So I was leaving my house on Monday morning to head to work and as I’m leaving my neighborhood I see a bunch of cars parked just outside of the gate and a bunch of women all standing around on the side of the road waving bye to the big yellow bus driving away with little faces in the windows waving back.  That’s right! School is in session!

With Kidzapalooza and Block Party coming up there is a huge buzz going on all across family ministries.  And kids are excited!  I’ve had countless students telling me how excited they are for this school year to start so that they can see their friends and invite them to church and small groups and just share their faith and really live it out.  These students have such a cool opportunity to share the love of Christ to people who don’t know Him because they’re surrounded by their peers for hours at a time on a daily basis.  It’s been incredible to have been able to pour into them all summer and prepare them for this year.

I am so stoked for this year to be able to be part of all of the growth, life change, and new things that will be happening.

Tiffany Becerra

Fuse | South West – Worship and Tech Intern

Okay, I’m probably showing my age here, but back in the 1970’s, there was a show I loved to watch called “In Search Of.”  It was hosted by one of my favorite actors, Mr. Spock…er… Leonard Nimoy.  Every week, the show went looking for some new truth to uncover or myth to expose.  It was a pretty popular show for quite a while.  I think the reason for that is because most people identify with the idea of searching for something.  If we pay attention, we can observe a search happening right now in our own kids.  How many times in a day do they ask us to pay attention to them so they can show us what they look like or something they’re doing?

Why do they do that so often?  They are searching for their value and identity in the people who matter most to them…us!  Too often, I think we fail to see the huge opportunity we have to help our kids develop a healthy view of themselves.  It only takes a minute to pay attention to them and praise them for their specific strengths.  This is one way they will grow to understand their value and the unique contribution God designed them to make in this world.  Before we know it, their search for influence will turn to their peers instead of us.  Take the opportunities you have now and build a positive foundation of personal identity in your children, before it’s too late!

Summer is almost over. Where did it go, eh? It feels like summer camp was yesterday. One of the awesome things about summer is most of us get a chance to take a break from all of the routines of our lives. Perhaps you got to take a break to go on vacation, get some stuff done around the house with the extra pairs of hands, retake up one of your hobbies? With school starting back up the routines come back like getting the kids and students ready for school in the morning, for some: going to work knowing that no one is home to make a heaping mess, picking up the kids, getting them to their extracurricular activities, make dinner, eat said dinner, do chores, take the dog for a walk, try to connect with friends… Is your head spinning yet?

It is so easy to fill up our lives with routines and traditions. Even easier to fill them up with routines that’ll burn us out before we even get to the end of September. I have been thinking a lot lately about my own life and schedule. As the school year begins, families start to set the tone for the next couple of months. In those schedules that we’re building is there time for you and God, time for you and your kids, and time for you to just enjoy some rest? If not you’re asking to receive a wicked spanking from the Headless Sprinting Chicken Assassin!

He’s a crafty assassin and he and I have gone through a few bouts; most of which I’ve lost. He used to win and after listening to Jud speak about this last year I’ve started to thwart the kidney shots this assassin can land if we are not careful. The Bible tells us so many times to be wise with our time and what we’re doing with it. It’s not only for me as a leader, you as a parent, but also for our kids! Not only what we are doing as adults, but what are our kids doing in their daily routines and weekly schedules?

Take a good look at what your family is adding to the calendar. That way when the holidays roll around you’re not already drained and counting the days to summer! No only that, you can laugh at the clucking assassin and send him packing to someone else’s home to ruin!

Stew Powers

Element – Henderson Junior High Ministries

My siblings pick on me.  Maybe it’s because I am the middle child.  Maybe it’s because I am the one that is vertically challenged.  Maybe it’s because I deserve it.  No matter what the reason, I know 2 words that I can say that will send them into laughing fits like wild hyenas!  When “remember when” comes out of my mouth, their cackling starts.  They just start making fun of me.  Remember when. Apparently I say it a lot.  I love it when I can remember childhood memories where life was simple. Like when we made gladiator sling shots out of wrapping paper rolls with dad’s tied tube socks to the end, we would whack each other with them.  Or the time when we watched a scary movie together and dad decided to teach us a valuable lesson by banging on the window outside, sending all of us screaming like schoolgirls.  What about the times where Elvis actually showed up in our room!   We were three strong and independent kids who shared lots of fun moments growing up.  So, for my siblings, bring on the laughter because I will always cherish the “remember when” memories!

What are your “remember when” moments?

kim trethewey

central kidz

I’ve been thinking about the “heart” a lot lately. I find that my life in any particular moment revolves around my attitude, my openness to God, and how I relate to others. Each of those elements center around what is going on in my heart.

It’s interesting, the Bible has a lot to say about the heart. In fact, it says that people focus on the outward appearance, but God looks at the heart. That is His focus…all the time.

What is the condition of your heart today? Is it open or closed? Is it free or resentful? Is it broken? Is it soft and moldable?

Ezekiel 36 says, “I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit in you and move you to follow my ways.”

Robert Poliszuk | High School Pastor – Henderson Campus

Being a single 23 year old, I would have to admit I don’t have a lot of parenting experience. I guess you can say, I wouldn’t be the first person you would go to for advice.  I do not have any children nor do I plan on having any anytime soon.  Even though I joke about not knowing much about parenting I can say I do know a little.  Throughout my life the Lord has really given me some great opportunities to learn about being a parent.  All which had different parents, different lifestyles and different lessons.  The top two would have to be being a nanny for five month old preemie triplets (I Know!) and my job here on the Central Preschool team.  My favorite thing about working at Central is being surrounded by hundreds of great parents each weekend.   I couldn’t ask for a better place to put a young woman like myself in.  Talk about a great place to learn about parenting.  I have learn so much already and all I have really been doing is just observing.  To you, as parents, you are doing your normal everyday Sunday routine, but what you don’t realize is that you are impacting my life.  I’m constantly taking mental notes, hoping it might help out when I’m in a situation in the future. You (along with my parents) are being the example in my life to which I can use someday.  Another thing I love about being surrounded my hundreds of parents each weekend is the community it brings.  Someday when I’m blessed with the title Mom I know I have a huge network of people willing to help me along my way.  How comforting to know that there are people here willing to help you along your way. Thanks to all the parents who have impacted my life in one way or another.

Jessica Dillon
Preschool Team

I often find myself thinking of a grand gesture or plan I can carry out to make a big impact in the relationships I have.  You know, thinking that If I take my wife on a weekend getaway then it will score a ton of points and things will be great for a long time.  Big things are good but I think the little things in life make a more lasting impact. 

Growing up I remember a lot of the family vacations we took.  Mostly I remember trying to get one of my three sisters out of my space in the car.  But the things I remember the most in my relationship with my dad aren’t those big trips.  I think about building things with him around the house, about playing catch with him, and the times when he would take just me out to breakfast.  Those things had to be way cheaper and they took a lot less time than many of the big things he did for me.  But those little things, where we just spent some time together, have made the biggest impact in our relationship.  The little things we do prove and show our love more than occasional big things.  I am going to search out and find those little things I can do in my relationships to help them grow stronger.

Daniel Carnahan
Central Kidz