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The Wall is Down

Two years ago I had a great job at a good church. I had served in children’s ministry for 30 years and was making a good salary at an influential church in Minneapolis, Minnesota. I had helped the church grow from 1,000 people to over 5,000 members. At 52, I should have been content to coast into retirement, but […]

Are You Teaching Your Kids to be Leaders?

I recently wrote a new curriculum on leadership for kids. It may be the best curriculum I have ever written. Why do we need to teach kids about Leadership? Allow me to answer that question with a story. Imagine that Johnny is at a friend’s house and his buddy wants to watch a movie that Johnny knows […]

Can Obedience Be a Bad Thing?

When I was a young father my primary goal was to get my kids to obey. It was a good feeling when I asked my kids to do something and they did what I asked. I felt like I was a successful parent because my children obeyed me, however we should parent with the end in mind. If […]

Is Spanking Child Abuse?

This Sunday I am teaching on Boundaries with Kids. Children are not born with boundaries. This is why Solomon said; “A child who gets his own way brings his mother to shame.” It’s the parent’s job to make the rules. It’s the child’s job to break the rules. This does not mean that your kids […]

My Top Five Failures As A Parent

You may not think very highly of me after reading this blog, but I’m willing to take the risk. It’s hard to talk about failure, but it might help someone and it’s therapeutic for me. Bottom line, even if it doesn’t help you it will help me. “When I was a boy of 14, my […]

Do You Have Cliques In Your KidMin?

Every church has circles of friends. Circles of friends can be good, but sometimes they can push people away. We call these kinds of circles cliques. Cliques are not healthy for kids or for the church. You need to understand the social dynamics of your group before you can help the kids in this area. At my church, […]

Be Proactive

When I first started in kid’s ministry I saw myself as a victim. I loved the kids, but I felt like my ministry was totally at the mercy of other people. I played the blame game a lot. Things would get better if: ….parents place a higher value on their children. ….more people would step up and […]