Evan Doyle

OK, so it’s not such a new thing. In fact, it turned six today. It’s name is iPod. So you’ve heard of it? Yep, thought you had.

On the internet, there is a forum thread known as “Thread 500″. It is on MacRumors.com. Initially, people ridiculed it. Some of the comments made were:
“I still can’t believe this! All this hype for something so ridiculous! Who cares about an MP3 player? I want something new! I want them to think differently! Why oh why would they do this?! It’s so wrong! It’s so stupid!”

“Sure the iPod is cool, and yeah I’d love to have one, but only for half the asking price of $399.”

“The iPod requires me to change my lifestyle to meet it’s needs… I need round holes, not square holes. For $99 I might buy the toy, for $399? Why?”

Consider that the iPod sold 110 million units internationally as of September. All of this gloom and doom from those looking at the situation in 2001, but it turned out to be the most successful MP3 player on the market. And in the opinion of some, it became the best MP3 player. (more…)

Last Sunday evening our Pastor made this statement during his sermon: “Servants can bring glory to God.”

Now, the way my mind works, I think over everything way too much.  But thinking about it brought this thought to my mind: Volunteers are good.  Servants are better.

You can have tons of volunteers in your ministry, and people will look in and say, “Great!  They’re having an effective ministry.  Just look at all of the volunteers.”  But are you really?  What is the heart attitude of those serving?  Is it a “I’m doing this because I have to do it to fulfill an obligation” or is it a “I honestly want to serve”?

A volunteer brings no glory to God.  A volunteer is all about bringing glory to themselves.  They are inward focused in their service.  On the other hand, a servant is outward focused.  They’re all about bringing glory to God.  If they are truly serving with a servants heart, ministering will not be a chore to them. (more…)

Here’s an awesome, remarkable idea from, of all people, Martha Stewart.  Yes, that Martha Stewart.

So here’s her suggestion: take some chalkboard paint, and paint an entire wall.  There are a ton of things you could do with this. You could do, as she suggests, make a wall calendar and keep all of your ministry events for the month up on it. You could also do birthdays in the church.

Another option is just leaving it blank, and allowing the kids to simply draw whatever they want. Establishing rules would be a great thing (only things that build others up or glorify God). This allows kids to express themselves, while keeping them entertained before class and after class while waiting for their parents.

Don’t think painting your walls would go over so hot with your senior pastor? Just beg! OK, so there is a better solution. You can buy some foam-core board, paint it, and fasten it to your walls. If you just want a small area, just use one piece. If you want to cover your whole wall, use lots of pieces of the board. It’s an easy way to get around having to paint your walls, and still use the same idea.

It’ll take some work, but it could just be the one thing that sets your Children’s Ministry apart. You may even catch yourself doodling on occasion. Just give it a try. You might be surprised to find the talents some of your kids have!

P.S. Need some chalkboard paint? Check out ArtCity.com (I haven’t used them, just who I found first on Google!) for some spray paint. You can also check your local home improvement store.