http://embrace-ministries.org/webapps/Embrace/approot/public/childrens/childrens_main.jsp

Over the last couple days I have been working on a video for the introduction of the family service this weekend.  Its been funny to watch my sister get these ah-ha momments as she watched me. 

One of the things I do on a regular basis to keep up to date on what will work with kids is to watch all the things they watch.  It gives me all the up to date research for free.  You see, all these companies like Disney and Nick put millions of dollars into research every year.  They really do know what works and what dosen't.  The evidence?  Well, what are your kids watching?  So people poke fun at me for watching movies and kid's shows constantly.  I call it research but they don't understand.  This week my sister finally did.

The subject for the weekend is Noah's ark and we have to put on a production that kids and parents will both enjoy.  The first few momments will make or break the whole show, so an intro video is usually the way to go. 

Well this video starts with a booming voice that says "Noah....Noah.  Its going to rain."  then Noah pulls out an umbrella and the voice says "No...I mean its going to flood." Then Noah pulls out a float and the voice says "No...No I mean its going to flood like you have never seen."  The next part is where my sister got her ah-ha momment.  It has a picture of a field and says "If you build it they will come" and then a couple clips of someone building.  A narrator's voice comes on and says "Noah built the ark but all of his friends laughed at him."  Then it shows a short clip of the hyenas from Lion King laughing.  It has a clip of the Perfect Storm intro that says "A fury nature had never unleashed" and shows lots of storms.  Just as the storm gets really intense the intro to Gilligan's island comes on with the theme song and video of the boat rocking.  As the Gilligan song gets to the crew part a voice breaks in that says "A year on this boat and this is your crew."  We have animals dressed up for each part.  A dog in a suit for the billionare and so on.  The movie ends with a bird dancing to the end of the Gilligan's Island theme song.

I say all this to say, my sister finally understood why I spend so much time educating myself on what kids watch.  I now have a very funny video that will get both children and adults laughing and interested in what is about to happen.  Im not suggesting that you do this the way I do.  As homeschool parents you don't have to keep track of what hundreds of kids are watching but you do need to know what your kids are watching.  Take the time to watch the things they do and when and if you can make an example from something that has become dear to them, you will be supprised by the response you get.  Look for teachable momments while you are watching but if you don't see any don't worry.  Next time when you are trying to teach your child something use their favorite character as an example and that will have the same effect. 

Before I sign off let me give you an example from the Lion King.  While talking with a child who looked very scared, I realized they had done something and they were scared I would be angry.  Sometimes kids can be that way if they are often scolded by their parents, sometimes even if its just been a bad day for them.  I asked the child if he had seen the Lion King.  When I knew that we had common ground I asked him about the begining when Simba went somewhere he shoudn't have.  I asked him how Simba's father acted.  We talked through that scene for a bit and he understood that someone can be upset at an action and not be upset at the person.  Simba's dad still loved Simba even though  Simba did something wrong.  You can easily use something like this to talk about how God feels about our sin as well.  Hope that helps.

Just got back from the confrence in Atlanta.  We went to Andy Stanley's church and learned about how they are doing a family service.  There was some good information there.  I had my senior pastor and the worship pastor with me.  They now understand what I mean by family service and it was a great chance for them to get a visual of what it looks like.

This weekend we will be making our first attempt at a family service.  Basically what will happen is we will have regular service but then after service is over the pastor will announce that the kids are going to be coming over for this family service. 

1.) While the kids are on their way a timer like this one http://www.sermonspice.com/cart/?p=product&id=382

will show up on the screen. 

2.)After the timer is up a short intro video will come up.  This week we are doing Noah's ark so we have a little comic video that will come up with the theme song from Giligans island.  It has clips of animals doing all sorts of funny things and says "Imagine a Year of this"  I cant do it justice with words but I promise its funny. 

3.)Then we will have someone come on stage and there will be comic tention between what you would call the credible witness and the goof (the goof is usually me).  For example I will be dragging a big toy box up and making a fuss about finding the ark.  A clown (the credible witness haha) will tell me that is not the ark and I will prove it by showing all the big animals I fit in it.  I will pull out stuffed animals as I talk about how big it is so it must be the ark.  The clown tells me she has a book with the story in it and then I turn it over to the clowns. "Fine if you know it so well you tell them".

