The power of something so simple as a Koosh Ball was right in front of my eyes this past week.  I was ministering at a day camp that a good friend was conducting at his church and it was a Koosh Ball that figuratively and literally hit me!

I observed how something so simple created such an amazing energy and excitement in the room. All my friend did is take this fun little ball and walk to the front of the room and yell, “who wants it?” and the kids went crazy! They were yelling and screaming at the top of their lungs for a chance to catch the ball and throw it back.  It was that simple burst of fun that reminded me of a great leadership and kid ministry lesson.

The first lesson of the Koosh, was to truly keep it simple!  I know, brilliant right?  But seriously, we often complicate so much of what we do that others are afraid to join us in serving. We  “brag” about how tired or busy we are, to sometimes impress people that we are doing great things for the kingdom!  Jesus was a master of the simple. He drew verbal straight lines to the Father so people could wade through all the religious “to do” lists that the leaders of their day had placed before the people.  We need to keep our process of serving and training simple and fun for the people we desire to have join us. We sometimes over complicate the things we do so that we protect ourselves. What we need to do is help people see how simple it is to do kids ministry and just truly how much fun it is to lead those young ones to Jesus.

The second lesson of the Koosh, “keep it fun!”  Do you still have fun serving? Do you love what you do and those  you do it with?  When is the last time you have laughed really hard?  Some important questions to ask and answer.  I know how easy it is to allow what we do to become almost routine at time and become a JOB instead of ministry.  Are you still having fun at what you do? Life can complicate things so dramatically and if we focus on pleasing everyone or trying to keep up what’s bigger and better we can stop having fun!  If we don’t take time to relax or laugh, we can lose our joy very quickly. We need to keep things fun. Make serving fun and enjoyable for those around us, and don’t forget, let the kids be kids and have fun too!

The third and last lesson of the Koosh, “Know who you are and who your ministering to.”   My friend, doesn’t get caught up in the fads, trends, or what’s hot in Kid Ministry.  He has defined who he is and what he values and he guards those.  He also knows his community and the kids that live their. They don’t have to have all the flash and smoke and mirrors that some would need to minister.  He stays focused on what he must do to love on and care for the kids that live around him and he does it with the energy and passion of his Savior.  I loved that  simplicity and focus. I at one point lost that and after watching my friend minister to the kids he loves, it really did rekindle something inside of me.  I wan to take the lessons I learned and continue to develop them.

Do you need to simplify something? Do you need to have some fun or a good laugh? or do you need to stop and take a look around at who you are ministering to? Whatever it is enjoy what  you do and serve the Lord with Gladness.

Any thoughts?