If you have ever played a sport, you've probably heard your coach say something to the effect of, "Push hard until the very end," or "Don't quit until the game is over." Somehow University of Oregon runner, Tanguy Pepiot, missed the memo. In the final meters of the men's steeplechase, Tanguy let off of the gas and began celebrating his win. There was only one problem. As Tanguy waved his arm in the air, urging the crowd to cheer on his victory, Washington's runner, Meron S

"Hey Lincoln! What did you learn at church today?" That's the question I've asked my son hundreds of times during the car ride home. And almost every time I ask, without really even opening his mouth, he answers in the same way: with an "ah-o-uh" sound that vaguely resembles "I don't know." Ugh...really?! I know that's not true. He's learning plenty of stuff at church. The problem, I've discovered, is not with the KidMin, it's with the question. That question is just so.

On January 11th, Mark Zuckerberg announced that Facebook would be changing it's news feed algorithm so that you see more content from friends, family, and groups. "As we roll this out," Zuck said, "You’ll see less public content like posts from businesses, brands, and media.” My first thought was, "Yay! More cute puppy posts from the people I care about!" My second thought was, "Boo! My GO! Curriculum Facebook page is about to get a real kick in the pants!" I use the

When it comes to communicating with parents, a lot of KidMin leaders want to bang their head on a hard surface. "It just seems like they don't care." That's the conclusion that so many KidMin leaders have arrived at. But it's (mostly) not true. Parents really do want to hear about what their kids are learning in church and they want to continue that conversation at home. So what's the problem? For one, we as KidMin leaders need to be smarter about the way we communica

"How do you do it?" That's what my wife said to me a few months ago while we were driving in the minivan. "Do what?" I said back. "Tune them out." In the back of the van, our 3 kids were causing their usual ruckus: "How much longer?" "Quit touching me!" "Can we get a slushy?" "It's a gift," I tell her like a zen master, unaware of the chaos behind me. In actuality, though, it's not just a gift. It's a skill that I've been honing with many years of practice.

image via hajiu Are you ready for this? I'm about to give you the greatest piece of parent communication advice ever. Make sure you're someplace quiet where you can have your mind blown. If you have kids, maybe try the bathroom. Okay, here it is... If it's 1864 and you want to get a message to Abraham Lincoln, send it by carrier pigeon. Gosh...now that I read that, it seems more confusing than mind blowing. My bad. Let me back up. I imagine Abraham Lincoln got a lot of

Dear KidMin leaders: On behalf of the waste management industry, I would like to thank you for your continued use of the take home sheets. These unread parent communication tools fill the trash cans of many homes and church lobbies and provide job security for countless trash collectors. Let me guess... As much as you love the waste management industry, that's probably not what you have in mind when you hand out the take home sheets at the door. You're probably hoping

Confession: before I was a parent, I was so judgy (that's a word, right?) At the end of a church service, we would always give parents a "take home sheet." You probably know the kind that I'm talking about. It's a printout that tells parents what their kid learned in children's church and how to continue the conversation at home. Sounds like a great idea! But then I would see all of the take home sheets in the trash or littering the church floor and I would think, "Shee

"Uhg! This doesn't look anything like the picture on the box!" I've said this more than a few times. And it's my own fault. That's because I'm more likely to use the instruction manual to figure out where things went wrong than I am to get it right in the first place. "Wow! That's a beautiful chaise lounge!" "Why thank you. It's supposed to be a computer desk." Of course, I could save myself a whole lot of time and trouble if I just paused for a moment and read the