A Chillaxing kind of day!

Numbers were really down yesterday in the Zone, a result of some bad weather expected and lots of folks on holiday trips still I guess? That and I am sure many wanting to make it downtown to watch our Colts go for the big 15 and Uh-O! Wait a minute...ya know my heart goes out to all of you who paid big bucks to go see our team yesterday and then them yank out the starters in the 3rd to "allow" the Jets to take home that game yesterday...if your gonna cash it in like that and go all pre-season on folks don't you think the least they could have done is have someone at the door give out refunds for those tickets wasted?

Hmmm..........thinking.............feeling a bit convicted to be honest.

I was gonna talk about yesterday in the Zone how we just chilled, took a break for one week, relaxed. And was going to say it was because numbers were down or we were missing mentors, etc. But to be honest we went all "Colts" yesterday and took it down a notch and I guess what I am saying is...........I'm sorry! We should have had the same "prep" the same "game plan" as we normally do and if some of our "starters" were not there....we still go for the win!

Hey nobody got hurt yesterday and we still are on track to get where we want to be in February....but then again that is what the Colts would say today and look how upset most all of us are at them?

Sigh...I'm gonna go back to the "chalkboard" right now and get to planning for the game...err service this week!

Forget October, what about November and December?

Hey guys so sorry parents and visitors for being such a lame blogger the last few weeks it has been a very crazy/sad/happy time for me and my family the last month or so! It all started the Monday after Trunk or Treat when I got the call that my dad was in the hospital and not doing very well, he had been diagnosed with lung cancer just the week before and was going in for a biopsy on the cancer, when he crashed and it was found out he had suffered a stroke the Halloween weekend prior. He went on to be with the Lord on November the 14th.
So take the first two weeks of November from me and then I get back and come down with the flu that took another week from me and that left me the last month to play catch up on a very busy time here in church life.............enough said on all that except............if you ever get the chance to be in the presence of, hold the hand of a believer as they close their eyes here on this earth for the last time and then open them in eternity with Jesus........do it! I have never been so sad in my life only to feel such joy come upon me, that whole "joy of the Lord" thing really hit me how powerful and real it is! Sigh.........man I could go on and on from here but will just limit this to a few thousand words and move on!
Things here in the elem world at TPCC have never been better, for the last few weeks I have had the chance on Sunday mornings to sneak in and listen in on our small groups as they meet after our corporate worship times and I am amazed at the depth of love and care our adult mentors have for our kids here! We have some exciting things coming up the first of the year with Superstart www.ciy/superstart.com coming to town here in early Feb and then having Yancy www.yancynotnancy.com sticking around to minister to our kids on Sunday Feb 7th in both our morning services. And I cannot wait to see what else God has for us in 2010 I feel so blessed to be here in the Zone right now with the kids and adults we have and know you and your kids do not want to miss a Sunday!
Well I am gonna bolt, still have lots of catching up to do, and want again to wish all of you the Merriest of Christmases as we worship the birth of our risen Savior Jesus Christ! He so rocks!
Later dudes, peeps, people of the world!
Darren

Where Did October Go?

Man you blink and an entire month just flies by! I am sorry guys for not posting the last two weeks....I have just been so busy with "stuff" and Trunk or Treat coming up this Saturday I have let the ol' blog go!

My apologies and lets get caught up shall we? We had the proph Jeremiah come and speak to the kid two weeks ago and what an awesome job our presenter did being the "weeping" prophet...it had the kids (and adults) in stitches!

Then this last week we talked about pursuing holiness and righteousness in our lives...I wonder sometimes if the kids get more out of the lessons or me sometimes, I felt totally convicted!

"Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, that I will perform the good things which I have promised." Jeremiah 33:14

How many of us have been promised something by the Lord and then how patient are we to wait on that promise to be revealed or realized? I know that Gods words are like day and night, they will come, sooner or later you know it will be one or the other! Down in verse 2o of that same chapter God says "if you can break my covenant with the day or night then my covenants can be broken..." What God is saying is that we can bank on/trust in/count on/believe in/stand on/stand by/trust in His words in good times as well as the bad! We will be taking this subject on in greater detail with the kids this week...it promises to be, you guessed it, another awesome week in the Zone!

Later dudes

Darren

Oopsie Poopsie!

Sorry faithful followers of the Kids Blast Blog (or the KBB as we like to call it...actually nobody calls it that, lame attempt at being cool) anyway, I am so sorry, I have got so into things this week I totally forgot to blog about this past week and tell you what is up for the kids in the Zone this week!

