FAMILY PLUS Children's - December 30

Hey Everyone!

It is that time of year again! It's time for The Glade Church's annual Family Plus Event! This year's event will layout the continued vision of our New Generations Team, and you'll get the chance to have a little fun in the process. Please make sure you've registered your family for F+. You can get more details and register by going here.

Here are the details for this week in Kidstuf:

Scripture: Joshua 3-4 (Israel crosses the Jordan)
Life Application: I can recognize God’s power in the world!
Memory Verse: “Serve only the LORD your God and fear Him alone. Obey His commands, listen to His voice, and cling to Him.” Deuteronomy 13:4
Prayer for the Nations: Peru - We are going to finish praying for Peru this week because we didn't get a chance to try food from Peru due to some issues getting shipped to the church. We will start a new nation next week. Allergy alert: this week your kids will be trying Inca Cola (made by Coca-Cola) and roasted chicken and fries.

Because it's New Year's I'm going to do a special parent challenge for this week only. Ask your kids this one question if you dare, it could be fun or dangerous! "What is the one thing you want to do in 2012 that you've never done before?" Only ask this question if you are prepared to be bugged about doing something until you make it happen. I'm reminded this week that we need to take an upfront seat in expanding the world that our kids know and see. This question could lead to a great chance to do that very thing.

Jared Norris

Children's Minister

The Glade Church

FAMILY PLUS Children's - December 16

Hey Everyone!

I hope you're enjoying the month of December. It's crazy that it's already halfway over, and the season is only getting busier. Make sure you slow down enough to remember what we're celebrating.

Here is what your kids are celebrating this week:
Scripture: John 12:35-36
Life Application: I can celebrate Jesus as Savior!
Memory Verse: Matthew 1:21 “And she will have a son, and you are to name him Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.”
Prayer for the Nations: Peru - This week your children will be watching the Radical Missions video that was shown in "big church" on December 4th because all those stories are from Peru.

Have you figured out how to help your children give sacrificially yet? As you think about our monthly challenge to work with your kids to help them give something sacrificially, don't forget to reflect and share your stories too. 1) You can share stories of how someone has given sacrificially to you, or 2) you can share God's story of how his Son, Jesus, gave sacrificially to us all!

Merry Christmas to each of you!

Don't forget the Christmas Eve Eve services on December 23rd at 6pm and 7:30pm. (This is when we will show the video your kids have been working on!)
Also, the Christmas Day Service is at 10:30!

FAMILY PLUS Children's - December 11

Hey everyone!

I'm a little later than usual getting this to you. I know this is important, so I wanted to get this info in your hands as soon as possible!

Here are the details for this week:

Scripture: Luke 2:11-12 (God’s promise to send a Savior - Christ’s Birth)
Life Application: I can know God promised to send the Savior.
Memory Verse: Matthew 1:21 “And she will have a son, and you are to name him Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.”
Prayer for the Nations: Peru - Today Troy and Toni Jennings joined us in Kidstuf to share pictures and stories from some of the mission trips our church has done in Peru. Ask your kids to tell you what they said!

How has your giving been going this month with your kids? Dont' forget our challenge for the month: Work together with your child to help them give up one thing sacrificially to someone else. Here is another way that you can give, and have fun giving...

make Christmas candy/cookies and give them to the children's pastor (just kidding!, but you could give them to teachers, neighbors, etc.)

This week Katie and I took Carter door to door in our neighborhood to introduce ourselves and to give each home cookies! We had a blast doing it and had the opportunity to meet the families and invite them to our Christmas Eve Eve service here at church. Little did we know that would lead to us being able to bless a neighbor this past Friday night by bringing their 3 boys to Kid's Night Out! Keep your eyes open for how God wants your family to give sacrificially this season.

Don't forget!!!: This Wednesday Night all kids need to wear blue jeans and a black shirt for a video that we are shooting!

Jared Norris
Children's Minister
The Glade Church

FAMILY PLUS Children's - December 1

Hey everyone!

We are making a change that your kids will hopefully be talking about. This 2 minute video will explain everything. Click Here For Video!

Scripture: Isaiah 7:14; 9:6; 11:1-5; Micah 5:2 (God’s promise through the prophets)
Life Application: I can know God promised to send the Savior.
Memory Verse: Matthew 1:21 “And she will have a son, and you are to name him Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.”
Prayer for the Nations: Peru

December is officially here. This is a great time to address the issue of giving with your child. Work together with your child to help them give up one thing sacrificially to someone else. Under your guidance allow them to pick what they want to give. This is a great time to tell them a story of how someone gave to you sacrificially, or how you gave sacrificially and God blessed it. Parent's never underestimate the power of your own stories in the lives of your children.

One example from my life is how we were blessed by a random gift from people we have still never met. Katie and I followed God to Kentucky so that I could enroll in school. Honestly, I had no clue how I would pay for school. About 1 week before I started seminary we received a check that was $17 more than my total cost for school that semester. Some random couple here in Nashville heard about us from a friend, and sent us their entire bonus check that the husband had received from his work. May God be given the glory for this story and the stories that you will create this month through your child's giving.

Examples of how your child can give...

The Glade Church Christmas Giving Tree...maybe the child could work around the house to earn money to buy for presents for the child you decide to sponsor

Give some favorite toys to a friend at your child's school

Your child could give sacrificially to the Peru offering for this month.(see the video at the beginning of the email)

Your child could forgo an already planned activity to serve somewhere this Christmas

Jared Norris
Children's Minister
The Glade Church

Family Mission Trip - Nov 10-12

Ok, so I know that this is long overdue! The story is worth telling because of what happened that weekend.

