That got me to thinking: that guy would be a great children’s pastor.  He could probably rebuild the entire used sound system from “big church” using gum, duct tape, and some old socks.  (Admit it, you’ve used creative tools before.)  Children’s pastors seem to have a unique knack for making something out of absolutely nothing.

So in celebration of that spirit, we want to know what the most creative thing you’ve ever done to stretch your ministry budget was.  Whether it was giving every kid half a Tootsie Roll Midgee for being quiet to building a new children’s ministry building using only popsicle sticks and glue sticks, we want to hear about it.

As a little incentive to get you to share, we’re going to have a giveaway!  Just put in your name and email below (your email won’t be seen but anyone but us!), then tell us your budget-stretching story.  On March 7, I’m going to pick the most outrageously creative story.  You’ll win a children’s ministry music prize pack, containing at least 6 CDs, and more if we randomly decide to!  Make sure your submission is in by 11:59 PM EST on March 6, or it doesn’t count.  We all look forward to seeing your crazy ideas!

 It’s called Hope Lives.  Hope Lives is a book by Amber Van Schooneveld about compassion and poverty.  I’ve just flipped through it,  but it looks great.  In conjunction with the book, Group has released  curriculum to go along with the book.  They have a  children’s ministry kit, youth kit, pastors kit, and small group kit.   They’re cheap too: your whole church could get involved with Hope Lives for less than $150 for a 5 week series.  

The whole purpose is to help you encourage your children to develop a compassionate response to poverty.  It reminds them that hope lives.  It helps them put it into action.  If you’ve been looking for a way to get your kids involved in poverty outreach, Hope Lives is a great way to start.  You can check it out at group.com/hopelives.

On November 30, a limousine was parked in front of Princeton Pike Church of God in Hamilton, Ohio.  No one knew why.  A week later, the members of the church learned something about that limousine: 9 celebrities had been inside that limousine.  Not the celebrities we would think of.  Not at all.  But they were celebrities in the eyes of the King.  That limousine had carried 9 homeless men to church that Sunday morning.  It just so happens that the owner of a limo service attends that church.  On November 30, he went out into the streets and found 9 homeless men and brought them to church.  7 of the 9 came to know Christ personally that Sunday morning.  That’s what I call a bus ministry!

To most limo owners, that would seem like craziness.  You don’t normally let dirty, smelly homeless men ride in your limo for free.  But that man saw something more important than their physical state: their spiritual state.  In his mind, they weren’t homeless.  They were sinners in desperate need of a Savior.

I’ve had the unique opportunity to grow up in a church (Liberty Baptist) with a inner-city bus ministry.  Every Sunday, we go into the inner-city and bring 250 boys, girls, teens, and adults to our rural, somewhat affluent, very Caucasian church.  Sometimes bringing “those kids” in is not a popular decision.  But Jesus loves “those kids” too.   I’ve helped on a bus route several times.  Some of the homes you see these children growing up in nearly want to make you cry.  Sometimes the kids smell funny.  Sometimes the kids aren’t exactly friendly.  Sometimes the kids aren’t dressed “right” for church.  Some of the family situations are despicable.    It’s not a pretty sight.  Yet I don’t look at those situations and see the depravity.  I look at them and see sinners in desperate need of a Savior.

I was a sinner in desperate need of a Savior.  I had parents to teach me that.  Some kids don’t.  As we approach this Christmas season, make it your goal to get yourself and the kids in your ministry in contact with some of the “overlooked and ignored”.  Show them that God’s love goes beyond the walls of a church, and provides for both material and spiritual needs.   Start a fundraiser in your ministry to raise money for an inner-city church.  Take your kids on a missions “trip” to distribute food and clothing to those in the inner city.  It’s a lot easier to make a trip downtown with a bunch of kids than it is across the world.  There are so many things you could do.  Take action.  Make yourself available.  Let Christ change the lives.  Help your kids to know that Christ loves humans, no matter their income level, color of their skin, cleanliness, or living situation.  He looks beyond their physical state.  He loves sinners in desperate need of a Savior.

May it be my prayer and yours that one day every child in your ministry today will look up into the glory of the King and hear Him say, “[When you reached out] to someone overlooked or ignored, that was me—you did it to me.”

P.S.  This pairs quite nicely with the KidzMatter iPhone wallpaper.  You can find that here.

Here’s how to get it: Visit thewayweseeitblog.com from your iPhone.  Find this post on the home page, then tap on the image above.  It should open in a window by itself.  Once it’s done that, simply tap and hold on the image.  A slider will pop up and ask you to save the image.

