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607 Experience: LOVE IT!

By | February 20, 2012 | Holidays and Events, Ministry Ideas: Lessons and Programs, Parents, Resources, Reviews | No comments
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I’m a huge fan of the family ministry movement.  I love the idea of involving parents more in the church and encouraging them to take a more proactive role at home.  But, I have to be honest, I didn’t really know how the whole concept would flesh out in real life.   The church has been handling “the spiritual stuff” for so long, how do we pull parents back into the picture?

My First Ideas

I tried putting great resources on display.  Books for all ages, Bibles, and copies of killer blog posts I had happened upon.  The table quickly became a coat rack.

I tried organizing a Family Easter Egg decorating party.  Three parents attended.  Two parents complained that their kids were going to get messy.  Not exactly what I would call a success.

It Seemed Better in My Head…

I had a dream, a vision of what I wanted things to look like.  I wanted parents sitting with their kids, worshiping together, hearing the lesson together, and then engaging with the content they just heard.  I knew I couldn’t write a program like this (I can barely write a newsletter each week!), and I couldn’t really find one that fit my ideal description either.

Until 607 Generational Discipleship Experience.  This is not an “everyday curriculum”.  Instead, it uses major holidays to turn a regular service into a family experience.  We planned to do a family service about once a quarter, so this was the perfect format for us.  Plus, I think parents are more inclined to attend a “special holiday event” when a family service is advertised that way.

I took an extensive look at both the Christmas lesson and the New Year’s lesson, hoping to use them for a family service.  However, the Wednesday between Christmas and New Year’s was cancelled at our church, and we all know an audience of zero is no good.   I did teach the Christmas lesson to the kids in Children’s Church just to see their reaction, and they were completely engaged.

I love the fact that there’s a video midway through the lesson with “real-people” interviews or some other little vignette. And the props used during the lesson (for Christmas, it was 3 wrapped gifts containing a clock, a red heart, and CD) are simple, easy-to-relate to, memorable, and not too distracting.   I’m a fan of object lessons, but it kills me when kids get all caught up in the “way-cool illustration” (you know, the ones we love to force into the lesson even when they don’t exactly fit) and totally miss the point of the lesson.  These weren’t that way at all.

The Best Part

The best part about this curriculum is that parents walk away with a skill and a tool to use at home.   Here’s what each lesson explains:

607 is all about helping parents live out Deuteronomy 6:07. 607 will help you host an inter-generational worship experience that’s so much more than a typical worship service: parents will walk away with an experience, a skill, and a tool.

Experience

The children’s sermon and the 607 Experience Sermon will guide
you through a themed teaching and interactive time for families of all ages.
Through this inter-generational worship experience, parents, kids, and teens
alike will be inspired to grow in their faith in Christ.

Skill

Each 607 Experience Sermon will teach a specific skill that moms, dads,
grandparents, aunts, uncles, and mentors can implement at home and into
the way we impress faith on the next generation.

Tool

Each parent or leading adult will walk away with a Drive It Home Tool
to help them impress faith on their kids and the next generation of disciples
in Jesus Christ.

For the Christmas lesson, it was ways to keep Christ the center of Christmas.  For New Years, it was a worksheet that helped parents develop a family mission statement and family faith plan.

So far, there’s about ten holidays available, including Mother’s and Father’s Day.  The rest of the holidays are promised by August 30th.  The regular price for a year’s worth of 607 is $299.

I have to say, we just signed up to use 252 Basics for a year, and I’m not entirely impressed with the Family Experience lessons they have as part of the curriculum.  I think the ones found in 607 are much better organized, more meaningful, and a lot more practical for parents.  I’ll let you know how the Valentine’s Day lesson plays out!

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Taken by Brock Eastman (Book Review)

By | February 8, 2012 | Reviews | Comments Off
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Science Fiction.   It’s almost embarrassing to admit how much I like this genre.  Star Trek, X-men, even Stargate — I’m in.  I blamd it on my father.  You don’t grow up with the entire collection of Star Trek (Original and Next Generation) on the shelves without it seeping it into your worldview at least a little.  I must admit though, there’s something so fun about imagining the future with all its new gadgets, funny customs, and alien people groups.  That’s why I was happy to take a look at Brock Eastman’s new book, Taken (Quest for Truth).

Here’s the description from Amazon:

Suit up! Jump into hyper flight with the four Wikk kids! Forced into a high stakes hunt for their missing parents by the sinister Captian Vedrik, the siblings’ only hope is their parents’ Archeos e-journal. Can Tiffany decipher the clues within it? As time runs out, it’s all up to Oliver and his Federation training to fly the Phoenix and protect his crew. But twins Mason and Austin endanger the mission when they unexpectedly meet . . . the blue boy! 