On November 10-12 about 30 folks from The Glade Church loaded up and headed North. These weren't just any folks...these were families excited about having the chance to serve alongside one another. In one seat on the bus there was a 1st grade girl, in the next seat there was her 31 year old dad, and in another seat there was a single father whose child wasn't old enough to come. I tell you this because it was an unlikely group of people to take on a mission trip if your only goal was to do work. That was not our only goal...the goal of this trip was to give an opportunity for kids and parents to serve alongside one another, and to give children the experience of their first mission trip.

Here is what we did on this trip....

laid hardwood floor in the main building

Gutted a cabin that had mold in it

raked a lot of leaves

cleared hiking trails

cleaned cabins, main hall, kitchen, bath house

burned debris

began putting an epoxy seal on a concrete floor

cleaned out some gutters

The cool thing about this list is that it's only part of the story. Here is what you don't see...

We took around 6-7 kids on their first mission trip ever!

Families spent a ton of time together...working, playing, laughing by the fire, eating, hiking, and that's just some of the ways!

We worshipped together as families!

This trip gave the opportunity for new families to our church to connect to families who have been at our church a long time...I didn't expect God to use this trip for this purpose.

Bottom line: Of all the mission trips I have ever been on, this was by far my favorite. God moved in some special ways!

If you'd like to see pictures, go here. Due to technical difficulties I was not able to post any on this blog.

FAMILY PLUS Children's - November 23

Hey everyone!

Here are the details for this week:

Scripture: Exodus 20; Deuteronomy 5:1-21 (The 10 commandments)
Life Application: I can live by God’s rules.
Memory Verse: Jeremiah 29:11- For I know the plans I have for you,” says the LORD. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.
Prayer for the Nations: Nepal

I know you are all getting geared up for Thanksgiving. This is my favorite holiday for one simple reason...I love to eat! I love everything about food because it is something that helps bring all my family together around the table. Know that and use it to your advantage this holiday season. You will have some time off, and plenty of chances to sit down with both extended and immediate family. Begin talking to your kids about what they think God may be doing in their lives or about the one thing that you believe God is calling your family to do. Maybe this is a great time to put the plan together on how you're going to accomplish the task that God has laid before your family. You have a candid audience at your disposal this week...use it for God's glory! Hint: If you don't accomplish the task of having a conversation of this magnitude the first time, who cares? Your children will value your persistence and be even more likely to follow you in the end.

Parent challenge this month: With your kids alongside you, find out what God is calling your family to, and make plans to do it.

Enjoy your time off!

Jared Norris

FAMILY PLUS Children's - November 18

Hey everyone!

I hope you guys have had a phenomenal week. The Spirit of God has truly blessed our time of worship in Kidstuf. Last week we got to try dal (a nepali soup). That was a huge blessing. I got to see the worldview of your children expand before my eyes. It was incredible to see them begin to embrace and pray for a country that they weren't very familiar with. If your kids asked you to fix that soup for them (I know several of your kids did ask), you can find the recipe here. I was able to find all the ingredients in my cabinet or at the local grocery store for pretty cheap.

Here are the details for the week:

Scripture: Exodus 13:17-15:21 (Crossing the Red Sea)
Life Application: I can know God has power to protect me.
Memory Verse: Jeremiah 29:11- "For I know the plans I have for you,” says the LORD. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope."
Prayer for the Nations: Nepal (We're learning the Nepali language this week. No promises that we'll pronounce it correctly, but we'll try our best!)

With your kids alongside you, find out what God is calling your family to, and make plans to do it. This has been our parent challenge this month, and it truly has been a challenge for me. God has been stirring, but it has been difficult for me to discern His direction for us as a family. However, all that changed this week. I'm am convinced that God is calling our family to reach out to our neighborhood. More and more neighbors are beginning to move into the homes that surround us. It just so happens they all have kids, which makes me think that this Spring we are going to try to have a block party of some kind. Now I can begin to plan this "shindig"

I need to say 2 more things about this calling to you:

1) If you're having difficulty discerning God's call for your family, you need to hear the following words from John MacArthur. (I'm summarizing) John writes in "Found: God's Will" that if you're genuinely seeking God in the Scriptures and in prayer, and you still can't figure out what He wants you to do, then you need to prayerfully continue to take steps forward in the direction you think you should go. In this process, you should know that God will lead you. For example, I've been praying the same prayer since July and God has just begun to give me clarity about it.

2) Your calling could be completely different than mine. Maybe your calling is to...provide gifts for a needy family for Christmas, invite your neighbors over for Thanksgiving, take your family somewhere to serve Thanksgiving dinner, take your family on vacation together, rake that elderly neighbors yard, and the list goes on and on. The reality is it doesn't matter what our calling is...It matters how faithful we are!

Let me know how I can pray for you during this journey.

FAMILY PLUS Children's - November 10

Hey everyone!

I'm sending you this in the middle of the preparing the final details of the family mission trip. Please pray for us as we leave at 7pm today and work for the next couple days. I'm excited to our God working through these parents and kids!

Here are the details for this week:

Scripture: Exodus 5-12 (The Israelites left Egypt)

Life Application: I can trust God cares for me.

Memory Verse: Jeremiah 29:11- For I know the plans I have for you,” says the LORD. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.

Prayer for the Nations: Nepal (Allergy Alert: The kids will eating rice with a Nepalese lentil soup called Dal and trying green tea this week.)

Since the summer, my wife and I have been praying a simple prayer that was laid on my heart..."God, what do you want us to do?" The past couple weeks have been difficult for me as a husband/father. God has been stirring in a way that I am having difficulty gaining clarity in. When times like this come we as parents have to be diligent to stop and continually ask God for it. You may face this if you choose to be bold enough to take this month's parent challenge to bring your kids alongside you, find out what God is calling your family to, and make plans to do it.

