I came across another amazing resource with loads of in-depth tutorials on how to paint with light. Check it out.

I've been researching light painting ever since I saw the effect on a series of Sprint commercials. It's a fantastic effect that requires a lot of time and planning, but the end result would look amazing! Take a look at some of the tutorial links on how to create the tools to paint with light and paint with gusto!

We finished three weeks of Hot U at the end of July. It was an intense time that required over 400 volunteers and served over 1000 kids. One of the things that we looked at this year was trying to find a way to allow the kids a place to catalog what they had learned and experienced. This year we went low-tech. We placed a simple poster in each room with a key question on it and asked the kids to write on the poster. We asked kids when they felt that God was with them. We received responses like, "At my dad's funeral." "Never." "When I worship." It was a simple journal-like way to get the pulse of what God was doing. Next year I might try GuestReel. GuestReel is a Mac software application that turns your computer into a video kiosk. It looks incredibly simple. GuestReel allows users to put in their name and write a message, then record a video using the computer's built-in camera or a connected device. It would be SO awesome to see kids respond after large group in thi

I am a huge fan of mind-mapping. It's an easy way to organize your ideas. Here's a great resource on how to get started (crayons required).

Somewhere in the soul of every children's ministry leader is an inner geek. And if you are like me, you're always searching for cool ways to interact with kids in a teaching environment . I came across this video on how to make Glow Sticks and knew the science could be used in front of a group of kids. Check it out.

I love the game of soccer. While many people find soccer boring to watch or play, I find it fascinating. Today, the World Cup begins and 32 countries will vie for the championship. The World Cup is a great way to talk with kids about other countries. In my ministry context, we are always looking for ways we can ratchet up global awareness and give kids opportunities to locate other countries on a map and pray for those countries. This summer, we'll be using the World Cup to integrate international impact into our K-5th summer programming. What about you? Click here for great links to get started...

Part of my role in ministry involves the creation of video teaching resources for K-5th grade and 3-5 year olds. Every month, we create an average of 80 minutes of finished video for these age groups. The more video I create, the more I realize that video is one of the best methods to communicate powerful messages with consistency and quality. Part of our teaching videos with K-5th involves a creative, story-driven element. We've had a boy band, a lost medieval paige, restaurant critics, and a Cereal superhero come to life on the big screen. Our kids go crazy for these characters and become markedly more interested in what we are teaching from God's Word. It's a big win for us. But through the process of brainstorming, creating, casting, writing, producing, shooting, and editing hours of video I realized that these characters are all just really simple ideas that connect to our audience. Read more...

From the fog of past memories, I recall a televangelist show named the "Hour of Power." I do not recall what happened on the show, probably because I often changed the channel to something more like the "Hour of Cartoons" (which I was obsessed with as a child). Recently my obsession has turned to the subject of productivity. In my ministry context, I try very hard to limit meetings but they happen. Many run long. Some begin with great hopes for future production but end with faint glimmers (and those are often the meetings I've led). So I took a hint from Scott Belsky of the Behance Network and put into practice the Hour of Power. Belsky presents these guidelines: Stop thinking big picture and zoom in on the particular factors that impact outcome on a daily basis. Place an hour on your calendar every day to focus on issues that have an immediate impact and a measurable outcome. Read more...

Online classes are becoming more and more common - not just for adults seeking flexible degree programs, but for children. I came across a great article in the Seattle Times about an online class for kids about kindness. Here's what Dan Pink had to say about the kindness class: Andy Smallman, head of the Puget Sound Community School in Seattle, has come up with a social innovation that’s ingenious, inspiring, and infectious. He calls it “kindness class.” Each week students in the online course get an assignment. In week one, they do something kind for themselves. In week two, they do something kind for someone they love. And so on. Along the way, participants do something kind for a neighbor, provide something wonderful for someone to find, let everyone go ahead of them for a week, and do something kind anonymously. For more information, check out the site and this Seattle Times article. In a world where people are seeking purpose and connection, kindness classes could be an i

Over the past several weeks I have been working almost full-time to prepare and execute the large group environments for our summer camps, Hot U Jr (for 3 year olds - entering Kindergarten) and Hot U (entering 1st grade - entering 4th grade). Summer camps are fun and exciting but they pose a challenge for me because I do not spend the summer preparing for the fall. I have been carving out additional time early in the morning or when I'm eating lunch to think through some fall training materials for my elementary small group leaders. Here's four C's that I think will help shape those materials.

So I just finished grad school...now what?

I'm a huge fan of David Allen's Getting Things Done management style. But the philosophy behind these practices was bluntly expressed in a manifesto that just wrings true with my strengths.

I'm always looking for new ways to help train my leaders. I came across a website the other day that has a free game to do exactly that - it's brainy, fun, and it will be featured at some point in a leader's meeting soon!

A simple way to support parents in your church!

The Spark Conference, hosted by Elmbrook Church in Brookfield, WI, is a different kind of conference that works for me and a whole bunch of other leaders in children's and family ministry.

Many members of the Cory Center Team along with Bethel MACFM graduates will be gathering today for the Spark Children's Ministry Conference in Brookfield, WI. today. It promises to be a creative time!

Can Wii Fit help curb the obesity epidemic in American families?