tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7011597422624130052012-02-16T17:14:54.990-08:00The musings of a Children's Director who loves to write.Jill Nelsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16211467308582831438noreply@blogger.comBlogger1261100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-701159742262413005.post-69333334811173418792011-11-02T21:52:00.001-07:002011-11-02T21:55:06.061-07:00

For the few of you who actually take a look at this blog or still subscribe to something that hasn't been posted on in over a year: I haven't been blogging about Children's Ministries because I have found my part time hours so limited that I can only focus on getting my weekly tasks done. It doesn't mean the work hasn't been happening though. And for as much as I have LOVED my job, I have found

Jill Nelsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16211467308582831438noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-701159742262413005.post-40403271288378920042010-07-30T15:11:00.001-07:002010-07-30T15:33:43.606-07:00

I've been meaning for a long time to write about how much I LOVE Phil Vischer's "What's in the Bible." I got a sample copy of the first video a few months ago and my husband and I enjoyed one afternoon of my maternity leave watching it. He and I both laughed through the whole thing and were so impressed by how educational and entertaining it was at the same time. In fact, I was so impressed by it

Jill Nelsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16211467308582831438noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-701159742262413005.post-53296706396857613012010-06-10T21:28:00.000-07:002010-06-10T21:52:50.040-07:00

I think Wednesday will be one of my favorite days of VBS. We'll be looking at what it means to live as a believer among other believers. I remember first falling in love with the Acts two church back in high school when I read the book, Rediscovering Church. I loved their example of learning and worshiping together, as well as the love that they showed in meeting the needs of their fellow

Jill Nelsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16211467308582831438noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-701159742262413005.post-74089192003514011082010-06-09T21:18:00.000-07:002010-06-09T21:32:57.513-07:00

[Check out this post for an explanation of why we write our VBS curriculum.]On Tuesday of VBS we'll be looking at how the Bible teaches us what it means to be a believer. Our key word is learning. Learning to live a life that honors God is not something that just happens over night or naturally. It takes work and practice, but thankfully, the Holy Spirit will help us. We hope that the kids will

Jill Nelsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16211467308582831438noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-701159742262413005.post-76883378699185640292010-06-08T21:23:00.001-07:002010-06-09T21:33:19.712-07:00

Our Elementary Pastor, Jared, describes what we're learning this week at VBS best in his letter to the volunteers in our leader's guide.“We are going to explore “Your Story” as we see what it means to be a believer, learn how to follow God, live a life devoted to God, reach out to others with the Good News of Jesus, and celebrate our lives lived for Him. We want everyone to see that God's story

Jill Nelsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16211467308582831438noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-701159742262413005.post-20181348147691317762010-06-07T19:37:00.000-07:002010-06-07T19:44:23.490-07:00

VBS starts two weeks from today! I am so excited about this year's them, "Your Story: The Adventure of a Lifetime." We came up with it when we realized Toy Story 3 hits theaters the Friday before VBS starts. We figured that common Toy Story themes are identity and teamwork, so we will be teaching the kids about what it means to be a believer. We'll be learning about being a believer, learning as

Jill Nelsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16211467308582831438noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-701159742262413005.post-8546147447447155932010-06-07T13:04:00.001-07:002010-06-07T13:45:27.305-07:00

This week is the anniversary of the CPR method, so The Red Cross is doing all sorts of training events to help people become more aware and to be equipped to even just do chest compressions should an emergency happen. Hearing about this made me thankful for the training we are able to provide our volunteers. A man in our church is a certified trainer in CPR, AED, and First Aid. He provides

Jill Nelsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16211467308582831438noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-701159742262413005.post-63782982397579667822010-05-17T15:25:00.000-07:002010-05-17T16:34:58.512-07:00

I'm excited to tell you about an exciting, new, FREE, Children's Ministries resource that is now available, and e-book called, "What Matters Now in Children's Ministry." I was asked a while back to write about one word that I think is what matters now in ministry to children. Oh, and I had to say it in 200 words or less. I think it only took about 5 different drafts, passing my laptop back and

Jill Nelsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16211467308582831438noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-701159742262413005.post-90024393430167499682010-03-14T18:14:00.000-07:002010-03-14T18:32:40.205-07:00

I met Bill and Corriene Thompson in 2005 when they registered their granddaughter, Leah, in the kindergarten/first grade class that I oversaw at the time. They had just moved to Salem from California in an effort to breathe some cleaner air. I didn't know much about Bill and Corriene's background, but they soon became involved in Children's Ministries. Bill responded to our request for help in

Jill Nelsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16211467308582831438noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-701159742262413005.post-87185762587981254782010-03-14T00:13:00.000-08:002010-03-14T00:18:35.907-08:00

Tonight I asked Jared (our Elementary Pastor) if he needs me to do anything on Easter in Adventure Mountain (K-3rd class). He said "no, we have it all covered."Why is this so great? Maybe because my first weekend back after 2 months off happens to be Easter weekend. I haven't done much more than slow walking since January, and leading active motions for worship would be quite the wake up call. Or

Jill Nelsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16211467308582831438noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-701159742262413005.post-88708564518482719302010-03-08T21:52:00.000-08:002010-03-08T22:14:27.929-08:00

January 1, 2010 marked the day that I was no longer a full time employee of Morning Star Community church. I had been looking forward to that day long before I started the job. The hope of that day went as far back as my dream of becoming a mom. It was a beautiful day! I went from working four full days in the office to working three, three hour mornings.The first week brought slightly longer

Jill Nelsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16211467308582831438noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-701159742262413005.post-63257338839470159542010-03-08T20:09:00.000-08:002010-03-08T21:52:02.541-08:00

Wow! This post comes three months after the last! And as much as I'd like to blame it on the baby, two of those months were before he was born. Our transition has happened, and I'm slightly past the halfway point of my maternity leave, so it's about time I conclude this series.My white board is a staple in my office. I don't think many of the dreams I've had over the past four years could have

Jill Nelsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16211467308582831438noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-701159742262413005.post-77953785455131822152010-02-10T21:47:00.000-08:002010-02-10T21:50:41.183-08:00

Want the full story? Check out our family blog at lifewiththenelsons.blogspot.com!