For the record. I'm horrible at stopping and seeking God through prayer because it's hard for me to stop in general. I love to work whether it be at church, home, in the yard, etc. I always have to be doing something, so it is really difficult for me to stop. God has been making me stop lately and seek Him; therefore, I have seen more and more of Him. I talk to you guys weekly about how busy you are (as you read this you're thinking about all you have to do aren't you?). Find something to stop doing for good and give yourself 2 minutes of time with God to take this challenge and pray your prayer with your kids.

Jared Norris
Children's Minister
The Glade Church

FAMILY PLUS Children's - November 4

Hey everyone!

Things are changing up for the month of November in Kidstuf! We are beginning to study Moses and the greatest salvation act of the Old Testament, the Exodus. This week we begin by learning about Moses’ call by God to lead His people out of slavery.

Here are the details for this week:

Scripture: Exodus 3 (God called Moses)
Life Application: I can follow God’s plans for my life.
Memory Verse: Jeremiah 29:11- For I know the plans I have for you,” says the LORD. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.”
Prayer for the Nations: Nepal (Home of Mt. Everest and a land led by Hinduism)

Yesterday, we were in the office at church, and Robert, our Middle School Interim, mentioned a book title that was something like, “Are you called by God?” (Forgive me for not remembering the exact title). As soon as he said that title I answered the question...Yes! It doesn’t matter who you are, what you’ve gone through, but God has called you and is calling you. In fact, as parents He has put a call on your life to lead your family. God calls believers to all sorts of things...With your kids alongside you, find out what God is calling your family to, and make plans to do it.

To be transparent, I am personally feeling the weight of this challenge. Over the next few weeks, I will be covering some practical things I find helpful when seeking God’s call, and sharing with you where Katie and I are at in this adventure too.

FAMILY PLUS Children's - October 28

Hey everyone!

It is the last week for our series on the Patriarchs. This month has been an incredible series for our kids. We have had a blast this month with our new changes to the memory verse, prayer for the nations, and parent challenge. I pray that these changes have brought a deepening to your children's hearts and minds.

Here are the details for this week:

Scripture: Genesis 42-46; 50:15-21 (Joseph and his brothers)
Life Application: I can offer and receive forgiveness.
Memory Verse: Proverbs 3:5 “Trust in the LORD with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding.”
Prayer for the Nations: Mexico - Trivia Contest

I pray that the parent challenge for this month (fulfill a promise that you have made to your kids in order to show that God is faithful just like our parents can be) has been encouraging and beneficial. I know that last Friday night was both encouraging and beneficial for me. Being at the football game and then afterwards going back to the house and reading some books with him made the night worth the time and effort put into it. If you haven't had a chance to follow through on this challenge, you won't regret it.

I'm praying for you this week. May God use you to fill your children's lives with things that are worthy of their time and effort.

FAMILY PLUS Children's - October 21

Hey everyone!

I hope you're staying warm in this cold weather. It's a great time for a family movie night!!! Since we are studying Joseph this week, maybe you can watch the animated film "Joseph, King of Dreams". This film was created by Dreamworks, so you know it's quality.

Here are the details for this week:

Scripture: Genesis 37; 39-41 (Joseph taken to Egypt)
Life Application: I can trust God’s plan for me.
Memory Verse: Proverbs 3:5 “Trust in the LORD with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding.” (Girls vs Boys competition this week...review the memory verse before you come on Sunday)
Prayer for the Nations: Mexico

God has a plan for your family and your kids. This week I'm going to drive this home, and continue to plant seeds in your kids hearts that God is calling them. They could be pastors, missionaries, doctors, teachers, and the list goes on and on. Bottom line...I want our kids searching for God's plan for their life now, not later!

As far as the parent challenge goes, how have you been doing with this month's challenge to fulfill a promise that you made to your kids? I'm really interested to know what kind of promises you needed to fulfill. If you feel comfortable sharing them, I'd love to know. I know I promised you something last week. I have finally figured out what I'm going to do to make up for the promise I broke to that 4yr old. Tomorrow night we are going to Mount Juliet High School football game. You better believe that I will be there rain or shine!

FAMILY PLUS Children's - October 14

Hey Everyone!

This weeks lesson is a lesson for us as parents too. We are accountable to God for the way we treat our family. That's scary for me as a father. It makes me ask the question, "will my son see me as a godly man?" He won't ever see my position or title as pastor...he will see my actions! Don't forget the parent challenge to fulfill a promise you made to your child in order to show them that we can be faithful just like the Heavenly Father is faithful.

Scripture: Genesis 25:24-33; 27:1-45; 32:1-21; 33:1-11 (Jacob and Esau)
Life Application: I am accountable to God for the way I treat my family.
Memory Verse: Proverbs 3:5 “Trust in the LORD with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding.”
Prayer for the Nations: Mexico - This week your kids will be learning some Spanish language. Don't forget to quiz them on the words they learned. Here is the Spanish they will be learning:

God - Dios
Father - Padre
Mother - Madre
Jesus Christ - Jesuchristo
glory to God - gloria a Dios

I bet you're still wondering how I'm going to go back and fulfill the promise I broke to that 4yr old, aren't you? Honestly, I don't know exactly what I'm going to do yet. I promise to tell you next week. If I don't feel free to keep me a ccountable. Until then!

FAMILY PLUS Children's - October 7

Hey Everyone!

We have had a great first week of Fall break around here. We have high schoolers in New Orleans and middle schoolers getting ready to go to Rogersville, TN. I love this time of year for these very reasons! I get excited when I see our kids work along people and treat people in God honoring ways! This leads us towards our lesson for this coming Sunday!

