Epic Hike Reloaded:Pilgrim's Progress!

Tonight the kids will be taking an Epic Hike through the woods of Poerio Park departing for the City of Destruction at 6:30pm SHARP!

Once there, they will be given a map and instructions to stay on the path until they reach the Celestial City.  We will hopefully return to the church before 8pm where they will get their "Eternal Reward" before going home.

WARNING: BE SURE YOUR KIDS DRESS APPROPRIATELY INCLUDING BUG REPELLANT!

Prayer House Block Party This Sunday!! 10:30 - 5pm!

THIS IS IT!!  THE BIG WEEKEND IS HERE!

The big Block Party that we've been promoting and planning for for weeks is finally upon us and we hope you'll make it all worth it by joining us and inviting your neighbors and friends to come along with you!  We are going to have so much fun and are excited about meeting neighbors and making new friends in the community, maybe even seeing some saved as a result of God's love shining through us.  Pray with us that Prayer House will be contagious to our community and draw people in through this outreach event.  And if you are part of the Prayer House Family and haven't signed up to help yet and would like to get involved, come on out Sunday and we'll find something for you to do.  We will definitely need some help in the area of kids carnival games if nothing else.  It's easy, but there's a lot of games to staff and a lot of hours to fill.  So just come on over and talk to us when you come.  God Bless and see you Sunday!  

The day begins at 10:30am with our outdoor service and the rest follows around noon!

How to Deal With Profanity -- From Ages 2 to 12

After watching a very disturbing video on a news channel of a group of Jr. High kids bullying a senior bus monitor using profanity and abusive terms for 10 minutes straight unrelenting even through her tears, I thought this article would be a very appropriate article.  Besides what I just watched, I've seen so many pathetic examples of verbal abuse of little children in my own neighborhood and dealt with school kids who use such foul language and think nothing of it.  For too long, too many people have overlooked language as just extra words with no real meaning, but more and more we are realizing too late that poor language use leads to mean actions and eventually barbaric behavior.  We've got to do better even on the "little" things.  So here are some age-appropriate tips.  - Pastor Kevin

Hear No Evil -- Ages 2 to 5

You can be sure that if children this age hear any word often enough, it'll become part of their vocabulary -- regardless of whether they understand its meaning. The same is true of racial slurs and obscene gestures. Preschoolers don't use profanity for its shock value; they simply repeat what they hear. I know a parent who withdrew his preschooler from Sunday school, fearing the child would repeat in church what she heard at home.

Parents, older children, and other people are a child's main source of inappropriate words and gestures. Movies, television, and popular music also provide exposure. How are we to apply the brakes?

The obvious remedy is to prevent exposure, but that's an increasingly difficult task for parents and teachers. When a young child uses profanity or obscene gestures, don't react in shock and anger. Calmly explain that the word or gesture can hurt others' feelings. If the behavior persists, separate the child from the rest of the group; then discuss the incident with the child's parent.

Speak No Evil --  Ages 6 to 9
Children this age are old enough to understand that the use of profanity insults the speaker and the listener. For example, when we misuse God's name, we insult God. Sadly, misusing God's name is so common that it's rarely recognized as breaking a commandment. To help children learn to verbally honor God, explain that praising God or calling on God in times of need are acceptable examples of how to use God's name. Tell children that using God's name inappropriately is disrespectful to God.
Children this age can also become confused about words that have both an obscene and an appropriate application. A smirking youngster recently brought my attention to a "bad" book in which the word "ass" appeared. The reference was to a donkey; the book was the Bible. Explain to children that words are "bad" whenever they're used to hurt others or to take God's name in vain.

Repeat No Evil --  Ages 10 to 12
To kids this age, the ability to shock adults is considered a talent. Preteens use profanity to get a reaction from adults and to impress their friends. And often it only takes one child in a group to get the ball rolling. Without intervention, preteens will pick up bad language to fit in rather than be considered an outsider.
Without appearing shocked by what you've seen or heard, let kids know that the use of profane language or obscene gestures in your class, club, or home isn't acceptable or allowed. Preteens think this type of behavior is clever and sophisticated. In reality, it's dishonoring to God and bad for them (Matthew 15:11).
Sometimes a preteen may use an obscene word, unaware of its meaning. I still remember a sixth-grade girl's embarrassment when my wife took her aside and quietly explained the definition of a term she had used freely without knowing its real meaning.
Teaching preteens discernment will help them censor their language. Examine the content of popular media influences (music, television, and videos) and suggest appealing, less offensive options for kids. You can't blindfold and gag preteens, but you can help them develop a preference for what's "pure and lovely" (Philippians 4:8).

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Robert Choun Jr. is a curriculum consultant and a children and youth coordinator in Arlington, Texas. Please keep in mind that phone numbers, addresses, and prices are subject to change.
Excerpted from Children's Ministry Magazine. 

CW Playhouse This Sunday: Samson Part 2 - A Lesson on Peer Pressure

This Sunday we will be focusing on the adult lifestyle of the greatest and yet worst of the Biblical Judges: Samson!  This Sunday we'll be focusing on the bad in Samson's life as we look at the people he surrounded himself with and the fact that he was never very interested in God's plans.  So bring your kids to the 10:30am service and then prepare to talk to them after church about peer pressure and how important it is to have friends who are Christians in their lives.

Maybe you can pull in some illustrations on the same subject from this week's Bible reading in Galatians chapter 2 as well because Peter dealt with some of the same issues and had to be rebuked by Paul about it.  Or maybe not, but I noticed a connection this week as I was reading...

