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Elements Kids Worship

Danny — Wed, 12 Aug 2009 20:24:18 +0000

Check out the brand new Children’s Church Program from Randall House

Elements Kids Worship

Grounded in the Faith

Danny — Thu, 19 Feb 2009 19:48:44 +0000

3:1 King Nebuchadnezzar made an image of gold, whose height was sixty cubits and its breadth six cubits. He set it up on the plain of Dura, in the province of Babylon. 2 Then King Nebuchadnezzar sent to gather the satraps, the prefects, and the governors, the counselors, the treasurers, the justices, the magistrates, and all the officials of the provinces to come to the dedication of the image that King Nebuchadnezzar had set up. 3 Then the satraps, the prefects, and the governors, the counselors, the treasurers, the justices, the magistrates, and all the officials of the provinces gathered for the dedication of the image that King Nebuchadnezzar had set up. And they stood before the image that Nebuchadnezzar had set up. 4 And the herald proclaimed aloud, “You are commanded, O peoples, nations, and languages, 5 that when you hear the sound of the horn, pipe, lyre, trigon, harp, bagpipe, and every kind of music, you are to fall down and worship the golden image that King Nebuchadnezzar has set up. 6 And whoever does not fall down and worship shall immediately be cast into a burning fiery furnace.” 7 Therefore, as soon as all the peoples heard the sound of the horn, pipe, lyre, trigon, harp, bagpipe, and every kind of music, all the peoples, nations, and languages fell down and worshiped the golden image that King Nebuchadnezzar had set up.

8 Therefore at that time certain Chaldeans came forward and maliciously accused the Jews. 9 They declared to King Nebuchadnezzar, “O king, live forever! 10 You, O king, have made a decree, that every man who hears the sound of the horn, pipe, lyre, trigon, harp, bagpipe, and every kind of music, shall fall down and worship the golden image. 11 And whoever does not fall down and worship shall be cast into a burning fiery furnace. 12 There are certain Jews whom you have appointed over the affairs of the province of Babylon: Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. These men, O king, pay no attention to you; they do not serve your gods or worship the golden image that you have set up.”

13 Then Nebuchadnezzar in furious rage commanded that Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego be brought. So they brought these men before the king. 14 Nebuchadnezzar answered and said to them, “Is it true, O Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, that you do not serve my gods or worship the golden image that I have set up? 15 Now if you are ready when you hear the sound of the horn, pipe, lyre, trigon, harp, bagpipe, and every kind of music, to fall down and worship the image that I have made, well and good. But if you do not worship, you shall immediately be cast into a burning fiery furnace. And who is the god who will deliver you out of my hands?”

16 Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego answered and said to the king, “O Nebuchadnezzar, we have no need to answer you in this matter. 17 If this be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of your hand, O king. 18 But if not, be it known to you, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the golden image that you have set up.”

19 Then Nebuchadnezzar was filled with fury, and the expression of his face was changed against Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. He ordered the furnace heated seven times more than it was usually heated. 20 And he ordered some of the mighty men of his army to bind Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, and to cast them into the burning fiery furnace. 21 Then these men were bound in their cloaks, their tunics, their hats, and their other garments, and they were thrown into the burning fiery furnace. 22 Because the king’s order was urgent and the furnace overheated, the flame of the fire killed those men who took up Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. 23 And these three men, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, fell bound into the burning fiery furnace.

24 Then King Nebuchadnezzar was astonished and rose up in haste. He declared to his counselors, “Did we not cast three men bound into the fire?” They answered and said to the king, “True, O king.” 25 He answered and said, “But I see four men unbound, walking in the midst of the fire, and they are not hurt; and the appearance of the fourth is like a son of the gods.”

26 Then Nebuchadnezzar came near to the door of the burning fiery furnace; he declared, “Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, servants of the Most High God, come out, and come here!” Then Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego came out from the fire. 27 And the satraps, the prefects, the governors, and the king’s counselors gathered together and saw that the fire had not had any power over the bodies of those men. The hair of their heads was not singed, their cloaks were not harmed, and no smell of fire had come upon them. 28 Nebuchadnezzar answered and said, “Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, who has sent his angel and delivered his servants, who trusted in him, and set aside the king’s command, and yielded up their bodies rather than serve and worship any god except their own God. 29 Therefore I make a decree: Any people, nation, or language that speaks anything against the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego shall be torn limb from limb, and their houses laid in ruins, for there is no other god who is able to rescue in this way.” 30 Then the king promoted Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego in the province of Babylon. (ESV)

', 'Daniel 3', 'http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=Daniel+3');" onmouseout="domTip_clearTip('false')" href="http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=Daniel+3" >Daniel 3 we read the account of three young men who faced a trial of their faith. These young men had been removed from their homes and the influence of their family and peers. They had already overcome the temptation to compromise, now they were confronted with a life or death choice.

When given one last chance, they affirmed their commitment to stand firm in their faith. They would not bow to the pressure to conform. They would not follow the crowd in worshiping a false god. Faithfulness to their God was worth their very lives. They trusted that the Creator of the universe was more powerful than a man-made god of gold.

