96 Hours

*EDIT* see more storm photos under the photos link at the top!

That's how long we spent without electricity this past week! While our electric here in Ohio is back on in our area, our internet is not - so this quick post comes to you from one of my favorite places ... Panera :-)

***EDIT*** Unfortunately, I wasn't quick enough and Panera's 30 minute rule that they're enforcing kicked me off the internet ... so this post comes to you from the Waynesville Library, who graciously allows you to stay as long as you want :-)

We were able to get a generator (which we shared with neighbors on each side!) from a friend who's power came back on early in the week, so between the generator - which kept food in the fridge cold and our gas grill - which allowed us to eat hot meals, the week wasn't all that bad!


Duke has been the MOST POPULAR and the MOST UNPOPULAR people in Ohio this week! There are now 2100 people from all over the country here working on power lines. When these trucks come to YOUR neighborhood ... they're loved, but when they're in everyone else's neighborhood ... well they're not real popular with the people here! (Yes that's a power pole strapped on top of his truck ... a very common site this week!)


Following the 80mph winds that came last Sunday there are debris EVERYWHERE! Below are a few pics ... I'll load more once I'm 'back in Indy and things are back to normal :-)

The local Snow Trucks have been converted to Debris Trucks and are going house to house...


And this is the pile of debris they have collected so far at the local park where they're chipping everything! On the left ... the chipped pile. On the right ... the pile to be chipped! (I know it looks like a hill, but its really a HUGE pile of trees!!!)

Hurricane Ike

Well, I may be gone for a few days. This was suppose to be my week of vacation and I was planning to spend the week with family in Ohio ... hanging out, doing stuff, etc ... but it looks like Hurricane Ike had other plans. Winds reached almost 80mph (that's a Level 1 Hurricane!) at home yesterday and there is a TON of damage, including 90% of the power grid down in the Cincy Region. So, after waiting until today I'm going to slowly meander east hoping that sometime between now and then the power comes back up ... but if not we'll make the best of it. There's lots of debris to clean up as well ... so most likely we'll be spending the week doing that! Check back ... there may be some good stories to share once the power comes back up ... maybe tonight ... maybe the weekend - its all up in the air right now!

Children's Ministry in the 21st Century

Here's a recent read...

Children's Ministry in the 21st Century

What I liked...

This book is a compilation of several different Children's Ministry Leaders. They bring their expertise in specific areas to the table and share about what the current best practices are when it comes to ministering to children and families. Also, its relevant. It talks about the issues that are facing our kids here and now ... not what we should have done, but what we need to be doing!

What I didn't like ...

Being a PreK Director ... I'm partial to the little guys :-) And this book focuses primarily on ministry to children in Kindergarten and older. While MANY of the ideas are applicable to the younger crowds, it would still be nice to see a book like this written with Preschool Ministry as the focus :-) This book does devote a chapter to Preschool Ministry.

Who should read it...

This is a great book for anyone who cares about the next generation! Whether you're a volunteer, a parent, or a ministry leader ... everyone can walk away with SOMETHING from this book ... whether its a cool idea to try or just a new perspective on the world around you and how it relates to ministry - you'll find something in it that will make you think, evaluate, and apply!

Overall...

This is an easy read and a fairly good book. It has TONS of practical tips (nearly every chapter is followed with at least 10 ideas to try!) The book can be read from cover to cover, or in segments based on topics. If you want to just focus on Special Needs ... then you could just read the Special Needs Chapter and get a ton out of it!

My Score...

4 out of 5 (It's good ... definitely a recomended read, but not something I would read over and over!)

Global Expedition

Make a Smilebox slideshow

I spent the better part of today pulling together all the things that go into "camp". From registration forms to supply lists I gathered them and placed them in the "Master Notebook" which we'll use as we begin putting together camps in the future! So, tonight I thought I'd share with you a few of my favorite photos from this past year's 4yr-3rd Grade Camp ... Global Expedition! Thanks to Kurt and Ryon who helped tremendously with photos this year!

Autism

Autism is the fastest growing developmental disability in our world today! Nearly 1 in every 150 children are now diagnosed with autism. Here's an interesting article by Larry Shallenberger ... it takes a different perspective on autism ... check it out here.