Last week was (you guessed it) just awesome, well not awesome but "really" awesome! We discussed missions this last week and kicked off our book drive, where our kids are bringing in used books for the kids in the area in various reading programs through the local schools! First hour I had a blast making a "Kenyan Shake" illustrating the things we here in this country take for granted every day and do not think about the things kids around the world just do not have.....most of all Christ!

And how our missionaries not only address the physical needs of the kids we reach out to but the spiritual needs as well!

Second hour the fabulous Dougini was at it again with his incredible powers of illusion (not magic) in illustrating the same message!

This week our very own Cole/Melissa will be back from their trip from Kenya with our missions team and I am looking forward to a report from them and seeing all the pic's they took while there. And most of all telling of the great things God is doing there!

Cool! Hey have to keep this short but did not want to forget...well not totally forget to keep you up with what is happening in the Zone!

Later dudes!

Darren

4 Corners!

Well this week we had (again) another fabulous, wonderful, awesome week in the Zone! I know, I know, "you say that every week!" Yeah, I guess I do...but it is what I have come to expect from each week in the Zone! Perfection? No discipline problems? No pukes/bleeding? No shows for classes? Hey we got all that and more! It's children's ministry man...it's dangerous, hilarious, fun, scary, messy and every other colorful word you can think of I am sure it applies in some way! But it is awesome for one reason and one alone! We ask and expect God to show up each week and totally (try) to let the Holy Spirit lead and direct our morning...and with that kind of start I don't care what happens it is going to be a "good, good, good, good, good, good morning" man that song gets stuck in ones head!
On to this next week, first, we are breaking up the team and sending reps all over the world, Cole is heading out to Kenya for 10 days to take the kids offerings and stuff they collected to the kids in the slum we will be adopting...I am heading off to Dallas to see/listen/hear/allow God to pour into me what He has for us next here and am so excited about that! And this week upcoming we will be talking about sacrifice!
Kids get it, we all as kids were in a sitch where someone "took the hit" for something we did and rightfully deserved punishment for. And this week we will examine the greatest of all examples of such sacrifice and that is Christ's punishment for our sins...pray with us we can make this come alive to the kids and they will leave with a full understanding that the sacrifice of our Savior Jesus Christ should result in nothing less that a total sacrificial abandonment to the Lord every day of our lives!
Later friends, thanks for the kind words, thoughts and prayers! I look forward to being with the kids next week in the Zone and sharing what God reveals this week in Dallas...I need a hat!
Pastor Darren

Obedience/Everlasing God!

What a great Sunday we had this last week...I had hoped to show a pic of the kids and all the stuff they had collected for our church's mission trip to Kenya in just a few weeks (will have to get that posted later).
But what a great week learning about the blessing of obedience to Jesus...as I taught the second hour this last week I truly believe it takes more effort and alot less benefit to disobedience than to just submit and obey God when he calls and asks of us!
This week we will be telling the kids of how worthy God is of our worship, and He is when......

• He has paid for our sin.
• He levels rough ground and smooths rugged places in our lives.
• His Word will eternally stand.
• He is a powerful, sovereign Lord.
• He is a gentle, loving shepherd.
• He measures earth's waters and weighs it's mountains.
• He needs no counsel or instruction.
• H sits on His throne above the earth and spreads out the heavens.
• He brings leaders and rulers of this world to nothing.
• he is unequaled on earth and in heaven.
• He created all the stars in the heavens and summons them by name.
• He is the everlasting God and Creator of the whole earth. He never tires and never grows weary.
• He infuses the weak and weary with His power.
• He renews the strength of those who place their abandoned hope in Him.

All this from Isaiah chapter 40 (and I wish I could claim this but copied it from a devo for our mentors in this week's curriculum!) But is it not awesome to think that God is all these things and even more? I pray we are able by God's Spirit...His Holy Spirit to be able to get this message across to the kids this week and that (even more) you would get this message down in your hearts, that OUR GOD IS AN AWESOME GOD!

Later for now, looking forward to having a Blast this week in the Zone!

Congrats to our kids on a wonderful job of reaching their goal in our Kenyan giving project and cannot wait to tell you in a few weeks about our special book drive to support a local school here in Z-ville!

Darren

WARNING

I am forgiven because of Jesus.

I am guided by God's Word.

I am created for a special purpose.

I am loved and accepted by God.

I am strong with God's help.