4.) After this some sort of example teaching will happen.  The purpose of this is to show the parents how we take what they learned and make it come alive for the kids.  We want to equip the parents to be what the bible tells them to do.  For this week the clowns will put on a nice show with lots of noise and funny lines but often times it will be more low key like the telling of a story or a skit.

5.) Wrap it up happens at the end.  The end is a chance for someone to come up and say a few things to pull everything they learned into one last point.  Its a chance to show how these things apply to their lives today.

I am sure this layout will change quite a bit but its a start.  What do you think?

Here is the rest of the information about where we are going with our ministry.  The scriptures are repeated over again in different sections, but I encourage you to read them each time with the purpose of that section in mind.

What’s the Book Say?

Below you will find information on what the Bible says about children including: 

• Who is supposed to teach them?
• What should they be taught?
• How do they learn?
• What is the Effect of following the Bible’s directions?
• What is the Blessing received when working with children?
• What is the Church’s role in the process?

Who

Who is supposed to teach children about God?  Parents are to teach their children about God. The church can help, but the ultimate responsibility falls on the parent.

Deuteronomy 6:4-9

“Hear, O Israel! The Lord is our God, the Lord alone. And you must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your strength. And you must commit yourselves wholeheartedly to these commands I am giving you today. Repeat them again and again to your children. Talk about them when you are at home and when you are away on a journey, when you are lying down and when you are getting up again. Tie them to your hands as a reminder, and wear them on your forehead. Write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.

Deuteronomy 6:20-25

“In the future your children will ask you, ‘What is the meaning of these stipulations, laws, and regulations that the Lord our God has given us?’ Then you must tell them, ‘We were Pharaoh’s slaves in Egypt, but the Lord brought us out of Egypt with amazing power. Before our eyes the Lord did miraculous signs and wonders, dealing terrifying blows against Egypt and Pharaoh and all his people. He brought us out of Egypt so he could give us this land he had solemnly promised to give our ancestors. And the Lord our God commanded us to obey all these laws and to fear him for our own prosperity and well-being, as is now the case. For we are righteous when we obey all the commands the Lord our God has given us.

Joshua 4-7

So Joshua called together the twelve men and told them, “Go into the middle of the Jordan, in front of the Ark of the Lord your God. Each of you must pick up one stone and carry it out on your shoulder—twelve stones in all, one for each of the twelve tribes. We will use these stones to build a memorial. In the future, your children will ask, ‘What do these stones mean to you?’ Then you can tell them, ‘They remind us that the Jordan River stopped flowing when the Ark of the Lord’s covenant went across.’ These stones will stand as a permanent memorial among the people of Israel.”

Psalms 78:1-8

O my people, listen to my teaching.

Open your ears to what I am saying,

for I will speak to you in a parable.

I will teach you hidden lessons from our past—

stories we have heard and know,

stories our ancestors handed down to us.

We will not hide these truths from our children

but will tell the next generation about the glorious deeds of the Lord.

We will tell of his power and the mighty miracles he did.

For he issued his decree to Jacob;

he gave his law to Israel.

He commanded our ancestors

to teach them to their children,

so the next generation might know them—

even the children not yet born—

that they in turn might teach their children.

So each generation can set its hope anew on God,

remembering his glorious miracles

and obeying his commands.

Then they will not be like their ancestors—

stubborn, rebellious, and unfaithful,

refusing to give their hearts to God.

Proverbs 22:6

Teach your children to choose the right path, and when they are older, they will remain upon it.

What

What should children be taught? They should be taught stories, truths, commandments, laws, regulations, parables, and the ability to choose the right path. Essentially, they are to be taught the Word of God. 

Proverbs 22:6

Teach your children to choose the right path, and when they are older, they will remain upon it.

Deuteronomy 6:4-9

“Hear, O Israel! The Lord is our God, the Lord alone. And you must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your strength. And you must commit yourselves wholeheartedly to these commands I am giving you today. Repeat them again and again to your children. Talk about them when you are at home and when you are away on a journey, when you are lying down and when you are getting up again. Tie them to your hands as a reminder, and wear them on your forehead. Write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.

