Tag Archives: Church

Protected

October 1, 2017Devotions for Childrens LeadersChildren, Church, Devotions, God, KidMin, kids, Leader, Lessons, Ministries, Ministry, Protection, Psalm 91, School, Sunday, Teacher, Volunteerskolbyking

Read:

Beatrice, Nebraska. March 1, 1950

Everyone had a good excuse that Wednesday evening for being late to 7:30 choir practice at the Baptist Church. Ladona Vandegrift, a high school sophomore, always came early. But on this night a thorny geometry problem detained her. Torena Estes and her sister Sadie were ready to leave home on time. But their car wouldn’t start.

Mrs. Schuster could be counted on to arrive ten minutes early for practice. But she was held up at her mother’s house preparing for a later missionary meeting. Pastor Klempel and his wife, always punctual, didn’t make it at 7:30 either. His wristwatch, usually very accurate, was five minutes slow this evening.

Joyce Black felt it was so cold that she waited till the last possible minute to leave—a few minutes too long. Harvey Ahl had been invited over to a friend’s home for dinner and in the pleasant conversation lost track of time.

Even Mrs. Paul, the choir director, failed to arrive on time. She’d always come fifteen minutes early. But on this night her daughter, who played piano for the group, fell asleep. Mrs. Paul hurriedly awakened Marilyn and they rushed to finish getting ready—but drove up to the church a few minutes late. This was the first time either had ever been tardy for choir practice.

Eighteen people made up the West Side Baptist Church choir. Tonight every one of them arrived late, something that had never happened before.

No one was there at 7:30 when the basement furnace, situated directly below the choir loft, ignited a gas leak. The loft blew up; the church was demolished. Then the choir members arrived on the scene—too late.*

Reflect

Read Psalm 91 from your Bible.

Respond

God is the Great Protector and we must also be careful to protect the children He has entrusted to our care. In what ways has God protected you? In what ways can we share God’s protection with the children to whom we minister.
Prayerfully consider what you have read today. Then take a few moments to pray for yourself, your students, and others with whom you serve in ministry.

Remember

You’ll never be safer than right in the middle of God’s will.

Get all 52 Children’s Leader Devotions HERE.

Find more children’s ministry resources and training at:
www.330resources.org/child ren.

If these resources bless you, consider supporting this ministry:

*Steven R. Mosley, God a Biography, (Phoenix: Questar Publishers, Inc., 1988), p. 211-2
© Copyright 2017 Kolby King

Towards to Kiss

October 1, 2017Devotions for Childrens LeadersChildren, Church, Devotions, Galatians 2:20, KidMin, kids, Leader, Lessons, Ministries, Ministry, proskuneo, religion, School, Sunday, Teacher, Volunteers, worthshipkolbyking

Read

The Greek word proskuneo (translated “worship”) means “towards to kiss” or to “adore”… “Literally, to kiss toward someone, to throw a kiss in token of respect or homage. The ancient Oriental (especially Persian) mode of salutaion between persons of equal rank was to kiss each other on the lips; when the difference of rank was slight, they kissed each other on the cheek; when one was much inferior, he fell upon his knees and touched his forehead to the ground or prostrated himself, throwing kisses at the same time towards the superior. It is this later mode of salutation that Greek writers express by proskuneo.”* This is the heart of worship, an in-love relationship with Jesus Christ where you long to bow before Him, to turn “to kiss” Him.

Reflect

Read Galatians 2:20 from your Bible.

Respond

Christianity is not a religion. “Religion” comes from a Latin word meaning “back to bondage” because religion tries to squeeze your life into a rule book. Christianity is a relationship where the “rule book” Himself comes to live His life in and through you. Are you letting Jesus live through you? When was the last time you “turned to kiss” the Lord Jesus? Are you totally surrendered to Him? Are you in love with Him? How does this “in love” relationship come out in the way you live?

Prayerfully consider what you have read today. Then take a few moments to pray for yourself, your students, and others with whom you serve in ministry.

