Monday, February 23, 2015

Morning Worship Mondays

Hey Team!
Because everyone needs a little pick me up on Mondays…..



and what better way then to hear a song about God's love story to us?

Follow the link to hear Lamb of God by Vertical Church Band.

Can't wait to see everyone & your families Friday for our THANK YOU Event and some family trivia at Doubles. Check planning center for more details OR if you still need to RSVP.

Happy Monday!

Tuesday, February 17, 2015

Connecting With Purpose

A new family walked into The Lil Rippers one Sunday morning recently. I could tell the kid was reluctant to come in the room. "Sure it looks fun, but there are a lot of kids, and honestly church is kind of a weird place anyway. I think I'd rather be home having fun on my own."
I could just see the thoughts pouring from his face.

Whenever a new visitor comes through our doors I try my best to meet them and spend a minute or two just introducing myself and the room. But, more importantly is getting to know the kid. It's often so difficult to remember the names of kids, especially when we have 50-60 in one room at times. I'm convinced there are kids who have been attending for several months and I couldn't tell you their names if you paid me. The new Digital Check In system prints off stickers with names thankfully, so that's not really an issue anymore.

Getting to really know a kid or connect with one is another level though. In the situation I mentioned above, which is pretty common, I made it a point to remember this kid's name. I also focused on him and asked specific questions about what he liked to do. "Do you like sports, or movies, have ever tried surfing, do you play video games, what's your favorite thing to do when you get home from school?" These little hints helped to get to know him and once he mentioned ONE small thing I could latch on and just stick to that.
He said he liked skateboarding. I know a thing or two but not expert level info on skateboarding. We chatted about it for a minute mainly focusing on him.

The next Sunday when I saw him in the hall all I had to say was "Hey _____, did you get to skateboard a little this week?" His face lit up. It was screaming "He remembers me!"
Remembering ONE small thing about a kid can change their perspective on leaders, church, you, God, adults, and so much more. It proves that you can be relevant and care about their specific life.

It's part of our VISION to Impact Future Generations. What better way than to actually CONNECT with them?
How many kids do you know? This Sunday memorize one child and one thing about them

3. Show FRAMEWORK of a Christ follower     c.   Engage & Connect with kids & parents :: attend events with kids.

Thanks for being intentional every Sunday you serve!
Ben & Ashley Kingdon

Monday, February 16, 2015

Morning Worship Mondays

Didn't you just LOVE the new song our band played on Sunday monring?
I sure did!
Here's the original version of the song, Unstoppable God, by Elevation Church. Just a little Monday morning pick up to remind you that He reigns, UNSTOPPABLE in every moment of your day. Hope you're having a great one!

Unstoppable God by Elevation Church

Ashley & Ben

Monday, February 9, 2015

Morning Worship Monday

As Ben and I have been dreaming of our year and the things we want to incorporate and share with you  in the next
325 days
7809 hours
468570 minutes
28114192 seconds
left of 2015. 

We thought of training, events, success stories, and tips, but something stood out. Worship. Looking back, in times when we've grown deeper in our faith we realized how BIG a part worship played in drawing us closer to the person that Jesus is.
We want to share that with you.
So on some Mondays we will send out Morning Worship Monday posts. You'll never notice the impact "background noise" can make in your day at work in your headphones or at home with the kids until you make that "background noise" worship music.

So, today, enjoy this beautiful song called Jesus We Love You by Bethel Church.

follow this link:

Hoping you have a great day today. Thanks for all you do!
Ashley & Ben

Monday, January 12, 2015

Vision Casting

2015. It's still weird to write, say, and think that this year is already here.

As I look back at the past year I'm impressed by what God did through Family Life Ministries. I feel blessed by what God did in my own personal life. And I'm excited about what God will do over the next 12 months.
But as I look back it also forces me to look forward as well. I look back to see where I'm coming from to project what the future may look like. When I finally look back on 2015 I want to be able to say "I'm closer to God this year then I've ever been!"

In The Lil Rippers we've been teaching something similar and to be honest it's not an easy task. We have jobs, families, school events, work events, church events, life events (I'm abusing the word events now aren't I?), etc. We're busy people and to take a step back and choose to spend MORE time with God seems impossible.

The truth is giving God MORE doesn't always mean more time, money, or even energy. Sometimes it just means more faith, more trust, more appreciation, or more invite in your life.
Getting closer to God can be as simple as recognizing Him in the small things every day. It could be deciding to pray each day when you wake up and go to sleep. Or it could be finally making that phone call you've been putting off.

At Coastline Community Church we have a 4 part Vision. Part of that Vision is "To Impact Future Generations For Christ." This makes our job simple, everything we do should be to impact future generations. If you walk in the office and catch me responding to an email, see me buying things at Walmart, or hear me talking to someone on the phone - it's because I want to value the time given to me this year to impact future generations.
If I can stick to that one goal throughout the year it makes decisions much easier. If it doesn't align with my the Vision it may not be important enough to pursue.

Further, each ministry within Family Life Ministries has their very own 3 part vision. When it comes to the individual ministries, we focus on those 3 things all year long. You can check out the Vision for volunteers and kids on our blog page under the "Volunteer Vision Plan" tab if you're interested.

As you plan your year or dream of what could be ahead - allow God to speak to your heart and cast Vision in your own life!

James 4:8 "Draw near to God and He will draw near to you."
Proverbs 29:18 "Where there is no vision, people will perish."

We love you each much and are praying for you and yours!
Ben and Ashley Kingdon
Family Life Ministries