Deuteronomy 6:20-25

“In the future your children will ask you, ‘What is the meaning of these stipulations, laws, and regulations that the Lord our God has given us?’ Then you must tell them, ‘We were Pharaoh’s slaves in Egypt, but the Lord brought us out of Egypt with amazing power. Before our eyes the Lord did miraculous signs and wonders, dealing terrifying blows against Egypt and Pharaoh and all his people. He brought us out of Egypt so he could give us this land he had solemnly promised to give our ancestors. And the Lord our God commanded us to obey all these laws and to fear him for our own prosperity and well-being, as is now the case. For we are righteous when we obey all the commands the Lord our God has given us.

Joshua 4-7

So Joshua called together the twelve men and told them, “Go into the middle of the Jordan, in front of the Ark of the Lord your God. Each of you must pick up one stone and carry it out on your shoulder—twelve stones in all, one for each of the twelve tribes. We will use these stones to build a memorial. In the future, your children will ask, ‘What do these stones mean to you?’ Then you can tell them, ‘They remind us that the Jordan River stopped flowing when the Ark of the Lord’s covenant went across.’ These stones will stand as a permanent memorial among the people of Israel.”

Psalms 78:1-8

O my people, listen to my teaching.

Open your ears to what I am saying,

for I will speak to you in a parable.

I will teach you hidden lessons from our past—

stories we have heard and know,

stories our ancestors handed down to us.

We will not hide these truths from our children

but will tell the next generation about the glorious deeds of the Lord.

We will tell of his power and the mighty miracles he did.

For he issued his decree to Jacob;

he gave his law to Israel.

He commanded our ancestors

to teach them to their children,

so the next generation might know them—

even the children not yet born—

that they in turn might teach their children.

So each generation can set its hope anew on God,

remembering his glorious miracles

and obeying his commands.

Then they will not be like their ancestors—

stubborn, rebellious, and unfaithful,

refusing to give their hearts to God.

How

How do we teach children? Repetition, repetition, repetition! Use stories, parables, and environmental reminders that make them ask questions.

Deuteronomy 6:4-9

“Hear, O Israel! The Lord is our God, the Lord alone. And you must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your strength. And you must commit yourselves wholeheartedly to these commands I am giving you today. Repeat them again and again to your children. Talk about them when you are at home and when you are away on a journey, when you are lying down and when you are getting up again. Tie them to your hands as a reminder, and wear them on your forehead. Write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.

Deuteronomy 6:20-25

“In the future your children will ask you, ‘What is the meaning of these stipulations, laws, and regulations that the Lord our God has given us?’ Then you must tell them, ‘We were Pharaoh’s slaves in Egypt, but the Lord brought us out of Egypt with amazing power. Before our eyes the Lord did miraculous signs and wonders, dealing terrifying blows against Egypt and Pharaoh and all his people. He brought us out of Egypt so he could give us this land he had solemnly promised to give our ancestors. And the Lord our God commanded us to obey all these laws and to fear him for our own prosperity and well-being, as is now the case. For we are righteous when we obey all the commands the Lord our God has given us.

Joshua 4-7

So Joshua called together the twelve men and told them, “Go into the middle of the Jordan, in front of the Ark of the Lord your God. Each of you must pick up one stone and carry it out on your shoulder—twelve stones in all, one for each of the twelve tribes. We will use these stones to build a memorial. In the future, your children will ask, ‘What do these stones mean to you?’ Then you can tell them, ‘They remind us that the Jordan River stopped flowing when the Ark of the Lord’s covenant went across.’ These stones will stand as a permanent memorial among the people of Israel.”

Psalms 78:1-8

O my people, listen to my teaching.

Open your ears to what I am saying,

for I will speak to you in a parable.

I will teach you hidden lessons from our past—

stories we have heard and know,

stories our ancestors handed down to us.

We will not hide these truths from our children

but will tell the next generation about the glorious deeds of the Lord.

We will tell of his power and the mighty miracles he did.

For he issued his decree to Jacob;

he gave his law to Israel.

He commanded our ancestors

to teach them to their children,

so the next generation might know them—

even the children not yet born—

that they in turn might teach their children.

So each generation can set its hope anew on God,

remembering his glorious miracles

and obeying his commands.

Then they will not be like their ancestors—

stubborn, rebellious, and unfaithful,

refusing to give their hearts to God.

Effect

What is the effect of this teaching? The effect will be that each generation will be renewing the hope that we share in Christ - the parents will teach their children, their children will teach their grandchildren, their grandchildren will teach their great grandchildren, etc. Furthermore, instead of raising children who are stubborn, rebellious, and unfaithful, they will instead raise children who give their hearts to the Lord and remain on the right path. What awesome promises from God!

