Author: Kathie Phillips

Jesus Today: Devotions for Kids {Review & Giveaway}

Kathie Phillips

Finding the right devotional can be difficult.  Oftentimes, friends make recommendations but usually for me, the devotional I choose meets me right where I am during a particular season in my life.  Can you relate?

For many years, I used the Jesus Calling as my daily devotional.  I loved it for many reasons but one was the tone in which it was written.  Sometimes, the words seemed to be the very thing that my soul needed to hear.  It drew me in and created in me a desire to just sit in the presence of the Lord.

As a parent and ministry leader, I am always on the lookout for the same type of resource for kids.  I believe that part of my role is to put good resources into the hands of parents to help them disciple their children at home.  I was so excited to see that Sarah Young, author of the Jesus Calling, had written a new devotional for kids.

 

Jesus Today: Devotions for Kids {Review & Giveaway}

 

 

 

About Jesus Today: Devotions for Kids
Jesus is the Friend who is always with you.  Jesus Today: Devotions for Kids will pour this powerful truth into your children’s hearts as they learn that He knows everything about them and loves them more than they can imagine.  Each devotion is based on Scripture and is written as though Jesus is speaking directly to you, assuring that He is in control, that He is good, and that an amazing future awaits all who put their hope in Him.  Adapted from the ECPA 2013 Christian Book of the Year-winner Jesus Today, this devotional has the same themes as the adult version, as well as written-out scriptures.  It is a great choice for families to read and discuss during devotional time together.
Hardcover: 368 pages
Age Range: 6-10 years 
About Sarah Young: 
Sarah Young’s devotional writings are personal reflections from her daily quiet time of Bible reading, praying and writing in prayer journals.  With sales of more than 14 million books worldwide, Jesus Calling has appeared on all major bestseller lists.  Sarah’s writings include Jesus Calling, Jesus Today, Jesus Lives, Dear Jesus, Jesus Calling for Little Ones, Jesus Calling Bible Storybook, Jesus Calling: 365 Devotions for Kids, and Peace in His Presence — each encouraging readers in their journey toward intimacy with Christ.  Sarah and her husband were missionaries in Japan and Australia for many years.  They currently live in the United States.
My Thoughts
The book contains 150 devotions that elementary-aged children can read alone or with a grown up.  The devotions are just a few short paragraphs long but they pack a powerful punch.  The language is kid-friendly and simple, making it easy for young children to process.  Because they’re written as if Jesus were speaking, the devotions can capture the heart of both children who have already asked Jesus to be their Savior and children who might not be 100% sure what they believe.
Each devotion is followed up by 2 or 3 bible verses that relate to that day’s theme.  The book also has various quotes sprinkled throughout that break up the content a bit.
I also absolutely loved the Scripture Index in the back of the book.  Each verse mentioned in the book is listed in order and lists the page numbers where that verse is discussed.  Also, I loved the texture of the pages.  They were glossy and smooth, which will make it more durable for little hands.
If you have an elementary-aged child in your life or home, this is a resource you’ll want to take a look at.
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SOCIAL • CORNER
Enter to win a copy of Jesus Today: Devotions for Kids
I am giving away one copy of Jesus Today: Devotions for Kids to one of my readers.
Simply email me at kidminspiration@gmail.com and tell me who you’d love to share this resource with.
The deadline to enter is 11:59 pm on Monday, February 8th.
The winner will be announced on our Facebook Page on Tuesday, February 9th.

16 Quotes to Help You Be An Extraordinary Leader

Kathie Phillips

Jenni Catron

Recently, I read Jenni Catron’s new book “The 4 Dimensions of Extraordinary Leadership”.  I have followed Jenni for a while on various social media platforms and when I heard she had a new book coming out, I knew I wanted to read it.

About the Book 

You have the capacity to become an extraordinary leader – if you are willing to embrace a deeper definition of leadership and take action to apply it.

In “The 4 Dimensions of Extraordinary Leadership”, Jenni Catron, executive church leader and author of “Clout”, reveals the secrets to standout leadership found in the Great Commandment: “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.”

