Category: Quotes

Nuggets of wisdom related to Children’s Ministry based on famous quotations.

Posted on by

When to be Angry

When to be Angry

“The trouble with patience is that the more a fellow has, the more folks want to use.”
(E. C. McKenzie from 1800 Quotable Quotes)

The apostle Paul says to “be angry and sin not.”   From that verse I deduct that there are times when you DO need to get angry.  You will find scriptures where God himself had had enough, and he was angry.

If your children’s church class is out of control you may need to get angry before things get better.

In one church where I was asked to teach the kids church, when I started the class was completely out of control.  They were good kids gone wild.  It was pretty much impossible to teach, so at one point I thought, “you know, I don’t get paid for this, and I am not putting up with this.”  I raised my voice and I told them to “sit down and shut up”.  Of course the kids eyes were big with shock and whether or not you agree with what I did, this was the result.  The kids came and sat down in front of me and they listened.  I never had to raise my voice again after that.  That church turned out to be the best experience of all of my years teaching children’s ministry, even to this day.  I have never experienced kids that worshipped like those kids did, and they hungered after the word of God.  I am not totally sure why so many good things happened there, perhaps much prayer, but one thing is for certain, I had to get angry before it turned around.  The kids have to know you mean business!

Click here for CHILDREN’S MINISTRY RESOURCES

 

Posted on by

Attitude

Attitude

“Ability is what you are capable of doing.  Motivation determines what you do.  Attitude determines how well you do it.”
Lou Holtz

I saw this saying on a wall plaque in a home I visited and I thought this is true.

I am always telling my kids the importance of doing your best at whatever you do.   The bible says that whatever we do we should do it with all of our might.  If we have this attitude in all we do, we bring Glory to Christ.

In my life I have discovered that even if I was not the most talented at what I was endeavouring to do, with disciplined practice I could accomplish a lot and make works of beauty.

Click here for CHILDREN’S MINISTRY RESOURCES

 

Posted on by

Feed the Lambs

Feed the Lambs

“When you feel like criticizing the younger generation, just remember who raised them.”
(E. C. McKenzie from 1800 Quotable Quotes)

You know, if as children’s ministers we have the mindset that we are raising the next generation of believers and ministers, we would take our work much more seriously.  I have been in children’s ministries where the workers were truly just babysitting, filling in time so that the adults can enjoy their service.  They did not “feed the lambs”.

We need to feed the lambs the word of God.  You can find free cartoon bible stories at our web site www.rocksolidcurriculum.com  God promises that his word will NOT return VOID.  It will accomplish what he pleases.

Click here for CHILDREN’S MINISTRY RESOURCES

 

Posted on by

Strength to Go Through

Strength to Go Through

“More people ask the Lord to lighten their burden than ask him to strengthen their backs.”
(E.C. McKenzie from 1800 Quotable Quotes)

In my life I would say the thing I appreciate more than anything is that I can ask God for strength.  There are some things in life that you have to walk through.  You can’t go around them.  You can’t avoid them.  Jesus had to go through the cross, but he prayed and his Father gave him strength.

I have found that a great peace comes upon me when I buckle down for the burden, so to speak, when I am not looking for the easy way out but for the strength to go through.   Set your mind to go through hardships.  Teach the kids to have this mindset as well and they will experience more peace.

He gives strength to those who wait upon him.

Click here for CHILDREN’S MINISTRY RESOURCES

 

Posted on by

Go Deeper in the Presence of God

Go Deeper

“You can’t lead anyone else any further than you have gone yourself.”
(E.C. McKenzie from 1800 Quotable Quotes)

As children’s ministers it is our job to lead kids into the presence of God and into knowing God but this can only happen as we develop ourselves and spend the time ourselves in his presence.

Pursue everything God has for you.  If you had a bucket of chocolate bars and chips at the front of your classroom and you told the kids to come and help themselves, would the kids in your class hold themselves back?  Not in my class.  They would run to the front and joyfully dig in.

Rare would be the child who would take one jelly bean or one potato chip and be satisfied with only that.  Yet sometimes people hold themselves back from pursuing the presence of God.  We are often satisfied with crumbs when we could have a feast.

Click here for CHILDREN’S MINISTRY RESOURCES

 

Posted on by

Christ is the Foundation

Christ is the Foundation

“A happy home is more than a roof over your head, it is a foundation under your feet.”
(E. C. McKenzie from 1800 Quotable Quotes)

This saying I believe, also goes for your church home.

Churches are meant to be nurturing places, encouraging the discouraged, equipping the saints to do the work of the ministry.  Most times this is the case, but there are times when churches go through great troubles.   Some are financial troubles, leadership who fall into sin, control situations etc.

In my years as a children’s minister, I have seen young people go through traumatic times in their relationship with the church because their parents have gone through traumatic times with the church.   Maybe they hear lots of “pastor stew” at home.  Remind the kids that people are not perfect and if we put our eyes on people, we will be disappointed.  But ,Jesus never changes and his word never changes.  He never disappoints.

I have noticed that when churches run into troubles there are some people who fall by the wayside. But, those whose foundation was firmly on Christ and his teaching, rebound with wisdom and vigor.

We want the kids in our children’s church to be rebounders.

