As a longtime church staff member, I have been both overtly and much more subtly accused of being part of a modern church system which just keeps busy people even busier. The local church, these folks would say, offers too many activities which fill our evenings and weekends and thereby take away from essential family…
Month: April 2013
Just Answer the Question!
Children ask questions. Lots of questions. And when you have lots of children, as in my case, the questions grow exponentially. In my most recent estimation, I believe I am asked a question by a child of mine every 2.7 seconds I’m around them (my wife clocks in at about one every 1.9 seconds). Now,…
The Problem of Spiritual Short-Term Memory Loss
We were just innocently waiting for one of our favorite TV shows to begin. I made the mistake of flipping the channel to a Hallmark Hall of Fame movie. I should have known better. Those four words are almost as pleasing to my wife as Based on a True Story. And, if the Hallmark Hall of Fame movie is…
Tragedies are Teachable Moments
In just the space of just a few days in April, the nation has witnessed a terrorist bombing in Boston and a horrific explosion at a Texas fertilizer plant. It wasn’t too long ago that we watched the senseless murders in Newtown. The reality is, that as long as we live in this fallen world,…
The Power of Talking to Your Child
A recent New York Times article by Tina Rosenberg entitled “The Power of Talking to Your Baby” summarizes new research into the educational gap between children from poor families and those raised in wealthier ones. It begins with the sad reality that before a child has his first birthday, he will most likely have fallen…
Your Kids Don’t Belong to You?
In a recent promo for public education, professor of political science at Tulane University and MSNBC host, Melissa Harris-Perry, stated the following: “We have to break through our kind of private idea that kids belong to their parents or kids belong to their families and recognize that kids belong to whole communities. Once it’s everyone’s…
If You Can’t Beat ‘Em…
There appears to be a growing concern among researchers that our obsession with sports (at least in America) has moved it from “recreation” status of yesteryear to that of “folk religion” today. If that’s true, then it makes sense that the Christian Church as a whole (as well as local churches) would be greatly affected….
Fun isn’t the Antidote for Boredom
Back in 1985, I had the privilege of spending nearly nine months in Brisbane, Australia as a missionary intern. At the time, I had absolutely no idea I would one day be a Children’s Ministry guy (I was a journalism major at the time). There were so many highlights to that trip that are all…
The Short Attention Span Myth
Attention span is the amount of time that a person can concentrate on a task without becoming distracted. If you lost focus before making it to the end of that sentence, then you have a really, really short attention span! In all seriousness, the belief that virtually all modern children have short attention spans has totally changed…
The Highlights are not Enough
I’ve been a big NCAA March Madness fan ever since the 1979 match up of Magic Johnson’s Michigan State Spartans vs. Larry Bird’s Indiana State Sycamores. I have watched many a basketball game since then, and filled out a ton of brackets (even before it was cool). Now, my wife would rightly point out that…
One Story Ministries 