I have to say, this description does do the book much justice.  The book is quick-paced, interesting, and full of interesting family dynamics.  I like the balance between the seriousness of the older siblings with the impishness and sometimes reckless behavior of the younger twins.    I found myself staying for “one more chapter” time and time again.  The descriptions of the scenery were beautiful and there was just enough suspense to keep the reader steadily engaged without adding any scariness to the book.   I liked the unexpected twists and turns as the older two journeyed to find parts for their ship and clues about their parents, and the utter fancifulness the younger twins encountered after meeting a strange blue boy.

Check it out for yourself!

Grab yours here!

 

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Futurecast: A Review

By | January 2, 2012 | Resources, Reviews | Comments Off

The headline on the cover of this book reads “Extensive new research…” They weren’t kidding.

This book is PACKED with statistics, studies, facts, and general information stuff concerning behaviors, attitudes, and beliefs of the American people.

And it’s about as interesting as a book full of statistics. Oh wait. It IS a book full of statistics.  That would explain why it took me six months to finish it.  It’s not exactly what you would call “easy reading”.

That being said, George Barna did do a remarkable job of making some dry reading into something meaningful.  He tied the statistics to real-life relevancy quite frequently and inserted enough of his own personality to keep the reader turning the pages (even if  it was slowly).

There were a few things I found especially insightful, like this discussion about Heroes and Celebrities:

“Heroes are ordinary people who rise to the occasion, displaying courage, integrity, and humility in performing acts that leave a positive mark on society.  Celebrities are people who perform acts of clever marketing to arrest the public’s attention and promote themselves.  A society built on its attentiveness to heroes will have heart and hope.  A society devoted to celebrities will debase itself through an obsession withi fame, frivolity, superficiality, and gossip.”

My Favorite Quotes and Insights from the Book

  • The combination of all the attitudes and values we posses is the substance of our worldview, which enables us to live in a manner that makes us comfortable with ourselves.
  • The expansion of our screen addiction reflects the inescapable interconnectedness of modern life — for better or for worse!
  • Two out of ten Catholics today self-proclaimed charismatic(surprising!)
  • One of the benefits of small groups appears to be the ability to get men involved.
  • Many Christians fail to help out because they feel they have nothing special to offer the cause.
  • We don’t shape an entire culture in one fell swoop; we influence one life at a time, and through the cumulative impact of that influence, we begin to alter society.
  • Don’t mistake activity for significance; don’t misconstrue big numbers to imply success; and don’t expect perfection when progress is the best we can hope for.
  • One of the fastest-growing models is the house church, also commonly called organic church or simple church.

 Cool Kidmin Toy?

Barna mentioned a cool device called a Pico Projecter.  He says, “These pocket-size, rechareable projectors give the user the ability to flash 6 foot high images on any available surface — walls, whiteboards, etc.”  I did a quick Amazon search and found these little gadgets run between $100 and $400 dollars — not totally out of the question, and great for those who only occasionally use video clips.

Conclusion

This book can be helpful in getting a grasp of what the population is looking for when it comes to organized religion.  The book was well written and full of helpful insights.  Just don’t expect to finish it off in one or two sittings!

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What Readers Are Saying about The Imagination Station Series

By | November 9, 2011 | Resources, Reviews | Comments Off
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Did you catch the reviews of Showdown with the Shepherd and Problems at Plymouth recently?  Don’t forget to enter the giveaway for a chance to win your own copy of the books (contest ends November 15th).  Check out what other readers are saying about this great series!

Money-Saving Mom

If you’re looking for a good read-aloud for your children, I highly recommend these books. Our children
have been riveted and on the edge of their seats through each and every chapter. In fact, we usually
read no less than five to eight chapters as a time because I can’t bear to say no to their begging for me
to read more.

Life as Mom

The books are easy to read as well as intriguing to kids and adults alike, making for a fun family read aloud.

A Peek at My Bookshelf

These books are engaging, filled with just the right amount of adventure and mystery, but also with important historical detail.

Christy’s Book Blog

Mia and I have read several in the Magic Tree House series, to which this is certain to be compared, but Imagination Station is far superior. The writing doesn’t talk down to readers, the plots are thoroughly engaging while using historical characters. They give kids a good view of what life was like at the time, because Patrick and Beth are treated like children of the era. … This is one series that I don’t dread reading aloud with my daughter each night.

From Mia, age 6: I liked everything about this book, especially being able to go to the past. My favorite part was the mysterious person who helped them open the church door. I loved the illustrations and the author is magnificent at his writing. I learned that God should forever be in your path. I really like that all of these books are Jesus books.

