This post from Henry Zonio made me think.  And I’m hoping to learn as he unpacks this.

This post from Dan Scott gave me hope… that we’re all trying to figure out the same stuff.

This post from Anthony Prince made me evaluate… can your Children’s Pastor take a Sunday off?

This post from Sam Luce was just a little controversial… and I hope more join the conversation.

This post from Jonathan Cliff made me laugh.  Wish I were that creative.

Why do you blog?  Link your faves here.  Or (better yet) blog some of your faves this week.

I’m guest blogging this week with the Kendra Golden.  Come join me.

It’s been two years since I launched my blog.  I remember it like it was yesterday… it all began with my first domain name.  Born from a love and passion for good coffee my creativity overwhelmed me and I came up with the blog name…

www.javagina.com

But all my twisted, sick friends could see was the word vagina.

So, I abandoned that domain name and moved to jabberfrog.com.  Why?

Because it was unused, unusual and completely unrelated to any anatomical body part known to man.  That’s why.

So here we are 2 years later.  Where would I be without my blog?

Truly, I don’t know.  This blog is the source of some very valuable relationships I wouldn’t know outside of the blogging world.  I’m a better leader, a better parent and a better Christ follower as a result.  So, I’m embarking on another year.  Excited to see what God will do.

Thank you to all my blogging friends.  Looking forward to more. 

I’m headed to the Orange Conference this year with a few people from the LC.tv team, Allyson Evans and Anna Meadows.  This is heavy duty company for me so my plan is to be ‘the sponge’ in the trio.  Just soak up as much of these chicks as I possibly can. 

I get to participate in the Bloggers Lounge while there.  What a privelage!  Here are a few of the peeps I get to hang around with.

Carlos Whittaker – Production Director, Buckhead Church, GA
Twitter: loswhit
Blog: ragamuffinsoul.com

Jon Acuff – Creative Writer, GA
Twitter: prodigaljohn
Blog: stuffchristianslike.net, prodigaljohn.com, 97secondswithGod.com

Ben Arment – Director, Catalyst West Coast, GA
Twitter: BenArment
Blog: benarment.com

Chris Szulwach – Associate Pastor, Liverpool Community Church, NY
Twitter: CoffeeWithChris
Blog: coffeewithchris.com

Brad Lomenick – Executive Director, Catalyst, GA
Twitter: bradlomenick
Blog: bradlomenick.com

JC Thompson – Elem. Production Director, Brookwood Church, SC
Twitter: jconline
Blog: jcisonline.com

Kenny Conley – Next Generation Pastor, Gateway Church, TX
Twitter: kennyconley
Blog: childrensministryonline.com

Matt Mckee – Pastor of Students and Children, Horizon Community Church, OH
Twitter: mattmckee
Blog: mckeelive.com

Jonathan Cliff – Children’s Pastor, Trinity Church, TX
Twitter: jonathancliff
Blog: jonathancliff.com

Sam Luce – Children’s Ministry Director Mt. Zion Ministries Church, NY
Twitter: samluce
Blog: samluce.com

Chad Swanzy – Student Ministried Pastor, Gateway Church, TX
Twitter: theuprisinglive
Blog: chadswanzy.blogspot.com

Rick Smith – Youth Speaker, Seminary Student, TX
Twitter: Rick_Smith
Blog: rickwsmith.com

Anna Meadows – Associate Youth Pastor, LifeChurch.tv, OK
Twitter: anna_meadows
Blog: annameadows.com

John Saddington – Creative Web Director, North Point Ministries, GA
Twitter: human3rror
Blog: human3rror.com, churchcrunch.com

As you can see… I’ll be sitting in a room full of giants.  My plan is to soak up as much as I can.  Can’t wait!

The What Up at OKC:

• We’re entering week 2 of new series called LOST.  Story about a little boy that loses his dog.  The fun part was hanging LOST posters around the kids space.  The posters look so legit, parents and kids really thought we were searching for a lost dog.  Even cooler… we set up a 1-800 number for the kids to call.  When they call in, the kids listen to a special message.  We’re tracking the number of calls.  Big hit, so far!
• We had a MicroMission at the church last night.  As we gear up for Easter, we’ve got some creative invite tools for everyone to use when inviting people to church.  The tools came with some assembly required.  That’s where our kids come in.  We invited them to the church with their parents to help assemble the invites.  We intentionally make it a part of this big invite push and we make sure the kids know they are part of the impact.
• Vision infusion is my primary focus, right now.  As a ministry leader, what methods do you use to re-infuse your volunteers with the Big Picture?

At the crashpad:

• Slow blogging week.  I spent the better part of the past two days at the hospital with one of my families.  Their 2-year-old so sick and doctors running test after test trying to figure out the problem.  It has a way of bringing your to your knees in ways you never imagine.  Jonathon is doing better today and will leave the hospital next week.  Praise God!
• On that note… I have a new appreciation for my 2-year-old and his antics.
• Our LifeGroup is reading through John.  We had a few epiphanies with Chapter 1.  My hubby blogs about it here.

Blogs to check out:

• Rindy Walton is a woman I learn a lot from.  She’s got amazing experience as a mom and God is taking her through a refining season right now.  Her response inspires me.  Read what she has to say about life.
• My friend Robyn just started blogging.  Robyn leads LifeKIDS at the Tulsa LC Campus.  She’s got a goose-bump story.  Give her a shout-out and welcome her to the blogging universe.

Have a fun weekend.  Ban the cartoons and get outside!

See you Monday.

