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July, 2009

  1. A day at Liquid Church. . .

    July 28, 2009 by Nate

    Was anyone curious about what goes on at work that pulls me in so early on Sunday mornings? Well, even if you weren’t, here’s a video to give you a sneak peek on my job.

    Special guest appearances from fellow bloggers Kenny Jahng, Mike Leahy, and Rich Birch.

    Category Church, Personal | Tags: | 1 Comment

  2. Through new eyes. . .

    July 17, 2009 by Nate

    I’m tired of seeing other people through the eyes of a Christian. Sometimes I’m sickened by my own perspective.

    But yesterday I saw through different eyes.

    Let me tell you a story.

    I was working late yesterday trying to finish up some stuff before the start of the weekend. Around 7:30 the door buzzed. I couldn’t see anyone through the office security monitor, so I walked over to the door. I figured it’d probably be one or more of my coworkers coming back from the Verizon 5K.

    As I got to the door, a young girl—no older than 17 years—was standing outside. She had dyed black hair and freckles and was wearing a pink camisole and black leggings. A large tattoo stretched from her shoulder to her elbow, and she was clutching some papers in her hand. One of those was our brochure.

    I began to sense a barrier building up inside me. Tread carefully, Nate, I heard in the back of my mind. She might be after something.

    “Can I help you?” I asked as I cracked the door.

    “Someone over at First Choice told me about you guys. Is there someone I can talk to? I’m going through a rough time right now.”

    First Choice, huh. Nate, just look at her. Put the two and two together. She’s not the kind of person you want to be talking to. The voice in my mind seemed to be growing louder.

    Suddenly the girl vanished in my mind’s eye, and I saw an old friend standing in front of me. “Nate, this girl is me.”

    No way, Amanda. You’re becoming a world-changer.

    “Have you forgotten where I came from? Have you forgotten what I’ve been through? You say I’m becoming a world-changer. So is she, Nate. I’ve just been on that road longer than she has.”

    The girl walked in, and we sat in the lobby/foyer for about five minutes.

    After a short chat, I let her out. “I’m sorry there was no one here to help you, but look for us on Sunday.”

    As she walked away from my office, I paused. I could almost hear God’s voice whispering to me, “She’s my daughter too, Nate. I’ve given her the same potential to shape the world as I’ve given you. She has so much potential. Can you see it? My Son can. He died for her because he believes in her.”

    The band was practicing in the basement. Through the floor I heard Dave singing these words:

    There is no guilt here
    There is no shame
    No pointing fingers
    There is no blame
    What happened yesterday has disappeared
    The dirt has washed away
    And now it’s clear

    There’s only grace
    There’s only love
    There’s only mercy
    And believe me it’s enough
    Your sins are gone
    Without a trace
    And there’s nothing left now
    There’s only grace

    And in that moment I realized that God’s story is too big for Christians to get in the way of it.

    God’s Kingdom is infiltrating our lives and cutting each one of us through his unparalleled love and grace.

    If we’ll look at her through Christ’s eyes, we’ll find that this girl’s story is going to be more beautiful than any we could possibly imagine.

    Category Spirituality | Tags: | No Comments

  3. Technology and children’s ministry. . .

    July 2, 2009 by Nate

    Do you remember Sunday School? What kinds of images does that phrase conjure up in your mind? I don’t know about you, but my memories of Sunday School aren’t particularly great. For starters, it was far from cool. It just didn’t have that “I’ve gotta tell my friends about this” quality.

    Kids love a good video presentation. It’s not always the most effective way of teaching them timeless truths, but it has its benefits.

    What I’ve tried to do (both successfully and unsuccessfully) is incorporate a relatively rudimentary media presentation in the lessons. No amount of technology can replace interactivity, but technology can be a platform for creating high levels of interactivity.

    Prior to Liquid, my exposure to children’s ministry had always been extremely low-tech. The most advanced form of technology was flannelgraph, which was only as effective as the person using it.

    No matter how low- or high-tech the environment, one thing remains the same. The platform (video, flannelgraph, picture books) is only as good as the user.

    I’ve been mulling over this for a while. The Liquid Kids program is, at its core, a Sunday School program (the dreaded phrase!). But when you take a look at what we’re aiming for, you’ll find there’s something much deeper than that.

    Ultimately we strive to leverage the short time we spend with the children against the many hours that their parents spend with them. In methodology, we want to have as much interaction with the children as much as possible. But that doesn’t mean we can’t employ “cutting edge” technology in doing so.

    While it may be tempting to put the kids in front of a video screen and let them sit there, bear in mind that it’s more important that children need personal attention and guidance. No amount of environment or media can replace interacting with children.

    At Liquid Kids, we trade in the classroom environment that comes from a Sunday School mentality for a more interactive and exciting atmosphere. We’ve discovered that giving children the opportunity to play, interact, and have fun goes a long way to helping them understand the lesson.

    You may want to follow this basic flow of activity for a children’s program:

    1. As the children enter the environment, engage them in a “preview” activity. This could be anything from a crossword puzzle to a game of “Telephone.” Gain some familiarity with the lesson (if you’re facilitating the preview activity but not teaching the lesson) so that your activity pairs with the lesson well. After this initial activity, lead the kids into the lesson environment.

    2. Teach the large group lesson or play the lesson video. If you’re teaching a lesson, allow children to be involved.

    3. Break into smaller groups for activities and games that review the lesson and help the kids remember what they’ve learned.

    Just remember that the effectiveness of your program is not based on the technology you use, but on how you use the technology you have.

    Serving on the Liquid Kids Team!!! from Liquid Church on Vimeo.

    Category Church | Tags: | No Comments