Jill Nelsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16211467308582831438noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-701159742262413005.post-89519585503432204612009-12-09T11:12:00.000-08:002009-12-09T11:44:30.042-08:00

There have been two types of steps I've taken in order to prepare for going part time, as well as for being gone for two months: handing projects off to others and getting projects done myself. This post will be about some of the projects and duties I've handed off to others.Over the past several months, I've been giving many of my daily and weekly tasks to other members of our team. One way that

Jill Nelsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16211467308582831438noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-701159742262413005.post-1932946127275422382009-12-04T13:04:00.000-08:002009-12-04T13:31:24.726-08:00

I mentioned in my last post that I created a staffing proposal for my Executive Pastor prior to getting his approval for my going part time. This proposal has been slightly modified over the past 7 months, but the core of it has stayed the same. To understand where we're going, though, you need to understand where we've been.Our staffing structure has been:Position: Children's Ministries Director

Jill Nelsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16211467308582831438noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-701159742262413005.post-88145990581175864202009-10-29T10:57:00.000-07:002009-10-29T11:29:18.081-07:00

When I took over Children's Ministries at Morning Star three and a half years ago, my goal had been to develop my team to the point of me stepping back to part time to start a family in three years. I think the reality of reaching that goal still hasn't struck me. There were several times over these past few years that I didn't think we'd make it. The thought that I'd never be able to have kids

Jill Nelsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16211467308582831438noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-701159742262413005.post-88439025503206546522009-10-06T16:00:00.000-07:002009-10-06T16:01:24.023-07:00

Our ultrasound went well yesterday--Jace was very cooperative and didn't cover his face at all! The tech was able to point out to us that Jace's lip was complete and showed us how there would be a black line if Jace had cleft lip. And then we just got the call from our doctor that after looking at three different angles, it looks like Jace's palate is complete as well! So, unless there's a

Jill Nelsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16211467308582831438noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-701159742262413005.post-52950402933505624872009-10-01T11:12:00.000-07:002009-10-01T11:19:52.938-07:00

As I've posted before, I'm pregnant and due February 1. Nolan and I are so excited to welcome our little boy into this world in just 4 months! We went in on September 9 for the ultrasound to find out his gender and make sure he's growing properly. Our doctor called the day after the ultrasound saying that when she took a look at it, they saw that he might have a small cleft lip/cleft palate, if

Jill Nelsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16211467308582831438noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-701159742262413005.post-40238950879974595872009-09-22T16:20:00.000-07:002009-09-22T16:22:23.205-07:00

I haven't posted anything on our blog about Bridge 45 and what we're learning in 4th & 5th grade ministry for a long time... but it's still running and doing well, and we're still learning. Hop on over to that blog so read about an encouraging conversation I had today!

Jill Nelsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16211467308582831438noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-701159742262413005.post-39498159428901298182009-09-08T22:30:00.000-07:002009-09-08T22:34:52.571-07:00

I don't think I've mentioned it here yet, but Nolan and I are expecting our first child on February 1! We find out tomorrow morning (Wednesday) whether we're having a boy or a girl *hopefully*. Ever since we found out that we'd be having a little one, I've been pouring over baby names, making my lists, and then having Nolan go through and pick his top 5. The biggest problem I've run into, though,

Jill Nelsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16211467308582831438noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-701159742262413005.post-28836085239322091992009-09-05T20:33:00.000-07:002009-09-05T20:52:01.031-07:00

I haven't blogged in a long time. I even had promised in a previous post (it's been too long to say "recent") that I'd be blogging a whole lot more. But it seemed like every time I considered going to blogger.com to type up a new post, I couldn't get myself to write. It seemed odd, after all, writing is what I love to do. It's what I've always wanted to do. I have spiral notebooks full of stories

Jill Nelsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16211467308582831438noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-701159742262413005.post-16393146018498581772009-07-17T11:07:00.001-07:002009-07-17T11:08:26.216-07:00

I'll be posting pictures soon from VBS, and our video was just finished yesterday!Enjoy!VBS 2009 Recap from Morning Star Church on Vimeo.

Jill Nelsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16211467308582831438noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-701159742262413005.post-56795789652504506832009-06-23T21:20:00.000-07:002009-06-23T21:26:21.774-07:00

We had another great day at VBS! Some of the highlights were:-About half of our volunteers showed up 15-20 minutes early (mostly so they could get in the food line early). Many of them were quick to help set up the breakfast.-We have more breakfast foods than we're able to put out each day!-The day started and finished smoothly, oh, and was smooth in the middle too!-I was standing in the lobby

Jill Nelsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16211467308582831438noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-701159742262413005.post-67609454000033145502009-06-22T21:48:00.000-07:002009-06-22T21:59:10.806-07:00

Day one of VBS was great! We had a few glitches to work out at the beginning with getting the all the volunteers in their places, but once that was in place, it was smooth sailing! Here are some of the highlights:-We had about 125 volunteers for our 231 kids. What an incredible ratio!-Those volunteers showed up on time if not early! (Which I credit to the fact that we provide breakfast for our

Jill Nelsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16211467308582831438noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-701159742262413005.post-26749381719003366102009-06-20T09:31:00.001-07:002009-06-22T21:54:00.466-07:00

Wow! VBS stars Monday! I feel like I've been either so busy getting it ready, or knowing I need to work on it and feeling guilty about doing other things instead (blogging). I am really excited for VBS this year!This is our fourth year of writing our own program. When I took over our Children's Ministries program, I wasn't too impressed by what our church had been buying. It wasn't that the

