Dad in the Middle » Blog News

And the Winner of the Free Orange Ticket is…

Wayne — Thu, 29 Sep 2011 17:08:59 +0000

Wow! 57 entries. That officially makes this the biggest giveaway I’ve ever done. After spending hours entering everyone’s name into a random list generator, the winner of the free ticket to the 2012 Orange conference is:

Jennifer Bunker

Congratulations Jennifer, please e-mail me your e-mail address and mailing address to wayne@kidmin1124.com, and I will make sure that the fine folks at Orange get you hooked up.

I hope to get a chance to meet all of you who signed up to win at this year’s conference!

Thanks once again to the people at Orange for providing the ticket and allowing me to give it away here on the blog.

Dad in the Middle Makes the Top 100

Wayne — Wed, 28 Sep 2011 11:50:00 +0000

Tony Kummer over at Ministry-to-Children.com has once again compiled his listing of the Top 100 children’s ministry blogs on the internet. Last year, it was exciting when Dad in the Middle came in 13th. I’ve always said that Dad in the Middle wasn’t about numbers, and I would be happy if one person was blessed by what I put out there. The inclusion in the Top 100 was edifying in knowing that God was working through the blog to reach other people. Frankly, there are lots of great kidmin blogs out there, and it was an honor to be listed among them. A portion of last year’s ranking was based on frequency of posts, and I was churning them out at Dad in the Middle with posts roughly six days a week (excluding Twitter digests and automatic posts).

This year, on January 18, I announced that I would be taking a break from regular blogging on the site in an article titled A Sabbath Rest and A Spiritual Battlefield (My Plans for the Future). At the time, I wasn’t sure how long that sabbatical would be, but I knew that I would not get back to a six post per week schedule anytime soon. Since January 18, I have published a grand total 36 posts (approximately 6 of which were related to Kidmin March madness, and four of which were for last week’s Orange Week). That’s less than 1 article per week, and frankly there were times where I published nothing for months at a time.

So, when Tony released the new list this year, I expected Dad in the Middle to drop significantly (perhaps even fall off the list). Instead, much to my surprise, Dad in the Middle was actually ranked:

#11

Maybe if I write even less next year I can crack the top ten.

I just wanted to take a second to thank those of you who read this blog, and particularly those who have stuck with it even though the content comes fewer and far between. I encourage you to check out this year’s list and read through the blogs included there. There are a lot of great blogs on the list that we can learn from. I like what Kenny Conley (who won by the way – again!) wrote on his blog:

“…we’re just a bunch of nobody’s trying to make a difference.”

I couldn’t have said it any better myself. Congrats to Kidmin1124 and DivorceMinistry4Kids who came in 16 and 69 on the list!

Help Me Win This

Wayne — Sun, 20 Mar 2011 21:05:00 +0000

So, last week I spent a lot of time asking for your vote to get through the first round of Kidmin Blog March Madness, and you guys made it happen. For that, I want to say thank you. We’re now in the second round with the top four blogs from each region. There are some real heavy hitters and networkers included in the field, so I need all the help I can get. It also turns out that the winner gets a new Ipad 2. There were clues and hints about it, but I wasn’t bright enough to figure it out myself. I was just shamelessly promoting the blog for the fun of it, but now it’s gotten serious.

Here is what I need from you. Round 2 runs all this week. Go right now to http://ministry-to-children.com/kids-ministry-bm2011-second/ and

Vote for Dad in the Middle (in the East) and Kidmin1124 (in the West).

Both are underdogs as we barely managed to squeak out third place in each division in the first round.

I have one more favor to ask.

Ask Your Friends to Vote for Dad in the Middle & Kidmin1124 Too!

Post it on Facebook, send a tweet, publish something on your own blog. I don’t know enough people to make this happen, so I need your help. Together we can make this happen. Work with me towards the greater good (that being getting me an Ipad )!

As if my impassioned pleas are not enough, I thought I would list some of the other reasons you should feel sorry for me and vote for Dad in the Middle and Kidmin1124:

I’ve never had IPad (1 or 2).
I’ve never even had an IPhone. I saw one once. It looked pretty cool.
I still use a PC for all of my computing needs.
My laptop weighs nearly two pounds, and that just isn’t good for my back.
I still use my cell phone primarily for making telephone calls!
My wife has an Ipod touch, but she won’t let me use it (not really, but remember I am trying to elicit pity).
Five out of six people in my house want me to win this competition (we won’t get into the details of #6 because I’m still bitter).
My kids really want to play with it.