Click here for CHILDREN’S MINISTRY RESOURCES

 

Posted on by

Conscience – A Gift from God

Conscience – A Gift from God

“The most painful wound in the world is the stab on conscience.”
(E. C. McKenzie from 1800 Quotable Quotes)

Our conscience is a gift from God, the first way to tell us right from wrong.  It is meant to keep us living the “good life”.

Encourage the kids to never ignore their conscience.  It is their first defense against evil and it is there to protect.  The bible says that when people’s consciences become seared, and past feeling, they become capable of doing great evil.  This in turn leads to judgment and destruction.

Keeping a tender heart starts with heeding the voice of your conscience.  Remind the kids constantly that there is forgiveness with God when we confess our sins.

If our lives were a castle, our conscience is definitely the moat.

Dictionary Definition

Click here for CHILDREN’S MINISTRY RESOURCES

 

Posted on by

Making the Most of Mistakes

Making the Most of Mistakes

“Mistakes are the accidents of activity and the risks you take to get something done.”
(E. C. McKenzie from 1800 Quotable Quotes)

In another blog on creativity I share about how many times I had to re-do the pictures I was drawing in order to cartoon the bible.  As humans we gain satisfaction from our accomplishments, no matter how small they are.  This is a good thing, but it is also a good thing that we are pressing on towards perfection, even though few of us will ever reach perfection on this side of Heaven.

The act of pressing towards perfection though causes us to achieve greater things.  After redrawing all of my earliest cartoons several times, I can look back to my early work and see all of my mistakes.  I don’t look at those mistakes and criticize myself.  I just acknowledge that that is where I was at on the journey.

Encourage the kids to see themselves as “masterpieces” “works of art” in progress.  As long as they never stop pressing on towards perfection they can be satisfied with all of their accomplishments.  When you are pressing on, mistakes are never really mistakes.

Click here for CHILDREN’S MINISTRY RESOURCES

 

 

Posted on by

Joy keeps you Young in Spirit

Joy keeps you Young in Spirit

“A man as he so lives may die old at 30 or young at 80.”
(E. C. McKenzie from 1800 Quotable Quotes)

I remember an elderly man well into his 80s who ran the bus ministry of a church we attended.  He was always full of joy with sparkling blue eyes and a smile from ear to ear.  He definitely had a younger spirit about him than some of the younger people in the church.  If there is one thing that can keep you young, is that fire for evangelism and passionate love for the Lord.  It was plain to all who knew him that he had a passion for souls.

We as children’s ministers have the privilege of leading children to the Lord.  There is nothing more rejuvenating than that.  Be sure to bask in that joy each time you lead a child to the Lord.  The joy is the reward for our labour.

Click here for CHILDREN’S MINISTRY RESOURCES

 

Posted on by

Want friends?  Serve in Children’s Ministry

Want friends?  Serve in Children’s Ministry

“Life is like a game of tennis, the player who serves well seldom loses.”
(E. C. McKenzie from 1800 Quotable Quotes)

A happy heart serves.  Joy comes from serving the Lord.

When I think about serving, I think about all the wonderful friends I have made through Children’s Ministry.  There are some lonely people in church, but if they would get involved in serving in a ministry, most often they would make real and lasting friendships.

As Children’s Ministers, take some times to serve those on your ministry team.  Make some social functions that are just for them.  Get to know them.  They may become your dearest friends.

The thing I most love about those who serve in children’s ministry is their sense of humour.  I love how they have learned to roll with the punches (so to speak).  They are most often the most “FUN” people in your church.

Click here for CHILDREN’S MINISTRY RESOURCES

 

Posted on by

Making Evangelism Natural

Making Evangelism Natural

“Keep Your head and your heart going in the right direction and you will not have to worry about your feet.”
(E. C. McKenzie from 1800 Quotable Quotes)

When I read this I think of evangelism and how many youth groups encourage the kids to share Jesus with their friends.  I think sometimes these things stay in the area of “head knowledge” but when it goes down into the heart it becomes natural to share Jesus.  As humans we love to share things we have found to be good with our friends.  The popularity of social media is proof of our desire to share good things.

Jesus is good, but we need to experience his goodness, fresh each day.  Hence the importance of absorbing God’s word each day, and spending some quiet time with Jesus each day.

Encourage the kids to worship and experience the Lord, daily.  Encourage them to read the word then the things will become supernaturally natural to them.  Feed the fire.  Don’t let it go out.

Click here for CHILDREN’S MINISTRY RESOURCES

 

Posted on by

Be Tenacious

Be Tenacious

“Many a man has turned and left the dock just before his ship came in.”
(E.C. McKenzie from 1800 Quotable Quotes)

The bible is full of stories of people who never gave up.   Tenaciousness is definately a virtue.  Kids need to be constantly reminded to never give up.  Don’t give up just because things are not easy, or conclude that God is against you.  Go with what is in your heart and never give up.

Since God may not work things out the way we think it will happen, we need also to have wisdom and keep open hearts and eyes to see how he may working in our situations.

This is why the bible stories are so important to teach.   Every culture has it’s ancient stories, preserved to encourage every new generation.

Never neglect our spiritual ancient stories.

Click here for CHILDREN’S MINISTRY RESOURCES