We began a new unit of study this last week and will last till the first of December, and it is on the three major prophets Isaiah, Jeremiah and Ezekiel. And the point of the three prophets was to bring warnings from God to His people Israel! This last week we focused on repentance and this week we will be taking up the topic of obedience! And we had the prophet Isaiah come and hang out with us this week and tell us about what it was that God had for him to tell the people!

We had a blast this last week and way to go kids in raising over 1200 dollars for our Kenya trip in just a few weeks to help the kids of the community we are adopting over there! With that money we will be buying supplies for the kids there to share the gospel and to help fix up a school over there for the kids, and we also raised over 700 boxes of crayons for the kids! Way to go kids and way to go Cole in sacrificing your head (he got a mohawk) to inspire the kids to reach their goals!

See ya this week as we will have a Blast again worshipping God and praising Jesus!

Darren

The Three Stooges!

I love those guys! I know, I know, I can feel the rush of wind as every female eye rolls in unison of unbelief of how every male since the beginning of time has expressed their love of the stooges! (kinda funny since they have not been around since the beginning of time....but, oh well!) Anyway, we do not have the three stooges this week but we will be having the three prophets! Well one prophet...the prophet Isaiah will be in house and talking to the kids this week as we kick off our fall quarter with the title of "Listen Up!"
But in the next three months we will be hearing from all three of these major prophets (Isaiah, Jeremiah and Ezekiel) and the warning messages that they had for the people of Israel and the messages that they convey to us today!
And this last week was so incredibly awesome as we saw many of our kids baptised in our baptism celebration service! Of particular awesome(ness) was to see our very own Cole doing several of the baptisms...I am so very proud of how God is using him (and all our mentors and leaders) to make a difference in the lives of these kids God had entrusted to our care! I'm gonna cry now so I'm outta here, check back next week I may try to catch Isiah on film for you to see for yourself...I hear he looks quite well for a man of his age?
Later, love you guys!
Pastor Darren

Awesome!

So yesterday at church a couple in the church comes up to me with a story they want to share! Apparently they had some play time with their kids at home and the kids wanted to do a "church service" so they went about assigning tasks to each other to put on this "church service." Mom and Dad did not get to help in the planning of this wonderful little worship set but were regulated to just being the congregation. The mom said it was so hilarious, as the kids all got up in front of their mom and dad and began by opening in prayer and then doing the "Good Morning" song that we do with the sprinkler motions and all! Then she went on to tell me how her youngest daughter got up to say she wanted to know who knew the difference between knowledge and wisdom? And the youngest of the group held up his hand to answer his slightly older sister and began ripping off the answer to his parents amazement!
They went on and on how amazed they were at the music they had heard and learned and most of all the lessons that they come home with and share! How awesome, How VERY AWESOME! Not just that the kids remember a cool song or even the lessons we strive to get across to them week in and week out, but that they are sharing it! If it is the living room of their home while playing church or with friends at their house, in the classroom on Monday! How Awesome to know they (the wonderful kids God allows us to work with each and every week) are sharing their faith in Jesus Christ!
I walked around yesterday during our first service to just look in on everyone and was just reminded of this story as group after group I hear and see our wonderful group of mentors pouring life into the kids entrusted to our care for one more week....oh great now I'm starting to cry! Gotta do something manly...after I reheat up my grande mocha nonfat latte...wait, no I'm going to go get a cup of coffee, black, drink it right from the pot!
FYI the "Good Morning" song is from Phil Joels album....I mean cd (no I'm not old at all) "Deliberate Kids" if you have not checked it out...do so!
Later dudes

Blown Away!

I am so totally blown away week in and week out by the people we have serving up in the Zone! This last week our second hour large group leader...the amazing Dougini (don't ask, just come and watch) was out and I got the chance to pinch hit for him! The kids/mentors and I had such an awesome time worshipping and praising God and talking about the blood of Jesus and how when He forgives...He forgets and we do not have to walk around with a burden of guilt over us because as the word says "whom the Son has set free is free indeed!"
I then stood back and watched as the kids broke apart into groups and the leader of the third grade, lets call him David...because that is actually his name, David. Anyway, I watched him take a group of these boys and girls and circle them up and then pour out his love for Christ into their lives and just thought about my own childhood and the names and faces that I have long since forgotten but the lessons I know they poured into me that have made me into the Jesus follower I am today. Well let me check that their are some of those unique and totally passionate people that I can still see and hear, the "David's" of my own day!
This next Sunday we are getting into chapter 11 of Hebrews and the hall of faith! Cannot wait to see how God shows up this week...oh wait, most likely like he does each week through David/Patti/Dean/Mike/Ashley/Kathy/and all the other wonderful and awesome mentors up in the Zone!
See you guys
Darren

Goodbye Summer Fundays!