Jill Nelsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16211467308582831438noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-701159742262413005.post-63924406305813513972009-05-17T20:29:00.000-07:002009-05-17T21:03:22.729-07:00

In January I blogged about our new name for our Children's Ministries program. We've seen the great benefits giving ourselves a new name among our kids--the elementary students loving going through our weekly routine of saying, "Welcome to.... (insert arm motions of throwing them in the air like you're on a roller coaster and calling out with great excitement) Advennnnnture... (insert arm motions

Jill Nelsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16211467308582831438noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-701159742262413005.post-10209698856911245382009-05-13T16:43:00.000-07:002009-05-13T16:52:37.826-07:00

This year's Vacation Bible School is June 22-26 and we are so excited for it! Our kids will be learning that God can do BIG things with someone little, just like them! We'll be learning about how God used kids in the Bible for great purposes--Samuel, David, Josiah, Jesus, and the boy with the loaves and fishes.Pick up a registration form at the church offices during the week, the VBS table on the

Jill Nelsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16211467308582831438noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-701159742262413005.post-77278502383232340462009-05-13T16:41:00.000-07:002009-05-13T16:43:02.620-07:00

I have a long list forming in my Blackberry of blog posts I want to write. However, I don't seem to be very good at making the time to actually write them! So more posts coming soon...

Jill Nelsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16211467308582831438noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-701159742262413005.post-71025286601020904432009-04-23T12:08:00.001-07:002009-04-23T12:12:52.769-07:00

Two months from yesterday VBS will have started! I'm so excited for what we'll be teaching, the kids we'll be reaching, and the volunteer's who'll be serving (too bad I didn't have another -ching word to use, that would have been cool!). Our theme this year is "Oh the Places You'll Go!" Our tagline is "God can do big things through someone little, like you." We'll be looking at five kids in the

Jill Nelsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16211467308582831438noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-701159742262413005.post-10925669571318101512009-04-17T22:00:00.001-07:002009-04-17T22:00:57.849-07:00

Typically, our first two adult Easter services run like clockwork, ending exactly on time. And typically our third service always goes longer (no need to empty the parking lot for another service, so why rush, right???). This year was no exception. Because of that we ended the K-3rd class in small groups even though the previous two hadn't. I simply instructed the kids and their small group

Jill Nelsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16211467308582831438noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-701159742262413005.post-29509054005455379312009-04-16T16:54:00.001-07:002009-04-16T16:54:54.867-07:00

Midway through our 9:30 service I had the opportunity to show a visiting mom to our nursery. I was greeted by a room full of frills! We had 10 baby girls and no boys in the room. Each of the little ladies was wearing a fluffy skirt, filling the room with pastels. So cute!

Jill Nelsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16211467308582831438noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-701159742262413005.post-29606477286733290882009-04-15T09:38:00.001-07:002009-04-15T09:38:37.900-07:00

One of our visiting families had cautioned us that their preschool boy and girl wouldn't do well without their older brother. I encouraged them to give it a try first, because all the kids would be better off in their age appropriate classes. I later peeked in as one group of our preschool kids were going through their craft/activity stations. The little boy who had been reluctant was standing

Jill Nelsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16211467308582831438noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-701159742262413005.post-83154990494501984462009-04-14T21:02:00.000-07:002009-04-14T21:23:54.060-07:00

I love food. So when our team traveled to Chicago for the Conspire Conference, I had all our meals planned out. I knew which restaurants we'd eat at, and had addresses saved so I could easily program them into our GPS. We had eaten at these restaurants last year, and I couldn't wait to eat at them again. Our first must-visit restaurant was Gino's East Pizza. We drove straight from the airport to

Jill Nelsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16211467308582831438noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-701159742262413005.post-20072863493107767172009-04-13T19:35:00.000-07:002009-04-14T14:01:02.952-07:00

Another element of our Easter weekend that I loved was being able to lead worship for our K-3rd class during all three Sunday services. The 8 am service only had 14 kids in the class, but they all did a great job of making up for their numbers with enthusiasm. The 9:30 group of 55 kids was so passionate! I love the energy that was in the room, and I'm sure that if the adults in the auditorium had

Jill Nelsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16211467308582831438noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-701159742262413005.post-90228074200716109392009-04-13T19:29:00.000-07:002009-04-13T19:35:19.720-07:00

One of my favorite elements of this Easter weekend was the additional help we had for our new family registration. Not only did I have a great team of ladies who were quick to make name tags for all of our visiting kids, but I also had wonderful escorts to show families to their classes. Each visiting family was personally shown where their children's rooms were, and several of these escorts

Jill Nelsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16211467308582831438noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-701159742262413005.post-17743302543423762962009-03-31T15:23:00.000-07:002009-03-31T15:39:57.076-07:00

We had another Family Movie Night on Friday and it was a big hit! It was our second highest attended out of the four we have now had, which was pretty surprising considering it was Spring Break week. Our snack bar has served items such as candy bars, popcorn and Capri Suns, but we've been looking for an additional unique item to sell. While at Conspire, Lucy and I noticed that their coffee shop

Jill Nelsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16211467308582831438noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-701159742262413005.post-43138396098186275832009-03-19T22:19:00.000-07:002009-03-19T22:40:52.063-07:00

Cultural Trends that Affect Children's Ministry, Larry ShallenbergerWhy pay attention to culture? It's what you do when you love someone. You get into the culture of someone you love.Trend 1--Outsiders view Christianity as the disease and not the cure-It's socially acceptable and profitable to attack God. Organized religion is thought to create the problem.Themes from Unchristian-Too

Jill Nelsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16211467308582831438noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-701159742262413005.post-34326772106338950942009-03-19T21:32:00.000-07:002009-03-19T22:19:17.719-07:00

Discover Each Child's Strengths, by Jennifer FoxChildren need us to teach them to love themselves so they can know how to love others.Our world needs strengths to be discovered and loved.It's a matter of perspective.We're so drawn to weaknesses in kids that we often overlook the strengths.There's something we are born with and will go back to again and again.Talents are what you're good at.