Psalms 78:1-8

O my people, listen to my teaching.

Open your ears to what I am saying,

for I will speak to you in a parable.

I will teach you hidden lessons from our past—

stories we have heard and know,

stories our ancestors handed down to us.

We will not hide these truths from our children

but will tell the next generation about the glorious deeds of the Lord.

We will tell of his power and the mighty miracles he did.

For he issued his decree to Jacob;

he gave his law to Israel.

He commanded our ancestors

to teach them to their children,

so the next generation might know them—

even the children not yet born—

that they in turn might teach their children.

So each generation can set its hope anew on God,

remembering his glorious miracles

and obeying his commands.

Then they will not be like their ancestors—

stubborn, rebellious, and unfaithful,

refusing to give their hearts to God.

Proverbs 22:6

Teach your children to choose the right path, and when they are older, they will remain upon it.

Blessing

How are those who teach children blessed? It’s an honor to serve children. Jesus said those who serve a prophet receive a prophet’s reward and those who serve children will in no wise lose their reward. The Word tells us that God Himself will pay those who minister to children.  

Matthew 19:13-15

Some children were brought to Jesus so he could lay his hands on them and pray for them. The disciples told them not to bother him. But Jesus said, “Let the children come to me. Don’t stop them! For the Kingdom of Heaven belongs to such as these.” And he put his hands on their heads and blessed them before he left.

Matthew 10:40-42

He that receiveth you receiveth me, and he that receiveth me receiveth him that sent me. He that receiveth a prophet in the name of a prophet shall receive a prophet’s reward; and he that receiveth a righteous man in the name of a righteous man shall receive a righteous man’s reward. And whosoever shall give to drink unto one of these little ones a cup of cold water only in the name of a disciple, verily I say unto you, he shall in no wise lose his reward.

Church

How does the church fit in? The church is the altar, the reminder, the question starter, and the storyteller. The church provides help, resources, and Godly counsel to parents and is the second voice in the ear of each child, reinforcing what they have already heard from the parents.

Joshua 4-7

So Joshua called together the twelve men and told them, “Go into the middle of the Jordan, in front of the Ark of the Lord your God. Each of you must pick up one stone and carry it out on your shoulder—twelve stones in all, one for each of the twelve tribes. We will use these stones to build a memorial. In the future, your children will ask, ‘What do these stones mean to you?’ Then you can tell them, ‘They remind us that the Jordan River stopped flowing when the Ark of the Lord’s covenant went across.’ These stones will stand as a permanent memorial among the people of Israel.”

Psalms 78:1-8

O my people, listen to my teaching.

Open your ears to what I am saying,

for I will speak to you in a parable.

I will teach you hidden lessons from our past—

stories we have heard and know,

stories our ancestors handed down to us.

We will not hide these truths from our children

but will tell the next generation about the glorious deeds of the Lord.

We will tell of his power and the mighty miracles he did.

For he issued his decree to Jacob;

he gave his law to Israel.

He commanded our ancestors

to teach them to their children,

so the next generation might know them—

even the children not yet born—

that they in turn might teach their children.

So each generation can set its hope anew on God,

remembering his glorious miracles

and obeying his commands.

Then they will not be like their ancestors—

stubborn, rebellious, and unfaithful,

refusing to give their hearts to God.

Here is what I have been working on for our ministry statement.  Let me know what you think.  Ill post a seperate post for the "whats the book say" part

Over and over, the Scriptures tell us that parents are to teach their children about God.  This command has not changed, yet we are seeing less and less of this in our homes. Many of today’s parents feel that they are unequipped to deal with their children’s spiritual needs. Consequently, their children continue to slip further and further from where they should be spiritually. 

Josh McDowell, in Beyond Belief to Convictions shares some staggering research with us: Children who lack biblical belief are…

• 200% more likely to steal
• 200% more likely to hurt someone physically
• 300% more likely to use illegal drugs
• 600% more likely to attempt suicide

What do our children believe? Josh McDowell tells us that 80% believe God created the universe, but…

• 63% believe other faiths pray to the same god, although by a different name
• 46% believe Jesus committed sins
• 51% believe He died but did not rise from the grave
• 58% believe all religions teach equally valid truth

These statistics are alarming. At the 2006 Dream Conference in Tulsa, Oklahoma, Reggie Joiner shared the following:

• 96% of all parents believe they are responsible for the moral development of children.
• 1/3 of all adults attend church; however, the number jumps to 2/3 when considering only parents with elementary-age children

These statistics confirm that parents realize that they are responsible for the spiritual well being of their children. During the time they are raising elementary-age children, they return to church seeking answers and Godly wisdom on how the family institution should work. 