The ‘What up’ at OKC:

• Blogging milestone! One year of blogging! Woohoo!
• Seriously. Two weeks to Easter. Insane
• On the Easter note… if you recruit volunteers for ministry… don’t just focus on recruiting for those extra Easter experiences. Stock up for Black Sunday, as well. What’s Black Sunday? The weekend following Easter. Everyone came back to church, regular attenders worked above and beyond the norm… so it’s time to take a weekend off. That’s Black Sunday. Numbers dip and volunteer teams are slim. Be prepared.
• We had a great training/vision event for our Toon Town/Studio 45 Cast Members last Saturday. A great time to refocus on the vision of what we do and how we do it. I love it.

At the crashpad:

• Kyle and I attended the Youth For Christ Banquet last night. Heard about all that’s going on from our friend, Hanky. Also heard more about 83 Foundation established by Wes and Lee Welker. If you’re looking for a place to funnel the margin God’s provided you, consider these ministries.
• Josie’s going through a lying and stealing phase. She’s lifting toys from school and friends. Strange that she would do this. Anyone have some feedback or suggestions for me?
• Too much ‘drop and go’ the past week. Everyone is well and back to their normal routine. But making up for lost time means a lot of ‘drop and go’ moments. I need to sit and watch Keegan at karate rather than using that time to run errands.

Word Slinger Spotlight:

• My friend, Justin, just started blogging. He’s a great guy that loves his girls. Check out his blog and leave a comment. Welcome him to the blogging world.
• Yesterday Scott W was asking for criteria of a metrosexual. Got any feedback?
• Bob B was on a blogging hiatus for a season, but he’s back and asking some questions. Got any answers for him?
• ScottyRock has some great advice. A must read… and comment!

That’s a wrap. Have a great weekend.

Roger is a friend of mine from LC OKC. I get to serve every week with him and his wife in LifeKIDS. Roger’s pretty great, but (truth be told) I get pretty excited when I get to hang out with his wife.

Roger called me out of the blue one night to share a story about one of his boys. Working in kids ministry, its stories like these that remind me how amazing it is to get to do what I do. Roger agreed to share his story here. This is only the first of 3 posts. To catch the rest, you’ll have to check out Roger’s new blog, RollMentalCamera.

Take some time and join the conversation.  Then visit Roger’s blog and comment there.  Welcome him to the blogging world.

What Would Your Kid Say?

Part 1 of 3

Ever worry about your child’s perception of things? What would you say is most important to them?

Roll mental camera…

I went to my son Connor’s third grade open house at school to check out some of the work they had done. An autobiographical worksheet caught my eye that had all kinds of statements like “My favorite ice cream is ___” and the kids fill in the blank. You get the picture.

There were two statements that stopped me in my tracks.

“I believe in ____.” Which some answered harmlessly enough “parents” or “themselves.” But many put “my Wii” or “Pokemon” or something else just as selfish.

The second and by far the most disturbing was “My final destination is ____” and I began to read things like “Disneyworld”, “Paris, France” or “Los Angeles.” (I felt a bit queezy and blacked out for a second after reading that… But back to the story)

Hope was renewed when I got to Connor’s paper and he answered the 2 questions in big bold letters “I believe in GOD and JESUS” and “My final destination is HEAVEN”. With a huge smile I mumbled “THANK YOU GOD” (should have screamed it) and immediately called Gina and thanked her for the ministry that has helped in Connor’s faith. It wasn’t that we knew this worksheet was going to happen or that we worked on it at home. He did it at school with nobody but himself telling him what to write. It was an awesome sight.

Do you know how your child would answer these questions?

Don’t you think you should?

So, you think the hour they spend in kids church every week will fix them?

What’s happenin’ at the OKC…

• Headed into the final weekend of SOAR in Toon Town and Studio 45. SOAR is a Kidmo creation. I love their stuff.
• We’re moving away from the ‘membership’ concept at the church, and changing it to ‘Partnership’. Essentially we’re not asking people to become members, like a country club. Instead we want people to partner with us to complete God’s work in this community.
• Wrapping up 5 weeks in a row of challenging kids to think of 3 friends they want to invite to church. Next weekend we launch an extra incentive for bringing a 1st-time guest. Upping the ante… praying for God to bless it.
• Sprad got everyone a Screaming Monkey for Christmas. Monkey attacks are rampant in the office. Visit at your own risk.
• Spent half the week ‘righting the ship’. Why does change take so much effort?

Blogging…

• I’m an advocate for short posts. I write short posts b/c I’m ADD. I read short posts… b/c I’m ADD. But CatalystBlogger challenges my thinking. What do you think?
• Jimmy Paravane has a great blog to check out. He’s thought provoking, but speaks in code… you can’t breaze through his stuff. You have to stop and process. Worth a look.
• Anne Jackson invited me as a guest on her blog. If you’re not reading her stuff… you should be.

At the crashpad…

• Too many people around me are getting the flu. I’m becoming a germ-a-phob.
• Keegan came home with his best behavior report of the 2nd grade! Party!
• My pile of books is getting bigger and I don’t seem to be making any reading progress.
• It’s sleepover night. Pizza, popcorn and a couple of boys that celebrate bodily functions we’d rather forget.

On the docket…

• I’d love to hear some ideas on future posts.  What kinds of things do you want to hear?

Have a great weekend.  See you guys Monday!

It’s been a whirlwind week! Here’s the rundown…

• 3 Doctors, 3 X-rays, and $75 later… It’s confirmed.  Connor has a broken foot.  But we’re 2 weeks into a 3 week healing process.  So, we leave it and let it continue healing on it’s own. 
• I’ve got to start running again. Anyone interested in dragging out of bed with me in the a.m.?
• I nearly left my daughter at church the other night. I’ll tell that story next week…
• At the sight of playing cards, my 2-year old says, “No, Go Fish”. Guess we play that game a lot.
• In the midst of a refreshing season with the Lord, right now. I needed that.
• CopyBlogger offers great advice for blogging.
• Anybody have a good cleaner for Pergo flooring? I need some tips.