Jill Nelsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16211467308582831438noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-701159742262413005.post-34632827155852135442009-03-19T21:26:00.001-07:002009-03-19T21:31:34.565-07:00

Spirital Formation of Children--Dr. Ivy Beckworth & Dr. Donald RadcliffHow do you define it?-By encouraging children to be Christlike--connecting child and God, see that they're growing and learning, we are not the ones doing the forming, God is. We can facilitate.-Helping children to love God and live in the ways of Jesus.How do we know we're spiritually forming kids?-Watch and listen to them--

Jill Nelsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16211467308582831438noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-701159742262413005.post-70082236048368136052009-03-19T21:05:00.001-07:002009-03-19T21:26:02.734-07:00

I meant to write and post this last night, but Lucy and I were having too much fun talking!Here are the points that stood out to me from Session 1, "Discipled by Culture," by Phil Vischer (creator of Veggie Tales).-More people in America have a TV than a fridge or indoor plumbing.-"Electronic media in our lives is not optional--it's a necessity."-2 out of 3 8-18 year olds have a TV in their

Jill Nelsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16211467308582831438noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-701159742262413005.post-54670775298176489202009-03-09T15:39:00.000-07:002009-03-09T15:55:13.458-07:00

A few weeks ago I blogged about how I was inspired to try a new format in Adventure Mountain second service. We've had quite a few kids start attending two services because of the addition of adult education classes on Sunday mornings. So this week we gave the new format a try, and it worked great!We've been using Promiseland's "Making it Connect" curriculum. We're still using it during both

Jill Nelsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16211467308582831438noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-701159742262413005.post-14093396331826773372009-03-06T14:39:00.001-08:002009-03-06T14:42:47.651-08:00

Back when we launched our new name, Adventureland, and the new logo, we also had new signs made. I've been meaning to take pictures for a while and finally did!

Jill Nelsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16211467308582831438noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-701159742262413005.post-17318838820786675232009-03-06T14:29:00.000-08:002009-03-06T14:38:07.778-08:00

Our Student Ministries are in the middle of running a HUGE church wide garage sale. They use this event to raise money for their Spring Break Missions. Last year (from what I heard) the garage sale brought in $10,000. And that was with 2 semi-truck trailers full of stuff. This year, they filled 3 trailers. We were almost expecting less stuff because of how the economy is doing, but have been

Jill Nelsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16211467308582831438noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-701159742262413005.post-49907394975193601832009-03-05T13:14:00.001-08:002009-03-05T13:48:15.029-08:00

I'll be on my way to Chicago! Jared, Lucy, Caleb (our Bridge 45 Intern) and I will be on our way to attend Conpsire. Last year I blogged here , here and here about what a journey it was to get to Conspire. This year's journey is an addition to last year's and so much more.When I was a sophomore in high school (11 years ago) my mom went to her first Promiseland Conference. She was new to her

Jill Nelsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16211467308582831438noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-701159742262413005.post-29243339542017929852009-03-01T20:40:00.000-08:002009-03-01T21:01:33.960-08:00

Friday night was our third Family Movie Night and I'd say it was our best so far! We had almost double the attendance of last time (110 compared to the 60-some from before) and everyone had a lot of fun! We sold over 50 bags of popcorn at the snack bar, and all sorts of candy.We started the Family Movie Night as a replacement event to the Family Experience we did over the past year and a half. As

Jill Nelsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16211467308582831438noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-701159742262413005.post-51491070548551992182009-02-15T21:09:00.000-08:002009-02-15T21:35:42.277-08:00

...would have to be my husband. I couldn't do my weekends, let alone the rest of my week, without him. Not only does support me throughout the week by listening to all my stories, giving me feedback on my ideas, working hard at his full time job and washing most of the dishes, but he also sacrifices his days off to help at church. He runs the slides in Bridge 45 during the first service (and

Jill Nelsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16211467308582831438noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-701159742262413005.post-50390661843973706672009-02-15T19:20:00.000-08:002009-02-15T19:28:26.452-08:00

This morning my Executive Pastor, Ken, called me over to meet a lady. I recognized her as a mom in our ministry, but wasn't sure we'd actually met. We shook hands, etc. and then Ken explained why he called me over. The mom had just been telling him that their family had attended our church off and on for the past few years. But they just became consistent in the past couple of months because her

Jill Nelsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16211467308582831438noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-701159742262413005.post-52736760919323575842009-02-14T21:02:00.001-08:002009-02-14T21:02:52.032-08:00

I am officially a Twitterer. I've heard it mentioned frequently on blogs, Kidology, and Facebook. I'd even been told at times that I should Twitter too. But I never really felt like I'd have that much to say... "Sitting at my desk," "watching TV," and "walking the dog," didn't seem like anything that would interest anyone else. Then I heard of a new Children's Ministries hash tag so people could

Jill Nelsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16211467308582831438noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-701159742262413005.post-22823005888932233232009-02-10T15:39:00.000-08:002009-02-10T16:11:25.329-08:00

I'm a sucker for the kiosks by the check-out stands at the grocery store. I will have crossed off every item on my carefully prepared list, but suddenly, I just have to have that lint roller. Or that chapstick. Or that flavor of gum sure looks good... My husband says that those stands were designed just for me. Store clerks see me coming and stock up with plenty of not-quite-worthless items that

Jill Nelsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16211467308582831438noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-701159742262413005.post-28253616821534739992009-02-05T12:08:00.000-08:002009-02-05T12:36:41.983-08:00

