Showing posts with label history. Show all posts
Showing posts with label history. Show all posts

How Well Do You Know Today's Kids? Take This Quiz to Find Out

9:38 AM  Dale Hudson  



How well do you know today's kids?

Take this quiz to find out.  Choose the answer that today's kids would choose.  You can see the answers below.

Quiz
1. What is a tablet?
  • pill you take in the morning
  • electronic handheld device
2. Wiki?
  • cooperative web app
  • shuttle bus in Hawaii
3. What is a phone?
  • device that has a long, coiled wire that you wrap around your arm while talking
  • device you carry in your pocket
4. History?
  • subject in school
  • TV channel
5. GaGa?
  • singer
  • baby talk
6. Amazon?
  • river in South America
  • online store
7. Who is the green giant?
  • big guy who picks vegetables
  • Shrek
8. Madden?
  • video game
  • super bowl winning coach
9. What is mail?
  • something that comes to your inbox
  • something that comes to your mailbox
10. Cut and paste?
  • something you do with scissors and glue
  • something you do on your computer
11. Wire-rimmed glasses?
  • Harry Potter
  • John Lennon
12. When can you see cartoons?
  • Saturday morning
  • 24/7
13. Who is the star of Twilight?
  • Rod Sterling
  • vampires
14. Who is Barney?
  • Andy's assistant
  • purple dinosaur
15. Basketball star?
  • Michael
  • Lebron
16. Music?
  • CD
  • download
17. How do you get directions?
  • Google maps
  • map book
18. School blackboard?
  • smart
  • chalk
19. Taking pictures?
  • camera
  • cell phone
20. What is plasma?
  • type of TV
  • bodily fluid
Answers
1. A tablet is a handheld electronic device.
2. Wiki is a cooperative web app.
3. Phone is a device you carry in your pocket.
4. History is a TV channel.
5. GaGa is a singer.
6. Amazon is an online store.
7. Shrek is a green giant.
8. Madden is a video game.
9. Mail is something that comes to your inbox.
10. Cut and paste is something you do on your computer.
11. Harry Potter wears wire-rimmed glasses.
12. Cartoons are available 24/7.
13. Vampires are the stars of Twilight.
14. Barney is a purple dinosaur.
15. Lebron is a basketball star.
16. Music is downloaded.
17. You can use Google maps to get directions.
18. A blackboard at school is smart.
19. You take pictures with your cell phone.
20 Plasma is a type of TV.

How'd you do?  It's vital that we stay connected to the world of the kids God has called us to reach.  Just as a missionary to another country studies and learns the culture of the people group he is trying to reach, so we should be doing the same with the kids God has called us to reach.
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20 Things You Need to Know About Today's Kids

5:34 AM  Dale Hudson  

  1. They share information.  They are growing up with the electronic cut and paste and forward.
  2. They are multi-ethnic.  By 2050, there will not be a majority ethnic group in the United States.
  3. GM means food that is Genetically Modified.
  4.  “Dude” has never had a negative tone.
  5. Having a chat seldom involves talking.
  6. Gaga has never been baby talk.
  7. Their rites of passage have more to do with having their own cell phone and Twitter accounts than with getting a driver’s license and car.
  8. A tablet is not something you take in the morning.
  9. Plasma has never been just a bodily fluid.
  10. With GPS, they don't needed directions to get someplace, just an address.
  11. Their favorite feature films have always been largely, if not totally, computer generated.
  12. A Wiki has always been a cooperative web application rather than a shuttle bus in Hawaii.
  13. They have always been able to plug into USB ports.
  14. They absorb teaching methods that involve small-group collaborative learning rather than a passive listen-and-take-notes lecture.
  15. On average, at age 4, they will ask about 437 questions a day.
  16. They never twisted the coiled handset wire aimlessly around their wrists while chatting on the phone.
  17. Unless they found one in their grandparents’ closet, they have never seen a carousel of Kodachrome slides.
  18. They've always had hundreds of cable channels to choose from.
  19. Video games have always had ratings.
  20. History has always had it's own channel.
Your turn.  What are some other interesting things about today's kids?  Share your thoughts with us in the comment section below.
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Why We Don't Do VBS

7:19 AM  Dale Hudson  

This is not a post against VBS.  I am not anti-VBS.  Many churches still host a successful VBS and see great results.

On the flip side, the number of churches hosting VBS is declining.  A recent report from the Barna Group stated that 68% of churches offered VBS last year.  This is down from 81% in 1997.

Our ministry does not do VBS.  Why?  We asked the questions below and the answers led us to say "no."
What is the best use of the budget money God has entrusted us with?  In other words, where will we get the biggest bang for our buck?  For us, our weekend services are our biggest opportunity to reach kids and families.  That is when we will minister to the largest number of kids and connect with the most parents.

So that is where we are going to invest the biggest percentage of our budget. 

What is our best opportunity to reach unchurched kids?  For us, our weekend services are when we have the most unchurched guests.  Week in and week out, we encourage our families to build relationships with their unchurched neighbors, friends, co-workers, and classmates.  Every week there are dozens of guests who come from a personal invite. 

Are we going to be driven by events or steps?  We do some big events...but not a lot.  We have found that creating clear, easy next steps for kids and families helps us connect them more than events do.

Does VBS pass the blank piece of paper test?  A year after VBS, how many names of families can we write down that have accepted Christ and become a part of our church?  If we can't write any names down or can only write down one or two, we have to consider it's effectiveness.

Does it fit the DNA of our church culture?  VBS is not a key part of our church culture.  For some churches, VBS is a key component of their DNA and has a rich history.

But...I would say that just because it has a rich history, doesn't mean you should continue to offer it.  Just because Sister (fill in the blank) started the program in 1955 doesn't mean you should keep it going, if it's not effective.

These are questions you have to answer for your church.  The answers may lead you to "yes...VBS is a key ministry for us."  Or the answers may lead you to make some changes.

Bottom line...we are called to reach and disciple kids and families.  We must make sure we focus our time, energy, and resources into what is effective.  What does that mean for your ministry?

Okay.  The floor is yours.  Do you do VBS?  Why or why not?  Share your thoughts in the comment section below.
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