hopetown Kid's Ministry

Ahh February ... the month all about love. Cue all of the red hearts, baked goods, candy, and picking out valentines with your children for their classroom party. Can’t forget the conversation hearts, am I right? Even though they are STILL super “chalky” tasting, it’s just not a true Valentine’s Day without them. The word LOVE is everywhere I look and I can’t help but wonder what kids think when they hear the word “love”. We often say phrases like, “I LOVE this song!” or “I love this meal!” or “I love you!” as they leave a room or come in to ask you for one more snack. But when it comes to the love of our God, do our children really know how to receive and recognize that in tangible ways? What does it look like to tell our kids about a God who loves them? God’s ultimate showing of love for us was when He sent His son, Jesus to die for our sins, be buried and rise again so we could be in relationship with Him! The Bible tells us in John, chapter 3 verse 16 that, “For God so love

Put those Pumpkin Lattes away and grab a Peppermint Mocha for my favorite time of the year! I love ALL things Christmas; from the towering tree on display in the center of town, to the Charlie Brown tree holding a solo ornament representing so much joy. I love to crank up the Christmas music and spend a few hours in the car driving by yards full of twinkling lights and reindeer inflatables. As the sugar cookies with red sprinkles begin to appear, I can’t help but hum… “It's the most wonderful time of the year With the kids jingle belling And everyone telling you be of good cheer It's the most wonderful time of the year It's the hap-happiest season of all With those holiday greetings and gay happy meetings When friends come to call It's the hap-happiest season of all.” So the song goes!! But depending on our focus, we can end up feeling like that twisted, half burning strand of lights that never made its way on th

Can you believe that Thanksgiving is almost a week away? It seems just like yesterday that we were buying school supplies and gearing up for the fall. As the holidays are quickly approaching, we begin making Christmas Lists and figuring out what we want our Thanksgiving dinner to look like (cue the 10 trips to the grocery store- where are the rolls?!) and what gift will scream "I know you SO well!" (Let's scan that Black Friday ad ONE more time). While those aren't bad things, it's important to remember to keep the focus of Thanksgiving at the center of your preparations. I'm reminded how important it is to foster a posture of being thankful as my children watch all of the toy commercials and have conversations at school (yes, EVEN preschool).  They are beginning to be centered around what they WANT and HAVE to have. As I've been told many times this week, "It's the coolest toy EVER!" While it may really well be the coolest toy eve

Boo or Not To Boo … that is the question! The leaves are changing; the air is crisp; and all things pumpkin spice have flooded the stores around us. Fall is FINALLY here and for some of us, that means the first of a string of holidays to celebrate. For others, it poses a bit of a dilemma: To Boo or Not To Boo. As a children’s ministry leader/Mom/Gigi/mentor to young moms, I know the struggle is real! There comes a time in every young parent’s life when decisions have to be made about the holidays: “which ones will we take part in?”, “which ones will we stay away from?” and “exactly how will we celebrate certain holidays as a family?” For many, Halloween is one of those days. I mean, let’s be honest … navigating Target, Walmart, and the local pharmacies can be tricky for a family. They have aisle upon aisle dedicated to the festivities. There are family-friendly things about Halloween like fun costumes, candy, and carving pumpkins as well as things that don’t feel fam

If you’ve watched the HGTV channel at all you’ll see couples looking for houses either stateside or overseas. I don’t know about you, but when they state their budget and their occupation, something just doesn’t add up. Like this: Stop. Is this for real? Anyone else curious as to how in the world they make that happen? What memo did I miss? Now don’t get me wrong, the Lord has allowed my family and I to live in a nice house, in a nice neighborhood, but nothing even remotely close to $900,000. It made me stop and think: What’s my treasure in? What do I desire? The Bible tells us in Matthew, chapter 6 verse 21, that where our treasure is directly links to where our heart is. Gut check. Am I putting stock in shiplap, distressed furniture, quartz or granite countertops (because ALL the shows say they are the most durable and easy to clean), the 6 beds with 4.5 baths and a bonus room? OR am I completely sold out to raise these little hum

Ahhh the joys of summer! Late nights of family fun, rhythms change, routines are more laid back, and all the great memories are made - your social media can prove it! Bedtime? Who needs it! Extra cookies? Of course! And then as quickly as summer started - it’s over! All of the sudden beach balls, beach towels, swimsuits and grills are replaced with #2 pencils, glue sticks, notebooks and the tall tower of school supply lists from every school in the district! Don’t panic! We’ve gathered a few tips and tricks to help you take a deep breath and swing into a successful start to school: The week before school - move bedtime back 15-30 minutes so bodies can get back into a rhythm of getting a good night’s rest INSTEAD of being up with the owls. The same can be said for waking up early. So you don’t have to LITERALLY pull your kid out of bed, slowly begin to get up 15 minutes earlier, then 20 minutes, etc. to the desired time. That way w