Tomorrow, I start my attack adds focused on all my competitors!

Have You Voted for Dad in the Middle and Kidmin1124 yet (aka More Shameless Self-Promotion)

Have You Voted for Dad in the Middle and Kidmin1124 yet (aka More Shameless Self-Promotion)

Wayne — Tue, 15 Mar 2011 12:00:00 +0000

Well, I spent a good portion of yesterday trying to encourage people to visit Kids Ministry Blog Madness 2011 over on Ministry-to-Children.com and vote for:

Dad in the Middle (3rd Seed in the East); and
Kidmin1124 (7th Seed in the West).

I’ve posted on facebook. I’ve written articles. I’ve commented on other people’s articles. I piggybacked on other people’s facebook posts. Then I learned something I wasn’t aware of. There is apparently a prize for this things, and it MIGHT be something nice. So, I feel the need to…..ramp up the shameless promotion (did you think I was going somewhere else with that?). I thought to myself, “Self, what would be so shameless yet so irresistible that people couldn’t help but vote for Dad in the Middle and Kidmin1124. So, I recorded Nathan (my three year old):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-EPJOygm3SI

If you can resist that, you are clearly cold and heartless. You don’t want to be that, so go vote today! Love you guys! Thanks for the help!

Vote Dad in the Middle and Kidmin1124 (aka It’s On Like Donkey Kong)!

Wayne — Mon, 14 Mar 2011 12:00:00 +0000

It is that time again! Ministry-to-Children.com is running their annual children’s ministry March Madness competition! Last year, Dad in the Middle made it through the first round and actually finished second in our division in the sweet sixteen. It took a lot of shameless self-promotion, but I was pretty excited about it. So, the time has come again, and despite my sabbatical for the last couple of month, Dad in the Middle is part of the competition once again. This year we have some pretty steep competition. We are in the Third seed in the East Regional up against such great competition as Sam Luce, Matt McKee, Jamie Doyle, and many others. We’re also in the same division at huge publishers like Group’s Children’s Ministry Magazine and Lifeway. So, we’re going to need all the help we can get.

Go HERE and vote for Dad in the Middle (3rd Seed, Eastern Regional) NOW!

You won’t regret it. Oh, and since I won’t interrupt the mission of Kidmin1124.com to promote their inaugural appearance in the competition, make sure to vote for them too (7th Seed, Western Region). Let’s set up a showdown between Dad in the Middle and Kidmin1124 in the finals!

Thus begins my week of shameless self-promotion, smack talk, and hijacking other people’s blogs for my own benefit. It didn’t work out for me in our fantasy football league this year, so let’s see how it works in Kidmin Blog Madness!

A Sabbath Rest and A Spiritual Battlefield (My Plans for the Future)

Wayne — Tue, 18 Jan 2011 13:00:00 +0000

I am posting this article simultaneously on both Dad in the Middle and Kidmin1124 as this announcement affects both sites. It is with both a heavy heart and an excited anticipation for what God has next for me and my family that I make this announcement. After much reflection, even more prayers, and soliciting the advice of some godly men and women, I have come to conclusion that it is time for me to step away (or at least draw back significantly) for a season from my online ministry activities. Allow me first to explain why, secondly to explain what my new plan is and finally to explain what I intend to do with this season in my life.

Over the last year or so, I have been dealing with some health issues related to my back. While acknowledging my complicity in what led to the problems in the first place, numerous brothers and sisters in Christ have helped me to understand that these issues may very well have been some sort of spiritual attack resulting from my online ministry efforts to equip and encourage those who are dedicated to helping guide kids into the Kingdom of Christ. Thanks to God, our great and heavenly Physician, those issues have largely passed now with only minor lingering issues. Once those health issues were miraculously healed by God, I was able to spend more and more time with my wife and family, and God began to make something abundantly clear to me. Where I thought I had achieved balance in all of my activities, I found that my life was actually way out of balance, and my family was suffering for it. I began to sense/realize that my family was also likely under spiritual attack, and I had been largely ignorant of, and oblivious to, it. Over the last several weeks, I have wrestled with whether or not stepping away constitutes giving in and giving up in the spiritual battle. Through prayer and seeking the advice that I mentioned earlier, I am confident that stepping away, while not easy, is the right thing for this season of my life. God ordained the family as an important part of His plan, and my first priority must always be to protect my family and to find the balance that will allow me to effectively minister while not sacrificing the long-term health of my family. While I was initially hesitant about making this decision, God has through a series of events and circumstances made it abundantly clear to me that this is the appropriate, right and god-honoring decision for both me and my family at this time.

