The weather outside is frightful...

No, I'm serious, it stinks outside man....snow, ice, etc. Not trying to croon some old Christmas tune for you, I'm looking out my window (why they gave me a window I will never know, they know how easily distracted I am!) But anyway, it is a nasty looking day out and I love it! Well not the driving, but the flannel jammies, games with your kids, watching t.v. and a fire.....whoo hoo.....man I'm getting old, I used to think of skiing but not anymore!
Anyway, on to the Zone, what a great Sunday we had last week and learning about the birth of our Savior! I had the most awesome time with my group of 5th grade boys, they are awesome, we began by asking "what was the weirdest thought you had this week" and some of the answers bordered on the absurd and deeply disturbing! But we used that question to lead into what if the events of Matthew did not take place as the book described? What if Joesph divorced his pledged wife Mary? What if Mary had said no? What if, what if, what if........it's hard to stop once you start!
One of the kids made the most incredible observation when he said "we would leave alone." I asked him what he meant and he said that God would stay in the church and we would be alone during the week to handle things ourselves.........wow, we all sat around and pondered that thought and were just glad at the end for the baby Jesus and how he came so that God would be with us and inside us and we would not have to be alone!

This week we will be checking out the children's choir performance in the main service and then heading back to the Zone for some birthday cake and movies with crafts to celebrate our savior!

C-ya peeps and people!

Merry Christmas

Hey all, I know it is a bit early, but Merry Christmas! Man I love this time of year, the presents, songs, lights, snow.........love it!
We had an awesome time in the Zone this last week as we finished up our 8 week series on X-treme Sayings, taking a look at some of the x-treme sayings of Jesus. We had a week were we just partied and played for the day, snacks, games, it was all good!
Now on to Christmas, we will be taking on the Christmas story for the next two weeks and having a birthday party for Jesus on the 21st of this month.........with special little surprises for the kids each and every week, and maybe a special visit from someone special on the 21st? Have to wait to find out about that later!
A special thanks to all our mentors and the great job they did with the kids this last week and all the fun that was had!
I hope all of us keep in mind the real reason for the season and not get carried away with all the other "stuff" that way to often clouds our holiday!

Bless till later

Pastor Darren

X-treme Sayings!

(Sigh) I cannot believe it.....I spent the last 40 minutes blogging then one flicker of the screen and "poof" gone! And I do not have the time to retype that whole thing again! So sorry about your luck buy you get the abridged version now, in lovely bullet point form!

• Thanks to all who came out for Trunk and Treat on Friday evening! We had about 8oo in total attendance and could not of asked for better weather than what we had, what an awesome "God Honoring" evening! New faces, cute costumes, foot long hot dogs, WHOO.....good times!
• Our unit on X-treme sayings is going really well and we are in week 6 of looking at how x-treme the teachings of Jesus are to those of us who dare live them out! This week we will be taking on the subject of being a servant to all! Cannot wait to see what Doug and Cole have for us this week, and mentors you continue to do such an awesome job of being "Jesus with skin on" to all these little ones!
• I am so sorry that I have done such a poor job in keeping up with this blog........I admit it kind of intimidates me at some level, not sure why, but had computer problems for a spell and got out of the routine and it has taken me a while to get back to it.........I'll do better, I promise!

As I said, I have to run now, sorry this entry is so short, I will blog, blah blah blah more later!

God moments!

I love "God moments" those moments you do not see coming, you cannot plan for, and just hit you like a truck sometimes (like I know what that is like....wait, I do, but maybe for another post!) And is just the right thing for the moment, let me "splain" as Ricky Ricardo would say! So Sunday our dear Doug shared with the kids in both hours about how his dad had just passed away and told the kids "it is o.k. to cry" and began to weep a bit himself....was just genuine and authentic with the kids and they took note, not a sound out of the 100+ kids while he shared! And today a dad stopped me to tell me how on the way home he asked his daughter about the one thing she got most out of the morning and she said "that Jesus knows and cares about my hurts and it is o.k. to cry!" Cool or what? I mean not anything we planned or programmed or scripted in any way, but God just using us to make a difference in the lives of His little ones! It is why I say again and again to our mentors "your job is to be prayed up and read up and ready to come and live out Jesus to these little guys!" It works, when we are honest and transparent with each other and the kids it works, God works, He is awesome!

Our prayers go out to the Follett clan today and tomorrow when they will gather together to celebrate their dad's life! I did not know him at all but only through his son Doug, and can only say that if that is the legacy this man left on this earth...it is a good one!

Gotta run, lots to do b/4 Sunday and am leaving town to attend the services of Dougs dad so will have to bolt for now, thanks to all you mighty mentors for making this last week great and will make this Sunday awesome I am sure!

Scraper Booger

I know, I know...gross! Well yes but the term "scraper booger" has as much appeal to a 5th grade boy as "Venti Latte" to you and I! I'll explain later (I know you cannot wait) this week in the Zone was just soooooooo awesome! I thing the energy and fun is at a high and the changes we have made to facilitate size and each group is really working out well! I had such a good time up with the kids and my 5th grade group of boys this last week, and I guess it showed by me going on and on and on in the large group time......yeah, sorry bout that mentors, promise to do a better job of watching the clock this week and getting you to small groups on time!