Remember

Our word “worship” comes from an Old Anglo-Saxon word, “worthship,” because when you worship, you are giving someone their worth. What “worth” do you give Christ daily?

Get all 52 Children’s Leader Devotions HERE.

Find more children’s ministry resources and training at:
www.330resources.org/child ren.

If these resources bless you, consider supporting this ministry:

*Spiros Zodhiates, Th.D., ed.., The Complete Word Study Dictionary: New Testament, (Word Publishers, Iowa Falls, Iowa, 1992), p. 1233-4.

Heart for Service

October 1, 2017Devotions for Childrens LeadersBilly Graham, Charles Borden, Charles Studd, Children, Church, Devotions, KidMin, kids, Leader, Lessons, Ministries, Ministry, Philippians 1:21, School, Sunday, Teacher, Volunteerskolbyking

Read:

Charles T. Studd was a famous sportsman in England, captain of the Cambridge XI cricket team. A century ago he gave away his vast wealth to needy causes and led the “Cambridge Seven” to China. His slogan was, “If Jesus Christ be God and died for me, then no sacrifice can be too great for me to make for Him.”

During the first decade of this century, Charles Borden left one of America’s greatest family fortunes to be a missionary in China. He only got as far as Egypt where, still in his twenties, he died of typhoid fever. Before his death he said, “No reserves, no retreats, no regrets!”

A generation ago, Jim Elliot went from Wheaton College to become a missionary to the Aucas in Ecuador. Before he was killed, he wrote, “He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose.”

“…I [Billy Graham] have chosen Christ not because He takes away my pain but because He gives me strength to cope with that pain and in the long range to realize victory over it. Corrie ten Boom said, ‘The worst can happen but the best remains.’”*

Reflect

Read Philippians 1:21 from your Bible.

Respond

Service is one of God’s five purposes for your life and the heart for service begins when a person falls in love with Christ and is willing to say, “Lord, I will do anything you want me to do. Here I am. Send me.” Have you said this lately? Are you absolutely in love with Jesus? For what specific service did God create you? Consider it this way: When you want to drive a nail, you pick up a hammer. When God wants to _________________ (fill in the blank), He calls on you.

Prayerfully consider what you have read today. Then take a few moments to pray for yourself, your students, and others with whom you serve in ministry.

Remember

You’ll never be happier and you’ll never be safer than right in the middle of God’s will—even if it costs your life.

Get all 52 Children’s Leader Devotions HERE.

Find more children’s ministry resources and training at:
www.330resources.org/child ren.

If these resources bless you, consider supporting this ministry:

*Billy Graham, Approaching Hoofbeats: The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, (Waco, Texas: Word Books, 1983) p. 94-95

Going Forward

October 1, 2017Devotions for Childrens LeadersBerlin, Children, Church, Devotions, Jude 1:20, KidMin, kids, Leader, Lessons, Ministries, Ministry, purpose, School, story, Sunday, Teacher, Volunteerskolbyking

Read:

The story is told that when Berlin was being divided into East Berlin, controlled by the Communists, and West Berlin, part of the free world, a group of East Berliners dumped a whole truckload of garbage on the west side. The people from West Berlin thought they’d pick up all the garbage, put it on a truck, and dump it back on the east side. Then they decided that wasn’t the way to handle it. Instead they filled a dump truck with canned goods and other non-perishable food items, went over to the east side, stacked it neatly, and put a sign beside it. The sign read, “Each gives what each has to give.” What a great message! You can only give fruit to others when you are living a fruitful life inwardly yourself. So, here’s the question of the day: What kind of fruit are you producing? You can’t grow fruit if you’re not growing. How are you growing in your walk with Christ? *

Reflect

Read Jude 1:20 from your Bible.

Respond

One of God’s purposes for you is to grow day by day with Him. After, this is eternal life—Not just going to Heaven, but knowing God (John 17:3). How well are you growing? Are there things in your life that are stunting your growth? What is your plan for a closer walk with Christ?

Prayerfully consider what you have read today. Then take a few moments to pray for yourself, your students, and others with whom you serve in ministry.

