Calling

May 12, 2016 by Leave a Comment

Have you experienced feelings of inadequacies lately? Has anyone felt under resourced and over burdened? Have you lacked the mental, physical or spiritual energy to fulfill your responsibilities with excellence? Have you felt fatigued? Have you felt a depletion in your passion for ministry? If you answered yes to any of these questions, then let me congratulate you on being normal and welcome you to spiritual leadership. You know, it is kind of like being a parent. You look forward to … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Kids, Kids Small Groups, Leadership, Make a difference, Ministry, Reflections, Summer, Teaching, The Journey, Things We Do, Uncategorized, Volunteers, Weekend Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , ,

Parenting Seminar #5 – Grief

April 8, 2016 by Leave a Comment

Our latest Saddleback Kids Parenting Seminar focused on the challenge of grief facing children. Sadly, more and more children in our ministry are dealing with the loss of extended family, friends, siblings and parents. The need for additional parenting support, especially founded on God’s Word, is critical in this time of loss. Kathleen and Kristina Fucci share from an extremely personal and real perspective about the struggles and the triumphs in moving children through grieving.   … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Kids, Kids Small Groups, Leadership, Ministry, Parents, Relationships, Teaching, Things We Do, Uncategorized, Weekend Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , ,

Parenting Seminar #4 – Creating SAFE Communities

March 16, 2016 by 1 Comment

Join us for a practical and powerful Parenting Seminar on creating SAFE communities. Kevin Robertson, Head of Security atSaddleback Church, and Steve Garrison, Deputy Officer, have a passion for building SAFE communities. This team provided practical tips and wisdom on how to create safe homes, communities, schools and churches. This was a truly encouraging time to build homes founded on a rock solid foundation of Christ and security. … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Leadership, Make a difference, Ministry, Parents, Teaching, Things We Do, Uncategorized, Volunteers, Weekend Tagged With: , , , , , , , ,

We Live or Die Together

March 7, 2016 by Leave a Comment

While reading 2 Corinthians 7, a thought came to me that I wanted to share with you. The end of verse 3 says “…we live or die together with you.” To give you some context, the Apostle Paul has already had some very direct and  tough conversations with the believers in Corinth. Some of them were struggling badly and Paul was trying to lead them towards spiritual health and maturity which meant he had to confront some issues, offer guidance and coach these new believers. He loved them too much to … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Leadership, Make a difference, Ministry, Parents, Reflections, Teaching, Uncategorized, Volunteers, Weekend Tagged With: , , , , , , , ,

It is Not Just an Ordinary Day

May 15, 2015 by Leave a Comment

It is not just an ordinary day. Today, what you do will make a difference. Everything, big and small, noticed or unnoticed, will contribute to the mission. It will make a difference. Every high five, every hug, every table cleaned, every chair pulled out of a trailer, every tablecloth folded, every lesson planned and every lesson taught. The games we play, the cards we print, the props we gather, the corners we sit in trying to write a lesson, the conflicts we settle, the calls we make, the … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Kids, Leadership, Make a difference, Ministry, Things We Do, Volunteers, Weekend

I’m Sorry, But It Was Funny! 

April 22, 2014 by Leave a Comment

I am standing in front of the Children’s Ministry Center at Saddleback after one of the Easter services. There were some kids running around the outdoor baptismal pool just about 20 feet away. This is a common scene at Saddleback. We have a waterfall and a small stream close to the baptismal pool and, as you can imagine, kids love to play in and around the water features. Well, I turned my back to talk to someone and I heard a loud splash. That can only mean one thing…one of those kids fell … [Read more...]

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I Don’t Know How to Pray, No One Ever Taught Me How

October 12, 2013 by 1 Comment

Recently I saw the movie “Gravity” starring George Clooney and Sandra Bullock. I am a NASA freak so I will see anything connected to NASA or space. However, I was skeptical of “Gravity” after seeing the previews. My initial feeling was to skip this one because in the preview Sandra Bullock's character cried while in the middle of a mission in space. We all know astronauts don’t cry! Well, my wife and son Matt wanted to see the movie so we went. While I recognize I am not a movie critic, I … [Read more...]

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The Balance of Action and Faith

December 19, 2012 by 1 Comment

Usually on Wednesday you would see the MTP podcast, but not today. Actually, we did record this week’s episode, but to be honest, I was still so bothered by the horrific display of evil in Newtown, Connecticut that I couldn't stay mentally focused on what we were doing. That episode felt out of place to me because I was so off track. My heart hurts so badly for those families and at the same time I feel angry, angry at the enemy. So I want to change gears a little bit. In the next several MTP … [Read more...]

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Norm!

December 10, 2012 by 2 Comments

This weekend I visited our Irvine campus and saw something so simple but surprisingly effective. I was standing at the check in center and could hear a constant stream of voices. Our Irvine Children’s Director, Kecia, said “you should go check out what our 5th and 6th grade leader is doing.” So I walked around the corner and watched the action. Here is what I saw. As each pre-teen came into the room, our volunteer would greet them by name and then do something very interesting. She would … [Read more...]

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Watching Others Do What You Do

December 3, 2012 by Leave a Comment

This past weekend, the Saddleback Kids team from our San Clemente campus came to the main campus in Lake Forest to observe and connect with other volunteers who do what they do. We gathered together after the service for dinner and some training with the team. It was very interesting. I had several people say this to me…“I’ve never thought about doing it like that before.” It is a simple fact, getting out of your regular ministry environment and watching someone else do what you do is … [Read more...]

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