This last week we talked about that 2nd beatitude and how happy are those (can hear the laughing now) who mourn because God will comfort them! So how did God comfort you in your sorrow this week? And this week we will be doing another letter "T" and this time it is for the word take..........no we are not going back on one of the commandments and advocating theft this week, that would be bad and make for a bad year end review for me! Rather blessed are those who take the path that God has laid out for them! Think about it, these kids see nothing but how the world tells them that the path to true happiness is thinking of yourself, getting all you can for yourself, pampering yourself. I was watching t.v. the other night (something I do not get to do all that much) and....what commercial was it....brain burp, hold on....awwwww I lost it! Anyway the point of the commercial was "you deserve it"....hmph! Deserve it, I pray I never have a day where I get what I deserve, the Bible says what we deserve is nothing to be desired because of sin, but what God has planned for us is life through Jesus Christ and a ever present help in times of trouble!

Life is tough, and I am not going to lie to God's little ones and tell them that it is not! They need to know that through the flames, floods, tough times God is there and He will see them through anything that life throws at them! He is good...all the time!

Hey I gotta bolt and get some things ready for the Back to School Bash on Friday........come on out if you can and see some of the kids in a different setting and have some food and enjoy the free concert!

Oh a "scraper booger" I asked the kids in my group this week to tell me their name and what is the grossest thing they ever had come out of their nose? And a scraper booger (according to one of my dignified and highly refined 5th graders) that it is one of those boogers that is hard on one side when you pick it and it scrapes the inside of your nose as you pull it out...........all 13 of us at the same time went "Ewwwwwwwww"! (Man I love working with these kids...they crack me up!)

Later dudes, am praying and wishing you God's best all week long!

You punched him?

By far my favorite thing that happened this last Sunday is when I put the question to my small group of 5th graders "Can you tell me a time when you prayed for God's help and it happened?" One girl in the group told of how a older boy had been bugging her at recess last year, always threatening to punch her. And she said one day he came up to her and said "If you don't punch me I am going to punch you as hard as I can!" And she said that she was not going to let him hit her so she punched him right in the nose as hard as she could! I waited.....and waited.....and then asked "Sooooooo how did God help you in that situation?" And she responded by saying "Well I prayed that I would not get in trouble for punching him in the nose (as he ran off to the teacher crying and holding his nose) and then she said proudly "And guess what, I did not ever get in trouble for hitting him!"

Oh my.....the things we get to listen into each week with the kids, the ideas, attitudes.....ahhhh the attitudes! You and I are so blessed to be in this position of making a difference in the lives and attitudes of these kids! I shared with that girl an understanding of her circumstance and then we as a group look at Christ and what might of been His attitude if he faced the same situation.....how cool!

So people "When your having a bad day, God's help is on the way!" Have you caught yourself saying that to yourself this week? I know I have! I am amazed when we leave the Zone each week how many times I see that I have been the one ministered to and and have came away with a new nugget to chew on for the week, I hope the same is true for you!

We will be taking on the second beatitude this week and our practice point will be "Trusting God's Best." Matthew 5:3 "Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted." Jesus healing the daughter of Jairus will be the lesson focus and we want the kids to learn and know.....I need to be reminded and know.....that Jesus knows our hurts and He truly has our best interest at heart and we can trust Him for His best in any situation!

Have a great week peeps, be good and remember if your having a bad day then God's help is on the way. Now go out and punch someone right in the nose.....no wait, don't do that!

What a Sunday!

Whoo I'm a Blogger! Look at me, blogging, I blog, Welcome to my first and only Blog! Enjoy reading what I blog..........blog, blog, blog! That tickles the tongue to say, try it......I'll wait.

Anyway this blog is dedicated to what is happening in the Zone on Sunday mornings with the elementary kids at Traders Point Christian Church and those brave/crazy/wacky souls who give of their time and talents to come and hang with the kids for the morning.....or as we lovingly call them The Mentors! Here is a pic of only a few of the many mighty mentors we have working with our elem kiddo's! This was a dinner we had at Amore's a few nights ago as we prepared for the fall with the kids....a fun bunch for sure....super glue and punching Austin....and that is all I will say!

And me, that is my pic over to the right............I know, I'm exploring weight loss programs as we speak, will let you know how that goes!

Anyway on to bidness, what an awesome Sunday we just had, love having the kids in the worship center with us and what about Katie? What a job she did illustrating the sermon, really took the pressure off of me by having all eyes glued to what she was doing and not on me as I spoke! (Eye's glued on me is never a good thing!)

On to this week....Sunday August 3rd and the kickoff of our next 8 week series on How To Be With Your Attitude! We will be diving into an in depth look at the beatitudes that Christ spoke of and how they apply to our lives! It will be a blast fer sure!

See ya peeps, love and am praying for all of you!