So, here is what I am planning to do and what you will see from me online. I have been contributing articles to Ministry-to-Children.com. Tony Kummer has been gracious in allowing me to reach a vast audience through his sight, and for that I am extremely grateful. For now though, unless clearly prompted otherwise by God to write something, those articles will stop. Dad in the Middle was where I first started writing online, and has really been the vehicle through which I have made a large number of great contacts in children’s ministry and otherwise. It is near and dear to my heart, and has been a vehicle to process my thoughts and share them with an audience of readers. I will miss is greatly, but my intention is to a break from writing there as well. Some articles are already scheduled and those will continue. If I feel prompted to write short articles from time to time about my kids or what is going on at church, I might do that depending on time availability – but you will not see new content very often on that site either – not nearly the 7+ articles per week that I have averaged for roughly the last couple of years. I have already promised some people that I would review their books and other products on the site, and I will keep those obligations. I may also post some additional reviews over time as I find it to be a great way to keep track of what I am reading. That said, you will likely not see the type of in depth articles that I have enjoyed posting for the last several years during this time of Sabbath. Most regrettably, I have decided to suspend the monthly Children’s Ministry Blog Patrol, which while it is one of my favorite features of the site, consumes an inordinate amount of time.

As for Kidmin1124, I fully believe in the mission of this site which is to build a community of people to help equip and support volunteers and those who lead them. We have assembled an amazing team of gifted writers who I learn from almost every day. In addition to writing for the site, I also serve as editor. One of our writers, Jared Massey, has graciously agreed to step up and fill in as editor during this time. Jared is an amazing guy with a passion for kids, and I have no doubt that he will do an amazing job in this role, and Kidmin1124.com will continue to tick along as a valuable resource for all volunteers and those who lead them. Again, I may still write an article from time to time as led by God, but my activity will be significantly reduced. For this time at least, you are more likely to find me in the comments to articles than writing them myself. I am still working out the details with Jared, but you shouldn’t notice any significant change in Kidmin1124 with the possible exception of the weekly newsletter. My plan is to continue to host the new 1 hour long Kidmin Volunteer Radio Program every other week. We have just started this new opportunity, and want to follow through on that.

Lastly, I should address what I plan to do with all that extra time. That is simple. I am going to renew and refresh my relationship with God. I am going to pray more and read more and listen more to God. I am going to seek him more fervently and pause to listen for his response. I am going to hold my wife closer and kiss her more often. I am going to find ways to woo her and show her just how much I love her. I am going to play more games with my kids, read to them more often, and watch cartoons until I can’t stand it anymore. I am going to fight my spiritual battle on the most important battlefield of all – that of my home and family. My activity in the local church will continue as usual – perhaps even more fervently. As with all the battles we face, I am grateful and confident knowing that I have the All Powerful Creator of All Things on my side. If God is for me, who can be against me?

I am still very very passionate about reaching kids for the Kingdom of Christ and helping others do the same in whatever way I can. That will not change – though the form that takes will be altered for a little while. I will not drop our of sight entirely. This community, and the people I have met, are too important to me for that. Right now, I don’t know how long this Sabbath will rest, but I trust God will let me know when the right time to come back is. For those who have read this far, I thank you for being a loyal reader, for being a friend and for motivating me to be the man that God created me to be. Your continued prayers during this time will be greatly appreciated.

Top 10 in 2010–Best Articles from The Children’s Ministry Blog Patrol

Wayne — Fri, 31 Dec 2010 14:00:00 +0000

Each month here on Dad in the Middle, I publish a monthly compilation of the best of the best in children’s ministry blog articles from the preceding month. It is known as the The Children’s Ministry Blog Patrol, and it seemed appropriate to pick my ten favorite articles/series from those compilations for the prior year. One caveat, I tried not to pick more than one article/series from each author, and it was tough!

1. Andy Johnson did a series on children and the gospel message. If you teach children, you should read through these articles carefully!