Here are the details for this week:

Scripture: Genes is 26:1-6, 12-33 (The story of Isaac)
Life Application: I am accountable to God for the way I treat people.
Memory Verse: Proverbs 3:5 “Trust in the LORD with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding.”
Prayer for the Nations: Mexico - Allergy Alert - This week your kids will be trying a food from Mexico and then praying for the nation. The food they are trying is a marshmallow cookie and pineapple soda.

I have to confess something to each of you this week. As you remember, our parent challenge for this month is to fulfill a promise to our kids that we have made to them in order to show that we can strive to be faithful just like God is always faithful. Well (sigh)...I have to report that I dropped the ball on this one to a kid this week. Last Friday Katie and I made plans with another family in our church. At the last minute our plans changed, but we still went to eat with them and then went our separate ways. Originally, I was going to go with t he other father and his son to the Mount Juliet High School football game, but things got switched up. The son, a 4yr old, was sooooo excited that Jared was coming to the game too! His parents had told us that was all he had been talking about. I had made a promise to him, and our plans changed; therefore, I didn't keep it. After we all ate and went our separate ways we got a text that the son was crying uncontrollably because I didn't fulfill my promise. (For the record, I still feel horrible and the parents didn't text us to make me feel bad either. They were laughing at the situation.)

I need to make this right, but I haven't figured out how I'm going to do that just yet. You'll be the first to know what I'm going to do to make this right.

Bottom Line...promises are an important part of each of our lives, not just our kid's lives. Without promise, we have no hope that Jesus Christ will return. May we be faithful parents, just like our Faithful Father.

FAMILY PLUS Children's - September 18

Whoa...almost missed my weekly post this due to our CRAZY week in New Generations! I don't want to miss the opportunity to give you a quick update!

Here are the details your kids went over today:

Scripture: Genesis 4:1-16 Cain and Abel
Life Application: I am responsible for the way I treat people.
Memory Verse: Luke 6:31 "Do to others as you would like them to do to you."
Prayer for the Nations: Malaysia

One way that Luke 6:31 can be easily applied is between quarreling siblings. If your home is anything like my home growing up, your kids can get into it at any time. This is a great verse to use when dealing with those circumstances. Once things have calmed down put this verse in front of your kids, have them read it aloud, and then have them explain it to you. That will open the door for some natural conversation to flow out.

Stay tuned to these Family Plus updates...I will be changing the formatting and content up in a couple weeks!

Jared Norris

Children's Minister

The Glade Church

FAMILY PLUS Children's - September 2

Hey everyone!

Here are the details for this week:

Scripture: Genesis 1:1-2:3

Life Application: God created everything.

Memory Verse: Psalm 95:6 “Come, let us worship and bow down. Let us kneel before the Lord our maker.”

Prayer for the Nations: Japan

Challenge: Go spend some time with your kids outside this week. Point things out to them so they are sure to see that God made them. I know we have done this before, but in education there is always strength in reviewing truths. My dad, brothers, and I have a longstanding inside joke about how on a hike he had us identifying all the different kinds of trees along the path. We still joke about that, but it was very sticky for us as kids. Make sure you take the time to point out God as the creator of all things.

FAMILY PLUS Children's - August 27

Hey everyone!

I hope you have had an incredible week! I can't believe it's about to be September already...all the more reason to seize every moment!

Here are the details for this week:

Scripture: Matthew 4:18-22; 9:9-13

Life Application: I can tell people about Jesus

Memory Verse: John 20:21 “...As the Father has sent me, so I am sending you.”

Prayer for the Nations: Italy Another great video on Italy!

I have a good friend who has a passion for telling people about Jesus. If you asked him, "why?" He would tell you that his mentor, a fatherly figure, would take him out and share the gospel with people right in front of him. He would always tell a story about a time they were at Home Depot and his mentor began a conversation with a man with the intent of showing and sharing God's love. It made a HUGE impression on him!

Your challenge this week is to try to model this for your children.

Let me explain a little further...I know this may scare you and intimidate you, but it depends on how you're thinking about it. I'm not asking you to do anything Christ isn't wanting to prepare you for. You can approach this challenge in many ways. If telling people about Christ intimidates you, then take a small step toward a person for the purpose of sharing the gospel another time. That small step could be to serve someone, take someone out to eat, etc. The reason you do this is for the glory of God, and most importantly so it won't scare your children when they get an opportunity. This would be a Family Plus moment that would last with your kids for a long time.Again, I understand that it can be scary to do this. But is it even more scary to never let your kids see you trying?

Jared Norris
Children's Minister
The Glade Church

FAMILY PLUS Children's - August 19

Hey everyone!

We just finished a great week talking about our worries. We saw some great things come from this week's teaching. It amazes me how much our kids do worry about things in life.

Here are this coming week's details:

Scripture: Mark 10:17-27 - The Rich Man

Life Application: I can follow God’s plan for my life.

Memory Verse: Jeremiah 29:11 “For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.”

Prayer for the Nations: Israel

Have you ever worked along side your child to build or make something? I know some of you are crafty and do that stuff all the time. Whatever the case, this challenge is easy and hopefully eye opening for your kids.

Find something to do that has instructions or a plan... (craft project, game, legos, etc.)

It doesn't matter what the project is as long as there are instructions.

Follow the instructions of your task. In the middle of this task ask your child, "why are there instructions with the game, craft, etc?"

Then you can say something like the following:

In order to play the game right, build the craft right, or build the right thing from the legos we have to follow a plan. God has a plan for you! You could be a fireman, doctor, or God might ask you to serve him another way. How do you think God would want you to serve Him?

I pray that this will lead to some great discussion for you and your family!

Jared Norris
Children's Minister
The Glade Church

FAMILY PLUS Children's - August 5

Hey everyone!