I'm excited to be presenting in two workshops at the Conspire Conference this year. One is on new practices for small groups. I'll be sharing about how we're approaching small groups differently in Bridge 45. I've loved the conference calls with Mindy Stoms and Chris Boss and hearing about what they're doing. I've even been able to put some of their practices to good use!With the start of Adult

Jill Nelsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16211467308582831438noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-701159742262413005.post-90923962490516741322009-01-30T23:29:00.000-08:002009-01-30T23:41:25.077-08:00

This past year has been one of intense growth for Morning Star. I think I've seen more new things happen in the past 12 months than I've seen in the past 5 years of working there. I've been meaning to write this post for the past month, and am finally doing it, but here's a look back of all that's happened since January 2008.Saturday Service We started our Saturday service and it's still going

Jill Nelsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16211467308582831438noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-701159742262413005.post-61475297189292971982009-01-30T23:20:00.000-08:002009-01-30T23:28:37.304-08:00

This past Sunday we launched Adult Education classes on Sunday mornings. For the first time in 26 years, Morning Star has classes for adults during our services. This wouldn't have been possible if it weren't for the new modulars. With the expectation of more families attending both Sunday services, the thought of opening a cafe arose. People would be hungry, kids would appreciate a snack between

Jill Nelsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16211467308582831438noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-701159742262413005.post-74830309080978705662009-01-30T23:03:00.000-08:002009-01-30T23:19:46.149-08:00

I'm sitting in my recliner, groaning and complaining about every five minutes that my feet, ankles or hips hurt. It's because I spent over 5 hours on my feet tonight (in shoes that aren't that great I've discovered). But deep down, I'm happy. I had a great evening! Tonight we had our second Family Movie Night. Our first was in October, and we're now hoping to have one the last Friday of every

Jill Nelsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16211467308582831438noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-701159742262413005.post-20947572941996423372009-01-08T15:54:00.000-08:002009-01-08T16:10:57.529-08:00

For years, Morning Star's children's ministries has been called just that--Children's Ministries. While the individual age group departments had titles (Wee Zone, Wonder Zone... etc), but no all encompassing title for the ministry. The elementary kids were aware of their department name, but other than that, our kids just called their Sunday morning experience "church." We've wanted to find a

Jill Nelsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16211467308582831438noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-701159742262413005.post-88033610705190734672008-12-30T19:22:00.001-08:002008-12-30T20:01:13.969-08:00

Five and six year olds are so unique--they're going through huge life transitions--going from being little children who play all day to learning structure in school. They are achieving great things such as reading, new social skills and physical coordination. Yet they're still so young and excitable. Our leaders' biggest difficulties is learning how to keep their kids focused. And because our

Jill Nelsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16211467308582831438noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-701159742262413005.post-52275978857370579982008-12-13T10:23:00.000-08:002008-12-30T20:01:48.593-08:00

Hop on over to my Bridge 45 blog to see the latest teaching from Lord Maestro Alfonzo Caballero III... this time it's the New Testament in four acts.

Jill Nelsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16211467308582831438noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-701159742262413005.post-57890932801902381662008-12-09T19:47:00.000-08:002008-12-09T22:55:30.307-08:00

My mom was a children's ministry director, and I started working with kids as soon as I hit sixth grade. I loved leading worship songs and running the welcome time with my friend in our church's fours and fives class. Looking back, I'm amazed by what the teacher gave us 11 year olds the freedom to do. I always knew I wanted to lead children's ministry someday-when I was old, had kids and knew

Jill Nelsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16211467308582831438noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-701159742262413005.post-77241167138313607062008-11-11T17:59:00.000-08:002008-11-11T18:00:33.803-08:00

(Read the prior Blog post first!)Here's the whole thing... it's 30 minutes but well worth the watch!The Old Testament in Song from Morning Star Church on Vimeo.

Jill Nelsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16211467308582831438noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-701159742262413005.post-52131035087247562472008-11-11T16:15:00.000-08:002008-11-11T16:17:58.688-08:00

I'm posting this here (even though it's Bridge 45 related) for those of you who only follow this blog. This Sunday, we asked Rocky (Worship pastor for children up through college, as well as co-leader of our college group) to teach the entire Old Testament to our fourth and fifth graders. We gave him an outline (Jared had already done all the research) and suggested he try and do it as a song...

Jill Nelsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16211467308582831438noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-701159742262413005.post-60322388206279727802008-10-23T16:42:00.001-07:002008-10-23T16:45:53.183-07:00

My last post was about having to close our elementary class last Saturday. This week we had it open again, and our volunteer count quadrupled! We actually had to turn away a helper because otherwise we'd have too many volunteers and not enough kids! God blew me away with His provision. I'll have to remember this time of blessing as an encouragement next time we feel like there's no hope.Another

Jill Nelsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16211467308582831438noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-701159742262413005.post-63488475411353478442008-10-17T14:47:00.000-07:002008-10-17T21:14:49.524-07:00

This past Saturday we had to close our elementary class because of a lack of leaders. We've been leading up to it for a while, and finally I knew we couldn't sacrifice safety and quality any longer. We've asked for help many times, in a variety of ways. But for some reason, serving kindergarten-fifth graders must be very daunting. We posted a sign saying what was going on, and eagerly handed out

Jill Nelsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16211467308582831438noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-701159742262413005.post-38693238096593681162008-10-01T12:28:00.000-07:002008-10-01T12:29:41.443-07:00

Nolan, my husband, has been feeling the push to reach out to the students at Willamette University. Here's a note he posted on Facebook that I felt could apply to what we so often feel in ministry:So last night I was struggling with a few things. I decided this morning that I would share a little of what God is showing me right now through one of those things. I won’t go into great detail because

Jill Nelsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16211467308582831438noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-701159742262413005.post-56532714274803935042008-09-29T20:58:00.000-07:002008-09-29T22:43:25.575-07:00