Well yesterday we said goodbye to our summer of fun! But fear not the fall looks to be much funner...don't think that is a word!
Starting this week, August 2nd, we get back into the swing of things and dive into the book of Hebrews! What an awesome way to get back into this new school year than looking at the book that outlines all the way that Christ is superior in the Bible!
I am very happy with the summer and the fun we had in June/July...Professor Steve, the Laflins and Gillams and their wonderful presentation of the gospel through illusion, our own "Amazing Dougini" and his talents and the dance Sunday with April! What a fun summer but I am ready for the fall, ready to get back into small groups and mentors leading the kids into a deeper understanding of Jesus and the friendships that will develop! Man I can't wait for this week!
Yesterday we got a jump on Hebrews by looking at the verse that says we are to not let anything hinder us from finishing the race before us. And this week we will (as stated as the lesson objective) in the curriculum...understand why Jesus Christ is like no other and how this should affect our lives...wow, I wish I could get my head around that each and every day, don't you? How different our day would look if we knew, could understand, would accept all that is available for us in Christ! Man I may need to hit my knees a bit more than usual in prep for this week!
See you in the Zone!

The Gang

Back Row: Cole Warnisher, Doug Follett, Darren Messick
Front Row: Tonya Warnisher, Kathy Jarrell

10:45 Service

10:45 Service

Flipt

Darren giving Cole a lesson on "how not to get to Heaven"

Cole looks a little confused here........

2nd Hour Demonstrating motions to the song "I Came to Party with Jesus"

1st Hour Praising God through music

1st Hour Again, praising God through music

1st Hour Showing Courage

This past Sunday we wrapped up an 8 week series on how God "Flipt" our lives. We learned about following Jesus, trusting Jesus, doing the right thing when tempted, confidence, loving like Jesus, obeying Jesus, forgiving as Jesus forgave and courage. We have enjoyed teaching God's Word through praise and worship, bible talks, videos, "really bad theater", puppets, illusions and most importantly through prayer. Every Sunday we may not reach each child that enters The Zone, but in our hearts we feel that each child has been given the chance to learn the word.

In the next few weeks you may hear the children talk about the "offering contest". We are trying to collect $300 in offering during both services over a 3 week period. That may seem like a lot, however, we are averaging 300 kids a week during both services. The offering will go to help fill totes with microwavable foods that kids can prepare over Spring Break. These kids normally only get to eat breakfast and lunch at school. I guess you can say we have our own missions in The Zone. First hour is doing a boys verses girls. Second hour is doing a grade level collection. Ask the kids what the prizes are....... we will post pictures in a few weeks if they meet the goal. So if you need your garbage taken out, dishes washed or any other chores, we have challenged the kids to earn offering in the name of God. They may also mention the "Bible Challenge"! Our first hour worship leader has challenged the kids to bring their Bibles on Sunday mornings. We are at about 33%. Once they reach 80% Cole will accept a pie in the face from the kids.

We are encouraging the kids to participate each week in different activities, singing on stage, "theater", reading verses and demonstrating motions to songs.

We hope they enjoy Sunday mornings and look forward to coming back each and every week.

Until Next Time, Have A Blessed Week
Darren, Doug, Kathy, Cole and Tonya

kids blast

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kids blast

I have not introduced you to our "crew of peeps" that works with us each and every week........I did not have time or desire to get each of their permissions to put a photo on the blog, so I just made one! Doug and K-dog (Kathy) are our team that lead the large group at our 10:45 service each week and Cole and Tonya lead our first hour large group at 9 a.m.

They are a fun bunch and I am blessed that God has sent them to me and to the kids to have fun with and learn about Jesus each and every week...........stay tuned and I will intro you to the other mentors in the weeks to come, I know they all cannot wait!

What a crew! This is a photo of our first hour kids along with their mentors......man what a fun crowd! We had such a great time in the Zone this last week as we studied the account of Jesus being tempted by Satan. One of my kids in my small group when I asked why they thought Satan waited 40 days to come and tempt Christ, this little guy said "I think it is because Satan waits till we are weakest to come after us." What an observation! These kids are nothing short of amazing in their depth of understanding and sensitivity to the Holy Spirit!
We are going to have another great week in the Zone as we look again at yet another life "flipt" by Jesus Christ..............................................................Have you been "flipt"?