I hope school is going well for each of you and your families. I'm excited to get back into our regular Sunday/Wednesday structure at church! What this means is that this is the last F+ email that some of you will be receiving from me because your children are going to be moving on. I'm grateful to have gotten to know your 5th graders! They are going to go on to do some incredible things for the glory of God.

We are beginning a new series that focuses on your children and their ability to realize what kind of impact they can make in the world. We kick it off this Sunday and will continue that through the month of August. Here are this weeks details:

Scripture: Matthew 5:1-2; 6:5-13 (notice how Jesus says. "when you pray"...aka he expects us to pray)
Life Application: I can pray to God
Memory Verse: Psalm 54:2 “Listen to my prayer, O God. Pay attention to my plea.”
Prayer for the Nations: India

With so many transitions happening in your kid's life, this may be a good time to stop and pray individually with each of your kids. By doing this, you will be able to model how one can pray to God, and you will be encouraging your kids at the same time. This is exactly what Jesus did in Matthew 5-6. You will be leading your kids by following Christ's example! Go for it with a boldness only given by the Spirit!

FAMILY PLUS Children's - July 29

Hey everyone!

I know summer is coming to an end and school is about to get cranked up in Wilson Co., but we still have some very important things to do this week.

1) Up with Kids is this Sunday! It will be in both worship services. If you attend groups at 9:15am, plan on going up and checking out your 1st-3rd grader from the security system to go to the sanctuary with you for worship! We will have 9:15am connect groups for your kids, but no Kidstuf worship at 10:45 because of Up with Kids!

2) Back to School Bash is next Wednesday! Don't forget to come out for games, food, music, and more! 5:00-7:30pm on August 3rd. $2/person $5/family

I can't wait to see you this Sunday for Up with Kids! You won't want to miss this opportunity.

Jared Norris
Children's Minister
The Glade Church

FAMILY PLUS Children's - July 21

Hey everyone!

I'm saying "hi" this week from New Orleans. I'm down here working along side some incredible high schoolers and adult leaders.

Here are the details for this week:

Scripture: Acts 12:5-19

Life Application: I can pray for people who tell about Jesus.

Memory Verse: 2 Thessalonians 3:1 “We ask you to pray for us. Pray that the Lord’s message will spread rapidly and be honored wherever it goes, just as when it came to you.”

Prayer for the Nations: Hungary

This week our high schoolers are putting on a day camp called KidzDays in the Parish, which is based on our very own KidzDays in the Glade. It has been a very successful week! Not only are our high schoolers serving in this capacity, but we also have 3 construction teams working daily as well.I'm grateful for a very rewarding week already, and have continued to sense that the hand of God is not ready to stop moving down here in New Orleans. If you have never experienced the relationship God has given our church with this city and people, I challenge and encourage you to get involved.

I believe it is very fitting to talk to your child about praying for missionaries when I am down here in New Orleans serving with these incredible high schoolers and you are up there in Nashville. Your challenge this week is to have your child pray the memory verse above for our church mission team here in New Orleans. This activity will help connect 2 specific things with prayer in your child's mind:

1) Your child connects the Bible with prayer. Praying in accordance with scripture is powerful because we can know without a shadow of a doubt we are praying for God's purposes!
2) Your child connects specific people and needs with prayer. This helps make prayer, often an intangible activity, tangible!

FAMILY PLUS Children's - July 14

Hey Everyone!

We are winding down our second week of camp in a row. KidzDays in the Glade 2011 is coming to an end; however, we have gotten to know a ton of great kids this week. I personally could not have imagined the number of community kids that we have had the chance to work with this week. May God gain the glory for that!

In that same vein of thought, we are still working through our July focus on missions in Kidstuf. Here are the details:

Scripture: Acts 11:19-30
Life Application: I can work with my church to meet the needs of other people.
Memory Verse: Galatians 6:9a “And let us not grow weary of doing good...”
Prayer for the Nations: Haiti

This is a perfectly timed lesson for us here in the Glade: it is the middle of the summer, we have done a lot this summer, and there is still a lot left to do before school starts. I'll be honest with you...it's late as I'm crafting this email, and my wife has already asked why I'm not in bed. I feel like time is more crucial now than ever, and we can all say that. We all have a ton going on.

Here is my challenge for you this week. Plan a family outing with no distractions. Sometimes the most God glorifying thing we can do is rest. Hence, God made the sabbath. Personally, my heart is being pushed by God to rest and be with my family. There are so many ways to serve others here at the Glade in the summer that this week I feel like I need to settle down and be with my family. I'm not going to lie...this will be tough for me to do. However, I promise each of you that I will do this, and nothing will stop me. For me this week, Saturday morning is my only option and I will make that happen. For Katie, Carter and I, our family outings look something like walks in the park or a trip to get ice cream. Katie and I don't feel the need to spend a lot of money on things to create time with Carter. We believe that "quantity time" brings about the "quality time" moments with our son.

Please send me your ideas for family outings with your kiddos to jnorris@gladevillechurch.org. I am always looking for new ideas!

FAMILY PLUS Children's - July 8

Hey everyone!

I'm at CentriKid Camp this week with our 3rd-5th graders. We are having a blast! This is a great week where I am always amazed at the kids who step out of their comfort zone and transform into different kids. Kids excel in this environment. I can't wait to share pictures with you when we get back.

In Kidstuf this week we are back to covering the topic of missions. Here are your details:

Scripture: Acts 10:1-48
Life Application: I can respect and value people from all nationalities and backgrounds.
Memory Verse: Romans 2:11 "God does not show favoritism."
Prayer for the Nations: Guatemala

Wow! What a great topic of discussion for your kids this week. We talk about this with our kids constantly. Ultimately, kids have to learn that diversity in some areas of life (race, gender, backgrounds, socioeconomic status) do not matter to God. In fact, Scripture mentions every tribe, tongue, and nation worshipping God; however, diversity in other areas of life (views on Jesus Christ, values, principles) do matter to God. Even if others differ in values, principles, and their views on Jesus Christ, we are to still respect others to the point of loving them (Matt 22:36-40).