Reggie Joiner also shared the sobering statistic that of the parents who returned to church, only 1/5 of them believe that the church taught them anything that helped them to raise their children!

We, the staff of Embrace Ministries, have the privilege of serving you and your children for 40-45 hours every year. During that time, your children will spend literally 100’s of hours watching TV, studying math, and playing video games. But, more importantly, they will also spend nearly 3,000 hours under the influence of you, their parents. 

We want to invest a portion of our 40-45 hours helping you to do your job. We want to model, equip and support you, as parents, in every way we can.  We believe that is being a good steward of what the Lord has given us.

I hope you take the time to read What’s the Book Say? I believe it will give you some new insights into what the Bible says about children.

Chris Edwards

Children’s Pastor

           It is hard for me to say when my walk with Christ really started.  I can think of three major encounters that have lead me to the place where I am now.  I suppose some would like it narrowed down, but God is real and the relationships that He creates with His people are real, and because of this they don’t always fit into the cookie cutter box that we try to put them in. 

           When I was only a child, maybe three, I remember walking into my sister’s room.  She was sitting on the bed and reading a book.  Lori and I were very close and I spent most of my time with her.  I asked what she was reading and she told me about the Bible.  I didn’t understand then and it just seemed like a good story to me, but it has stuck with me over the years.  That memory I look at as a major event simply because I know it was the planting of a seed.  I don’t remember much from my childhood so this memory, however small, is very dear to me.

           My parents did not seem to attend church, although it was brought to my attention later that before I was born they were both looking into the full time ministry.  I didn’t have any encounter with church until my father remarried.  I would go to church with them on Sunday mornings but it all seemed like a show to me.  It was a boring time and I didn’t understand what the preacher was talking about.  They didn’t have a children’s ministry and the time there had no impact on me spiritually.

           When I was about fourteen, I moved down to Georgia with my mother.  She was also remarried, but I wanted to get away from the situation in Delaware with my father.  Neither my stepfather or my mother went to church, but the first friends I made did.  They were my neighbors and I would go to church with them every Sunday and almost every Wednesday.  This church had a wonderful youth group and it wasn’t long before I committed my life to Christ.  In 1995, I was baptized and our youth program was growing in leaps and bounds.

           While I was going to this church I started seeing things in my hallway.  I don’t know any way to explain this without it sounding strange but I wouldn’t want to leave this out.  It was always at night in my home, I would see these things outside of my room.  They made me feel scared when they were around, and I would pray that God would help me.  I went to my sister with this and she told me that she could feel them in the hall the same nights I would see them.  I kept going back to her to be sure I was not going crazy, that someone else could acknowledge what I saw.  After I became a bit more comfortable with this I talked with my neighbors on the way to church.  Their parents told me that this kind of thing was of Satan and that I should stop because it was evil.

           Over the next few months I tried to just ignore the things and I would see them less and less.  While I was struggling with this I remember asking my Grandmother and she taught me how to do self-hypnosis as well as a few other occult like things.  I did what she told me to do and I stopped seeing them.  I mention all this because I believe this is how Satan got a foothold in my life.  I believe my Grandmother may have had ties in the occult that even she did not know about.

           Now that I felt I was cured of my satanic aliment I continued going to church.  One day while I was there I saw the pastor speak in this language that sounded like giberish.  I remembered reading about “tongues” in the same place I saw discerning of spirits.  Somehow in my mind I made the association that this must be satanic work in the church.  I had already seen so much “corruption” and I was tired of being associated with a corrupt church.  I walked out of the building and began calling myself a follower of Christ, not even wanting to be called a Christian because I was so angry.

           A Christian cannot last long without the support and fellowship of his peers and I soon fell further.  Divide and conquer was his tactic.  I started to question whether Christ was really the messiah and soon called myself a follower of God.  I took a few people with me in this process and I am sorry I was the reason they visited so close to the depths of Hell.

