Small acts of kindness can really touch someone. Even if it is something as small as saving their shoes….
If you can’t see the video, click here.
What small thing have you done today, this week, or even this month that made a big difference in someones life? What small thing could you do that would make someones day?
This year we are doing our annual egg hunt a little different. Â Rather than just have kids search for eggs on the front lawn of the church, we are stepping it up a few notches and renting a giant inflatable obstacle course for kids to search for all the eggs in. Â Â To go inside the obstacle course we have over 30,000 eggs stuffed with hundreds of pounds of candy!
The egg hunt will be on Easter Sunday morning at Calvary.  If any kid (age 3-11) wants to participate, all they need to do to participate is show up at one of our 3 Sunday morning kid’s services, which are at 8:30, 10:30 or 12:30.
Also, for the younger kids, who might be intimidated by the obstacle course, we have a simple bounce house, or they can simply pick some eggs up out of the grass.
Looking forward to Easter Sunday morning! Â This is going to be a ton of fun! Â Be sure to pass the word along, and invite all the kids you know to join us!
This coming month in KidZone is all about humility. Â Each week our kids will be learning about putting others first, and giving them what they think they deserve.
God created new born babies to demand attention, to insure that they get everything they need. Â Ideally as kids grow, mature, and become less dependent, they also learn to be less demanding and more giving. Â Reality is though this transition doesn’t always take place, and so, many kids continue to be as selfish at age 8, 38, and 68, as the day they they were born. Â This month is about addressing this issue.
Our theme verse for the month is “Do nothing out of selfish ambition or van conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves.”  Philippians 2:3, NIV.  If your a parent and you are interested in following along with what we are talking about in KidZone, our lessons this month are….
April 3rd – Served (Jesus washes the disciples feet) – John 13:1-17 – Treat other people like they are more important than you.
April 10th – Arrested (Jesus prays and is arrested) – Luke 22:39-44, John 18:2-11 – To put others first, you need to put God first.
April 17th – Crucified (Jesus is tried and crucified) – March 14:53-65 & 15:1-39 – Jesus put us first when he died on the cross.
April 24th – Resurrected (Jesus is buried and resurrected) – Matthew 28:1-10, 16-20 – We should put others first because Jesus is alive.
Whether you feel your kid has learned this lesson, or needs to hear it desperately, be sure to bring them out this coming Sunday. KidZone services start at 8:30, 10:30, and 12:30.
Monks on the island of Cyprus have an interesting custom.  These monks, by torchlight in the middle of the night, visit a catacomb where the bones of other monks are kept.  While there, they pray and chant for their deceased brothers.  At first this ritual may seem bizarre, or even a bit morbid, but they do it for a very important reason.  This ritual is practiced to keep the reality that death is inevitabel to us all front and center.  It doesn’t matter who you are, the richest, the most popular, even the most spiritual person, will die like everyone else.  These monks want to remember that truth, so that they are reminded to spend the little time they do have here, wisely.
When we realize how scarce our time is, we value it a little differently. Â For example, I added it up, and I only have about 751 weeks left with my son Jack before he leaves for college. Â No way around it, Jack will turn 18 one day, move out of the house and I will no longer have him to myself. Â 751 weeks, give or take a few, and there is no way to get more. Â This reality makes me value my time differently, makes me spend it a little differently, makes me prioritize my time with Jack over other things that are really trivial in comparison.
Too many people invest their time poorly. Â They spend their time earning lots of money, only to find out when they reach 70 or 80, that they have burned all their relationships and have no one to spend that money on. Â They are even too old to spend it all on themselves before they die.
Others spend their whole life building themselves up. Â They build their career, their platform, their legacy. Â The trouble is they never take the time to invest in others, so that someone picks up their mantle and their legacy continues after they are gone. Â They spend their whole life building something that will die with them.
What are the things that really matter? Â Fortune, fame, glory? Â For me it is my relationship with God, family, friends, my ministry at the church. Â Your list might be different. Â Whatever your priorities in life, it is important to realize you only have a limited time on this earth to invest in them. Â When that time is up, it is up. Â You can’t reallocate how you spent your time after your gone. Â You can’t go back and focus on the things that really matter after life is over. Â And, the reality is, the end is getting near.