How do your kids get this point? I'm not going to lie...this is a tough one. I am a firm believer that a major part of teaching kids is showing them and letting them experience things. With that said, here is an option:

Go for a drive to an area that is out of your context- I was speaking with our parent chaperones here at camp about this. They agreed that some of the best time to converse intentionally with their kids is in the car. They continually said that their kids go way deeper in the car than anywhere else. While on your drive, point things out to kids. Show them a life that they don't have and talk about diversity and differences. This is easy and can be done at the drop of a hat and done in a way that seems very natural to your kids. Honestly, you may want to do this every now and then to continue to teach this point.

A drive and a conversation can be powerful...don't underestimate it! Every Sunday, my father and I used to go for a drive. We have tons of stories about things we experienced. We still talk about them years later.

CentriKid Day #4

It's the last day! We ended with a bang! Incredible games, worship, and church group times filled our day.

Here are some highlights:
Imagine this field with 300+ kids on it and you have OMC, the best game ever! It rained so hard during this game we couldn't get any pictures of kids in action, but we did have a blast getting soaking wet, playing in mud, and playing OMC!


Ms. Linda had an incredible devo time with these girls this morning.


Great church group time tonight after a powerful worship experience. The kids are telling stories in these shots below.









That's it for tonight. We will leave around 9:30am central time tomorrow. We expect to be home around 2:30pm. I will post to Twitter an Facebook as we get close. We will also get the kids to call you too.

See you tomorrow!

Jared Norris
Children's Minister
The Glade Church

Centrikid Day #3

Hey guys!

Day 3 is in the books and we are on the home stretch! The kids had another great day.

Here are some highlights:

Josh Ferguson sporting his Super Jesus shirt


Hunter Fugate waiting for Wet 'N Wild track.


Rachel and Samantha being goofy.



Mail Time!

Our kids playing football with other kids.


Kenzie, Annabelle, Marti, and Bailey


Karleigh and Jessica


Gracie and Meredith



We had a great day, but we have got to get some sleep! We will be home before you know it!

Jared Norris
Children's Minister
The Glade Church

Centrikid Day #2

Hey everyone!

Day 2 is in the books. Your kids are in bed as I write this. We had a great day talking about how God provides forgiveness.

A few highlights of the day were:

Meredith Weeks beating me in a water chugging contest.

Me beating Gabe Jennings and Meredith Weeks in a jello eating contest (Dillon Shaw posted a video of that on his Facebook)

Gracie Webb, Isom Lannom, and Christian Hughes were the top 3 in the soccer track.

Your kids had to sing for their mail (check the blog tomorrow for a video of this)

Our leaders are the greatest highlight for me! They made me get in the picture below too, but God could not have put a more perfect group of leaders together. They have gone above and beyond ministering to your kids. When things have come up one of leaders has been able to speak God glorifying words to your kids due to their life experiences. It is humbling to see these guys work with the kids. In order to convey how moving it has been to see this happen, I have shed tears today as I watch them work with your kids to navigate life here at Georgetown. Let me introduce them to you.

From left to right:
Michelle Russ, Christian Hughes, Linda Bruce, Dillon Shaw, Brandi Ferguson, Angela Powell


If I had to sum up this camp experience up in one word, it would be the word grateful. I'm grateful to be here with these kids and these leaders. Be excited for what is happening here. I see your kids coming out of their shells in a good way. Your kids are excelling here and having a good time doing it. For instance, check out Karleigh Eakes and her new socks below. She is maximizing her camp experience.




To leave you with a funny story...
Today Linda Bruce asked Hunter Fugate if he had been drinking his water (we are always asking this question throughout the day and actually require the kids to drink a certain amount of water before they can get soft drinks). Hunter was carrying his water bottle around at lunch and just drinking away. Linda was excited that he was drinking his water. However, Hunter responded by saying, "Ms. Linda this is root beer. Putting water in my water bottle is a decision I would have to make at home and...well...I'm not at home."

They aren't at home as you well know, but they are doing great. Thanks for sending them!

Jared Norris
Children's Minister
The Glade Church

Centrikid Day #1

Hey everyone from Georgetown!

We had a great day of traveling! This might be the quietest group of kids I have ever taken
to camp. I know that you don't see that side at home. We did hit a slow patch of driving due to some construction, but after some scheduling changes it was smooth sailing.

We stopped in Elizabethtown for lunch at Taco Bell, KFC, and Arby's. After that we finished the final leg of our travels to Georgetown. On the way to camp your kids got to see a real castle in Versailles, KY and the farm where the race horse, Secretariat, was raised and trained.

Once at camp we settled in, ate dinner, and kicked things off with worship. It was a great night full of laughter, smiles, and fun. After worship each child went to "team time" (aka bible study). There they got acquainted with their leader and what they will be learning this week, how God provides. We reinforced that at our church group time before bed.


After "team time" we went to our first party! A party is basically put together to get as many kids on stage as possible playing games. The Glade was well represented on stage tonight by Jessica Young who won the biggest game of Jenga I have ever seen (3ft tall). Ryan Cox, Aidan Usher, and Ethan Puckett played Fiesta Explosion, a silly game that always concludes the party every night. Each of which excelled at their roles.


We are trying to settle the kids down for bed as I write this. They won't sleep much tonight because they are so excited, but we will try our best. It's time for lights out...gotta go!

FAMILY PLUS Children's - July 1

Hey everyone!

