Are We Raising Children to Be Easter People?

As I have thought about our role in leading, raising and mentoring children, I have been wondering, especially at this time of year, whether we are raising our children to truly be Easter people. There are some characteristics of Easter people that I think are critical for us to pass on to our children in both word and role modeling. Some of those characteristics that come to mind are as follows. Easter People are:

1. People who live with new abundant life. (John 10:10)
2. People who live with the promise of the resurrection. (Romans 6:5)
3. People who live with faith and hope. (Hebrews 11:1)
4. People who rejoice always, pray constantly and give thanks in all circumstances. (1 Thessalonians 5:16-1
5. People who live as obedient disciples. (2 John 1:6)
6. People who are willing to sacrificially take up their cross for the sake of Jesus. (Matthew 16:24)
7. People who are filled with abundant love for God and other people. (Mark 12:29-31)
8. People who are filled with joy. (Acts 14:17)
9. People who put Jesus as Lord (Ruler, King, Number 1) in their lives. (Romans 14:
10. People who live out their faith daily. (James 2:17)

Are we raising our children as Easter people? What other things would you add to this list that the Bible says is critical to be an Easter person?

Alternatives to a Consumer-driven Christmas?

What do you do to make Christmas a joyful celebration of Christ’s birth? How can the meaning of Emmanuel—“God with us”—be made real at Christmastime?

This was the question for the Staff at The LOGOS Ministry this year as we prepared to celebrate with each other. In past years, we went out to lunch and exchanged gifts. But in early 2007, we decided to live more fully what we teach about reaching out to others in relationship for the sake of Jesus Christ. In June, we closed the office and went on a Mission Trip to Youngstown, Ohio where we engaged with a financially-struggling church that needed help with painting the interior of their hallways, office and fellowship hall. We came back energized—and changed by the experience!

As we approached Advent, we again challenged ourselves to reach out. We have been blessed by our wonderful friends and family, and God provides necessities for living which we sometimes take for granted. So, this year, instead of going out, and instead of exchanging gifts, we shared our food at a potluck lunch [which turned out to be quite a feast!] And, most importantly, we decided to pool our gift money and sponsor a child through the Compassion Project. Durga is 4 years old and she lives in India; we became her official sponsors last week!

Our decision to reach out to someone in need has helped us to honor the gift God has given to us in Jesus. What kinds of things do you, your family, or your church family, do to make Christmas about the birth of Jesus?

We Are Called to Mission

When selflessly serving others for Christ…everyone benefits.

Listening to God’s call is a good thing…and that’s just one of the important lessons the staff of The LOGOS Ministry learned last week on a mission trip to Youngstown, Ohio. We did some painting and clean-up in an inner-city church that is seeking a new life serving a new constituency in a changing metropolitan area. Amidst the washing & scraping and priming & painting, we climbed up and down ladders and scaffolding (so who’s afraid of heights now?), stepped in paint buckets (yes…full ones), talked a lot, laughed a lot, prayed a lot, and shared meals with some great people. And we encountered God.

While our labors served the needs of others, we were being changed. On the trip we learned or were reminded that:

• Mission is a God thing.
• Servanthood and service to others must guide our attitudes.
• Building relationships with those we serve is key.
• It is good to connect with passionate people; you can build excitement around them to affect others.
• Getting outside of our normal environment and engaging the world around us reminds us that it is not about us at all.
• We can learn more about ministry by serving than through reading books or training people.
• Teamwork is essential to great mission outcomes.
• The full value of mission goes well beyond the work project itself.
• Mission planning and preparation are vitally important steps to allowing us to concentrate on relationships and to be fully present for God.

At LOGOS, we are committed to making mission an integral part of ministry with children…nurturing kids in Christ and then sending them out to be his disciples in a practical and tangible way.

What about your ministry? Are you and the children in your congregation responding to God’s call to serve others?

Visit myspace.com/logosmission to see video blogs, pictures, and comments from the LOGOS staff during our mission trip to Youngstown.

Extending Children’s Ministry into Mission

A balanced ministry approach will eventually result in “going out” to serve others.

One of the fundamental building blocks at LOGOS is the notion of balanced ministry. That is, a ministry that comprehensively addresses multiple aspects of Christian nurture on a concurrent basis. For LOGOS, this occurs along two key dimensions. First, we address the child’s heart, body and mind with our multi-part program approach. The whole child is ministered to in an integrated way in order to produce the most effective nurturing result. Secondly, LOGOS emphasizes both learning and practicing the faith to facilitate the child’s growth into discipleship as an active process of development.

In this context then, mission represents the next step in extending the nurturing and growth of children by shifting the emphasis from the ministry serving the kids themselves to helping them learn to serve others. This is one practical way for children to see their role as young disciples whom Christ directs to “go out” and be of service to those in need. The powerful lesson of service, learned at a young age, can then be built upon and reinforced over time as young Christians grow to become tomorrow’s church. To support this effort, LOGOS is now including training for church leaders on how to include a mission component in an overall children’s ministry model.

But that’s not all! The LOGOS Ministry is also “on a mission.” We are going to be serving John Knox Presbyterian Church in Youngstown, OH during the week of June 11th by painting, cleaning and doing some minor repair work around the church. Follow our preparations and our day-to-day experiences at John Knox by checking in with the LOGOS staff at our new mission website www.myspace.com/logosmission. Visit the site often and leave us a message…or a prayer.

Listen to our podcast: Mission and Ministry are Key