I’ve recently stumbled upon a rich resource of music from dozens of great classical composers (among other styles of music). All the recordings on this site are free and in the public domain. There are no copyright restrictions either, which means these recordings can be freely used for any purpose anywhere for any reason. The…

I love how pictures tell stories. Let me tell you about this one. The year was 1996.  I was a choir-boy sophomore at Godwin High School in Henrico, Virginia.  I had friends, but I wasn’t in the “cool crowd.”  I was a mostly quiet kid who liked music and juggling. Then Mike Fitzpatrick (the guy…

There are TONS of resources on the internet offering help with toddler discipline.  But what about discipling your toddler?  Note the word difference.  One is about discipline.  The other is about discipleship (no “n” in there).  A disciple is a follower.  In the context of the Christian faith, how can we as parents help to…

There are tons of great worship collections out there for “adult” worship.  But what about the kids?  It can be difficult to find good worship music that can be used as corporate praise songs for the kids.  Some groups out there have done an effective job of writing music that is theologically sound and kid-appropriate.…

In Children’s Ministry, should we require all parents who drop off their kids to be on the rotation of volunteering in the ministry (pending, of course, passing a background and reference check and having a good attitude)? Or, should we only hand-select volunteers based on their gifts and talents? Whenever I have led a Children’s…

In today’s age of the internet, anyone with a modern device can video tape live action and post it publicly within seconds.  That’s amazing to ponder. So that means a handful of people have taken “bootleg” videos of parts of my show and posted them for the world to see.  So far, none of them…

As a professional juggler, you spend your time doing weird things, like searching “can you check a chainsaw in your luggage on an airplane?” on Google. So I did that today, and I found the most fascinating website I’ve ever seen.  It is sponsored by the TSA, and it is their blog about all the…

Dear Children’s Pastors and all who work with kids in ministry, You’ve learned to twist balloons, do a few magic tricks, how to do some modern dance moves, and how to run large group games with any number of kids. But have you learned how to juggle? Don’t be afraid of this skill. It’s really…

A great team working towards a common goal is like a freight train that cannot be stopped.  The synergy between the team members produces a result that is like multiplying everyone’s gifts rather than just adding them together. I have the privilege of working on a Children’s Ministry team at my church, where each person…

Dick Van Dyke came out with his memoir My Lucky Life In and Out of Show Business not long ago. It’s a quick read because the narrative is engaging and the content of Dick’s life is, well, interesting. I have long been a fan of this man whom Craig Ferguson calls a “National Treasure.”  I…

Have you heard any of the brilliant talks about education and creativity by Sir Ken Robinson?  Do yourself a favor and take 20-30 minutes to listen to any of these talks by him.  His talk on how schools kill creativity is currently the most viewed (over 11 million views) video speech on the TED talks…

This is a puppet show written for use in church.  It requires two characters plus a caterpillar and a butterfly.  In this skit, the two main characters (Eddie the Explorer and Larry the Lizard) are exploring species of animals in the Amazon rainforest. You may freely use this and make copies of this routine so…

A few weeks ago, President Obama spoke at a firehouse in Roanoke, VA and proclaimed, “If you were successful, somebody along the line gave you some help. There was a great teacher somewhere in your life. Somebody helped to create this unbelievable American system that we have that allowed you to thrive. Somebody invested in…

My daughter is about to turn two.  A friend of mine recently asked what ten things I would want to pass on to her.  That’s a great question.  Here’s what I was able to come up with… 1. To know that she is created by, loved by, and forgiven by God through Jesus Christ. 2.…