Children's Ministry Online

Twitter Weekly Updates for 2010-03-15

Kenny — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 05:55:00 +0000

CMO: #kidmin Twitter Weekly Updates for 2010-03-07 http://bit.ly/bricOl #
CMO: #kidmin Order Collaborate NOW! http://bit.ly/bRzXCb #
CMO: #kidmin Processing through Mad Church Disease http://bit.ly/buAdoJ #
CMO: #kidmin Kidmin in Portables http://bit.ly/buoCkb #
CMO: #kidmin Fixing Facebook http://bit.ly/cyHiK1 #
CMO: #kidmin Collaborate is shaking it up! http://bit.ly/aetLNO #
Spring is officially here in Austin, TX! It's BEAUTIFUL! #
CMO: #kidmin Making Vision Stick: Book Review http://bit.ly/9MPB7P #
CMO: #kidmin Kidmin in Portables: Exteriors http://bit.ly/arAZPO #
Wow! The Gateway blog has become a great place to pick on other staff, huh? For the record, I post closer to 3-4… http://post.ly/RbKX #
Getting ready for some Kidmin volunteer training tonight. Woo hoo! #kidmin #
CMO: #kidmin Who wants to be the 2000th comment? http://bit.ly/c2AyYH #
CMO: #kidmin Kidmin in Portables: Interiors http://bit.ly/9smwOx #
CMO: #kidmin Kidmin in Portables: Final Details http://bit.ly/bkxnMp #
CMO: #kidmin I Loath Algerian Font Day #8 http://bit.ly/cy5e9u #
Going to dig up Dino bones at the park with the wife and boy. Fridays are my favorite! #
http://twitpic.com/184mdm really cool rock climbing structure for kids at this park… It's pretty big. #
Some uncovered Dino bones in this massive sand pit. http://twitpic.com/184n99 #
I have @jonathancliff, @samluce and @henryjz on video chat… were' rummaging through @mattmckee s suitcase. Fun stuff! #kidmin #
@jessica_mckee Ha! Just found a bunch of wonder woman comic books… Weird. in reply to jessica_mckee #
@jessica_mckee just so you know, after @mattmckee left this morning, Titus cried because he didn't get a hug and kiss before he left! Ha! in reply to jessica_mckee #
Just finished watching the UK game with @mattmckee. Great game! Been fun having matt around! #
Vote for your fav #kidmin blogger http://wp.me/p5BRz-1P4 > @jonathancliff @gina_mcclain @mattmckee @kidinspiration @samluce @kennyconley #
CMO: #kidmin March Madness: #Kidmin Style http://bit.ly/csqUlN #
CMO: #kidmin App of the week: Prezi.com http://bit.ly/b8FzO3 #
@cindymetcalf Are you from Austin? @mattmckee and I hit one of Austin's best today… but planning counter cafe soon. in reply to cindymetcalf #
Wonderful driving home from church in daylight! This is spring! #

App of the week: Prezi.com

Kenny — Sun, 14 Mar 2010 23:15:08 +0000

A few months ago, I saw someone post about the new web-based presentation software called Prezi. I was immediately impressed. It was certainly an “outside the box” approach to presentation software. It’s web based, it has a really functional free version and it can be operated outside of a browser and even offline. Genius!

Now the first example I saw of Prezi was someone’s presentation for a class they were teaching. It wasn’t anything fancy, but it was still cool. Then about a month ago my friend Sam Luce used Prezi for a message he was teaching in “old people’s church.” So, last week I conducted a training where I used Prezi. It was pretty easy and really cool. I threw it together pretty quick.

Here’s what is cool about Prezi. You can throw something together with very little experience and you’re still going to have a pretty cool presentation. Or, if you know what you’re doing, you can create something killer like the presentation below.

Academy: Inserting Animations in Prezi on Prezi

Below is my presentation. It’s not really all that fancy. Its my first attempt at a Prezi slideshow. I’m sure the next one will be better. Be sure to get online and check it out!

Kids Quest: Develop on Prezi

March Madness: #Kidmin Style

Kenny — Sun, 14 Mar 2010 21:28:43 +0000

It’s that time of year. The big dance. I’ll admit, I’m a poser when it comes to college basketball. I love watching college ball during March, but typically only March. I pick the teams I want to root for and become a fan at that point. Before I get totally trashed by Jonathan Cliff for making that statement, I will say that consistently I root for UNC and have done so since the early 90’s. I graduated from High School in NC and my brother graduated from UNC. So there… but I digress.

To make this March a little “madder,” Tony Kummer started a Kids Ministry Blog Madness. He basically created brackets for 64 Kidmin blogs and opened up the polls for voting to see which bloggers will go head to head in the Kidmin Blogging Final Four. This is going to be fun. I read or have read almost all the blogs featured in this little competition, but I think this is a great way to generate some exposure to some other blogs out there. Good idea Tony!

So, here’s how it works. Go to this page by clicking here. The bracket has been divided into four separate regions. In each region you can vote for four blogs. Pick the four (or less I guess) blogs that have spoken to you or influenced you in the past. That’s it. Do so before next Sunday, March 21st as the first round will end by then. Woo hoo!

So, you’re reading this post, right? Hopefully I’m going to get a nice little vote from you. All I ask is that if you’ve found my blog helpful, encouraging or as good use of your time, click over and give me a vote. I’m in the South Division (which is appropriate I guess being that I grew up in the South and I married a Southern Belle). I’m expecting lots of votes in this categories from fellow blogging friends like Ryan Frank, JC, my friends over at ReThink (Orange Leaders) and others. There are a lot of other great bloggers in other divisions like Jonathan Cliff, Sam Luce, Matt McKee, Gina McClain, Anthony Prince, Kendra from Northpoint and so many others. Go check out their blogs and give them some votes!

Again, if you haven’t voted yet, head over here and make your vote count. You can only vote once, so make it a good one!

I Loath Algerian Font Day #8

Kenny — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 17:15:08 +0000

I snapped this shot while driving in San Antonio this past summer. Of all the beautiful fonts in the world to grace the side of your truck (or end) why chose this overused font?

Kidmin in Portables: Final Details

Kenny — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 15:45:04 +0000

I’ve written all of this to be a resource for those who are either in portable buildings or are heading in that direction. Mostly, I want to encourage you that moving to portables doesn’t have to suck. I highly encourage you to pass these pictures and content to your pastors or decision makers. We spent a little extra money than we had to, but be got a much bigger bang for our buck. There’s no way getting around it, portables are less than ideal. However, you don’t want parents or kids to feel like they’re getting a second-class experience. I highly encourage you to make a few minor upgrades and make your portable space a place where both kids and volunteers want to spend their Sundays.

Here’s where we got the stuff for the insides:

12 inch plastic chairs for preschool kids: $18.99 from ECMD
12′ x 18′ carpets for story time and worship: $371.98 from Bizchair (these are durable and high quality carpet. You can get cheaper carpets elsewhere, but you’ll be replacing them much sooner.
30″ x 72″ Plastic folding tables” $150.34 from ECMD (These are very lightweight which makes them fantastic for a mobile campus)