Remember

If you’re not going forward, you’re probably going backwards. Growing takes time and is a process. God takes six hours to grow a mushroom but sixty years to grow an oak tree. Which do you want to be?

Get all 52 Children’s Leader Devotions HERE.

Find more children’s ministry resources and training at:
www.330resources.org/child ren.

If these resources bless you, consider supporting this ministry:

*John Maxwell, Be All You Can Be (publisher, date, and page unknown).

October 1, 2017Devotions for Childrens LeadersActs 1:8, Children, Church, Devotions, evangelism, Jesus, John 3:16, KidMin, kids, Leader, Lessons, Ministries, Ministry, School, Share, Sunday, Teacher, Volunteerskolbyking

Read:

Paul Bell was our missionary to the Mexicans in Bastrop, Texas. One Saturday afternoon he mingled with the men who came to town at that time. He came in contact with a man in his sixties and found him to be a ready listener to the sweet story of Jesus and His love. Later this man was gloriously converted. He said, “I can’t read or write, so I want you to teach me John 3:16. And since my people love to sing, I want you to teach me a gospel song.” With painstaking care, Brother Bell taught him John 3:16 and a stanza of the song, “What a Friend We Have in Jesus.” The man also promised to come to church and be baptized.

Three weeks went by and the man didn’t show up. On the fourth Sunday he came and brought with him five other Mexicans. He walked down the aisle with them and said, “We are all here to be baptized.” In this brief time, with just a little bit of knowledge, he had led five men to Christ. He lived for two more years. Again and again he would come in and bring someone that he had won to Christ. The total reached about fifty. Then one day somebody came to Brother Bell and said, “An old Mexican woodcutter is dying, and he is calling for you.” Brother Bell went out and found the man. “I am so glad to see you,” said the woodcutter, “Will you quote my verse for me?” Brother Bell did this and then the man said, “Now will you sing my song for me?” Brother Bell lifted up his voice and sang. He saw the old man’s lips moving for a while, then they stopped. At the end of the song, he saw that the soul of the dear old Christian had slipped out to be with his God. But in two year’s time, he had won fifty souls with one verse of Scripture and one stanza of a song.*

Reflect

Read Acts 1:8 from your Bible.

Respond

Evangelism is one of the five purposes God has for you. He created you to shine His life and light to all you meet. How effective do you feel in bringing other people to Christ? In what ways can you grow stronger in this area? What is your vision for seeing people saved?
Prayerfully consider what you have read today. Then take a few moments to pray for yourself, your students, and others with whom you serve in ministry.

Remember

You are witness everyday—either for Christ or against Him.

Get all 52 Children’s Leader Devotions HERE.

Find more children’s ministry resources and training at:
www.330resources.org/child ren.

If these resources bless you, consider supporting this ministry:

*W. Herschel Ford, Sermons You Can Preach on John, (Grand Rapids: Zondervan Publishing House, 1958) p. 429-430
© Copyright 2017 Kolby King

Not Alone

October 1, 2017Devotions for Childrens LeadersChildren, Church, Devotions, fellowship, Hebrews 10, KidMin, kids, Leader, Lessons, lonely, Ministries, Ministry, School, Sunday, Teacher, Vietnam, Volunteerskolbyking

Read:

Nothing destroys like isolation. POW’s during the Vietnam War communicated and sustained one another by tapping through walls. The Hanoi Hilton, says ex-Air Force pilot Ron Bliss, sounded like a den of run-away woodpeckers. The North Vietnamese never mastered the code, which laid out the alphabet on a simple 5 x 5 grid. The code flowed so fluently that the men told one another jokes. Kicks on the wall meant a laugh. Every Sunday at a code signal the men stood and recited the Lord’s Prayer and the Pledge of Allegiance. Even walls and guards could not stop the prisoners of war from having community and fellowship with one another. We face our own walls and barriers to true fellowship within our churches today. The essence of community is at the very least a conversation together, a quick connect, a holding of a hand to join forces together to serve this day. It’s important to know that you’re not alone. Question…“Is true fellowship alive and well in your life today?”*

Reflect

Read Hebrews 10:24-25 from your Bible.

