Give Them Wings

By MAD21

As a parent there are many times that you will marvel at the relationship you have with your children. When they are first born you look at them and are amazed that something so fragile and real came from your body. And then reality sets in and you realize you have no idea how to be a good parent (especially on the bad days). As they get older and you watch them learn and grow into little self-sufficient people, what a miracle it was that another life was created through you... and how fast time flies.

Suddenly, all the priorities in our lives change. Something as insignificant as keeping your house clean all the time is not so important. And for some, something as significant as giving up a career is freely sacrificed. Have you ever wondered why this bond that a parent feels with their child is so strong. So.. different from any other relationship we've ever had? Personally, I think it's because to feel the love of your child is as close as we could possibly get to being in the presence of God while on this side of heaven. It was one of His gifts to us, to know this kind of love.

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Works For Me Wednesday: Using Games To Teach

By MAD21

I have worked with children for years and have found that one of the best ways to teach children is through games. If they are having fun it not only holds their interest, but it makes them want to learn more.

One of my favorite ways to teach them how to listen to you and be tuned into your voice, is by playing a version of: Red Light Green Light. The game can be played the traditional way, but in real life, where we are rushing around and there is no time and not enough friends to play with, you can play the game while just walking or running.

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Not Just Another Sunday

By Chuck (Sharing Compassion)

The core event of Compassion’s volunteer advocate ministry is an event called Compassion Sunday. Each year over 1000 churches participate in this event to further the cause of releasing children from poverty. For many years, outside of concerts, this was the primary means to introduce potential sponsors to available children. These special church services are hosted by both sponsors and advocates alike. These services can range from being the focus of an entire service involving the entire church to something as simple as a table in a special location. It really does not matter how complex or simple~the message is the same:

Please make a difference and help release a child from poverty.

Most of us advocates are willing to go anywhere or to present in any method in order to further the ministry. Last Sunday I attended a Compassion Sunday in Elkton, MD. One of my advocates was having her event and had asked me to speak.

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Tablets Aren't Just Stone Anymore

By Alan

It used to be that when you talked about Tablets, you would capitalize the word from respect, and you meant the rock tablets that held the Ten Commandments (and we don't mean the movie). It was some hunk of stone or wood that carried an inscription. It was the best method for having an enduring message. Paper or parchment wouldn't really last years, much less centuries.

Then, the word tablet (or tablette) showed up to mean something pressed together into a small package (like a tablette of soap) which eventually came to mean a small pressed package of powder into a medicinal dose. That became the primary use of the word in the 20th century.

Enter computers. Tablet computing became a popular definition. But, Tablet Computing has come and gone as possible items in "the next big thing", but the sales never went anywhere, and the companies that made tablets found only a couple niche markets that could support any users of tablets.

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Survivor's Guilt

By MAD21

There are people who come in and out of your life at unexpected times. And you never really know the full impact of their friendship until after a number of years, and in this situation after an illness threatens to take their life.

Around 1994, I was teaching a children's class at our church and I needed some help. I asked one of the parents of the kids in my class if he'd be interested in coming every week to help us out. He gladly accepted. Little did I know how that decision would impact both of our lives.

Roger worked with me until I changed positions in the ministry about a year and a half later. He then moved on to help another teacher for several years after that. He served many people in children's ministry including the special needs ministry, and was also elected and served as a Deacon. The kids, their parents, and many, many others came to love Roger over the years, including myself. But even more important, Roger developed a close relationship with Christ.

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