Tuesday, July 31, 2012

Expedition: Final Results!

Me laughing at you because you thought I was going to tell you!
Made ya look!

These won't be revealed until Sunday night!

Taking Root,
Blake

Monday, July 30, 2012

This Week's Wins

What a week!  The summer is coming to a close and we had lots of great stuff going on!!


  • KidServe had their last regular meeting and I snuck in to get this shot of one of the coolest craft ideas ever! Loved these Compassion Containers and the way they push our kids to love on others.  Parents are invited this coming Wednesday at 6:00 as we celebrate, finish up raising fund for Blood:Water Mission, and talk about our new programs for the fall!

  • I am really sad that I don't have pictures from the wormfest at the last night of Expedition!  It was a really fun night and we ended our theme of Man vs. World with the devotional theme of Fakers Make Fake Followers.  We'll celebrate this, too, next Sunday night at 6:30 pm in the FLC.  Families are invited, nursery provided.
  • Still being somewhat new, yesterday was my first chance to meet John Matthews.  I was blessed to hear about his ministry and his heart for reaching people for Jesus!  If you would like more information on how you can support his ministry, please contact the church office.
  • I am looking forward to several WINS in the future that result from our Rooted in God's Love initiative!  Book out your Sundays in August because you do NOT want to miss what this has to offer to you and your family.
Taking Root,
Blake

Friday, July 27, 2012

CCC Youth Band

Worship at White Mills
It's time to get geared up for the youth band that leads worship during FUEL on Wednesday nights!  We're looking for students grades 6-12 that have a heart for worshipping and leading others in worshipping.  Here's a few things you'll need to commit to..

  • Sunday practices
  • Consistent attendance at youth programs
  • Communicating well
  • Being an example of Christ at ALL times

If you're interested, check out the rest of the details in our application below.  Turn it in to Blake to get involved!


Taking Root,
Blake

Thursday, July 26, 2012

Get Linked Up!

Some Links to Learn from...


  • One of the best articles I've read in a long time on positive ways to keep your children engaged in church now and in the future:  WHY KIDS STAY IN CHURCH

  • This Dad walked away from his job because of his evaluation of the value of his time versus the money.  A good read in today's American Dream world:  Time is Money

  • Gut-check time on why we live life the way we do and the purpose of our activities.  Who are we building for?  Ourselves or God?  Oh How We Babble About The Towers We Build

  • We're on the cusp of bringing small groups to all ages here at CCC.  We have a lot to learn!  Some great thoughts on the challenges and opportunities of being a small group leader:  The Challenges And Opportunities of Teaching The Bible In Small Groups
Hope these bring some depth to your faith and relationship with Jesus!

Taking Root,
Blake

Monday, July 23, 2012

This Week's Wins!

My first full week at White Mills was great! God is definitely using the people there to make and develop disciples of Jesus!  A lot of pics from camp, but there were some other wins this week too!


  • The KidServe Toy Sale went really well and raised $215.35!!  This week at KidServe we will announce our last chance to raise money for Blood:Water Mission.

  • There were 250+ campers at White Mills last week and 38 baptisms that resulted!!  If your son or daughter didn't get to camp this year, start planning on it for next summer!

  • Love the challenge to get in a small group from Rodney!  YOU need to get signed up for one TODAY!  Contact Rodney to get the hook up.

  • Awesome to see how God is using people from here in Campbellsville (Taylor Cox), to share his love all across the world!  Could God be calling you to reach out through a similar trip?  Contact me for some resources to get involved in global missions.

  • On a personal note, I got to share in a youth group reunion in Henderson, KY this weekend.  My father-in-law, Eric Allen, was a youth/music minister there for nearly 15 years and it was incredible to see the fruit of their ministry there!  Awesome win!
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Friday, July 20, 2012

Youth Leader Meeting

It seems almost unimaginable, but fall is right around the corner!  And we want to be ready!

All Youth Leaders for the fall will have an information/training session Monday, July 30 at 6:30 pm.  All of you should have been or will be soon contacted personally, so mark this date on your calendar and let's get ready for another semester!

Taking Root,
Blake

Thursday, July 19, 2012

Tips For Boys from an All-Boy Family

Had a great conversation recently and the question was asked, "Coming from a family of all boys, what are some tips for raising them well?"  It was a great conversation, and I thought it might be good to share here!