Weaving a winsome narrative filled with inspiring real-life stories, hard-won wisdom, and practical applications, Catron unpacks four essential aspects of growing more influential: your heart for relational leadership, your soul for spiritual leadership, your mind for managerial leadership, and your strength for visionary leadership.

16 of My Favorite Takeaways

There were so many great nuggets to take away from this book that have given me a lot to process in the weeks moving forward.  However, I thought I’d share 16 of my favorite quotes that I hope will help you (and me!) be an extraordinary leader in 2016.

Extraordinary leaders are faithfully leading in their places of influence, whether high-profile or in seeming obscurity, but with such depth of purpose and sincere intentionality that has significant effects on those they lead.

To lead others well, we must first lead ourselves better.

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As leaders, we need to passionately protect momentum. Leadership expert John Maxwell expresses it this way: “As a leader, your responsibility is to understand momentum, to get it moving for your organization, and to sustain it over time.” 

Extraordinary leaders understand that they have to think differently and think on behalf of the entire organization rather than only the portion for which they’re specifically responsible.

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Extraordinary leadership takes courage, intuition, discernment, and prayer. It takes energy, patience, hope, and determination. Extraordinary leaders step up to help make decisions and to guide the way, especially when circumstances are complex.

Part of the responsibility of leadership is understanding our influence on others. Leadership is only as strong as the leader.

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Here are a few tough truths that we need to understand about self-leadership: No one cares more about your personal development than you do. No one is responsible for your leadership development. You can’t wait for someone else to lead you. No one owes you leadership.

Leadership, by definition, involves working with others. The independent spirit that got you to the leadership seat can also be an avenue to derailment if you are not aware of your tendency to leave others behind.

Actions speak louder than intentions. Our leadership will be evaluated by what we do, not what we intend.

Goals not set are goals not achieved.

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Self-leadership is the hard work behind the scenes that prepares you for great leadership.

Connecting is one of the most important tasks of leadership. In order to lead others to new ideas, to goals, and to action, we must first be able to connect with them.

Wisdom may very well be the most important trait we should seek to develop as leaders.

When we manage well, we help the entire team put feet to the vision.

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Everything we do in our organization is either keeping alignment with the vision or it’s derailing the vision. There is no neutral. 

The strength of a vision will either carry your team or break your team.

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Find out more about this great book here!

Did you read “The 4 Dimensions of Extraordinary Leadership”?  What was one thing you took away from it?

A Resource Box for Families to Teach God’s Word at Home {Review}

Kathie Phillips

I have noticed a recent trend in ministry resource boxes lately.  There are a few out there but today I wanted to share my thoughts on SproutBox.

 

SproutBox

 

SproutBox Description (according to their print material):

Launched in September 2015, SproutBox is a monthly box subscription designed to create unforgettable family-based Bible experiences with AR technology, interactive curriculum, and easy-to-follow parent guides to facilitate faith-shaping conversation with your kids (ages 4-10).

Its mission is to help parents and kids engage God’s Word in new creative ways.

My Sample Box

I reviewed the “Creation” theme box, which came with:

  • step-by-step instructions
  • a baseball card-size character card
  • a 20-piece creation puzzle (marked with a number “1”)
  • an 11-page storybook (marked with a number “2”)
  • a 7-piece Parents Guide (marked with a number “3”)
  • a make-your-own flowerpot craft (marked with a number “4”)

Using the resources in the box required four easy steps:

Step One (Captivate)

Before using the box, I needed to download the free SproutBox App.  Then I put the creation puzzle together.  Next, I opened the SproutBox app, pressing the camera icon and pointing my phone (you could also use your tablet) at the puzzle.  What happened next was very cool – the Bible story came to life!  Omari, our storyteller, popped up on the screen and told the creation story.  The story itself was not too short and not too long, making it work for younger AND older children.  Not only did Omari tell the story, but he asked me to be part of it by swiping the screen to see more beautiful images.  The images were high-quality – they were colorful and clear.  Well done!

Step Two (Explore)

The storybook, called “The Master Plan”, brilliantly told the creation story on a child’s level through the use of simple (but not babyish) language and eye-catching illustrations.  The book featured Omari and introduced me to his two friends, Gideon and Danya.  Their conversation exchange was simply delightful.

