Why I started this blog

So I decided to start blogging my Children's Messages.

To back track, here is who I am. . .
My name is Becky and I am a Christian Educator who works for a liberal Presbyterian Church. I have worked in CE for almost 10 years now (yikes!) and one of the joys and pains of my job is the Children's Message.

I love doing them. I like speaking in front of the congregation, I love finding that one link that will get the kids to understand the story, the angle that will make the story accessible.

I also hate doing them. Finding that idea, trying not to be trite. . . or cutesy. . . or blasphemous!

I have given some pretty good ones, and some pretty embarrassingly awful ones.

When I was new to the game, I looked through books and got some ideas, but not a lot of easy answers there. After living and working for the church in England for a year, I returned to find the internet on fire. "Great!", I thought, new opportunity--except--no editor, so lots of junk. I often read (and still do read) stuff and think, "I can do way better than that! This person thinks this Children's sermon is good??"

(Side-bar--this is risky stuff to write, since no doubt, someone will end up reading one of my sermons and think to themselves, "Holy crow--does she think that THIS children's sermon is any good????)

So, anyhow, my friend Sarah started blogging, and I found myself checking out her blog every few days and getting into it. At the same time, I once again struggled with finding a good children's sermon, and it struck me that perhaps I am not the only one with these struggles. Maybe others share my frustration. Maybe I should stop mentally criticizing others (who to their credit, at least put their stuff out there to be inspiration or fodder for others) and see if there could be some interesting sharing with other educators or pastors out there.

So that is what I think this blog will be about--my goal will be to publish at least one blog every week, hopefully a current children's sermon, but if I have not been asked to do the Children's sermon any given week, I will post an old one.

comments and dialogue are encouraged!

I hope that my children's sermons might be helpful to you, and if you do use it, I ask that you list my name only if it appears in written form anywhere.

So, this is the beginning. . .
Thanks for reading!