Not knowing the outcome, they stood firm in the face of death. They literally walked through the fire. This strength of character and perseverance is only possible when one is grounded in the faith. That is our task as youth workers: first to BE, then to EQUIP others to be grounded in the faith so as to stand true.

rethink

Danny — Mon, 26 Jan 2009 21:54:09 +0000

reTHINK – Is Student Ministry Working? (by Steve Wright)

Is student ministry accomplishing what we think it is? Roughly two-thirds of students leave the church after graduation. Baptisms are down. Student pastors are walking away from ministry at startling rates. It’s time to rethink student ministry. This book pairs the most up-to-date research available with an overview of a biblical framework for ministry. It will arm you with facts, Scripture, and real-life ideas that will help you find new ways to involve parents back into the equation and help you escape the busy, bigger-and-better, number-driven model of student ministry.

This book is a must read for parents, youth workers, and pastors. It verbalizes questions we have been kicking around for a while. Check it out. Let’s examine what we are doing. See what works and what doesn’t. Then let’s do more of what works.

Whose Job Is It?

Danny — Thu, 22 Jan 2009 20:25:38 +0000

As a child, if dad gave me a task to do, he didn’t really appreciate my delegating skills if I passed that duty along to my younger sister or brother. His typical response was something like, “I gave that job for you to do.”

Some responsibilities just can’t be delegated. We may call others along side to help us get the work done, but we can’t just give the job to someone else. Such is the case with teaching children about God. God gave that duty to parents. Parents should not think they can bring their children to the church and let the “professionals” do it. It has to be lived before them at home.

As youth workers, we must avoid the temptation to take over the parental responsibility. Our job is to help equip parents to accomplish their God-given duty to teach their children. It is fine to help fill the gaps, but don’t try to take their place.

This is a philosophical shift from youth ministry of the past. Rather than focus on ministry with and for students, we need to take a whole-family approach. The greatest impact a youth worker can have in a young person’s life would be bringing the parents to a right relationship with God, doing things His way.

That’s the idea behind the D6 Conference–equipping leaders to equip parents to accomplish God’s plan. Check it out at D6conference.com. For significant savings, don’t miss the very early registration, which ends Februry 2.

FUSION

Danny — Thu, 15 Jan 2009 20:33:19 +0000

The first issue of FUSION devotional magazine is in print!

An abridged sample can be downloaded here.

Gathering at the YP Summit

Danny — Mon, 12 Jan 2009 18:58:50 +0000

Here is a tentative schedule for the Gathering at the Youth Pastor Summit in Orlando, March 2-4

Monday, March 2
8:00 – 2:15 YPS sessions
2:30 Universal Studios/free time

Tuesday, March 3
7:30 – 3:30 YPS sessions
4:30 Supper (at local restaurant)
7:00 – 11:00 Gathering at the Holiday Inn Express
. . . . . . . . . . . (5605 Major Blvd.)

Wednesday, March 4
9:00 – Noon Gathering at the Comfort Suites
. . . . . . . . . . . (5617 Major Blvd)
Noon Lunch/free time
5:00 Gathering/Worship (Comfort Suites)
7:00 Supper (at local restaurant)

(We will get a discount on the rental price of the meeting rooms if at least ten rooms are booked at either the Holiday Inn Express or the Comfort Suites, so let me know if you book your room in either of these hotels. The meeting room is being provided by SCM. There is no registration fee for the YPS or the Gathering.)

Now we need a worship leader, topics of discussion, and session leaders.

Any recommendations? Post a comment or email SCM@randallhouse.com

See more about this event on Facebook

NYC Podcasts

Danny — Tue, 11 Nov 2008 15:12:19 +0000

We enjoyed a great line up of youth worker seminars at the 2008 NYC. If you missed them or want to hear them again, they are now available on podcast. Here is the list of what is available:

NYC 2008 Podcasts

Services

Sunday School: Kelly Bowman
Sunday Morning Worship: R.D. Tolliver
Sunday Evening Worship: Stewart Allen Clark
Monday Evening Worship: Todd Tennant
Tuesday Evening Worship: Sam McVay

Seminars

Have It Your Way (Fast Food Gospel): Kelly Bowman
Teaching Parents How to Become Spiritual Leaders in the Home: Steve Greenwood
Transitioning Students From High School to College: Curt Gwartney
Setting Up a Successful Children’s Church: Johnny Miller
Teaching to Change Lives: Johnny Miller
Addiction Recovery: Eddie Moody
First Aid For Emotional Hurts: Eddie Moody
When Trauma Strikes: Eddie Moody
How to Lead Children to Christ: Rob Morgan
SOS – How to Have a Successful Ministry in Your Public School: Randy Rains
Leading a Small Group Discussion for Young Adults: Jacob Riggs
Teaching the Brink to Young Adults: Jacob Riggs

D6 Conference Registration

Danny — Wed, 01 Oct 2008 13:37:18 +0000

The CLEAR Advantage discount registration ends today (Oct. 1).

Don’t miss this historic, life-changing event. Register today for the best value.

Go to D6conference.com

SYATP

Danny — Wed, 24 Sep 2008 12:06:39 +0000

Be in prayer for those who gather today – SYATP

(photo from Dock Hoilman via Twitter)

Beauty for Ashes

Danny — Wed, 17 Sep 2008 22:10:35 +0000

Check out this amazing testimony of God’s grace–Beauty for Ashes