As I sit here and write this blog (my first in several days), I can't help and reflect on the last couple of weeks. So, for your information...this is the week (or two) that was:

JURY DUTY. It's funny, but when it comes to some things like patriotism, I am very idealistic. When I got my summons, I had all the typical reactions ("what an inconvenience!" "I don't know what to do!", etc.). But a part of me was rather excited about the opportunity to "do my civic duty."
I reported on a Tuesday and sat in a big room with 398 of my closest friends. This was "orientation". A judge came in and explained the history of the judicial system in general and juries in particular. It was very interesting. Then the jury coordinator came up and explained to us that between the hours of 8 and 9, the lawyers and judges go through assorted motions and that some of the trials scheduled that day may not happen. And then... the moment of truth: all the trials went away!.
Day Two was a "report by phone" day. I did so the night before and the nice recording told me my number was not needed.
Day Three was "tag, you're it" day. I called the night before and my number was on the list. So I reported to the big room and waited until the baliff called roll. After roll, he called another set of numbers (not mine!) and told them that their trial had gone away and they could go home. The rest of us had to report to the courtroom. We followed the baliff to the courtroom, sat in our assigned seats, then were called one at a time to sit in the jury box and overflow sections. The judge gave us instructions and then the two attorneys asked us questions. It was an interesting flow of opinion and speculation, but finally, the two attorneys started making their eliminations. About three or four jurors had been sent home when the judge called my name and told me I was excused. Since three days is the length of jury service, that meant I was done. I learned a lot in my short time there.

CELEBRATION PREP. One of the biggest events of our Sunday School year is the "Roundup." Roundup is part pep rally, part homecoming, and part reunion. It's an exciting kick off to the new school year. We try really hard to make everything extra nice. Nothing to report, except that Roundup is tomorrow (Sunday) and due to the event described next, we aren't able to start setting up yet until later this evening. It makes things a little more hectic, but that's okay! Ministry is important enough to allow a little challenge!

FUNERAL SERVICE Last Sunday, my pastor asked me if I would do a funeral service today (Saturday). I agreed. It was a beautiful service...the woman was a believer and well regarded in the community. There was standing room only in the sanctuary and in the church foyer, testifying to this woman's faith. Sure, we can't start transforming the room into our Roundup environment until this other is over, but PRAISE GOD! the gospel was preached and lives were touched.

PRESCHOOL PREP. This is the last time I will write this (maybe!) Preschool (where I teach part time) starts tomorrow and I don't feel I am adquately prepared to impart educational concepts to the 4 year olds in my care. Who am I kidding...I'M NOT READY!! There...I feel much better now.

I will leave you with this: my newest philosophy is that I will not use the words or phrase, "It's going to be one of those days." I refuse to magnify the severity of my problems more than I magnify the goodness of God.

One down, two to go

My wife and I had the privilege this weekend of taking my daughter to college. It was a nice weekend with just the three of us. Actually, my little girl drove her own car and we took our vehicle for the four hour drive. We spent the night at a hotel a few minutes from the campus, ate dinner out, and laughed and joked.
The next morning, we pulled into the university parking lot and the adventure began. The staff was friendly and helpful. In fact, I spent a lot of time making mental notes of principles for children's ministry while I was there. Most of the morning was spent in line. Most of the afternoon was spent hauling my daughter's stuff up three flights of stairs! Fortunately, there were some strapping hunky college men around to carry the refrigerator, microwave, and other heavy items. I assured my daughter that this would be the last time I would feel comfortable with her receiving such attention from college boys.
A chapel service was held and then came the goodbyes. My wife and I left for the four hour excursion home, without our first born.
If this blog seems overly void of emotion and descriptive feelings, it's because I need to type quickly, lest the emotion and descriptive feelings keep me from finishing my first entry in about two or three weeks!
I'm proud of my little girl.