2. Kenny Conley did a series this year which examines various terminology that is used in Christian circles and churches which can be confusing to children.

3. Sam Luce did a great series on enduring in Children’s Ministry called Lessons for the Long Haul.

4. Jim Wideman consistently knocks it out the park with his series on his blog. It was hard to pick just one this year, but I went with this one the Spirit Led Teacher.

5. David Wakerley shared his list of what he looks for in people who work for him in this article titled So you wanna work for me?. I think we could all use this list as a goal for how we lead our Christian lives and ministries.

6. Karl Bastian offers his prediction and his hope for the future of children’s ministry in Greg Baird’s series called The Future of Children’s Ministry. You don’t want to miss this article.

7. If you are in children’s ministry, you need to read this article from Ryan Frank called 7 children’s pastors I stay away from. Ryan shares his list of seven children’s pastors that he avoids.

8. Roger Fields explored the problems with teaching kids about virtues at church in Problem with Virtues.

9. Matt McKee provided an insightful look at what has and hasn’t changed in children’s ministry over the last three years in his article titled 10 Things that have changed and not changed in #kidmin in the last 3 years.

10. This article called Story = Danger? appeared on David Wakerley ‘s blog and should be disqualified because David already has an article in this list. However, I’ve included this particular article in which he wonders whether or not it is appropriate to cut out the more gory parts of the Old Testament when teaching children more because of the comments and discussion that followed than the original article.

Top 10 in 2010 – My Favorite Posts

Wayne — Thu, 30 Dec 2010 14:00:00 +0000

Yesterday, inspired by Sam Luce (as I always am), I started a series of posts with my yearly top ten lists. Yesterday, we tackled the most popular posts of 2010. Today, I want to look at some of my favorites.

This Sunday [05/30/2010]
Why Yelling Doesn’t Work [12/03/2010]
A Glimpse Into God’s View of Divorce [12/02/2010]
My Birthday and the Book of Judges [08/26/2010]
On Missing and Being Missed [03/30/2010]
Them People Ain’t So Smart! (Children’s Ministry Moment #10) [07/09/2010]
Crazy For Jesus [07/27/2010]
Homework, A Devotional Time?? [09/15/2010]
The Power of the Cross and Children’s Ministry [10/19/2010]
Sharing the Gospel With Kids (10 Essential Gospel Truths for Kids) [12/09/2010]

Top 10 in 2010 – Top Posts/Pages

Wayne — Wed, 29 Dec 2010 14:00:00 +0000

Last year, I did a year-end post which included a number of lists from the year. This year I decided to rip off an idea from THE Sam Luce and do a series of posts up to (and maybe in) the new year summarizing some top ten items. In fact, I liked Sam’s idea so much, I almost stole (errr…..borrowed) his graphic as well, but I decided not to go that far!

This morning’s post is the top ten most popular posts/pages on this site based on views during the year.

A Dad in the Middle Apology

Wayne — Mon, 08 Nov 2010 15:05:16 +0000

I wanted to take a second to apologize for the barrage of posts yesterday, and apparently this morning, with my Twitter Weekly updates. No, I do not think that what I say in Twitter is so important that you need to read it 20 times. The Twitter Updates posts is an automated feature and, for some reason, that feature went berserk yesterday. So, I apologize for flooding your rss reader, for over-tweeting, for multiple posts to Facebook, for e-mails that went out multiple times, and for those on CMConnect that this glitch rocketed me up to #1 in “Today’s Leaders” on that site. I guess maybe that was the silver lining. The posts seem to have stopped for now – I hope! I am looking into to why it happened in the first place and hope to avoid a similar glitch in the future. I appreciate all of you who regularly read Dad in the Middle! I even appreciate those of you who only stop by every once-in-a-while.

Oh, and for the record, that’s not me in the picture, but it is how I felt trying to figure this whole thing out!

Dad in the Middle, Kidmin1124 and A Very Good God

Wayne — Tue, 21 Sep 2010 13:00:00 +0000

I first started blogging a little over two years ago, and I started earnestly blogging (meaning more than once a month or so) about a year-and-a-half ago. I also started Kidmin1124.com this past June as a collaborative blogging effort written entirely from the perspective of children’s ministry volunteers and bi-vocational children’s ministers. In addition to being a contributor to that blog, I also serve as its editor. In the time I have been blogging, I have really enjoyed working on both Dad in the Middle and Kidmin1124 (well, most of the time). At other times, I have actually felt like throwing in the towel. I regularly question and reevaluate the usefulness of the blogs and the amount of time they consume. Through it all though, I have felt God’s presence.

