JCISONLINE – Resources for Tween and Preteen Ministry | Effectively Resourcing Parents and Leaders with Teaching, Communication, Creativity and Leadership in order to reach Tweens and Preteens

Revolutionary Parenting Giveaway

October 18, 2010 in Family Ministry, Preteen Ministry 5

So today I am giving away a book that I feel like is one of the best parenting books out there. Revolutionary Parenting: Raising Your Kids to Become Spiritual Champions is an incredible book for those who want to raise spiritual champions. It’s absolutely unbelievable and should be a shelf book for anyone in Preteen Ministry or any part of Family Ministry. So I want to give this away to someone. Here are a few ways to enter.

Drop a comment below telling me why you want this book.
Tweet this out: @jcisonline is giving away Revolutionary Parenting by George Barna.
Come back here on Friday to see who wins.

It’s really that simple! You have until noon est on Friday to enter.

I’ll randomly pick a winner from those who commented and tweeted.

Switch Kicks Shirt

October 14, 2010 in Preteen Ministry 0

Yes, if you are a Preteen Leader, you must own one of these shirts from Sneaker Rascals. You can get your Mr. Rogers shirt here for $24.

Iron Man Target Commercial and Preteen Ministry

October 14, 2010 in Preteen Ministry 0

Yep, moms have to transition to cool, just as much as the kids do. Love it though, hahaha!

Preteen Ministry Tip #1

October 13, 2010 in Preteen Ministry 0

pic from adrianTNT

This is a great tip really for everywhere. It’s something that I struggle with. I’m better than I use to be, but I have so incredibly far to go. Keep your time to a minimum. By keeping your time down in Preteen Ministry, Children’s Ministry, Student Ministry, and even Adult Worship, you help to keep the audience’s attention and also allow your other creative elements to shine. Specifically for Preteen Ministry and Children’s Ministry, you give more time to small group leaders to invest in the students and the students can develop a more meaningful connection with others their age. It helps to also make sure that they have another time to connect with one another (for us it’s in home groups).

Couple ways to make sure you stay under your time:

Prepare more than you should. Make sure you can state your entire message in one or two sentences.
Run through your material for timing purposes.
Minimize your notes into an outline. It helps to keep you focused.
Keep an eye on the clock. (Toughest one for me!).

This week put this into practice and challenge yourself to end 5 minutes earlier than normal.

Preteen Small Group Challenges

October 12, 2010 in Preteen Ministry 0

So I’ve been leading a 5th and 6th grade small group on Wed. nights for the last month. It’s been an absolute blast. But there are some challenges and some blessings I would like to share with you:

Boys have an insane amount of energy. Any amount of focus you can draw from them is treasured for me.
My students really care about the needs of others.
The Diary of a Wimpy Kid transition is always readily apparent (in other words, some kids still clinging, others trying to earn as many cool points as possible)
These students can change the world, if they take the initiative to do it.
Initiative is something I’m not sure that you can teach.

All in all, it’s been a great experience. Here are some guidelines that I would suggest to anyone leading a boys’ preteen small group.

Plan an Activity that gets them moving
Challenge them
Ask for prayer requests – challenge them to make a difference in that request they just made. (Mom is sick, follow up with How can you take care of your mom this week?)
Connect with their parents. Allow their parents to be a part of what is going on in their child’s lessons. They will want to engage if they see their child wanting to grow in their faith.

Young people are often the catalyst for some of the greatest movements of God. It’s time we invest in them and challenge them to step up to the plate.

What are some of your suggestions for Preteen Small Groups?

Weekend Update 10/11/10

October 11, 2010 in Life 0

Great, Great Weekend, here are some of the highlights.

Went to Columbia to watch the South Carolina v. Alabama game. It was awesome. I thought South Carolina was going to win by more than 3 touchdowns. True Story.
Taught 200 Middle School Student Council Students on being a Communicating Leader.
Asked our kids in Switch if they were ready to move from dreaming to doing.
Heard our Pastor preach his heart out on suffering and removing complacency in our walk with Christ.
Hung out with some awesome pals.
Dreamt of my life in 10 years, and what our family will be like.
Spent time with my beautiful wife, cheering on her favorite team.

What did you do this weekend?

Mont Blanc pen under $20

October 10, 2010 in Tech 0

So I can remember the first time that I ever laid eyes on a Mont Blanc pen. I have wanted one since I was ten years old. I actually got to write with one then, I didn’t really understand or comprehend exactly what I was doing. Mont Blanc pens generally sell between $200-$2000. But today I found that they sell their ink (which is one of the main reasons why they write so well) for $15 for a 2-pack. You can actually put that ink into a G2 with some hacking.