It’s that time of year again when some church leaders try to figure out what to do about Halloween. Do we do a “Harvest Fest”? Do we let kids dress up? Do we not care about Halloween? Do we even say the word ‘Halloween’? Wherever you land on the spectrum—just own and run with it….
I’m often asked what my top recommendation for parenting books are. I have a few favorites for different reasons. I hope if you are ever in need of a great resource that these recommendations will help: Don’t Miss It: Parent every week like it counts by Reggie Joiner and Kristen Ivy This is a very…
What are you believing for in 2017? I want to encourage all my children’s and family ministry friends to dream big and hope for much. Some of you have thought about throwing the towel in, but I’m believing that this is your year. This is your year of breakthrough, your year to reap what you…
One of the many things I really appreciated about my Christian parents growing up is that we had a lot of fun. I love that we were able to trick-or-treat during Halloween, open presents from Santa on Christmas, trade valentines on Valentines Day and search for Easter eggs and baskets on Easter morning. Don’t worry—we…
Hey parents! Don’t waste a snow day. Talk about God’s love. Check out this video for some help. -Justyn
I’m very excited to announce that we at Go Kids are releasing our second full album called “Thrill”. If your kids attend River Valley Church on the weekends then they’re probably pretty familiar with the songs already. Our River Valley Music team has been writing some pretty amazing songs that correspond with our teaching for…
For years, I’ve always held a very simplistic view of children’s ministry. Outside of reaching the lost I believe it’s the most vital ministry in the church. Kids ministry represents our future. Without raising up the next generation there will be no Christianity. Thus, Deuteronomy 6 and David’s heart in Psalms: O God, you have…
Are our kids worth fighting for? I’m imagining everyone reading this saying a resounding, “Yes, of course!” Imagine sending a soldier out to war without armor, without weapons and no communication devices. Not just sending him out to war, but expecting victory. Imagine that warrior coming home beat up and wounded. There would be no…
“Good leadership is like exercise. We do not see any improvement to our bodies with day-to-day comparisons. In fact, if we only compare the way our bodies look on a given day to how they looked the previous day, we would think our efforts had been wasted. It’s only when we compare pictures of ourselves…
I don’t know what your thoughts are on Valentine’s Day. Personally, I think it’s a fun day. Most kids participate in Valentine Cards and this year we thought we would participate as a kids ministry. We made Go Kids Valentine Day cards that our kids could use to pass out to their friends. We have…