Once you have saved the image, press your home button.  Tap Photos, then Camera Roll.  There you will find the image you just saved.  Tap on it, then in the bottom left corner, tap on the postage stamp with an arrow on it.  Then choose Set Wallpaper.  That’s it!  You can now enjoy a little piece of KidzMatter everytime you unlock your phone.  Enjoy!

Ryan means a lot to our church, as well as to many of you. So if you have a funny story, thank you, or anything else you would like us to share with Ryan, just leave a comment on below! This is our little way of showing Ryan how much his church family and his online family care!

Now, what Ryan didn’t know was that behind his back I sent an email to several of our Way We See It subscribers and asked for their comments to share with him. Here a just a few of them I’ve received:

“As children’s pastors, in networks of children’s pastors, we are learning, sharing, growing, and spreading God’s love in new and creative ways because kidz matter. You may never see or meet all the lives impacted this side of heaven, but heaven will be different because of your investment in the lives of leaders in the here and now. Your investment in the kids you minister to each week has ripple effects as you challenge, grow and stretch each of us. Thanks for allowing God to use you to make a difference in the Kingdom for kids, families, teachers, and leaders.” Susan Hoak

“Thank you, Ryan, for allowing God to use you to touch the lives of so many kids and those who minister to kids. It is easy to see that kids really do matter to you. I have been blessed through your ministry. Keep pressing on!” Melinda Autry

“Please add me to the count of Children’s Pastors that is so appreciative of Ryan and Beth for the support they provide through their friendship, Kidzmatter.com, the Blog, as well as the workshops Ryan leads. May God continue to use Ryan for the advancement of His kingdom at Liberty Baptist and throughout the world!” Deana Hayes

“I’ve always appreciated Pastor Ryan and Beth’s drive for the Lord. Whenever I think of Pastor Ryan and Beth I think of hard work, enthusiasm for God’s work, and most of all, integrity. Both Ryan and Beth are vital members of our congregation and the body of Christ as a whole. We, at Liberty, are so blessed to call them family!” Briana Pickering

We’re going to start with Horton Hears a Who. We’re going to use quotes to make our points.

1. Children matter, just like adults.
“A person’s a person, no matter how small.”

OK, I know I’m kind of preaching to the choir on this one, but it’s something important to never forget. Every child from the youngest baby to the oldest preteen are just as important as the “grownups”. While we can’t use the same approaches with kids as we do adults, they have an amazing ability to understand God and who he is. Remember that they aren’t stupid!

2. Faithfulness to commitments are important. Kids never forget!
“I meant what I said, and I said what I meant. An elephant’s faithful one hundred percent.”

So, you’re not an elephant. However, kids never forget anything you say. ANYTHING. EVER. You could be saying something totally innocent and joking, but those kids will cling to it. Never promise anything to a kid that you don’t intend to follow up. Don’t just tell them, “I’ll talk to you next week,” with the intention of hoping they’ll forget, unless you actually intend to talk to them. They’ll always remember what you say, so don’t go and say anything goofy!

3. Children have VERY active imaginations!
“In my world everyone is a pony, and they all eat rainbows and poop butterflies.”

Throughout the Horton movie, you see Kangaroo constantly trying to quash children’s imaginations and ability to think freely in the name of “protecting them”. You’re not protecting any child by not allowing them to imagine. That’s what makes a kid a kid: a innocent imagination. Give them opportunities to imagine and think. It’s a talent God gave them, so it would only stand to reason that we should allow them to use it, no?

4. God is bigger than us and exists, despite the fact that we can’t sense Him.
“If you can’t see it, feel it, or hear it, it doesn’t exist.”

Sometimes it can be hard for humans to grasp the concept of God because our five senses can’t sense him. However, we need to let our kids know that there are things we can’t sense, but are still there.

Isn’t it amazing how something as simple as a Dr. Seuss story can have so much truth? We’ll see more from him later. In the mean time, here’s my favorite quote from the Horton movie:

“Morton: Horton, the kangaroo has sent Vlad!
Horton: Vlad? Vlad, Vlad… I know two Vlads. There’s the bad Vlad… And then there’s bunny Vlad, the one that makes cookies!
Morton: …Yeah, Horton, she’s sending you a bunny with cookies. I think it’s safe to say it’s the bad Vlad.
Horton: Yeah, good call. ”

Now, don’t you wish you had my aunt?