           Calling myself a follower of God left me to explore the other religions.  I thought maybe I could find the truth in one of them.  I read many books about all the religions I could find, until someone handed me a book on witchcraft.  I was entrapped by the freedom of belief that it proclaimed to give.  It was the first religion that I had come across that openly acknowledged the spiritual world.  I had seen enough in my short life that I was convinced that a spiritual world existed and that a true religion would have to include the spiritual in order to be true.  I accepted witchcraft and went further and further into the hole I was digging for myself.

           I stayed down that path encouraging those I came in contact with to take a closer look at the “fallacies” of Christianity.  I was dating a girl that asked me to join her at a home group.  A couple friends of hers had just converted and she was hoping I could “talk some sense into them”.  I attended the meeting and calmly listened through the whole thing.  I didn’t hear anything special from the message.  I had heard all that Christian stuff before and I was not moved by it anymore.  After the meeting was over I stayed and talked to my girlfriend’s friend.  I tried to explain to him that all religions really head in the same direction, and made the argument very well.  So well in fact he replied like this “I hear what you are saying and I can’t argue any of those points…I don’t know, I just still believe.”  I never expected such a statement of faith.  I had never seen anything like it before.

           I went home that night and read the Bible some more.  I was hoping I would find something more I could show him.  As I was reading I felt my heart changing, but I was fighting it.  I came across the portion of scripture that talks about Jesus walking on water.  While I was reading that I remembered a dream that I had forgotten.  Dreams are very important to witches and I had always made it a point to interpret dreams when I had them.  I had not had many after the self-hypnosis as a child and those I did have seemed to come to pass in some way.  I had one dream, however that I had written off as impossible.  I had a dream where I was in an old city, it was raining and Jesus and I were walking on water saving people together.  We would pull them out of the water and take them to a hilltop where some ruins were.  I had always ignored the dream because it had Jesus in it.  Now the dream was coming back to me very vividly.  I was stunned and felt like I understood the dream.  Jesus and I were going to work together to pull people out of the drowning waters of life.  I started to pray.  I said, “Creator of the world (I didn’t want to mess this up since at the time God could have meant so many things to me and I didn’t know who God was) is Jesus Your son?”  I don’t know how to explain it I just knew He said “Yes”.

           I was devastated.  I broke down in tears right there and cried myself to sleep.  The next day when I got home from work I did the same thing and so on for three days.  When I finally pulled myself together I enrolled in Bible College.  I had not yet finished school when I started working with a church creating the first youth program the church had ever had.  I had so much fun working with that church, loving and learning about God with new eyes and ears.  I knew the Bible stories well but now I was getting to know the Author.  It was amazing. 

           After working with that church for a while I left because of some denominational differences.  From there I went on to work with the YMCA in Georgia.  They let me take a 100-acre camp they had, and start a new camp program.  We had a very effective year and they kept me on staff to help bring Christianity back into their company.  Creating the program from scratch and letting God play an active role in a company that had abandoned Him was such a great privilege.

           Working at a camp has on and off seasons and during one of my off seasons I came to visit my sister in Ohio.  She was having some problems and needed a family member to just be around and support her.  I stayed for an extended visit and then decided it was time to get back home.  She kept trying to convince me to stay, I even felt like I should, but I didn’t seem to like the area much and thought I should go.  When I packed up my car and set off to go my car wouldn’t start.  I had not had this problem before and there was nothing I could do to fix it.  I had to buy a new car and I stayed a bit longer.  In the process I realized that God had some work for me to do here.

           Now I have been in Ohio for two years and I have spent the time working in a daycare.  I have learned a lot about working with kids of all different ages.  There is a wealth of information out there in this field.  I can't say I have seen any preschool or daycare or any institution for that matter, impliment any of these ideas in a way that was true to the theory.  However, I can say that it is interesting that our top minds are just now coming to realize what the bible has been telling us the whole time.  I believe that I have been equipped to create a program that is much more broad then anything I have done in the past. 

Now I am currently working with the CMA church called Embrace in West Chester Ohio.  I am excited to see things within the church unfold, a new vision for children and family ministry that will change our area.  My career has come a long way.  I remember thinking I would continue to work as a civil engineer for the rest of my life.  The blessing the Lord had put on my life, even before I was obident, allowed me to advance in a career that most people spend six years just going to school for.  God has shown me how he can bless me even in the secular world, He has shown me power and money and then asked me if I would give it all to him.  Well here I am and I have given these things over to Him.  Now I get to see what He calls a blessing.