“It was just before the Passover Festival. Jesus knew that the hour had come for him to leave this world and go to the Father. Having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end.” John 13:1 Today on Good Friday, as communities of believers, we gather to reflect on […]
Good Friday Goodbye, Easter Hello Read More »
Christmas in Children’s Ministry is hard. It is filled with joy, remembrance, worship, unspoken expectations, and deep grief. As ministry leaders, you are called to be many things to many people all at once. It is easy to become overwhelmed or unphased spiritually by the Christmas season. It’s easy to focus on the wrong things.
Don’t Miss the Moment in the Middle Read More »
You’re only a week away from Christmas Eve and Day services, with events in between.
And the last thing you need is to feel overwhelmed. But, let’s face it, you probably are.
You’re might be stress-eating cookies in the break room and downing your 4th cup of coffee of the day to stay on top of the events that will welcome old and new kids to church for maybe the first time ever or in a long time.
Christmas services feel like the stakes are high! And they are. This could be an opportunity for a kid to meet Jesus for the very first time.
A Reminder to Rest for Leaders Read More »
All of us have pain in our lives. As children’s ministry leaders, some of us avoid dealing with our own pain because there is so much other pain that we see that needs to be healed.
We might feel we don’t have the time or energy to deal with the pain.
Maybe we feel hopeless thinking that nothing can take away the pain that we experience from our childhoods, family members, or the world.
Redemption Through Pain: God Is Shaping Us Read More »
This post was written by Melissa Hendrickson, a member of the INCM Blog team. For so many of us, we could tell the story of Easter in our sleep. We prep lessons with construction paper crosses or popsicle sticks, and we retell it to our kids on Easter Sunday with excitement and lilted voices. But,
Easter: Worthy Is the Lamb Read More »
I love reading about Jesus’ interactions after His resurrection. One of the things that really stood out to me this year in reading these post-resurrection accounts is that, in the midst of the commissioning and sending, He set priorities for His disciples: love Me, follow Me, feed My lambs. It’s not anything different than the
The King Who Said “Enough” Read More »
“He was like someone people turned away from; he was despised, and we didn’t value him.” Isaiah 53:3a Pilate had just handed Him over to the soldiers to be crucified. The Lamb, in the hands of the Romans, was taken into the Governor’s residence and they dressed Him in a purple robe. Their laughter at
Remembering the Lamb’s Sacrifice Read More »
It was complete chaos. A few summers ago, my husband and I took our two young sons and two of our nieces to the community pool. Our children spent most of their time in the ‘kiddie-slide’ area on the far side of the pool. At the top of the slide, a lifeguard would do their
Good Leadership vs. Great Leadership Read More »
This post was written by Marta Cortez, a member of the INCM Blog team. Love is defined in so many ways today. Think for a minute of the many ways you use or have used “love” in your communication. We love our jobs; we love our pets; we love our ice cream. Our modern language
A Powerful Four Letter Word: Love Read More »
As a little girl, one of the main things I would wonder as I sat in children’s ministry or listened to Bible lessons was, “What would it have been like to watch this happen?” I’d imagine going back in time and observing Queen Esther take a deep breath before she stepped into Xerxes’ throne room.
The Real Comfort of Christmas Read More »
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