When was the last time you thought about how short life really is?  When you think about the brevity of life, what priorities come into focus?  Are you focusing on them currently, or do you need to start spending your time differently?
I have heard it more than once.  “Can you pray for my son.  He is just going through that tough time in life that all kids go through and rebel?”  It is a statement that surrenders to the idea that every kid, with few exceptions, has to go through a difficult time where they rebel against their parents.  But, why is it that so many teens seem to hit a time where they want to do their own thing, and go their own direction?
I know that every kid is different, and no doubt there are many reasons kids rebel, but I think that one reason some teenagers rebel against their parents is because their families are simply boring. Â Here is what I mean…
Think about the average family for a minute.  They wake up late, leaving no time to spend together in the morning, except to argue  about who needs in the bathroom.  Then off to work and school, typically sitting in the car in complete silence, or perhaps with the radio on.  They spend their days separated, then the kids return home after school to an empty house that is full of nothing to do except passively watching TV and updating their Facebook status.  Then there is taco night for dinner, followed by dad heading off to the living room to watch TV, mom to clean the house, and the teenage son or daughter bored out of their mind heads out to hang out with friends.  When they return home, the TV is still on, like it has been for 6 hours straight.  Before everyone starts winding down and heading to bed, there is some light arguing about how there is still homework to complete.  The teenager slams their door shut, talks to their friends on the phone, sends a few (hundred) text messages, then falls asleep.  The next day, and almost every day thereafter, the same boring routine is repeated…again…and again.
Think about this routine for a minute.  It’s boring.  It’s mundane.  It lacks a sense of purpose.  And it drives kids to look for something better to do.  The trouble is they often find something more exciting in all the wrong places.
Tim Kimmel in Grace Based Parenting writes,
If we fail to address our children’s need for a significant purpose, it doesn’t mean they will necessarily end up living useless and unproductive lives.  In most cases, our lack of deliberateness in grooming their sense of purpose sends them into the future with a foreboding sense of irrelevancy and far more vulnerable to Satan’s counterfeits.
Read that line again, “Sends them into the future with a foreboding sense of irrelevancy and far more vulnerable to Satan’s counterfeits.”  That I believe is why many teens rebel.  Searching for purpose that their family doesn’t provide, they have went out looking for it, and have stumbled across something fake.  It might be a person, an activity, a substance, or something else, but they have found something that offers them greater purpose and joy than sitting around bored, watching TV all day, and arguing over homework.
What if families offered something better though?  What if families offered something that catches the imagination of their kids? What if rather than sitting glued to the TV every day, they served together in a soup kitchen once a month feeding the homeless?  What if families gave up their vacation one year to go on a missions trip together?  What if rather than ignoring each other at home, families spent time serving in their church and community together?  What if parents spent time showing their kids there is a God ordained purpose for their lives, a purpose that cheap substitutes cannot fulfill?
If this happened, I think Satan’s counterfeits would seem far less appealing to teens.  I think less kids would rebel.
I don’t want to oversimplify a complex problem.  Again, I realize that there may be many reasons kids decide to rebel against their parents and their values.  I wonder, though, if one of the reasons kids do rebel is because their families are just so boring?  Because their family lack a sense of purpose, and the counterfeits seem to offer something their family does not?  What do you think?
This year Calvary is hoping to send more kids and youth to summer camp than ever before. In order to do this we are offering a $100 scholarship for every single camper. Hopefully this will make camp affordable for every family. To qualify all you have to do is be a family who attends Calvary, fill out the camp registration form for your child (which can be found in the church lobby), and turn in the completed form. It’s that easy.
This deal is for every camper, so if you are a family of 2, 3, 4 or more kids, they all can save $100 if they register through the church. Â In fact, if you send 2 kids from the same household you get $105 off, and 3 or more kids and you get $110 off per kid.