My husband said something today that I totally agree with. "It seems that leaders of ministries love to restructure leadership but tend not to restructure those they are ministering to."How often is this true? We see that something isn't working, or at least we aren't seeing the level of success that we'd hope for, so we change the way we do things from the top down. But really, we need to look

Jill Nelsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16211467308582831438noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-701159742262413005.post-6341675326288009562008-09-24T14:13:00.000-07:002008-09-24T14:48:06.097-07:00

I was invited to teach a class called "Teaching the Bible," at Corban College this week. I graduated from Corban in 2004 (back when it was still Western Baptist College), and Teaching the Bible was one of my favorite classes! It was an incredible experience to go back to the school that made such an impact on my life and teach on what I'm so passionate about. My assignment was to teach the class

Jill Nelsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16211467308582831438noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-701159742262413005.post-65143154709294520892008-09-18T20:40:00.000-07:002008-09-18T20:54:35.676-07:00

I've been meaning to blog for a few weeks now. But every time I start to type in the blogger website, I just feel tired. We've been busy lately... but then I suppose who in Children's Ministries hasn't? Fall is up and running and I'm really happy with what all's going on in our program. Some highlights from the past month:-At the end of August we had a training meeting for our Bridge 45

Jill Nelsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16211467308582831438noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-701159742262413005.post-3775997563545160702008-08-29T14:25:00.000-07:002008-08-29T14:32:58.765-07:00

Here's what we're giving (in newsletter form) to the parents this weekend:New StaffAs many of you know, Amy Chirgwin served our church for two years as our Early Childhood Director and did a wonderful job. This fall she’s getting married and being whisked away to Paris! Taking her place is Tasha Martinez. Tasha has years of experience in leading children’s ministries and is excited to be on our

Jill Nelsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16211467308582831438noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-701159742262413005.post-18962565590920505482008-08-22T22:38:00.000-07:002008-08-22T22:39:02.181-07:00

The church will be seeing this, as well as a request to help furnish it, this weekend.

Jill Nelsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16211467308582831438noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-701159742262413005.post-60136556606339147022008-08-22T15:32:00.000-07:002008-08-22T15:34:52.865-07:00

This weekend we're promoting the launch of a new modular unit for our ministry, Bridge 45. We went out to the construction site this week and video taped what it looks like currently, as well as visited a completed unit. We want to give the church a picture of what it will be, so that way they can take some ownership. We're asking for $14,000 to fully furnish the unit with everything from folding

Jill Nelsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16211467308582831438noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-701159742262413005.post-16808085665549569422008-08-13T20:13:00.001-07:002008-08-13T20:43:03.030-07:00

Back at the Conspire Conference, Christin Yount Jones (editor of Children's Ministries Magazine, her blog is here) asked where we're at in a storm... seeing it on the horizon, in the middle of it, just coming out and still feeling shaky, or in peaceful waters. At that time, I felt good. I still feel good, but it's probably safe to say I'm in the middle of a hurricane.Amy, my Early Childhood

Jill Nelsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16211467308582831438noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-701159742262413005.post-80644608542266001022008-07-24T10:11:00.000-07:002008-07-24T13:24:01.073-07:00

My cat, Wylie, is obsessed with heights. As a kitten he'd try and jump as high as he could and grab door frames, holding on for dear life. Then he accomplished the mantle over our fireplace, from the floor to the bar in our kitchen, and my 4' tall dresser. His most recent feats were from the floor to the top of the refrigerator, then from my dresser to the top of an open door (which he stood on

Jill Nelsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16211467308582831438noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-701159742262413005.post-12616960042029435882008-07-22T14:33:00.000-07:002008-07-22T15:35:01.454-07:00

I recently read a collection of rants from various children's ministry leaders here. As I read the passionate testimonies of frustration I was reminded how blessed I am to be here at Morning Star. I've also been following a thread on the Kidology Network where people share situations in which they were "hung out to dry" by the leadership of their church. Either I'm very forgetful (which I don't

Jill Nelsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16211467308582831438noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-701159742262413005.post-69388286390494659442008-06-25T20:39:00.000-07:002008-06-25T20:54:13.672-07:00

I can't believe we've already passed the half way point for VBS. This week has been such an incredible blessing! I just have to share some of my highlights from the week so far:-Decorating on Friday went so well that I didn't have to come back on Saturday to finish.-Set up on Sunday was done in record time--my husband had help from 7 other guys (as opposed to the one helper he's had the past two

Jill Nelsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16211467308582831438noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-701159742262413005.post-35035835402238037842008-06-17T22:16:00.000-07:002008-06-17T22:29:16.760-07:00

VBS is now 5 days away and I'm ready. Weird. But this sense of calmness I feel would only be a dream and a wish if it weren't for the number of volunteers we have signed up. Over the past few weeks I have been repeatedly blessed by the people in my church. All of our adult roles are filled and people are still signing up! If it weren't for the Corriene Thompsons and Wendy Rogers of our church,

Jill Nelsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16211467308582831438noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-701159742262413005.post-41078762764022321982008-06-06T11:11:00.000-07:002008-06-09T13:58:06.003-07:00

Vacation Bible School is 17 days away an we only need 2 more adult volunteers! (Granted, we still need 28 high school and middle school kids, but they always come through for us!) I don't think we've ever been so set so far in advance! That's something to celebrate. I'm getting excited...

Jill Nelsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16211467308582831438noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-701159742262413005.post-8517147785492042582008-06-02T21:48:00.000-07:002008-06-02T22:01:44.312-07:00

I've become a huge fan of the show, "Jon and Kate Plus Eight" on TLC. It's about a family in Pennsylvania with a set of twins and a set of sextuplets. I love watching the family interactions, the antics of the kids, and the relationship between Jon and Kate. And what I love beyond all that is that they're Christians. In last week's episode, they showed the family taking the kids to church (it had

Jill Nelsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16211467308582831438noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-701159742262413005.post-35585382838591122322008-05-28T10:56:00.000-07:002008-05-28T11:00:56.032-07:00

We're working on developing a new ministry for our fourth and fifth graders. If you'd like to follow our process of creating a new program, curriculum, etc, check out our new blog here!

