This past spring we saw a lot of new children. You can imagine the rooms were crowded.


So .... There is a need to do something different.

NEW: Saturday Afternoon Children's Service.

This would be a one hour service for kids from Grade 1 through Grade 4. The bus would run.

We have some that have shown interest in helping but we need more helpers.

Positions Needed:

Bus Supervisor

Children Monitor during services

*Person that would do a 10 minute segment. This person would do games, object lesson, etc.

You could volunteer once, twice or every Saturday per month.

When your child is mad

In his book, When Kids Are Mad, Not Bad, Henry A. Paul , M.D. describes the kind of anger exhibited as developmental anger - anger that aids infants in getting their basic needs met.

I often tell new parents that it's not possible to spoil an infant. I believe that. An infant cries and gets angry because of an unmet need: hunger, uncomfortable, too hot or cold, over stimulated, feeling isolated, experiencing an upset stomach or dirty diaper or just needs to be held.

I had to laugh at an episode of My Wife and Kids. The baby wouldn't stop crying. Michael would take the crying baby into another room and return with a content baby. He wouldn't tell his secret until the end. Then we found out that Michael just helped the little one pass gas.

As a child turns two a frustrated toddler could reach "shake factor #10". Imagine seeing the older kids and the dog doing things and wanting to do it only to be told NO. Studies have show that a toddler can understand hundreds of words before being able to speak. Imagine again knowing all these words and not able to express yourself?

Instead of seeing these cases of anger as negative, a parent can view it as growth. In the first case with infants it's important to meet the child's need immediately, even in the middle of the night. As for toddlers a parent should not take the role of problem solver. That is an endless job. Remember that it isn't your fault and it's normal. It's a part of your child learning to master his world.

Rules


As your children mature, rules need to be revised. You want your rules to be logical, fair, reasonable, and truthful. Parents can make rules out of convenience for themselves. Sometimes they make rules to satisfy their need for control or to eliminate their own fears.

When your child breaks one of your rules be careful not to attack their character. Make their "character" off limits. A parent can point out wrong actions. It's important to make a distinction between behavior and character.

Example of pointing out wrong behavior: "You did wrong when you took those cookies."

Example of attacking character:

"You're a thief because you took those cookies."

Raising a Modern-Day Princess by Pam Farrell & Doreen Hanna


Blessing Prompts Celebration

Celebration stated with and comes from the heart of God. The Heavenly Father loves to celebrate and bless His children.

Adam & Eve - Blessing - to be fruitful and multiply

People out of Egypt: - Celebrate Passover; Celebrate Feast of Harvest, Celebrate Feast of Ingathering

A word spoken and in due season is like apples of gold in settings of silver. Proverbs 25:11

What if the Nightmare is real: Monsters by Julie Dejong

She writes this about herself when she was a young child: "To all outward appearances, I seemed normal. I could smile and act like everything was great and I didn't have a problem in the world. But inside I was screaming. There were times I wanted to curl up and die!"

"It is like a wound that keeps festering and hurting with nothing to dull or take the pain away."

"I often wondered how someone could look at me and not see what a horrible, ugly person I was." I must be a terrible person for something like this to happen to me. Does that mean there is something wrong with me? Is there something inside of me that is bad and that is why this happened?

Self Esteem?

What self esteem? I am a hideous, repulsive, vile person and there is no way anyone could ever truly love me if the knew!

This is another way the monster has insured the secret will be kept!



Pastor Randy Thoughts: My question is this: There are children that are like Julie. How can we go below the surface and help those children?

Tips to Children's Workers & Parents



Be honest in your answers and who you are.
Children easily identify phoniness. Don't insult them by trivializing their concerns or giving pat answers.

Don't pry
Win the right to be heard. If you see or feel that something is truly wrong, encourage the child to talk to an adult they do trust.

Listen, don't lecture
Most kids want to express themselves, but won't do that until they trust you. And they won't trust you unless they believe you care and have proved it by listening to them.

Keep confidences
Their secrets are a gift to you; treat them as such unless, of course, doing so endangers the child or someone else.

Provide a safe place
Give the child space he needs to be alone while still offering him the security and comfort of a safe environment ... and knowledge that you'll be there when he is ready to talk.

And don't forget!
While our instinct may be to fix the problem, our role is usually to help kids in their growing process. So we must teach and show that there is One who cares for them more than they can ever imagine.

Kid's Krusade this week.  April 4-6, Mon, Tues, Wed. @ 7:00pm