Step Three (Guide)

This step was by far my favorite step.  Why?  Because it equips parents to continue the conversation beyond the Bible story so that children can apply what they’ve read to their everyday lives.  I love that SproutBox provides a resource to make that happen!

The parent guide offers fun activities, Bible readings, discussion questions, and a prayer for parents to use.  Not only that but the guide provided a “Did You Know Facts” section.  I thought this was brilliant because many parents today didn’t grow up in a Christian household and may not be familiar with the Bible stories they are teaching their children.  Outstanding, SproutBox!

Step Four (Experience)

I LOVE hands-on projects for children, especially ones that encourage children to use their imaginations and be creative!  The experience provided for the creation box included 3 small cardboard flowerpots, 3 soil pods, seeds, paints, paintbrushes, instructions, and blank note cards.  What a great way for the children to create a tangible reminder of the awesomeness and beauty of God’s creation!

My Thoughts

Overall, I think this idea is a great way to equip busy parents to share God’s Word at home with their children.  Having everything in one box removes barriers that could keep parents from feeling ill-equipped on what to do and what resources to use.

At $24.99/month, the box could be financially out-of-reach for some families, so I’d recommend that SproutBox include more at-home activities in the Parent Guide.  Doing this would stretch the discussions out longer over the course of the month, thus making it more appealing for some parents to pay that amount of money.  It would also be great to see some sort of family service project included in the Parent Guide.

Find out more about SproutBox by visiting them on:

Website: http://sproutboxkids.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sproutboxkids

Twitter: @SproutBoxKids

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/sproutboxkids/

Instagram: https://instagram.com/sproutboxkids

Keep the conversation going!  Have you used SproutBox Kids or another resource box to help your families or families in your ministry have spiritual conversation at home?  

Disclaimer:  I was provided a free sample to review and offered my honest opinion without compensation.

A Conversation About Teaching Kids the Gospel

Kathie Phillips

teaching kids the Gospel

There are so many things that kidmin leaders want said about the ministries they lead.  We want ministries that are safe, age-appropriate, growing, engaging, fun, innovative, all-inclusive, reaching families, healthy, dynamic, just to name a few.

Each week, we spend hours in the details – writing/editing curriculum, gathering supplies, emailing lessons, making sure volunteers are in place, and meeting with our teams to ensure we’re all on the same page.  This can become second nature to us, almost something we could do with our eyes closed.

But what about the most important stuff?  You know, like what we’re teaching the kids?  Are we teaching them a list of ‘right things to do’ or are we teaching them how God wants them to live and the why behind it?  Are we watering down the Gospel because we think kids aren’t ready for it?

Are kids encouraged to dig deep into Scripture on their own or do they just take our word for it because they aren’t opening up their bibles?  Are we encouraging kids to memorize scripture and spend time with God each day?  Are we teaching them that God’s Word is one big story vs just a collection of stories?

By teaching kids and showing them how the whole Bible is one entire story, we’re getting them to understand and love Jesus, coming to that place where they’re making decisions to be a Christ follower.

By teaching kids and showing them how the whole Bible is one entire story, we’re getting them to understand and love Jesus, coming to that place where they’re making decisions to be a Christ follower.

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A few weeks ago, I was honored to be part of a round-table discussion with Ed Stetzer, Jeffrey Reed and five other kidmin leaders around the country to talk about this very important topic.  Our conversation was converted into a transcript to be made available for Christianity Today readers.  I’ve listed the links below for your convenience:

Part 1: The Importance of the Big Story

Part 2: The Importance of Leading Kids to Love Jesus

Part 3: The Importance of Teaching Kids the Hard Stuff of Scripture

Part 4: The Importance of Gospel-Centered Teaching in Children’s Ministry

My goal is to not give children in our ministry a faith that they would have to come back to, but a relationship that would keep them connected to him their whole life.

My goal is to not give children a faith that they would have to come back to, but a relationship that would keep them connected to him their whole life.

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Keep the conversation going by leaving me a comment.  What are your thoughts about this important issue?