Blogs - smconnect.org

White Knuckle Faith

"Faith is the substance of things hoped for and the evidence of things not seen." Hebrews 11:1 Teachers often define faith by relating it to sitting in a chair and trusting that it will hold you or to the wind that you can feel but not see. These examples are o.k. for what they are but are both grossly inadequate when describing the key to eternal salvation. I think true faith is more of a "white knuckle" experience. Here's what I mean. Living in the hills of West Virginia, driving in the winte… Continue

Added by Susan Guthrie-Greenwood on March 3, 2010 at 1:58pm — No Comments

Insurance and Church Trips

I would love to hear other youth minister's thoughts on health insurance and dental insurance for youth group trips. The liability question is one that I have never been completely confident on my answer on. It seems like one of the constants across the board for youth ministry is that we are all dealing with t… Continue

Added by Howard Strang on December 30, 2009 at 5:36pm — No Comments

Connecting To Children

The mission statement for the Elementary Ministry at Southeast Christian Church is “connecting kids to Jesus and one another.” Everything we do is filtered through this mission. As soon as the children enter our wing, we are striving to build a relationship, to help foster new friendships, and to connect them to Jesus. Our mission statement is tied into everything we do; it is our DNA. To translate this mission and make it come to life, we have to help our volunteers develop the abilit… Continue

Added by Michael Chanley on August 4, 2009 at 5:20am — No Comments

To Be a Hero.

My heart cringes when I see my children stumbling over my same sins... pride, envy, and jealousy. Patiently, I try to correct them. I search for the root issue leading them to fall. Then, I wonder. I wonder if they will follow th… Continue

Added by Michael Chanley on April 13, 2009 at 11:50pm — No Comments

Discipling Youth Conference in Chicago

We're planning a new conference on Discipling Youth in Chicago in November of 2009. We want it to be for lay youth workers and parents and the youth, not just on church youth ministry, but also on parents discipling their teens and youth discipling other youth. It will be held on the same day and at the same location as a children and family conference and an adult discipleship conference (including men's and women's discipleship), kinda separate but together, if you know what I mean. We would h… Continue

Added by Paul Loth on April 11, 2009 at 10:57am — No Comments

sleep

For more information visit my sleep news, articles and reviews site.

Approximately one third of the adult population will have trouble sleeping sometime during this year. Usually trouble sleeping is short term, just a few nights, but when the problem persists for long periods there are major negative consequences. Obviously focus and concentration are s

… Continue

Added by Mikel Krehbiel on March 18, 2009 at 12:01am — No Comments

Community Upgrades

Later this month we’re releasing new video, photo and music players and a redesigned chat feature to all of our communities. We will also be including a new tab for Church groups. New Media Players The video, photo and music players each community are getting a new design and a few more features. The video and photo players will sport an updated look, with icons that match the theme and colors of your social network. Better yet, the buttons will only show while your mouse hovers over the… Continue

Added by Michael Chanley on February 14, 2009 at 1:00pm — 1 Comment

hgh

For more information visit my hgh news, articles and reviews site.

The effects of HGH on bodybuilders are incredible, not just because HGH itself stimulates new muscle growth, but because HGH influences the production of other hormones. IGF-1 is one of these hormones which the effects of HGH are greates

… Continue

Added by Mikel Krehbiel on February 9, 2009 at 11:01pm — No Comments

Free Advertising

smconnect is opening the doors of free advertising! I hate using the word "advertise", but that's essentially what it is...while we all know that we are simply just sharing our ministry and resources with others! SO this blog post is simply to inform you of how the free advertising works! WHO DO WE WANT? We want advertisements on our home page to promote nation wide events, Christian recording artists, traveling performers, curriculum companies, magazines, or other resources. If your category w… Continue

Added by Brandon Milburn on February 9, 2009 at 4:32pm — No Comments

February 2, 2009

Friends, Today I have been spending a lot of time with the Lord, reading my Message bible. (The Message bible is a translation of the NIV Bible into our vernacular, which makes it WAY easier to understand) Starting last month, around New Years I decided that I needed to read the Bible or at least this verison of it from cover to cover. And I definately have put it off, with the over-used excuse of "I don't have time". But alas, as of late I have been digging in a lot more often and today I have… Continue

Added by Scott Cooksey on February 2, 2009 at 11:32am — No Comments

"I want to find an architect because my heart is a blueprint for disaster..." -Journal Entry Feb. 2008