Karen in Mommyland:

This series has the potential to appeal to both boys and girls. I particularly like series which try to engage children of both genders. … This series isn’t dripping in history quite as much as the Magic Tree House series, but it has a nice healthy dose of it that carries the potential to spark an interest in history for young children. The book’s Christian message is subtle. I have read other books for children where the religious message feels heavy handed and forced. This is not the case with this series. The message is there, but it does not try to shove anything down the readers throat.

My Buckling Bookshelf:

Mom and Dad, if you’re looking for fun, engaging books to keep your child reading then look no further than these Imagination Station books from Adventures in Odyssey. They’re fast paced and easy to read (with pictures, too), and have an air of mystery that will keep your child turning pages. Another bonus…they’re exploring the annals of history with the element of faith! I really enjoyed seeing how the message of Christ was woven through each story.

My Memphis Mommy:

As a parent I love that the Web site is very family friendly and gives lots of great resources for engaging your child further with the story lines. My husband and I appreciate this series as it shares our biblical worldview and has value based lessons through out the story. We also love that it teaches her historical facts in an exciting and fun way! She literally could not put the books down and once she was finished reading it was all she talked about it.

Have you Entered the Giveaway Yet?

Check out these posts for a chance to win Showdown with the Shepherd or Problems in Plymouth!

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Problems in Plymouth: Giveaway!

By | November 8, 2011 | Reviews | 6 Comments

There are problems at Plymouth rock, and Beth and Patrick are caught right in the middle of it all!  In this book, the sixth in “The Imagination Station” series, the cousins are in hot pursuit of a man named Hugh who has used a special ring to leave his time (medieval ages) and stir up trouble during the colonial times in North America.

After using the Imagination Station in Whit’s End, the cousins come face to face with Hugh and try to convince him to return to his time.  Fearing punishment, Hugh runs away and suddenly, Beth and Patrick are surrounded by a bunch of Native Americans, with arrows!

Through a series of events, Beth and Patrick find themselves among the crowd at the first Thanksgiving, but Hugh is stirring up trouble again and the celebration may be ruined!

Compared to Showdown with the Shepherd, this book lacks a bit when it comes to drama and a smooth plotline.  Though it’s still a good read, it seems like the authors are stretching a bit to develop a climax to the storyline.    However, it’s still great work and a worth taking a look at.  Why not buy all six books in the series for a Christmas gift?  At only $5 each, it’s something worth thinking about!

Want to Win a Copy?

Leave me a comment telling me your favorite part about Thanksgiving!

Grab an extra entry by liking Growing Kids Ministry on facebook and then leaving me a comment saying you did so.

Check out Other Books in this Series:

Voyage with the Vikings (Book #1)

Attack in the Arena (Book #2)

Peril in the Palace (Book #3)

Revenge of the Red Knight (Book #4)

 

 

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Showdown with the Shepherd: Book Review

By | November 7, 2011 | Reviews | 4 Comments
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The army cowered on one side of the river as the giant looked on and hurled insults and taunts.  Would no one stand up to the Philistines?

What would it have been like to actually be a part of the David and Goliath account?  To see the soldiers shaking and scared?  To see the Philistines camp, strong and powerful?  To walk with David to Saul’s tent and listen to him tell the king, “I can fight this man!”

Sometimes we grow so accustomed to the classic Bible accounts, we discount the suspense and drama that must have been present.  I love the 5th book in “The Imagination Station” series because it really brings the David and Goliath story to life.  By throwing in a character that doesn’t belong in the story (Hugh), the readers are able to relive the tension many of the Israelites must have felt when David marched up to the battle line.  This book, entitled Showdown with Shepherd, brings the Bible characters to life in a fresh new way, and showcases the power of God in a compelling fashion.

I enjoyed observing the dynamics of the relationship between David and his brother, and between David and Saul. Clearly, much of this book is imagined, but I think it is pretty consistent with the biblical account and would feel very comfortable with a child or preteen reading this.  Sometimes, with historical/biblical fiction, the details are so elaborate, the reader gets lost and facts and fiction become blurred. I don’t think this is the case with this book, and I really enjoy the fact that we’ve visited a biblical account by using “the imagination station”.

I would recommend this book to any child.  I even read parts of it to my 2 year old daughter and she seemed fairly interested!  Certainly the preteen crowd would love it!

My only complaint about this book is the Prologue.  For as interesting as the rest of the book is, this is sure boring!  I would love to see this section revamped a bit, filling readers in with some details without putting them to sleep before the first chapter!

Want to win a copy of the book?

Leave a comment telling me what Bible story you’d like to be a part of!

You can get an additional entry by Liking Growing Kids Ministry on facebook!

*Contest open to US residents only.  I was given a copy of this book free in exchange for a review.  The opinions expressed are my own. *

Check out Other Books in this Series:

Voyage with the Vikings (Book #1)

Attack in the Arena (Book #2)

Peril in the Palace (Book #3)

Revenge of the Red Knight (Book #4)

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