Ending Every Discipline Time Positively

After a consequence or a conflict time, it's important to have a Positive Conclusion. It's usually best to talk about what the child did wrong, why it was wrong, and help the child develop a plan for next time. After that discussion, end the whole discipline by saying something like, "Okay, go ahead and try again."

An affirming statement at the end says, "I believe in you. Yes, you're going to make mistakes, there are consequences but we can debrief and learn together." This gives your child the confidence to try again. This kind of ending essentially says to a child that you believe in him, that we all make mistakes, and you know that he now has what it takes to make a right choice next time.

This kind of ending is similar to the way that Jesus ended the conversation with the woman caught in adultery. He said, "Go and sin no more." That's the kind of statement we want to make to our children. Go and try again.

Start this kind of Positive Conclusion with children as young as two years old. They may not be able to answer all the questions and, of course, you'll want to keep it short. But take time to hug and affirm a young child recognizing that the way you correct at two builds patterns for ways that you'll correct at five or fifteen.

With older children, take the time necessary to discuss issues and work to bring discipline times around to a Positive Conclusion. If the child is unwilling to respond you may need to take a break but don't just let it go. Teach young people that we continue to work on conflict until it's resolved. That's not easy sometimes but if you work hard on it now you'll be giving your child a gift that will be used later in life as well.

If you'd like to know more about developing a good correction plan for your child, consider joining Biblical Parenting University. Or, learn more about ending discipline times well in our book, Home Improvement, by Dr. Scott Turansky and Joanne Miller, RN, BSN.

The C.W. Epic Summer kicks off tonight with EPIC GAMES!

The fun kicks off tonight at 6:30pm with EPIC GAMES Night!  Come and see what it's all about and bring a friend!!

Kids Love Heroes

Isn’t it interesting how kids are drawn to heroes? We think kids love heroes for a good reason. Heroes are characterized by four things: they do what’s right, deal with wrongs, are honest, and they care about others. Kids love heroes because God has placed a conscience inside each child that prompts them in the same four ways: to do what’s right, deal with wrongs, be honest, and care about others.

We believe that kids are heroes in training right now in your family. God uses ordinary people to accomplish his will and it starts in the small things of life.

We read in the Bible about David. David was a hero when he fought Goliath. But his hero training started much earlier. David was a hero in the small stuff. He took care of sheep and learned responsibility. He fought off a bear and a lion and learned courage. He worked hard to practice his harp so that he could get a job working in the palace.

Right now, your child can be a hero in the small things at home. Heroes practice in daily life by taking initiative. You might try this. Ask your child to see something around the house that needs to be “fixed” or made right. It might be that dishes are left in the living room, a sad baby needs to be cheered up, or the laundry needs to be folded. Once your child identifies something, then tell the child that this is the first sign of a hero. Heroes can see problems. The second sign of a hero is doing something about it. Challenge your child to take action to solve the problem and then praise the growing hero qualities. Heroes can see what needs to be done and then take initiative to solve the problem.


This parenting tip comes from the children’s program curriculum Hero Training Camp by Dr Scott Turansky and Joanne Miller, RN, BSN. It’s the conscience development course for kids. The parent’s component to this curriculum is called Everyday Parents Can Raise Extraordinary Kids. You can want to consider that series on CD or MP3. Make this summer a growing experience for everyone in the family.

Graduation/Awards Family UGLY TIE Service 2012!!

The TITLE says it all!  This Sunday morning second service at 10:30am is our BIGGEST Family service of the year with ALL those things packed in to one exciting service... and that's not even including the incredible worship and fellowship that goes along with the assembly of the saints nor the joy that comes from seeking the face of God after all of that!  This is not the Sunday you want to miss, trust me!

Privilege Goes with Responsibility

Jesus told a parable about a landowner who returned to find two stewards who had been responsible and one that hadn't been. The landowner said to the responsible stewards, "You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things." Jesus was teaching his disciples that those who are responsible will receive more.

This principle that privilege and responsibility go together is the primary way that parents can discipline their teens. Too often parents give privileges to teens who aren't responsible enough to handle them. Just because a child is fourteen years old doesn't mean that he is mature enough to go to a friend's house without supervision. Don't give privileges based on age, use responsibility as a guide instead.

One mom was asked by her thirteen-year-old daughter, "How old do I have to be before I can babysit?"

Mom was wise enough to respond, "The answer doesn't have to do with age. It has to do with responsibility."

Her daughter continued, "How will you know when I'm responsible enough?"

"I'll see signs of responsibility at home. I can tell if you are responsible by how you take care of your room and what kind of choices you make when I'm not around."

Parents sometimes give privileges to children who aren't responsible enough to handle them. Privileges are things like being home alone, having an email account, carrying a cell phone, going to the mall with friends, or being able to stay up later.

Children want privileges and often pressure their parents to give them. You can use privileges to teach responsibility. "Before I can give you access to the Internet, I have to see that you can take a stand for righteousness, be honest under pressure, and do the right thing when no one is watching." Or, "I'd like to allow you to stay up later but it means that you have to demonstrate a good attitude during the day. I'm not sure we're there yet."

Responsibility can be demonstrated in children in many ways and honor is at the heart of it. Cleaning up after a snack, taking initiative to help clear the table, being honest in a difficult situation, responding to correction without blaming an offense on someone else, and handling disappointment with a good attitude are all ways that children can demonstrate responsibility.

This tip comes from the book Say Goodbye to Whining, Complaining, and Bad Attitudes In You and Your Kids by Dr Scott Turansky and Joanne Miller, RN, BSN.