"The biggest fight of my life has been a battle that only I could understand. A battle meant for no one, not even myself. But somehow, my mind and my heart always allow me to go back to the same place, to sit in the same wretched hole that I dug long ago. I wasn’t but a child when this battle began, a battle full of deceit, dishonest motives, and traitorous actions. This battle was filthy, but it had been ingrained into my life as to haunt my every action, thought, and even the depths of my hea… Continue

Added by Jennifer Bartling on February 2, 2009 at 1:03am — No Comments

Gut Check

I've had a serious look at my vision today. It started with thinking about my four social networking sites and led to a very serious self examination. In the Marines we would call it a "Gut Check." Gut checks force us to look at why we are doing whatever we are doing and ask "Is it for the right reason?" First, let me say this, because it is a question I am constantly confronted with... the networks I have created do not exist to make money. They are free and open to any who want to connect wi… Continue

Added by Michael Chanley on January 24, 2009 at 1:23am — No Comments

Revival of Systematic Theology (moderndaylazythinking)

The Revival of Systematic Theology is needed! Since the 1960s and 70s there has been a decline in the study of Systematic Theology across the board. The pastor, teacher and congregant would all be studiers of theology in efforts to preach the truth, teach the truth, and learn the truth in days prior to what I like to call, the moderndaylazythinking. This article raises the question, “where did true study go?” Youth today are taught how to learn using the “spoon-feeding” method. “I’ll give you t… Continue

Added by Dan Drake on January 20, 2009 at 11:44pm — No Comments

Reconnecting Parents with Kids

I have done a lot of challenging things in my life. I've been a pole-vaulter. I've been a chimney sweep, a Starbucks Supervisor, a dispatcher, and a U.S. Marine. I even managed to survive almost nine years as a children's minister. However, none of that has been as difficult as being called, "Daddy." I'm not kidding. There are days when I think, compared to being a parent, the Corps was sissy stuff. If someone had told me, "Sergeant Chanley, take this book and impress it upon the hearts and min… Continue

Added by Michael Chanley on January 15, 2009 at 11:33pm — No Comments

A call for Parent Unity!

What if we could create a community for parents to learn from, grow with, and encourage one another. What if we created a place for parents to work in a spirit of unity? A place like the firs… Continue

Added by Michael Chanley on January 12, 2009 at 9:47pm — No Comments

POETRY and other writings

So I Write A lot of Poetry, stories, and songs... heres all i have so far... enjoy (this will be long) Part I: Coffe House Poems Flabbergasted... This Lightbuld just burned out... its darker than Id like it to be. I have no replacement ..............................................Oh well --------------------------------------------------- Sunset... The sun paints the sky Gold-Watercolor-Orange Goodbye my LOVE Black... ----------------------------------------------------------- The Turt… Continue

Added by Dan Drake on January 10, 2009 at 1:18am — No Comments

may we connect here?

By connecting, a circuit is formed. The power from a master source is carried through multiple individual sending and receiving sections and come together to create something that supplies enough energy to make it work! It is my prayer that smconnect becomes that "something", and your "it" may be supplied with individual sections of friendly wisdom, relevant ideas, and close networking, that is ultimately carried out by the master source...God. May your ministries be blessed. May your goals be… Continue

Added by Brandon Milburn on January 10, 2009 at 12:09am — No Comments

Be still and Know that I am God

Wow! What a scripture! My Bible Study for the week, and also our Jr. High Students Bible Study for the week, has focused on this very verse. All to often we get bombarded with noise, with TV, with music, with any number of things that distract us form God. I admit that I have fallen victim to this as well. Our challenge this week was to try and spend at least 10 minutes of un-interrupted quiet time with God. This is after prayer time. Just a time to be still, and listen. I must admit that this i… Continue

Added by Adam on September 25, 2008 at 12:56pm — No Comments

Move

It's been a while since I have blogged! We just got back from CIY move 2008 in Michigan. It was a fantastic week filled with the Holy Spirit and youth. The whole week centered around Move and how God wants to move in our lives. We talked about Community and how in Acts Chapter 4 the first Church was a cummunity that helped each other and how they didn't need anything, that everyone was there for one another. We also talked about being bold in our faith and not letting anyone stand in our way of… Continue

Added by Adam on September 16, 2008 at 9:54am — 1 Comment

Soon I may puke or break something... or burn something.

Pardon this rant, but I don't think even my wife could believe how angry I was about this. This past Sunday, our church was getting started at it's second service, which had about 160 in attendance. We have a member who occasionally wants to share a reading or short thought during our services, so we humor him and allow him to share. This week, he proceeded to read about poem about how "lucky" we are to be Americans and concluded this wonderful reading by having us all stand, face the flag (whi… Continue

Added by Nate Powell on September 8, 2008 at 11:45pm — 1 Comment

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