I can’t count the number of times I have relayed the story of how I started Dad in the Middle and how I was totally caught off guard and surprised when people actually started to read it and give me feedback on it. Recently, though, I have started to feel some conviction about my continued expressions of shock at the reception to these blogs. I started to wonder it, rather than humility, it was really a slight against My God. Why should I continue to be surprised that he can work through broken vessels like me to reach people with his message? My surprise was/is genuine, but as I continue to express to people my utter amazement that people would actually visit and read the blog, am I essentially saying “my God isn’t capable of working through something like this and it must be some fluke?” So, am I amazed that God chooses to work through Dad in the Middle and Kidmin1124? Yes, of course I am – in the same way that I am amazed daily by his grace, and in the same way I am floored by the realization that he died on a cross because of me and for me. Am I shocked that he can work through me? Absolutely not – if he can work through a donkey in the Old Testament, He can work through me today. Some might argue that there really isn’t much difference (ask my wife).

So, my hope is that I can adhere to the words of Paul when he wrote:

“Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord.” [2 Corinthians 10:17]

Don’t get me wrong. I’m not about to go around and tell people how wonderful my blogs are. But, I am going to, with God’s grace, learn how to take a complement. And, it is a complement and a honor to be included in Tony Kummer’s Ministry-to-Children.com 2010 List of The Top 100 Children’s Ministry Blogs. Tony’s blog was one of the very first children’s ministry blogs I found when I started looking around for them several years ago, and it quickly became one of my favorites. I am honored to contribute an article to that site from time-to-time as well. For the record, Dad in the Middle came in at 13th and Kidmin1124.com rolled in at 44. Here are my observations from Tony’s article:

Tony spent a lot of time putting this together. It was obvious from the rankings and confirmed by his comment. Thanks to Tony for all his hard work.
I know enough about most of the people behind the top blogs to know that they do not do what they do for the rankings or recognition. They do it because they love kids and they genuinely love those who serve them. I have learned so much from many of them that it is an honor to be ranked along with them.
One of Tony’s criteria was PPW (Post Per Week). I’m not sure how far back he went, but Dad in the Middle came in at 8.2 which was the highest of any of the Top 100 blogs. This confirms my long help suspicion that I am long-winded. Seriously though, I hope some of that quantity translates into quality.
One of things that clearly pushed Dad in the Middle higher in the ranking was my shameless self-promotion in Tony’s Children’s Ministry Blog Madness tournament last March. Thanks to all who voted for Dad in the Middle in that tournament.
I am happy to see Kidmin1124 on the list. The group of authors that have assembled over there is nothing short of astounding. I am happy to be collaborating with them, learning from them, and getting to know them more everyday. In short, I am grateful that God has placed them in my life, and I hope that Kidmin1124 becomes a growing community of people contributing and discussing issues important to and related to volunteers and volunteering.

Lastly, I would just like to thank all of you who read both Dad in the Middle and Kidmin1124. I have met a number of great people through these blogs, and I look forward to getting to know more of you.

Dad in the Middle: Plans for the Immediate Future

Wayne — Wed, 01 Sep 2010 13:10:00 +0000

Every once in a while, I like to step back and let the readers of this blog into my mind. I know it can be a very scary place, but I’ll do my best to keep the lights on and keep this trip shorter than usual! Relax, this is not another retrospective on this blog or a grand announcement of where we’re heading, but I did take some time during my Dark Week to reflect on blogging – what I do – and why I do it.

I have always said, and still do, that I blog principally as a means of processing my own thoughts and recording my own walk with Jesus. I find that writing things out helps me to process them in a way that nothing else does. However, something strange happened along the way, a God thing if you will, people started to read what I was writing and give feedback on the site. You can imagine my surprise! Suddenly, I felt God calling me (tugging me really) in a whole new direction to share my thoughts and experiences through blogging and allow him to use it to edify others. I try not to say “No” to God as much as possible, so I went ahead writing and trusted Him to use it however he wished.