Respond

Sometimes in children’s ministry, you can feel alone, even in the middle of a crowd. It’s easy to become isolated. On a scale of 1 to 10, how connected do you feel with other believers. Why or why not? How can you have true fellowship with others?
Prayerfully consider what you have read today. Then take a few moments to pray for yourself, your students, and others with whom you serve in ministry.

Remember

There are no Lone Rangers in God’s Army. Together we stand shoulder to shoulder.

Get all 52 Children’s Leader Devotions HERE.

Find more children’s ministry resources and training at:
www.330resources.org/child ren.

If these resources bless you, consider supporting this ministry:

*Adapted from a story told on Preaching Today Cassette number 218 entitled “Community At Risk.”
© Copyright 2017 Kolby King

Our Purpose

October 1, 2017Devotions for Childrens LeadersChildren, Church, Devotions, Ephesians 2:10, God, KidMin, kids, Leader, Lessons, Ministries, Ministry, Plan, purpose, School, Sunday, Teacher, Volunteerskolbyking

Read:

Today I woke up and combed my hair with a fork, blew my nose on sandpaper, put the bread in my shoes to make toast, poured milk in my car to make it run, and put the butter in the oven to keep it cold. “Am I crazy?” you say. Of course not. I just didn’t use things for what they were created.

Reflect

Read Ephesians 2:10 from your Bible.

Respond

Everything has a purpose. Milk can’t make your car go any more than an oven can keep your butter cold. You may be able to half-way comb your hair with a fork, but that’s not its purpose. As a believer God has five purposes for your life: Evangelism, Fellowship, Discipleship, Service, and Worship. Did you know that you’ll never truly be fulfilled as a Christian until you are operating in all five of these areas? Today do you feel like anything is lacking in your life or your walk with Christ?
Prayerfully consider what you have read today. Then take a few moments to pray for yourself, your students, and others with whom you serve in ministry.

Remember

“Before God created the world and before He even blew breath into Adam, He already knew your name and had plans for your life. Walk in His design for you.”

Get all 52 Children’s Leader Devotions HERE.

Find more children’s ministry resources and training at:
www.330resources.org/child ren.

If these resources bless you, consider supporting this ministry:

The Priority of a Children’s Ministry Leader

October 1, 2017Devotions for Childrens LeadersChildren, Church, Devotions, KidMin, kids, Leader, Lessons, Luke 10, Ministries, Ministry, purpose, School, Sunday, Volunteerskolbyking

Why does a children’s ministry exist?

(a) To babysit so parents can be ministered to? (Absolutely not!)

(b) To help children get their annual supply of cookies and kool-aid? (No, not never!)

(d) To reach and teach children and families with the Good News of Jesus Christ. (This is, has been, and always will be the purpose. Everything we do is measured against this aim.)

Read

A young couple had just taken home their firstborn child. The dad, named Jeff, had taken a few days off work to help around the house. One afternoon the wife walked by the nursery and saw him standing over the crib. There was a huge smile on his face. The window was open and a gentle breeze was blowing in. It was a picture-perfect sight. Quietly she walked over and put her arm around him.

“What are you thinking?” she asked.

“It’s amazing,” he said. “It’s a miracle. It a wonder that anyone can build a crib like this for $49.95.” *

In this story (which is true) the dad was so caught up in the package that he was missing the true miracle inside. Sometimes we too get so caught up in the “package” of life or ministry that we overlook what really matters.

Reflect

Read Luke 10: 38-42 from your Bible.

Respond

The priority of a children’s ministry volunteer is first and foremost to walk with Jesus daily. What you lead, and do, and teach in ministry comes as an overflow of your own relationship with Christ. On a scale of 1 to 10, how closely are you walking with Jesus? Do you have a daily time set aside just for Him? What is the most important thing in your life? And be careful not to get so caught up in the “package” of life, that you forget about the one thing that really matters in life—which is you and Jesus.