Jill Nelsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16211467308582831438noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-701159742262413005.post-69144626242108891732008-05-18T18:08:00.001-07:002008-05-18T18:36:47.863-07:00

Our church staff has gone through some changes over the past 6 months. While I know many churches are used to seeing leaders come and go, ours saw little change for quite a while. The latest "goodbye" was particularly painful for me as my husband had really connected with this pastor. After an emotional evening on Tuesday, I went into a staff get away/work day/vision casting/whatever else we may

Jill Nelsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16211467308582831438noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-701159742262413005.post-27622061913960480822008-05-08T21:45:00.000-07:002008-05-08T22:14:18.841-07:00

Last night I was cutting the hair of my friend Robyn's 4-year-old daughter. "Miss Jill, do you have children?" Leeann asked. "No, I don't. And probably not for a few more years," was my response. "But if you just pray to God, like Sarah and Hannah did, God will give you a baby."I love the innocent thoughts of a child! I love Leeann's reminder of these women who sought God and were blessed with

Jill Nelsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16211467308582831438noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-701159742262413005.post-22004578977420254052008-04-24T21:10:00.001-07:002008-04-24T21:22:05.586-07:00

Amy and I are blessed to be staying in Linda's home while we're at the Conspire Conference. Being here is a gift. Not only is staying here part of what made it possible for us to attend this year, but it's also shown me so much about what to look at when I walk through the doors of Willow Creek, or any church for that matter. Linda moved here (to Illinois) eleven years ago when her granddaughter

Jill Nelsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16211467308582831438noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-701159742262413005.post-60003568927770207652008-04-24T20:58:00.000-07:002008-04-24T21:08:10.266-07:00

I'm not really sure where to start except to say that there's a smile on my face! The Conspire Conference has been more than I even imagined it could be! Amy Dolan was welcoming everyone during one of the main sessions on Wednesday, and made the comment that God had a plan for each of us to be here. There is no way I can deny that fact. I have pages and pages of notes from the main sessions

Jill Nelsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16211467308582831438noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-701159742262413005.post-31060516164430198812008-03-30T15:45:00.000-07:002008-03-30T17:28:24.660-07:00

So I'm sitting here, typing one handed while holding a bobby pin with super glue on it, waiting for it to bond to a jack that's stuck in my head phone port. Yeah, it was one of those Sundays. Today was one of the few days of the year where we had several video clips to support the lesson. First the normal sound booth computer couldn't get on the internet. So I figured out how to hook my laptop up

Jill Nelsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16211467308582831438noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-701159742262413005.post-826522580633161682008-03-28T10:44:00.000-07:002008-03-28T11:12:32.689-07:00

I feel like I've been going through the motions of Children's Ministries but not really feeling the heart behind it. Going into Easter weekend, my prayer was that it wouldn't be my biggest work weekend of the year, but instead, that I'd get to actually enjoy and feel that it was Easter. I had the joy of teaching the elementary kids Saturday night. I loved the way our curriculum wrote out the

Jill Nelsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16211467308582831438noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-701159742262413005.post-31504162156783587722008-03-13T11:48:00.001-07:002008-03-13T12:02:32.025-07:00

Our team spent last Friday in and out of workshops at the North West Christian Education Conference. (As a side note... it really made me look forward to the Promiseland conference!) One of the work shops I went to was on becoming a volunteer champion. Craig Miles, the speaker, made a great point about recruiting--we should recruit not because of a need, but because it gives people an opportunity

Jill Nelsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16211467308582831438noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-701159742262413005.post-10438352698796343662008-03-01T22:49:00.000-08:002008-03-01T23:00:05.501-08:00

We were short handed in Grow Zone tonight, so we decided not to do small groups. Instead, after the large group lesson, Jared (our Grow Zone Director) lead the kids through the questions from the stage. I was out of the room when they started this time. My return was met by 40 kids on and around the stage, crowded close to Jared. Never have I seen this many kids, in such a setting, so attentive.

Jill Nelsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16211467308582831438noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-701159742262413005.post-71481832691073588222008-02-28T10:29:00.000-08:002008-02-28T11:20:26.751-08:00

I grew up in a Christian home. As a child I attended Sunday school weekly. Then in my teen years I was present on Sundays for church, Wednesdays for Bible study, and among the first on the bus for camps and retreats. I read my Bible, I heard my parents talk about the Bible, I heard sermons about the Bible. But it wasn't until I was in a Bible survey class in college that it all came together. No

Jill Nelsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16211467308582831438noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-701159742262413005.post-25557455121171343932008-02-20T12:01:00.000-08:002008-02-20T12:05:41.815-08:00

My husband just pointed out that in all my excitement, I forgot to mention a BIG thanks in my previous post. So THANK YOU to Amy Dolan and the Conspire committee for giving us this truly wonderful gift. This act has brought so much excitement and joy to not only me and Amy, my Early Childhood Director, but also to our entire staff. It is an affirmation that God is working and He has some great

Jill Nelsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16211467308582831438noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-701159742262413005.post-79152569362956311252008-02-19T22:11:00.000-08:002008-02-19T22:30:20.623-08:00

Two weeks ago I posted about how God had a different answer to my request to go to Promiseland. Since then, we've been happily planning our trip to Seattle and continued with ministry as usual. But then, I got a phone call. I was in my office chatting with Amy about... I don't know, something. And our receptionist buzzed me that Amy Dolan with Willow Creek Association was on the line for me. I

