Group's New Buzz Curriculum - A Review

about a month ago, group publishing sent me their brand new curriculum buzz to try out with the kids at my church. yesterday - i tried the preschool curriculum with the kids in the age 3-5 classroom.

the 3 most important things to me when choosing a curriculum are: electronic format (so that i can customize and send easily to volunteers), kid connection (the content is just right for the children's age and kids connect with the activities so that learning happens naturally), and easy for volunteers (for both preparing and implementing).

group definitely delivered on easy for volunteers - the only thing i had to do was read my leader journal to prepare my heart, read the day's overview, and set out the supplies. i didn't have to shop for any supplies (which was fantastic!) or build large props to go with the lesson. one of the teachers who taught with me commented that the instructions could have been written simpler - she felt like the instructions were a bit hard to understand, but other than that - simple and easy for volunteers!

the kid connection was mixed - overall the kids liked the activities, they especially liked the wind up bee and the brightly colored ball, but it felt like there were too many sit down-in a circle-discussion activities. even with 3 experienced preschool teachers teaching the lesson, it was hard to keep the kids interested in sitting in the circle.  i would have liked some additional physical games where they could stand and participate. i did like the content - it seemed simple enough, i just wondered if we did this for 12 weeks if the content would almost be too simple.

the curriculum didn't include any electronic components - i would have loved a CD-Rom with all of the lessons and supplies - or a password which i could use to download or email the lessons online. this was a huge drawback for me. also would have liked some video components - i think short video clips would have enhanced the bible storytelling portion.

overall a good curriculum - simple and easy to use, just like it promises - good for churches using a comparable group curriculum, but it didn't appear all that innovative for churches looking to implement a brand new format or structure.

want a second opinion? check out these reviews:

matt mckee live and larry shallenberger

100 Things Kids May Never Know About

i recently came across this post in wired magazine's geek dad section - the title of the post is: "100 things your kids may never know about." i love how telling this is - and how much it reveals about this digital generation.

these are a few of my favorites:

• Shopping only during the day, Monday to Saturday.


• Phone books and Yellow Pages.


• Newspapers and magazines made from dead trees.


• Not knowing exactly what all of your friends are doing and thinking at every moment.


• Privacy.


• Waiting several minutes (or even hours!) to download something.


• Getting lost. With GPS coming to more and more phones, your location is only a click away.


• Answering machines.


• Phones with actual bells in them.


• Fax machines.


• Vacuum cleaners with bags in them.


• Cash.


• Libraries as a place to get books rather than a place to use the internet.


• Watching TV when the networks say you should. Tivo and Sky+ are slowing killing this one.


• Recording a song in a studio.

a christianity worth believing - live event

last night, i had the best time attending doug pagitt's book tour for his latest release "a christianity worth believing." it was a fantastic presentation that included monologues read by doug, live music - including a theme song originally wrote for the book, video clips, poetry and story telling.  it was fabulous - i felt like i had attended a creative worship service. the evening challenged my thinking about the history of christianity and inspired me to re-think the rules i've set around my own personal faith.

the event was held at wicker park grace church in chicago - a fantastic presbyterian church in chicago's wicker park neighborhood. the environment was creative, and relational and lovely. as a rather new presbyterian, i love visiting other PCUSA churches and learning how each church expresses theology in their specific context. if you live in the neighborhood - you have got to stop by and meet pastor nanette and visit a sunday evening service.

i'll be reading doug's book - and will post a full review soon. i look forward to hearing your thoughts on the book!

a triathlon and preparing well for meetings

last weekend my brother quinn and my sister-in-law jenny participated in the spirit of racine triathlon.

jenny is a seasoned competitor and has competed in this race several times. she's amazing and impressive and i wish i was like her.

but this was quinn's first race - he's a well trained athlete having played college baseball, but he's never done something like this before so he prepared big time!

for months and months, quinn and jenny spent their evenings biking-sometimes even for 4 hours at a time, and they had spent weekends running miles and swimming endless laps - it was crazy. but they were focused and committed - and worked extremely hard preparing for this very big day.

and then yesterday, i was having lunch with a children's director and we were discussing how to best prepare for meetings - we were chatting about how often we are tempted to not prepare for meetings - it always feels easier to not prepare and just hope for the best. but lack of preparation rarely results in a fantastic meeting - meetings need love and attention and careful preparation, kind of like preparing for a triathlon.

a simple list to consider when preparing to lead a meeting:

• think about your audience: do they know each other? is any 1 person new to the group? has it been awhile since they've been together as a group? as you think about your audience - consider planning a short time at the beginning of the meeting for the group to get to know each other better or to become reacquainted with each other.


• create an agenda with time codes: there's no better feeling than walking into a meeting with an agenda that has accounted for every minute. while preparing for a meeting - create an agenda that spells out how every minute will be used. for example:  7:00-7:15 - Introductions, 7:15-7:45- Strategic Planning, 7:45-8:45 Creative Brainstorming, 8:45-9:00 Meeting Summary and Next Steps.


• set very clear meeting goals: while preparing for a meeting, take time to think about what you hope will be accomplished at the end of the meeting. set 2-3 tangible goals, for example: brainstorm 5 possible christmas themes, define 3 next steps in implementing the christmas program, and identify 2 potential volunteers.

work hard and commit to leading a great meeting - the effort you put in during the preparation phase will surely pay off during the actual meeting time. and if all else fails, try preparing for a triathlon - it might be easier than leading a great meeting!

follow up resources: my holy discontent: bad meetings -  a previous blog post, death by meeting - a book by patrick lencioni, and meetings - a fantastic blog post by seth godin.

what's your unique decision making style?

this is how i like to make leadership decisions: i start by collecting all of the facts, then i talk it over with others whom i trust, i check in with my gut and then i make a decision about how to best move forward. in other words, making decisions as the leader involves a process for me. when faced with a major leadership decision, i need a little bit of time to lean into my gut and consider the options.

and over the years, i've learned how to say, sometimes even in the heat of the moment when i feel the pressure to decide quickly, “i need another day to think this through.” it definitely hasn’t been easy, and when i first started practicing this habit of taking time to think things through, i often felt insecure and un-confident of my leadership decision-making ability. but then i watched and observed as i started making really good decisions when i took time to think it through. it was exciting!

i was reminded of this video from bill hybels - he likes to make decisions by gathering the right people around the table, praying and believing that God will lead them to the right decision.

it seems to me that everyone has a unique style for decision making. what's your style?

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F_UYmzPQ2OA]