Also, be sure to remember that the most important thing in your classroom this week is not your preparation, not your teaching plans—the most important thing in your classroom is that child standing in front of you. Don’t get so caught up in the “package” of ministry that you forget what really matters—which is Jesus and your students.
Prayerfully consider what you have read today. Then take a few moments to pray for yourself, your students, and others with whom you serve in ministry.

Remember

As a children’s ministry leader God has not called you to cover lessons, but to connect the truth of the Gospel with kids.

Get all 52 Children’s Leader Devotions HERE.

Find more children’s ministry resources and training at:
www.330resources.org/child ren.

If these resources bless you, consider supporting this ministry:

—

*Craig Jutilla in a message “Making a Difference,” 2002.

The Power of a Children’s Ministry Leader

October 1, 2017Devotions for Childrens LeadersCare, Children, Church, Devotions, KidMin, kids, Leader, Lessons, Love, Ministries, Ministry, Philippians 2:15, School, Sunday, Teacher, Volunteerskolbyking

Read:

I saw him in the church building for the first time on Wednesday. He was in his mid-70’s with thinning silver hair and a neat brown suit.

Many times in the past I had invited him to come. Several other Christian friends had talked to him about the Lord and had tried to share the Good News with him. He was a well-respected, honest man with so many characteristics a Christian should have, but he never “put on Christ,” nor entered the doors of the church.

“Have you ever been to a church service in your life?” I had asked him a few years ago. We had just finished a pleasant day of visiting and talking. He hesitated. Then with a bitter smile he told me of his childhood experience some fifty years ago. He was one of the many children in a large, impoverished family. His parents had struggled to provide food, with little left for housing and clothing.

When he was about ten, some neighbors invited him to worship with them. The Sunday School class had been very exciting. He had never heard such songs and stories before. He had never heard anyone read from the bible. After class was over, the teacher took him aside and said, “Son, please don’t come again dressed as you are now. We want to look our best when we come into God’s house.”

He stood in his ragged, unpatched overalls. Then looking at his dirty bare feet, he answered softly, “No Ma’am, I won’t—ever.”

“And I never did,” he said, abruptly ending our conversation.

There must have been other factors to have hardened him so, but this experience formed a significant part of the bitterness in his heart.

I’m sure that Sunday school teacher meant well. But did she really understand the love of Christ? Had she studied and accepted the teaching found in the second chapter of James? What if she had put her arms around that dirty, ragged little boy and said, “Son, I am so glad you are here, and I hope you will come every chance you get to hear more about Jesus.”

Yes, I saw him in the church house for the first time on Wednesday. As I looked at that immaculately-dressed old gentleman lying in his casket, I thought of a little boy of long ago. I could almost hear him say, “No Ma’am, I won’t—ever.”

And I wept.

Oh God, help us all—pastors, teachers, parents, to remember the lowliness of the Babe in the manger and help us show forth His love to the lowly, unlovely, and unloved! In the name of Jesus, I pray. Amen.

Reflect

Read Philippians 2:15 from your Bible.

Respond

What do you think would have happened if the teacher in the story above had put her arms around that little boy and said, “We love you so much and we are so glad you came to church today”? What kind of difference do you think it would have made? As a children’s ministry leader God has given you the privilege of making a positive difference in the lives of kids. In what ways do you desire for God to grow and use you this year? Are there areas in which you desire to do better as compared to last year (i.e., build stronger relationships with students and parents, do better remembering and recognizing birthdays, do better in attending a ball game or other events that your students participate in outside of church to show how special they are to you, etc.)?

Prayerfully consider what you have read today. Then take a few moments to pray for yourself, your students, and others with whom you serve in ministry.

Remember

“A reflection is only as clear as the mirror is clean. Let Jesus shine in you this week.”

Get all 52 Children’s Leader Devotions HERE.

Find more children’s ministry resources and training at:
www.330resources.org/child ren.