Jill Nelsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16211467308582831438noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-701159742262413005.post-29092467805095623502008-02-06T21:41:00.000-08:002008-02-19T22:11:24.806-08:00

The past two years I've gone to the Children's Ministries Promiseland conference at Willow Creek. The first year was with my mom, the second with Amy (my Early Childhood Director). Both years were refreshing, challenging, encouraging, enlightening and energizing. Unfortunately, both years were also expensive. This year my resources are a little more limited. Amy and I have been praying that

Jill Nelsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16211467308582831438noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-701159742262413005.post-443378057742334872008-01-24T22:29:00.000-08:002008-01-24T23:11:20.902-08:00

My husband and I love our TV shows. Which is why our evening life has been somewhat sad since the writers' strike postponed all hope of new episodes after the Christmas break. So this evening, after finishing a movie (Netflix is now our best friend), we were scrolling through the channels and noticed Chuck was scheduled to play after Celebrity Apprentice. Last time we'd seen our favorite Buy More

Jill Nelsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16211467308582831438noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-701159742262413005.post-54598971592349772952008-01-12T21:27:00.000-08:002008-01-12T21:55:19.889-08:00

Tonight was our first Saturday evening service. Considering we just announced it to the church last Sunday (by the way, if you weren't there, we now have a Saturday evening service), the response was incredible! Attending adults, children, and volunteers totaled about 525, almost three times what was anticipated. While our classes were over crowded and under staffed, the evening lacked the chaos

Jill Nelsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16211467308582831438noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-701159742262413005.post-11359425559728022342008-01-04T20:30:00.000-08:002008-01-04T20:33:38.909-08:00

So many of my childhood memories took place at church. I can still picture rehearsals for a Christmas musical and being told that our choir’s stage laugh sounded like a bunch of machine guns. Or singing “Our God is an Awesome God” and doing sign language to accompany it. Or playing hide-and-seek in the large cupboards that held folding chairs. My best friend and I (probably in third grade at the

Jill Nelsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16211467308582831438noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-701159742262413005.post-2542489106261178552007-12-28T22:15:00.000-08:002007-12-28T22:47:58.449-08:00

Aside from a brief period in junior high, I never questioned my parents' love for me. And even then, I just had a hard time grasping that my dad loved me for me, and not for what I did (difference in love languages). Little did I know, or even realize until recently, what a profound impact that understanding of love would have on my relationship with the Lord.At Women's Retreat in November I kept

Jill Nelsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16211467308582831438noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-701159742262413005.post-90035602641774827552007-12-23T18:35:00.000-08:002007-12-23T18:55:12.712-08:00

A family in our church is in the process of adopting a little girl from China. I just finished reading their story of the process so far, and it made me look forward to the day she joins our ministry! We need to be sure that we're always ready to minister to children of all backgrounds. Different life stories influence the needs each child has as they enter our doors. Some may not have had a

Jill Nelsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16211467308582831438noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-701159742262413005.post-80956462787792400482007-12-12T22:50:00.000-08:002007-12-12T23:02:34.160-08:00

We had a ministry staff get-away today to look at our church's vision statement and evaluate how well our ministries are actually doing at following the values expressed in that statement. The vision of Morning Star is to be a worshipping family of believers who are growing in our faith, loving God and others, serving in our gifts and sharing with the lost. As we looked at the different elements,

Jill Nelsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16211467308582831438noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-701159742262413005.post-89295431525461620792007-11-26T20:23:00.001-08:002007-11-26T21:06:44.103-08:00

We got our Christmas tree on Friday (the day after Thanksgiving). Yes, I know Christmas is still a ways off, but I LOVE the Christmas season, and the longer it lasts the better. So we hiked around a tree lot on the beautiful (yet freezing) day for an hour. It was quite the accomplishment considering the tree hunt took three hours last year. Then it was home with the tree, decorations hung, the

Jill Nelsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16211467308582831438noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-701159742262413005.post-79105931551788124092007-11-20T21:49:00.001-08:002007-11-20T22:21:04.053-08:00

My parents love ministry. While I was in high school, evenings were spent listening to them talk for hours about how church "should" be done. Or their latest learnings from books on ministry. Or what we need to be paying attention to in order to truly reach people. I grew to wish I didn't have to hear another thing about ministry... after all, I wasn't planning on going into it vocationally. But

Jill Nelsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16211467308582831438noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-701159742262413005.post-3536783531018571582007-11-14T10:41:00.000-08:002007-11-14T11:08:59.508-08:00

I always look forward to holiday movies. It seems like the year’s best hit theaters between Thanksgiving and Christmas. While some of this year’s films are being awaited with excitement, one movie is being met with great controversy. The Golden Compass, based on the first book of the His Dark Materials trilogy by Philip Pullman, has stirred up discussions and controversy in Christian circles. On

Jill Nelsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16211467308582831438noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-701159742262413005.post-76043924583787557642007-11-08T13:47:00.000-08:002007-11-08T15:05:24.576-08:00

I’ve really been enjoying the show, Kid Nation, and all of the challenges the kids participate in. Each week, the children are faced with an opportunity to show teamwork. As individual districts, they are working toward the goal of social standing in Bonanza City. As a city, they are working toward a prize. All four of the districts need to complete their challenges within an hour in order to get

Jill Nelsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16211467308582831438noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-701159742262413005.post-18482176844591886072007-10-25T14:46:00.001-07:002007-10-25T15:10:02.257-07:00

I've always been a dreamer. As a child it meant I lived in imaginary worlds where I was the mother of twelve children, or the teacher to a class of third graders, or even living in the "olden days" helping with the underground railroad. As an adult, my imagination has transferred into dreaming for the future. In college, a speaker once said that her most frequent prayer is, "What dreams do You

Jill Nelsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16211467308582831438noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-701159742262413005.post-68651166815277110502007-10-18T23:38:00.001-07:002007-10-18T23:38:13.357-07:00

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