As you know, if you’ve been reading, for quite some time, I’ve occasionally been running little installments called “Mama’s K.I.S.S.” I know that lots of readers could give many more and far more creative ideas than I can offer, but these installments are just a few tried and true and mostly old-fashioned ideas for putting service hearts in our kids. This is number 82 of a list of one hundred ways we train our kids to serve. K.I.S.S. is an acronym for “Kids In Service Suggestions”.
It’s t-shirt season and affordable advertising t-shirts are a great way to open conversations when you meet people in your community. I’ve been a part of more than one congregation whose beautiful t-shirts were designed by teens in the church. I even have one in my collection that was an ad for a VBS, designed by a child. The artwork is precious and is a true conversation-starter!
Just get your child drawing, lettering, and/or painting and then get the design to a local company or a big mailing company like 4 Imprint. The more you order, the less expensive they are. I’ve found that the members love to buy these and, usually, the leadership in the church is excited to have this form of “free” advertising going out in the community. And then the conversations about meeting times, and fellowship opportunities and your youth group, etc…begin. It’s like you get to wear a sign that says “Talk to me about the Bible!” And then…you never know!
(I think the shirt in the photo was designed by one of our teens, Natalie Wright. She’s great!)
In Acts 17, we find a church that was meeting together in someone’s home in Thessalonica. when the Jews who didn’t believe in Jesus heard about it, they raided that house, dragging the Christians out to the rulers of the city, and do you know what they said about them? 
This one’s simple and obvious, too. But this idea’s merit came to me very practically the other day when my eleven-year-old grandson asked me if he could have a few of my little calling cards.
I do happen to know a little bit about the topic they’re covering here. I just want to say, if you have pre-teen or teen girls and you live in driving distance, you won’t want to let this opportunity slip by without taking full advantage. In a world where the devil is trying so hard to get our kids, his deception is not always glaring for our girls. And, oh sister, it’s a bazillion times easier to get to heaven if we spend our time purposefully preparing for holiness at every encounter, than if we spend our lives trying to undo decisions we jumped into before fully counting the cost. Regret is full of pain.
If there’s one thing you learn at a marriage retreat, it is that you don’t generally identify the particular struggles of married people until you get them alone. I mean, it’s not usually in the big sessions or lectures that people open up and ask for help with lost trust, in-law problems, financial mismanagement, or failed leadership. It’s in the private conversations. It’s over the lunch table or in the living room of your hotel suite or on a ride back to an airport. And every effort is made to keep those resources available and find other resources that can help even after the retreat is over. I know Glenn and I are in touch with several couples, in varying capacities, even after we return home. And we pray. We pray for all those who attended (including the Colleys) as we work to try to be stronger in our holy unions before Him and for His glory.