Through blogging though, and other online endeavors, I’ve met a slew of wonderful people who work in kidmin. Not the least of those was Tony Kummer from Ministry-to-Children.com. Ministry-to-Children.com quickly became one of my favorite sites, and I was flabbergasted when Tony asked me to start writing for his site several months back. Given that Tony’s site would allow me to reach more people with the thoughts and ideas that God was laying on my heart, I quickly accepted and have published a number of articles on that site over the last several months.

Then, about 3 months ago, I got another idea – some might call it a wild hair, but I really felt like it was something else God was leading me to do. The more I talked to people online, the more I found out that many of those I had assumed were in full-time ministry were actually, like myself, either volunteers or working in a bi-vocational capacity. It seemed like that perspective was missing in the Kidmin blogging world, and so Kidmin1124.com was formed and launched on June 15th of this year. In the beginning, it was a collaborative effort of a core of four writers. We have since grown to ten writers. I am proud of the group we have assembled over there (in a “proud my God brought us all together” kind of way), and I am excited about the future and possibility for that site.

So, what does any of this have to do with Dad in the Middle? In recent weeks, I have felt a bit like the Church of Ephesus having forsaken my first love – that being Dad in the Middle in this case. I have invested countless hours in the launch and growth of Kidmin1124, and I have written what I have been told are some fairly good articles for Ministry-to-Children. In fact, I feel like over the last several months I have pushed some of the meatier stuff either to Kidmin1124 because it deals with issues relevant to volunteers or Ministry-to-Children because I feel like it has a wider readership and the articles will be more impactful there. That has, sadly, left Dad in the Middle relegated to my third choice for publishing articles. I don’t think what has been published here has been altogether bad, but I just feel like it has suffered.

So what? You ask, or don’t, I’m still going to tell you. Why I am sharing any of this? Well, because I needed an article for Wednesday of course! Just kidding. I am sharing because things are going to look a little bit different around here for the next couple or few weeks. I am going to focus on linking you to some of the articles I have published elsewhere which I think may be beneficial to our readers here. That sounded good didn’t it? I’m actually doing it because I have fallen woefully behind in posting those articles, and I have something in the hopper that I want to focus some attention on. There will be some articles mixed in along the way (the normal Monday Morning Prophecy, Saturday video, etc.) and next Tuesday is the day for the August installment of The Children’s Ministry Blog Patrol, but largely I will not be publishing new stuff on this site. I am excited about this new series and feel like it is something that needs to be written. So, when I come back to regular posting you can expect a ten / eleven part series which may just ruffle a few feathers. The idea has been percolating in my head for months now, and the need was made clear to me in a conversation with a friend at the CM Expo back in July. Maybe Tony will let me do a summary of it over on Ministry-to-Children once it’s all published.

Following that, my pledge is to spread the dearth (opposite of spreading the wealth) between all three sites. Let’s face it – I have a lot to say! I’ll leave it to all of you to figure out whether or not it’s worth reading…

500 And Still Counting!

Wayne — Fri, 20 Aug 2010 13:00:00 +0000

Well, today is officially my 500th post on Dad in the Middle, and it seemed like an appropriate time to take a stroll down memory lane, and what better way to do that than by hosting the official Dad in the Middle Awards show. Ladies and Gentlemen, please welcome our not-so-esteemed host….Me. So, let’s get started by category:

1. The award for Oldest post on Dad in the Middle goes to What Does God Hate?

You heard right. My very first post was about hate. Even more it was about things God hates – not a very popular topic in our “God is Love” culture. Originally published on Facebook on 7/28/2008, this post was inspired Proverbs 6:16-19.

2. The award for post with the greatest number of hits goes to Who Made God? (Questions Kids Ask).

The very first installment in the Questions Kids Ask series, this post has gotten more hits than anything else I have written to date.

3. The award for best take off on an annoying Facebook trend goes to 25 NOT SO Random Things About Me.

First runner up in the category of most popular post, and poised to step in should Who Made God? (Questions Kids Ask) not be able to fulfill it’s responsibilities is this little post I wrote back in April 2009. Inspired by the “25 Random Things About Me” craze that was going around Facebook at the time, this post is much less random in nature.

4. The award for article that really kicked off this blog goes to Nightline Debate – Is Satan Real?.

Between July 2008 and the publishing of this article, I wrote a grand total of 15 of the 500 total posts. This post marked the beginning of the remaining 485 posts from April 2009 through today. I did the math, that 485 posts in 510 days in case you’re counting. It’s a good thing this is Go Dark week! I need a break.