Camping Inspiration

The weather here in the great Pacific Northwest has been rather warm lately. So my family and I took off for a weekend of camping. Call me crazy ("your're crazy!"), call me strange ("you're strange!"), but when I go camping, I like to take stuff to study. Oh sure, I also take stuff for pure entertainment ( a favorite novel or CD) and I do "woodsy" kinds of things (great trails around the campgrounds). But I love to study in the forest! No television. No phones (believe it or not, I do not own a cell phone). Very few distractions apart from the occaisional mosquito. I can spend an entire hour in uninterrupted concentration on systematic theology, history, or whatever interests me at the moment.
My kids don't understand my joy of studying while camping, but that's okay. They still equate "study" with "school work", something they wish to blissfully repress for another 26 days, 8 hours, 12 minutes, and 45 seconds. Me? I love to learn. I am still patiently waiting and working toward the financial opportunity and time to complete my graduate studies with the ultimate goal of earning a doctorate. In the meantime, I am engaged in self-study for enrichment, ministry, and pure joy.
I spent a little more time on this camping trip in prayer for inspiration, and motivation regarding the ministries in which I am involved. Wow! Talk about clarity of thought. I almost filled a yellow legal pad (which I now buy in bulk!) with ideas for a new handbook, volunteer placement, and involving older kids in service. Much of this was stuff that was swirling around in my head, but it wasn't until I could study, read, focus, and pray without civilization encroaching upon me that the thoughts crystalized and finally got down on paper. I almost couldn't wait to get home to type it all up and show it to my children's ministries secretary (who would probably be stunned to see how organized I really am!).
Well, I am now back in civilization with all its challenges. I'm still typing. I'll let you know the outcome of these "deep thoughts", brought on courtesy of camping!

VBS 2005 is now history

We did it!
Actually the Lord did it, but He chose to use us. I'm talking, of course, about Vacation Bible School, one of the big highlights of the year at our church. Our theme this year was "Serengeti Trek" from Group Publishing. Group usually has a good program and outstanding music and this year was no exception. The kids learned how to KNOW GOD, TALK TO GOD, TELL ABOUT GOD, LOVE GOD, and WORK FOR GOD. Through the music and skits and Bible dramas, onward through the snacks and games and crafts...every element every night was designed to re-emphasize the daily Bible points and verses. Each night, the kids were able to choose a "Daily Challenge", a practical expression of the lessons learned. As they completed these challenges, leaves were added to a tree. It was all a beautiful expression of service to the Lord. Another expression was the missions offering: over $230 raised. It was a fun experience.
The title of this blog includes the name "KidServants", so I need to mention the incredible, phenomenal team of KidServants who put VBS together this year. Each year, they sacrifice their time, energy, and creativity to minister to these children. I am humbled by their service and grateful that they made themselves available to the Lord for this work.
Lastly, I need to mention the W. family (I won't give out their full name, but they know who they are). Mrs. W. is our children's ministries secretary and really kept me hopping through the process. Mr. W, whose work schedule would crush most mortal men, devoted hours in the evenings to painting backdrops and setting up decorations, along with his wife. If you are reading this, W. family, please know that you are a very precious asset to our children's ministries and I love and appreciate you.
I've already had several people ask about next summer. We will get to that soon enough....but first, we all need a well deserved nap.....Glory to God.