However, for the real experts, you might want to contact my mom, Polly, or my dad, Steve.
The Lawyer Boys
Here we go!  Some tips on raising multiple boys in the same house...

  • Let boys fight it out.  We don't do drama like girls do.  Fight in the morning, completely bonded in the afternoon.

  • Expect little communication.  Guys like to think things through or try and figure it out on their own first.  When we've solved it or come to something we can't find the answer to, we'll let you know.  At the same time, if you ask the right question, we'll share.

  • Allow for perceived risk.  We want to be dangerous and adventurous.  Don't kill this spirit.  Let us go a little too far when we're playing in the backyard sometimes, or stay up past our bedtime in the summer.

  • Create challenges.  This is especially true with multiple boys, because most challenges become competitions.  Use challenges to nurture spiritual and educational growth.

  • Wrestle with them.  Physical love is crucial; especially from dad.  That said, mom's need to give it too!

Any other tips?  As a father of a new girl, I could use some tips from some of you!

Share in the comments.

Wednesday, July 18, 2012

TOY DRIVE FOR BLOOD:WATER MISSION TONIGHT!

TOY DRIVE FOR BLOOD:WATER MISSION TONIGHT!

What a cool project to provide water for Africans through Blood:Water Mission!  In case you aren't familiar, we're supporting this mission all summer through our KidServe program.  Tonight, you can come and choose from a plethora of toys that have been donated by our own children in an effort to give to this cause.  Come on by the church, pick up a toy, make a donation and be a part of something bigger!

Taking Root,
Blake

Tuesday, July 17, 2012

Speaking of Salvation... Part 1

We're going to take a few posts to deal with spiritual conversations.  Specifically ones that deal with salvation!  I would love for you to interact with the posts through the comments or via email!  This is so important in our role as parents!

Perhaps it has already happened in your home. Maybe you are right on the cusp of it.  You might not think it will ever happen in a million years, but one day your child is going to start asking questions about being saved, or asking Jesus into their heart, or not going to hell.  The conversation could literally start in thousands of ways.

Unfortunately, most of those started conversations are either shut down or unfinished.

We often get nervous when it comes to talking about salvation, also known as "being saved".  The truth is, being able to dialogue with your child, or someone else for that matter, about salvation builds a communication bridge that will enable you to speak into their spiritual lives for years to come.

So what are some of the things we should be looking for?


When children or students start asking about salvation, always think questions before answers.  Trying to give them all the answers is like getting the cart before the horse.  We have to find out where they are before we can tell them where to go.  Ask questions that:

  • Discover their motivation for seeking salvation.  What made them start asking these questions?  Is this an interest or a conviction?

  • Help them process what they know about God and the Bible.  Have they started to recognize that the Bible is more than a collection of stories?  Do they understand that God interacts with their life?

  • Push them to realize the commitment they are making.  Do they realize that something is expected of them once they make this decision?

What are some good questions to use in these situations?  Have you found it difficult to engage in these kinds of conversations?

In later posts we will break down more specifically what branching into these areas of your conversation might look like.

Taking Root,
Blake



Monday, July 16, 2012

Worship at White Mills #ccc





via Instagram http://instagr.am/p/NKilRIiVMO/



This Week's Wins!

Another great week at CCC!  I'm at White Mills Christian Camp for Junior High week!


  • I am REALLY enjoying teaching the Big Idea to children at KidServe!  They have totally BLOWN me away!  So far we have covered We Use Our Gifts to Serve God, We Serve Others Because We Love God, and We Serve God with our Family.  Make sure and ask one of them about what they've learned; it will be fun for both of you!

  • Great trip to Holiday World with our Children's Ministry!  Check out pics HERE and HERE!

  • RAIN!!!!!!!

  • The new Fall Schedule was leaked this week and has a lot to offer!  Check it out below and expect a lot more on several new things in the upcoming weeks!


  • I love that I can go to camp and hand Expedition over to a guy like Rodney Booe!  Really blessed to have him on staff here at CCC!  Send some encouraging words his way this week.