If these resources bless you, consider supporting this ministry:

——

“I Don’t Need This Anymore”

September 27, 2017330ministries, Changed Lives, Storieschanged lives, Church, evangelism, Jesus, Outreach, Romans 1:16, Salvation, Saves, Share, stories, story, testimonykolbyking

A number of years ago, I stood outside an old, leaning house. Years of neglect marked the small place. There was trash strewn across the front yard and it was squished along of row of other inner-city homes. Across the street was an abandoned field with chest-tall grass and I could hear dogs barking all around. Standing next to a pile of beer cans on the front porch, I gently knocked on the door. When it opened, my visitation partner and I saw one of the biggest men I’ve ever seen. He was taller than the door frame and his shadow filled the sides. He invited us inside and we stepped forward to see him in the light. He was muscle from head to toe, wearing only gray shorts, and as he closed the door, he began to make fists. I had spoken to him earlier on the phone and he had been expecting us but he suddenly became angry. Muscles grew across his body as he stiffened. He raised his fists to his head and everything inside me screamed, “Get out of here. He’s going to kill you!” But then he turned and leaned on the wall.

“I hate my life,” he said as tears streamed down his face.

“Kenny,” I said, “Let’s sit down and talk.”

I sat in the middle on the couch, sandwiched between this giant of a man and my friend who immediately began sharing Jesus with him. This man was a ex-convict, just recently out of prison but already back in a world of hurt and trouble. He never told us what he had done to spend so many years in jail, only that if he told us, “you would want to leave this place and never talk to me again.”

I watched this man argue that God could never forgive him and then soften as the Holy Spirit brought conviction and truth. At last, I watch as he bowed his head and prayed one of the most simply but powerful prayers I’ve ever heard, “God, I got nothing to give you but if you’ll take me, I’ll come. Amen.”

He looked up. For the first time, a smile filled his face. His eyes, that had looked so dead, now looked so alive. God had saved him!

Moments later, as we continued talking about his new life in Christ, he stood up and grabbed something from the coffee table. We followed to the kitchen as he lifted a beer can and drained it down the sink. “I don’t need this anymore.”

God changes lives. Pray for us as we seek to reach those who normally wouldn’t come to church.

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Stay Alert

February 25, 2017Family Devotions - Teach Me To Prayactivity, ACTS, Alert, Christian, Church, Colossians 4:2, devotion, family, Fun, Pray, Prayerkolbyking

YOU WILL NEED:

-A Bible marked at Colossians 4:2

PLAY the following game: Position your child with his or her back to you somewhere in the room. He has to keep his eyes closed. Point out a line or boundary somewhere behind him and tell him that you are going to try to sneak up behind him and touch him. If he turns around after you cross the line or boundary, then he wins, but if turns around too soon—before you cross the line or boundary, then you win. Play a few times and then switch roles. Let him sneak up on you.

SAY—In the game you had to be alert, listening for any movement. The Bible talks about us staying alert too.

Read Colossians 4:2 from your Bible.

POINT—As you pray, God wants you to stay alert and not be distracted.

ASK—What are some things that might distract you as you pray? (Drifting thoughts, daydreaming, or even get so caught up in asking and asking and asking for things that you don’t take time for other kinds of prayer.)

ASK—Besides asking God for things, what else can you do when you pray?

SAY—Remember A.C.T.S.

(1) You can Adore God—praise Him, tell Him how awesome He is, etc..;

(2) You can Confess your sins and ask God to forgive you;

(3) You can give God Thanks for anything and everything;

(4) You can ask God to Supply your needs and requests. These are all different parts of prayer.

PRAY—Tonight when we pray I want us to do all four of these. First, each of us will praise God (Adore God) for something; Then we will Confess something to God; Then we will Thank God for something; Then we will Ask God (Supplication) for something.

————————–

This family devotion is from:

72 Family Devotions for Spiritually Training Your Kids
ON SALE for $5.99. Regular price: $9.99 USD. Nonfiction.
Featuring 72 action-packed, easy-to-lead family devotions. Set aside a night or two each week for a “special time” where you and your kids can have family fun together and learn valuable lessons from God’s Word. No advanced planning is needed. Anyone can do this. The ebook contains devotions concerning a variety of topics including salvation, fear, trust, sin, forgiveness and much more.

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