Another children’s minister pointed me to this article about teens. I work with several young college-age girls who constantly text, even at work. I think our supervisors have almost given up on enforcing the no cell phone policy. It has turned into more of a limited cell phone policy since everyone has a phone in her pocket.
According to this article, teens and children are online and texting almost every waking moment.
The church could do this (read this article). With many families struggling with acceptable ways to discipline their children, preschool/children’s ministries could organize a coaching team to help these families answer parenting questions. Often families with parenting struggles are not regularly involved in a church or small group or Bible study group so they haven’t established a network of peer families for help and friendship. Churches could establish an organization in which they offer coaching services to families who seek assistance. The church must advertise outside of its own walls though; go out in the community, counseling centers, schools, early childhood centers.
It’s Mardi Gras Day! “Laissez les bons temps rouler — Let the good times roll.”
Come on, get into the New Orleans spirit, watch New Orleans parades live, wear your purple green and gold, eat King Cake, and listen to this favorite song…
For my Valentine: The Wedding Song
Who’s your valentine? Watch this Hallmark Valentine’s Day commercial. Your valentine is the one you want to sit next to, play with, get in trouble with, share life with… Click the link and then click the commercial titled “Avocado.”
Here is my Valentine: David Phillips
No matter what career path you choose, you can make a difference in someone’s life. You never know what words you will say or what actions you will do. Those words and actions may be just what someone needs.
Check out this post Making a Difference from a professor/author.
An example of making a difference in someone’s life happened to David and me during our first year of marriage in our first church where David was pastor.
David was the pastor of a very small rural church in Louisiana during our first year of marriage. I was the volunteer children’s minister with a very small group of children. I led the children in a Bible study, did a children’s sermon, and started a children’s choir. All with a variety of ages of children. We were only at this church for about a year when God moved us on to other things. We did not keep in touch with anyone from that church after we moved.
Then 13 years later David received an email from a young girl who was involved in the children’s ministry group. She had searched for our names on the Internet, found David’s contact information, and contacted him. She said she never forgot us and the impact we had on her life. She reminded us that I shared the plan of salvation with her at the age of 10 and David baptized her. She did not attend church with her family at the time. Her mom would drop her off at church time and come back to pick her up.
She is now married to a pastor, has a nursing degree and works as a nurse, and recently had their first baby. Her mom is now actively involved in our former church and has gotten many of her friends involved as well.
What a blessing it was to know that we did make a difference. Keep on keeping on — keep on making a difference. You may not know what kind of difference for many years later.
During the Delaware blizzard of February 2010, even though we couldn’t get out of our driveway very easily and we battled the blowing snow and the entire state was closed for the day, we continued to provide a safe corner for one of God’s little birds. He found his way to our front porch, in the corner right outside our front door, shielded from the blowing wind and snow.
