The winners of the Shout Praises Kids: Promises DVD and CD combo pack are:

1. Stormy Martin from twitter
@stormymartin

2. Rich S. from a blog comment

Congrats you two email me your mailing info and I’ll get the stuff out to you.

(Winners were chosen using http://www.random.org/)

Our church just got a iPhone and Android app (You can download it here). A couple of months ago a good friend of mine started a company to help churches and christian organizations use technology to further their mission. His company R04R made our churches app and they did a great job. I have seen quite a few iPhone apps out there that almost seem to replicate their own websites. R04R’s app’s don’t do that. What I  love  most about the app’s that R04R makes is the interface and the flexibility they offer.

Matt is a great guy and will build you an app that you don’t have to do a capital campaign to afford. Visit his site and make sure you let him know that Sam sent ya!

I would like to say that Blake is a great guy (any friend of Gina McClain is a friend of mine) who is part of a great church. But these two videos are still funny. I am sure all you have seen or heard of the first one. I am not sure how many of you have seen the second one. It is a blatant Punk’d rip off but still very funny.

Here is the original video.

Here is the prank that was pulled on him.

I find it odd that we avoid certain aspects of biblical gospel centered Christianity. Usually this happens as a result of a segment of christianity abusing it. Faith is one of those things. I think people have misunderstood and have used faith to control and even wound others.

I want to blog a few posts about what I feel God has been speaking to me about faith. I think it’s important that we think through it processes it so we can pass it on to our kids. What a shame it would be that our kids miss out on what faith is and what it looks like because a small pocket of christians have turned Jesus into the genie from Aladin.

Here is what God has been rocking my world with the last couple of days.

“When is the last time I was in a place that if God didn’t come through for me I would be in trouble?”

Now I don’t believe that that statement is the complete essence of faith, but more of a faith check up. We tend to live in a safe place we can control which requires little to no faith. I want my kids to not only hear me talk about faith I want them so see what it is and what it isn’t.

I came across this great article from Harvard Business Review. It was short thought provoking and to the point.

“If we want to change what they care about, we should change what we measure.”

“What you measure is what you will get. Period”

I think this is a great question for children’s ministry. If we get what we measure we had better be careful what we measure. Instead of how many people came how about measuring the experience of those who came. Instead of measuring how many small groups we have how about measuring the number of leaders being reproduced. Instead of measuring how we felt the service went why don’t we actually video tape it and review it later as a team.

You are what you measure so pick what you measure wisely.