Independence Day in Small Town USA

I have the privilege of living in a small city in southern Oregon. "Small" is actually a relative term, since, according to experts, we are one of the fastest growing communities in the state. But even with our growth and progress, nothing equals the annual 4th of July celebration in our "small" community. It is classic Americana!
The morning begins with the 4th of July Breakfast at the Grange Hall...hosted, cooked, and served by the men and women of the VFW. The menu is always the same: scrambled eggs, ham, pancakes, coffee, and juice. The food is good and young and old come in to eat, joke around, and exchange the latest news and rumors.
There's the fun run events, in which I will one day participate after I lay down my burdens and get my knees fixed.
And then there's the parade. Main Street is blocked off and what looks like the entire community lines both sides. The best spot is the by the review stand. This is where the color guard stops and everyone stands as a local celebrity opens the parade with the National Anthem. The parade then proceeds: a diverse collection of vintage cars, horses and riders, civic leaders, and organizational floats. The floats wouldn't win any prizes at the Rose Parade, but they get trophies anyway (last year, our church VBS float won first place!). The fun part is the commentary from the review stand: corny jokes, crack-ups, and familiarity not seen in big city parades.
Booths line Main Street and, after the parade, one can "swim" through the people. Expect a wait in line at the food and soft drink booths, but there will be enough friends passing by and saying "hi" that nobody minds much. Of course, there's the lawnmower races too, souped up engines and all roaring down main street for honor and fun.
And no 4th of July festivities would be complete without fireworks. The same community that came out in sun earlier now assembles at the the high school football stadium. The best spots go to the early arrivals, but there's room for everyone. Families cahtting and playing, the high school concession stand already showing a line, the workers doing final checks on the pyrotechnics.
And then it's dusk and the excitement begins. The first half is the "sponsored" part in which businesses and individuals purchase shells in exchange for a mention. The announcer does a plug, the firework is shot. Another plug, another shot. Okay, it's kind of slow and a little boring. But it occurs to me that these businesses and individuals are an integral part of the fabric of the community. We eat at these resteraunts and shop at these stores and say "hi" to these folks. It's a little like a family coming together and remembering.
At half time, there is "Skydiver Bingo." Folks buy paper plates with their names on them. After the plates are scattered across the field, a group of skydivers parachute through the night, coming into view almost magically into the stadium. They scoop up a plate as they land and the winners get a prize.
The second half of the show is classic fireworks: loud, thrilling, and uninterrupted. It's spectacular and awe-inspiring, one of the best in the region.
The next day, our small city gets back to normal. And aside from the extra number of clean up crews patrolling the now busy Main Street, theonly remant fo a very special day in our city is the stray "pop" from a leftover firecracker.
God bless my community...and God bless the USA.

Work with Kids?

Ever so often, I am approached with the statement: "You should get more help so that you don't have to be stuck with the kids every Sunday morning." I've always had mixed emotions about that statement. I'm touched by their concern for my well being. I'm a little jumpy because I don't know of too many volunteers who will devote the next year to eternity serving in Children's Ministries. But most of all, I'm confused because I'm not quite sure how to respond. And then it just hit me yesterday: the statement begins from a false premise.
Let's review: "You should get more help." That is true. Someone has said that you don't have to be in a mega-church to have a mega-children's ministry. I agree with that. Being the Children's Ministries Director of a relatively small church has not stopped me from dreaming big. We do a lot of things designed to engage the children of this generation, with the ultimate goal of seeing boys and girls come to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ.
But to do that, we need help. We need committed volunteers who love Jesus to help create an atmosphere of caring. Our Sunday morning program (called Sunday Morning Celebration) can have flashing lights and video presentations, but when all a kid needs is a hug or high-five, we need people. So yes...I should get more help. I will confess a weakness in the area of recruiting. I'm learning and doing better. Amen and amen!
Now to the second part: "so you don't have to be stuck with the kids every Sunday morning." Like a thunderclap, it hit me! I have asked folks how they would feel if they did the large group children's church every Sunday morning without a break. They would often shudder and say, "No way...I couldn't possibly work with kids all the time!" And here is my answer: "perhaps you can't...but I can!" I'm not stuck working with the kids...I'm honored to work with the kids. This isn't an interruption of my church experience...it is the ministry to which I am currently called.
The folks who often make the statement are interpreting children's ministries through their own expectations. They can't imagine spending every week ministering to children, so they assume that nobody could possibly want to do it. But I do. My pastor works hard all week. He spends his Sundays in the pulpit. He doesn't get to sit with his family in church. But nobody goes up to him and says, "You should get more help so you're not stuck preaching to the adults every week!" They expect it because he is the minister. And in a very real sense, that is what I am to the children...a minister. I am, in a sense, the only pastor they get to hear on a weekly basis at this time in their lives. It's a high and holy calling.

Two weeks away

Sunday, June 19th, was Father's Day. We had toyed with the idea of going camping that weekend, but my daughter's college orientation was that Saturday, so it would not have been practical. I attended my church's Father's Day Breakfast, but I had no other commitments. I had already covered my teaching and leading assignments (since I thought I would be gone), so my family decided to kidnap me for Father's Day and take me to the breakfast buffet. It always feels strange not being in church, but when I glanced at my watch and saw that the service was almost half over, I realized I had enjoyed being with my family that morning.