We are now entering a new teaching series in Kidstuf. We will be focusing our efforts in July on teaching our kids about missions. We will be covering areas like telling others about Christ, respecting others with different backgrounds, and praying for others. This is a great time to cover this topic with Radical being on our hearts and minds and there being more free time in the summer.

Here are the details for this week:

Scripture: Acts 9:19b-31

Life Application: I can trust God to help me tell people about Jesus.

Memory Verse: 1 John 4:14 Furthermore, we have seen with our own eyes and now testify that the Father sent his Son to be the Savior of the world.

Prayer for the Nations: Greece

Your challenge this week is to simply pray with your family about how your family can be missional. Praying with your family can be intimidating, especially if you have never called your family together to pray specifically about something. Let me encourage you to be bold and know your kids will adore and respect this action.

Here are some helpful hints that I have learned:

1) give your family a heads up about when you are going to pray- Ahead of time give them a specific time, location, and the subject(s) that you will be praying about. This sets clear expectations for each family member. Also, they will not begrudgingly come to the time because they had to be pulled away from toys, video games, etc.

2) give specific responsibilities- Ahead of time give your child(ren) certain things to research about the subject, pray for during the time of prayer, etc. This will help them take ownership in the prayer time.

This coming Tuesday we will be leaving for camp in Kentucky. If you would like to follow along with what's going on check out my Facebook,Twitter, or Blog.

Also, don't forget to sign your kids up for KidzDays in the Glade!

FAMILY PLUS Children's - June 26

Hey everyone!

We are coming off of a great week of Summer Jam with your kids! Thank you for sending them! It was a blast and I can't wait to start planning next year!

Here are the details for this week:

Scripture: Galatians 5:16-26

Life Application: My Helper Helps Me Choose

Memory Verse:  Galatians 5:22-23 But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things!

Prayer for the Nations: Ghana

This week is all about the "fruits of the Spirit". As a child, I literally imagined a basket of fruit every time the "fruits of the Spirit were mentioned in church (almost like a cornucopia that you see at Thanksgiving). It took me a while to understand exactly what they were and how they helped me. 

I'm giving you a great challenge this week. Your challenge is to have your kids teach you the song they learn in Kidstuf about the fruits of the Spirit. We will sing it as a worship song during worship. This song serves 2 purposes: 1) it will help your kids memorize the "fruits of the Spirit" 2) it will open the door very wide for you to ensure your kids understand what the "fruits of the Spirit" are.

Have fun with this one! By the way, I have done this particular song with Middle Schoolers and High Schoolers and they always have a good time with it too.

Jared Norris
Children's Minister
The Glade Church

FAMILY PLUS Children's - June 2

Hey everyone!

It's a new month which means 2 things: we start a new series in Kidstuf and Summer break begins! Our new series for the month of June is called "My Helper." The purpose of this series is to understand that God (The Holy Spirit) is our helper and he helps us by guiding us, empowering us, and choosing us.

Here are the details for this week:

Scripture: Matthew 3:16-17, 28:18:20; Acts1:4-5; Rom 5:5-6


Life Application: My Helper is God!


Memory Verse:  Psalm 46:1 “God is our refuge and strength, always ready to help in times of trouble.”


Prayer for the Nations: Egypt (click to view the video)


My challenge this week is a simple one. Find an instance where you can help your child. I recommend this not be "any instance." I would work to find an instance where there is no way your child could complete the task on their own. Who knows...maybe you give them a specific task they can't complete. Monitor their work on the task so at the right time you can swoop in and help them. After helping them, relay the message that just like you (their parent) helped them (your child) God helps his children by sending us the Holy Spirit.


Its ok if they struggle for a minute to complete the task. Sometimes we struggle when we serve God, and he always responds at just the right time to save the day.


Don't forget the following upcoming events:


Game Night with Dave Shelley- Next Wednesday (6/8) for 1st-5th grade, 6pm-7:30pm, Meet in the Kidstuf room


Summer Nights for Families Cookout- June 12, 6pm-8pm, Free!


Summer Jam (VBS) - Register at church! June 13-17, 9am-1pm, Free with Lunch included



KidzDays in the Glade - Register at church! July 11-15, 9am-3pm, $45

Jared Norris
Children's Minister
The Glade Church

FAMILY PLUS Children's - May 27

Hey everyone!

This week we are talking about a subject that I know you will want to take advantage of...the 5th Commandment - obeying your parents! One of the most common ways we see our kids struggle in this world, especially at the elementary age, is obedience to their parents. I believe this is a constant struggle because our kids have to make those decisions every day of whether or not to obey our commands.

Here are the details to this week:

Scripture: Luke 2:41-52

Life Application: I can obey my parents.

Memory Verse: Colossians 3:20

Prayer for the Nations: Dominican Republic

I want to challenge you this week to reflect on your parenting. Try to answer the question, "When my kids disobey, why do they disobey?" In answering this question, I want you to start with your parenting (Mt 7:3-5). How do you parent? How does that affect your kids positively and negatively? 

Here is where I am at in my thinking...As I think about Carter, it is obvious that he knows he is not supposed to touch the fire place. Yet he continues to try to push the boundaries Katie and I have set. Often times he will crawl halfway to the fire place, stop, and turn around to see if we are watching. He does this several times a day. How do I respond to this almost continual disobedience? I can have a short temper at times, so I have to be very careful how I respond. I want to respond as God responds to me as His child. I want to respond with love (1 Cor 13:4-7), age-appropriate discipline (Heb 12:5-6), and communication (The whole Bible-tell your kids why just like God has told us why). Does this mean the child will automatically change their behavior? Not at all, but that is why God has made love  patient, kind, etc. Also, this is why we must always discipline and communicate for the sake of the child becoming more Christ-like and understanding God's plan for their life.