The dates for camps this year are as follows:
Kid’s Camp (3rd through 6th grade in fall of 2011) – July 4th – 8th
Senior High Camp (9th – 12th grade in the fall of 2011) – July 11th – 15th
Junior High Camp (6th -8th grade in the fall of 2011) – July 18th – 22nd
No, that is not a typo. Â Both Kids and Jr. High Camp is for 6th graders. They have a choice. If you are unsure of what camp to send them to feel free to contact me or Pastor Clark.
Hurry up and register. Â To meet the early registration deadline we need to have your completed application, which includes a physical dated within 2 years of the start of camp, by April 24th. Â The early registration cost is only $155, for one kid with the discount, after that it goes up to $180.
Parents, you do not want your kids to miss camp. There will be swimming, canoeing, paddle boats, archery, tubing, hiking, bonfires, a game room, tons of fun and competition, but most importantly an opportunity for your kid to connect with God. You don’t want them to miss out!
Strap on your helmets, and get ready for another awesome week with Kidzturn! It will have been 2 years since we had then them here at Calvary last. I have missed all the Lussiers, Elmer, games and especially the foam machine. So, I am super excited to have them back with us this year from May 1st to 4th.
Each night beginning at 6:30 everyone will be meeting in the sanctuary for a time of worship, games, a sermon and altar time. Everything is designed for kids, but for the whole family (kids, moms, dads, guardians, grandparents, great aunts twice removed, everyone). Here is a little glimpse at what each night is all about…
If you can’t see the video click here.
For those of you who have been out to this event before I know that you are already writing the dates on your families calendar. For those of you who haven’t been out to this before, trust me you do not want your kids to miss any of these services. Again, the dates are May 1st – 4th beginning at 6:30 each night.
Also, be sure to invite every kid you know. There will be some wicked nice prizes for the kid that brings the most visitors.
For all of you who attend Calvary please note that we will be tweaking our Sunday service times beginning March 6th. Â The new times will be 8:30, 10:30, 12:30 and 6:30.
Photo courtesy of © flickr.com/photos/29254399@N08/3187186308
We are extending the time between our services from 30Â minutes, to 45 minutes, in hopes of cutting down on some of the congestion in the parking lot, and to make it easier for people in the 2nd service to find a place to park.
So glad to be facing great problems like too much congestion and too few parking spots. Â These are great problems to have! Â Again, the service time changes take effect March 6th, so be sure to take note and be on time!
We have been having a ton of fun talking about kindness in kid’s church this month. Â This past week we had the kids write up a want ad for a fake newspaper, asking them to describe what an ideal kind person would be like. Â All the responses were great, but this was my favorite…
As the father of a 3 year old, who typically picks the most inopportune times to need use the restroom, I am always thankful for a kind person who gives a bathroom to the bathroomless!
This coming Sunday is the last week we are talking about kindness. Â In March, we move on to courage. Â Also, if you haven’t heard yet, our Sunday morning service times will be changing in March to 8:30, 10:30, 12:30 & 6:30. Â So be sure to be on time!
The other day I stumbled across a video of Nigel Marsh at TED (http://www.ted.com/) sharing on “How to Make Work-Life Balance Work.”  This is a great video for anyone who is busy, and feels like life is out of balance, to watch… especially busy moms and dads.  It talks about the realities of achieving the perfect balance of work and family, and  how even small efforts we make can have a huge impact in the lives of those we love.  Honestly, Nigel’s dream perfect day is a little different than mine.  As a non-drinker, rather than stopping by the pub, my preference would be Starbucks with a good book.  That being said, the point of the talk is well made.  Here is the video….
If you can’t see the video click here.
Then today I came across this video at Dad-O-Matic (http://dadomatic.com) that shows Nigel’s principle in action. Â It demonstrates how a little effort from a dad can light a kids face up, and turn something as simple as a birthday cake into a lifelong memory.
If you can’t see the video simply click here.
The small things we do can make a big difference can’t they?  They small things really do matter, especially to our kids.
What is a small investment you can make in your child today?