Old School Rodney Booe!
Taking Root,
Blake

Friday, July 13, 2012

3 Ways to Pray for Our Country


The 4th of July has recently passed, political debates are raging as we approach election time, and we often feel the pressure of politics.  Let's keep it simple and focused on God and his Word.
  1. Pray that President Obama would be given wisdom each each day to make decisions that honor God and serve our country well. (James 1:5)
  2. Pray that political "issues" would be resolved in ways that honor God and allow for his plans to prevail. (Isaiah 26:13)
  3. Pray that God would use you to be an example of being both Christian and American, but always Christian first. (Romans 13:1)
Taking Root,
Blake

Wednesday, July 11, 2012

Get Linked Up!

  • Really great idea for reaching out into community pulled off by this Colorado church!  Check out this initial post from their lead minister, and then if you're interested he's blogging daily updates.
    Journey's Great Work
  • What do you do when you're afraid that your children are becoming materialistic?  Some GREAT tips on this blog post!
    How to keep your kids from becoming materialistic.
  • YOLO.  Do you know what it means?  It's one of the newest teen acronyms and its all over twitter!  Thoughtful post on this and teen speak in general.
    Inside the Teenage Vocab of YOLO
  • Comfortable.  We all want to be there, but at the same time it can be a scary place.  This blog post weeds through becoming ok with discomfort and pushing yourself to a new kind of all-in spiritually.
    Making A Difference in Your Own BackYard
  • Feeling Burnt Out from serving in youth or children's ministries?  Here are some practical steps to take before turning in your 2 week notice.
    Rekindle Your Passion for Kids Ministry
Taking Root,
Blake

Tuesday, July 10, 2012

White Mills Overnighter - July 27/28

Is your K/1 child ready for that first taste of cabin life at 

White Mills Christian Camp?!?!



July 27-28 there will be an overnight camp for all children who have completed Kindergarten or 1st Grade.  Lyle Knifley will be going as the CCC Chaperone.  The cost is $80 with a 50% scholarship available from the church.

Go HERE to get the registration form and then drop it by the church office!

Taking Root,
Blake

Monday, July 9, 2012

Expedition Standings

Congratulations Black Team on winning the biggest splash and thanks to all who called my Dad and wished him a Happy Birthday! Here's the standings through 5 weeks...


This Week's Wins!

5 Reminders of Why I Love My Church!

  1. Serving the Community Breakfast is a great 1st Step to making an Impact! Looking forward to meeting spiritual needs as well..
  2. We had a great turnout for the KidServe Float!  Special thanks to those who worked hard to make this happen!
  3. Great seat for the Fireworks from my house!  (Ok, this is a stretch for why I love my church, but hey, I wouldn't live in that house if I wasn't at this church!)
  4. There's a growing desire to go ALL IN with our relationship with Jesus!
  5. Students are willing to do crazy stuff like call my dad and wish him Happy Birthday, roll quarters into forks, and throw cheetos at shaving cream covered heads!


KidServe Float (See #2)
Fireworks! (See #3)
Expedition starts a new hairstyling trend.. (See #5)


Saturday, July 7, 2012

More Wins! KidServe Slideshow

Follow the link below for a great slideshow of some photos from a recent KidServe night!

Friday, July 6, 2012

An Update on the Work in West Liberty

I was excited to get an update on the work in West Liberty from our good friend Leonard!  Follow the link to check out his letter!


Taking Root,
Blake

Thursday, July 5, 2012

Expedition Standings at the Halfway Mark

I thought I would include all the teams in this week's standings as we are halfway through the summer!  Congratulations to the White Team for earning 10 bonus points at this week's black site!  Team members included Abbi P/Katie M, Layton H/Trevor S, and Cooper H/Hunter M!



Monday, July 2, 2012

This Week's Wins!

Another great week at CCC this summer brought more wins!

  • Despite some hairy situations, the King's Island trip was a success!  We had great seats, no heat exhaustion, and clean hotel rooms!  Already looking forward to getting away with this group of students again...
  • It can't be said enough, the adults who put in time, energy, and effort to our programs are second to none!  This week was another example of that.
  • Loved getting to see the kids lead in worship through the "GO!" song!  It inspires me to see kids worshipping!
  • A 20x50 slip and slide rarely ends up in the loss column! Special thanks to the Burton's for all of their help with this!  See videos below!
  • Last but not least, some pics from the week!
    The group!
Jon Foreman from Switchfoot gives high 5's to some of our students!


Matthew Hall:  First person to solve this ginormous rubics cube!

Rodney dropped his ice cream...
The win is that they gave him a double serving replacement!

Toby Mac!

Stuck on a coaster and earning fast passes!

My twin!