This is a particularly tough challenge for me this week. One of our interns just commented that I was breathing really hard while I was thinking through this. Let me pray for us.

God, you are our Father. Help us as parents of the next generation to lead our families to new heights in their relationships with you. When times are hard, be our rock! When we want to give up, lift us up! When we reach a new height, may all glory be given to you! Father, may we turn our eyes to you and persevere for the sake of the future of this next generation.

Take note of this upcoming opportunity!

Radical Families: Surrendering to God’s Plan for Your Family

Led by Craig & Barbara Webb, Tyler & Casey McNutt, Ron & Lynell O’Reel, and Henry & Patti Webb

How can you address "bad attitudes" in your family?

What behaviors and attitudes characterize a "Christian" family?

How do you finally resolve the recurring problems characteristic to your family?

Join these four couples for a time of teaching and open discussion of marriage, parenting, caring for aging parents, busyness, dysfunctional families, and more.

Wednesday evenings in June from 6:15 pm – 7:30 pm Room 121/123 in the Fellowship Hall

Let me know how I can be there for your family.

Jared Norris

Children's Minister

The Glade Church

FAMILY PLUS Children's - May 19

Hey everyone!

Last Sunday we learned about how we can learn from our families about God. This week we are going to continue our teachings about the family by talking about how God is faithful to provide for our families.  

Here are the details:

Scripture: 2 Kings 4:1-7 (Elisha and the Widow's Oil)
Life Application: I can trust God to meet the needs of my family.
Memory Verse:  Psalm 62:8a “My people, trust in him at all times.” 
Prayer for the Nations: Denmark


Think for a second about how God has provided for your family. These are important stories that your children need to know. Children need tangible evidence of God's work in their world, and you [parents] are a MAJOR part of their world. Show your kids the evidence of God in your life!


2 tangible challenges for families this week (feel free to only choose 1)


Challenge 1:


Looking back on my life there are key points that I want Carter to know about Katie and I. I call these our "God stories". 


I want Carter to hear the "God story" of how we prayed and prayed for him for months before God blessed us with a pregnancy. 


I want Carter to hear the "God story" of how we prayed for 9 months for God to provide a job where Katie could stay home with Carter, and Michael Eubanks called me out of the blue because he had received my resume.


You have stories like this! I've heard some of them. Tell your "God stories" to your kids because they connect God's provision to your kids at a personal level, a family level.


Challenge 2:

If God has blessed you with more than you expected or maybe you want to take a front row seat in creating your own "God story" by blessing another family, then this is a great challenge for you. I have a friend who received a little more money this month than expected. This is what they did. They gathered the kids around the dinner table and discussed options of how they would use the money for God's glory. As a family, they choose how they would use the money. This activity will help your family see that God has given your family more than needed; therefore, your family can be a blessing (Gen 12).


Jared Norris
Children's Minister
The Glade Church

FAMILY PLUS Children's - April 28

Hey everyone!

I hope you enjoyed your time of family worship over the Easter holiday. Those are special times and experiences with your kids! This week your kids will be talking about the same "awakening" that we were called too during our Easter worship concert. We will be covering the Easter lesson this week because we did not have connect groups last week.

Here is exactly what we will be talking about:

Scripture: Matthew 26-28-The Resurrection Story


Life Application: I can receive forgiveness and eternal life when I confess Jesus as Savior and Lord.


Memory Verse:  1 John 4:14 “Furthermore, we have seen with our own eyes and now testify that the Father sent his Son to be the Savior of the world.”


I'm praying hard for your kids this week. We are going to be talking about the sole reason our Savior came to this world. May God give His grace to those discussions.


Coming Class:


The New Christians class will be on May 22 and 29 at 10:45AM. This is a class that covers the basics of our faith. We want to ensure the kids who have made or are close to making decisions understand the truth clearly. If you are interested in your child attending this class please email me at jnorris@gladevillechurch.org.

Jared Norris
Children's Minister
The Glade Church 

FAMILY PLUS Children's - April 21

Hey everyone!

I hope you're getting excited about Awakening! I can't wait! This season change is one of my favorite times of the year. Katie, Carter, and I have already taken advantage of the change to go for walks in the park and do some hiking. I know many of you are spending your Saturday's at the park with soccer, baseball, and softball. That is a great place to notice what God is doing around you and begin to bring up Easter. Once as a kid, my family went for a hike around a lake. While on the hike my dad, a former 4H leader and agriculture teacher, would stop and ask us to name a certain type of tree or flower. My brother and I had no clue what those plants were, but what dad did do is o pen our eyes up to what was around us. In the spring, God transforms the dormant of creation into the vibrant creation. It's as if the world has awakened. This is what Christ Jesus has done for those who place their faith in Him. We go from having no hope to having the hope of an eternity with God. Our lives become vibrant through faith in his sacrifice. Use this season change to start a conversation.

This week we have no connect groups or Kidstuf worship; however, I do want to put a few resources in your hands. I hope these are helpful to you and your kids.

Free: Splink - This is a free weekly email that contains 3 ideas with activities to use with your kids to help pass along a Biblical truth. Each of the ideas are easy and helpful in beginning conversations with your kids. To register for the free weekly email cli ck here and type in your info.

$1.99: Fighter Verse App (iPhone/iPad and android): This is an app for your iPhone/iPad or android smartphones that was designed to help with scripture memory. The app contains over 500 verses that are useful to help followers of Christ combat sin in their life. What would happen if your children were equipp ed with God's Word before they were truly tempted?

$9.99 or less: Gameday for the Glory of God by Stephen Altrogge (paperback, kindle, ibook also has it available)  - I know many of your are spending hours out on the field this spring. This may be a helpful guide for you when working with your kids.

Jared Norris
Children's Minister
The Glade Church