Well, as I write this, we are planning to go camping tomorrow through Saturday. It should be fun...for the first time in our lives, we will have a dog with us. But for the second week in a row, I will not be involved in the children's ministry at our church. It's not because I will be gone (we'll be back Saturday afternoon), but because this weekend is the high school retreat at Lake Shasta, which our pastor is attending. With the pastor leaving town, I will be giving the morning message (from 2 Thessalonians 1). This doesn't feel as strange as not going to church, but I hope I have very few instances of being gone from the kids at Children's Ministries two weeks in a row.

A Tribute to My First Born

Today is the day...the day I get to publically embarrass my oldest daughter. Not that I haven't done that before. Many have been the times I have told people of my daughter's birth in Colorado a little over 18 years ago. It was the worst snowstorm of the year (I draw out the word worst for effect). Actually, my wife was admitted to the hospital the night before on a rather pleasant, dry day. The doctor wanted to induce labor because of dangerously high blood preasure (pre-e, which stands for a condition I can pronounce but not spell), so my beloved spent the night in the hospital and I spent the night at a relative's house.
The next morning: POW. There is an saying that if you don't like the weather in Colorado, wait a minute. From dry and sunny to a major snowstorm that shut down the schools, airport, most businesses, and roads all in less than twelve hours. My car would not make it that morning to the hospital, so I called my sister's husband, who arrived in his four-wheel drive, souped up sports car. We spun, we sailed, we glided (I'm not sure, but I think we might have cut across a pond or two. Hard to tell with my eyes closed and my hands tightly wrapped around the seat cushion!), but I was delivered to the front door of the hospital.
The next several hours were a blur. I remember that the heating system was out of order, so the room was incredibly hot and stuffy. This required me to open a window during the worst snowstorm of the year. I also remember coaching my wife on breathing, only to have my coaching contradicted by the nurse on duty. But after a long process of induced labor, my wife finally gave birth to my daughter.
And now, 18 years later, my daughter is graduating from high school tonight. She would no doubt be embarrassed and object to my posting of this, but it is a father's duty to "crow" about his children once or twice or several times during their lifetime. Sooooo.....
Christy, I love you and I'm very proud of you. Congratulations on your big day and may the Lord richly bless you as you enter the rigors of college life. Signed, your dad.

Rainy days and Mondays

Alright...let's start with some background. I am a man of many hats. In addition to my responsibilities on the church staff (which I will describe some other time) as well as serving as Children's Ministries Director, I am also employed at the church's DayCare center. My primary age group is 3's and 4's (during the school year, I teach a 4 year old class).
Today, as in most days, began at 6:15 a.m. I got up, showered, dressed, and arrived at 7:00 to begin my morning. I have no work responsibilities on Monday afternoons, so I look forward to 11:00 a.m. when my shift at the DayCare is over. I was prepared to do great things in my yard, which currently resembles a tropical jungle. And then it happened: a rain drop. Then two. Then two hundred. Before my first trip outside to deliver the school kids to school, there were already sizeable puddles. It became very obvious that my plans for yard work would not come to pass.
Fortunately (or unfortanately, depending on one's point-of-view), two of the workers at the center called in sick, leaving the facility short handed. So, being the trooper I am, I volunteered to stay until more relief could arrive. My 11:00 a.m. quitting time was extended to about 12:30. While I clocked out at that time, I did not leave the facility because of the chance that I might be needed again before relief arrived. Relief came at about 1:45.
Sooooooooo....it's raining. And cold (the temp did not crack 60 today...quite a feat for June!). But while rainy days and Mondays always get some people down, I have to remember that 1)today is payday, which offsets any weather problems and 2) I get to work with kids! It's a high and holy calling and I am thrilled to be a part of it.
But I still want my Monday afternoons!

Glad to meet you

It is now Sunday evening and I have decided that now was as good a time as ever to start blogging. Inspired in part by a fellow blogger from Chicago and spurred on by a close friend who has also launched a blog, I have decided to take keyboard in hand and record a journal of sorts containing opinion, conjecture, and just day by day reports of the happenings in my life.
I will post more later, but let me just begin with a confession: I have not yet seen Star Wars, Episode III. If Karl is reading this, forgive me. I will see it...I promise.
Want to know a little more about me? Check out my profile (no pic yet, but soon). In the meantime, have a great weekend (what's left of it) and keep checking back.