Why Did I Cry Watching Naruto Shippuuden 31?

-~#*’` Contains Naruto Shippuuden Episode 31 SPOILERS ‘`*#~-

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Conference for Children Ministry

Children Desiring God and Bethlem Baptist Church are hosting a conference for leaders of Children’s minstries:

“We have planned a number of seminars designed to provide practical help and encouragement that we trust will benefit parents, teachers, leaders, and all who are invested in ministry to children.”

For full details, check out their website, which includes a PDF brochure and mp3/video by John Piper.

April 26th to 28th, 2007 – Children Desiring God 2007 Conference
Topic: Standing on the Truth: How Great a Salvation
Location: Minneapolis, Minnesota
Speakers: John Piper, Wayne Grudem, C.J. Mahaney, David Michael, and “a number of gifted seminar leaders”

Seminars on date of posting:

• Vision-Driven Children’s Ministry Leadership
• Recruiting & Retaining Volunteers
• Partnering with Parents
• Nursery Ministry & Teaching Toddlers
• Preparing & Teaching Preschool Lessons
• Introduction to CDG Curriculum & Sequence
• Lesson Preparation & Presentation
• Preparing & Leading Application Time
• Leading Children in Worship
• Teaching Youth: Watch Out for Your Method
• Presenting the Gospel to Children
• Theology of Salvation Q&A
• Preparing Children to Hear the Gospel

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Teaching Imputation to Children

Yesterday, DesiringGod.org had an article by John Piper titled, “Teaching Doctrine to a Six-Year-Old.” The article was about teaching the meaning of imputation to Piper’s daughter, Talitha, using a story.

What I really like about John Piper is that he desires to teach the deep and important doctrines of the bible to children, which I noticed listening to some of his sermons on Romans.

This is reflected in Children Desiring God’s, “Philosophy and Distinctives“:

“Depth

We believe that children can handle deep truth at a young age. We want to fill them with solid Bible truth that will give them a foundation to fall back on when they go through deep waters. For this reason, the curriculum continually refers children to the Word of God; Bibles are an essential tool for children studying Children Desiring God curriculum. We believe that the Bible must be taught in depth, yet in a child-friendly, interesting manner. For this reason, much attention has been devoted to the development of creative presentation of essential Bible truths.”

Children Desiring God’s website is mainly a portal to purchase the resources developed and used at Bethelem Baptist Church.

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Canonball Baptism

What should we do with the young boy?

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John Piper challenges young people

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EDUCATION: PRIMARILY PARENTS RESPONSIBILITY

Concerning my entry on High Schooler’s and Rigorous Bible Studies, I recieved a feedback response that I thought was worth sharing:

Parents should be asking their children what they learned in Children’s church. Both mother and father should be signing up at least once a month to help out with chilren’s activities… Now having a child in my life I appreciate children’s church a lot.. so I can be fed the word, but the most important thing that my husband and I need to teach our son is how to walk with Christ. He can be a bagger at the commissary for the rest of his life, but if he has Jesus, that is all he will ever need, because G-d will provide him with the tools he needs to walk the path that G-d wishes. My husband and I have our faith and relationship with G-d, it is our jobs as his parents to share that wonderful relationship with him. It is our job more than it is any youth leader or pastor. What do you think?

So I ask any of you out there on WordPress, what do you think?

I thought it was interesting how someone who’s a bagger of groceries can still be faithful in teaching effectively and sufficiently his child…

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I Hate Icebreakers

A recruiter in the Marines once placed a bunch of placards in front of me and asked me, “If you could only choose 3 reasons why you wanted to join the Marines, what would they be?” One of the items I choose was brotherhood.

I once made the observation that whenever I’m back with the Marines, it really felt like a reunion. Especially after returning from Iraq, it always felt like a blessing meeting them. “We made it back home alive.” We entrusted each other with our lives whether we liked each or not. It always brought a smile to my face to see on my buddies from Iraq. We grew close.

 This closeness is the type we should have in the Church. And what bothers me so much, is that for the last 2000 years, the brothers and sisters of Christ have loved each other, were glad to see each other, and would lay down their life for each other in a way different from today. Today we have a new invention: Icebreakers.

I hate icebreakers. I detest them with a passion. After having gone through retreats, high school and college group with ice breakers as a non-Christian and Christian I find them utterly pointless. If you really want to have a connection. If you really desire to rejoice upon seeing your fellow brothers and sisters in Christ. To cry when they cry, and be burdened with their burdens- then take a lesson from the Marines and from the early church:

Serve the Lord your God with all your heart and all your soul. You will grow to love the brothers and sisters that you serve with and suffer with, deeply connecting with them. Then and only then, will every chance you see them be like a reunion.

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HIGH SCHOOLERS & RIGOROUS BIBLE STUDIES?

You might go, huh?

I read this from American Vision’s website, an article by Gary DeMar that I thought was indicative of our churches at large:

Studies have shown that most of Christianity’s converts are teenagers.6 They also show that a high percentage of these same teenagers walk away from their childhood faith as they approach adulthood. They are hit with arguments against Christianity that they never had to consider as teenagers since few churches actually teach on worldview issues and apologetic methodology. Christianity is perceived to be a religion for children. High school youth groups are run more like secular encounter groups rather than a place where the rigorous study of God’s Word takes place with its real-world application.7

(SOURCE: http://www.americanvision.org/articlearchive/09-26-06.asp)

The last sentence especially stood out to me.
I have often been amazed at talking to high schoolers, and when I ask them about the type of classes they have the list sounds like this: Calculus BC, English Honors, Physics, American Government AP…it impresses me how much work load some of them have and how deep they can understand things! Where I live, there are middle school kids taking SAT Preparation Classes already!
Yet, you go to churches today, and sometimes the Friday Night Youth Group seems to assume that kids, well, won’t understand or can comprehend a deep and rigorous study of Scripture…
And I know of a Church who’s Youth Pastor didn’t even prepare messages, and another youth pastor who’s most rigorous stuff for his kids is his X-Box Games he bought in for a Saturday night! IN both instances, it was the kids in their churches that informed me about this!
Can it be that its our tendency to give puzzles as games when there are REAL MINDS with puzzles about life?

While I don’t want to use big words and sound Ivory tower that can take away the Clarity of the GOspel itself,
I’ve always enjoyed facilitating Questions and ANswers session to High Schoolers (or younger!) at Christian clubs and Churches Youth Group…
I’m not against good old fashion fun and laughter (everything has its time and place), but I think we can all ask those who teach to the youths and high schoolers what is the spiritual state of those in their charge, are the kids learning and KNOWING the WORD Of GOD and how we can pray for the kids and these dear Servants God has given to the Church

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