5. The award for best idea that turned into a ridiculous amount of work goes to The Children’s Ministry Blog Patrol.

When I started the Blog Patrol on April 7, 2009, it was a weekly feature and did not focus entirely on Children’s Ministry. That changed in July 2009 when the Blog Patrol went to a monthly format and narrowed its focus to Children’s Ministry. Each month, this post contains upwards of 100-200 posts from around the kidmin blogging world. It serves as a great resource for me to find my way back to useful articles, but it does consume quite a bit of time. Every time I think about ditching this monthly feature, someone tells me how useful they find it.

6. The award for most creative thing I ever posted is a tie between Someday and 50 Word Gospel.

Someday is actually a poem I wrote during last year’s Go Dark Week. The 50 Word Gospel was in response to a challenge from the Kid Tech blog. That was about as creative as things have been since Dad in the Middle started.

7. The award for my favorite “how to” post goes to 30 Ways to Get Connected with Your Kids.

This was actually one of my first posts on the work I was doing in Children’s Ministry. It got a great response, and is still one of my favorites.

8. The award for the post with the most significant impact on Dad in the Middle goes to 8 Questions to Determine How Proud You Are.

It wasn’t the post itself that was do significant, but a link to the site. David Wakerley from Kid Inspiration posted an article linking to my original article. In that post, he poked fun at the current name of the blog – Wayne’s Random Thoughts. That prompted me to come up with something else, and Dad in the Middle was born. I wasn’t entirely happy with the name at the time, but it’s stuck and there’s no looking back now.

9. The award for the most out of ordinary post goes to A Christmas Carol Advent.

This was actually a series and not an individual post. I decided to take a break from my normal posts and spend the 25 days in December leading up to Christmas analyzing and examining a variety of Christmas Carols. I had a lot of fun doing this series.

10. Our final award – for favorite exposition of a Biblical passage goes to 8 Reasons to Get Involved in Children’s Ministry from Psalm 78.

I love working with kids, and I really enjoyed expositing Psalm for the blog.

There you have. Thank you ladies and gentlemen for joining us for the 500th post. I hope you will come back for many more!

No related posts.

Ads or No Ads – What I Decided

Wayne — Wed, 21 Jul 2010 13:00:00 +0000

Dad in the Middle has become a bit of a labor of love for me. Sometimes I think I should give it all up, and I wonder whether it is all really worth the time. What I started as an outlet for me has become something that other people read. Every time I think about that, I am extremely humbled and somewhat astounded. That coupled with some very encouraging words from people I have met online and several that I spoke with last week at the CM Expo really encouraged me to persevere. I write what I write and publish what I publish not because I feel like I have anything special to offer but because people have expressed to me that it has been edifying to them.

With that introduction, the purposes of this post is to explain why I have decided to offer advertising space on this blog. I feel like this site has a loyal group of readers, and I felt like I owed you some explanation for the change. That said, I have some idea who those readers are, and I don’t think the advertising is going to be a put-off to them, but an explanation still seem warranted. When I started this blog, the thought of including advertising was the furthest thing from my mind. I never imagined that enough people would read it that anyone would even want to advertise (maybe they still won’t). Don’t get me wrong, the site doesn’t get massive numbers these days, but it does get enough that some people may want to advertise their products on the site.

As the site has grown, I’ve spent more and more time and more and more money on it, and if some of that money can be recouped from advertising, it seems like a win-win situation. Secondly, and more importantly, one of the purposes I have for this site is to be a source of information for people in children’s ministry. My hope is that the ads on the sight may expose you to products and services which you are not aware of but which would be beneficial to your ministry.

I have this tendency to over think things, and perhaps I have done that in terms of advertising, but I did actually wrestle with the issue of whether or not it was a good thing. I came to the decision that so long as could control three things, advertising on the site would be acceptable:

Advertisers cannot, and will not, impact what I decide to write about. My articles are guided (I hope) by biblical principals and my relationship with Jesus Christ. I can’t, in good conscience, alter my opinions, review, subjects or anything else because someone has chosen to advertise on this site. I do not set out to offend in anything that I write, but if an advertiser decides they don’t like something I’ve written and wants to remove their ad, that’s fine with me. I’m really only doing this to recover some costs – not to make money. I am beholden only to my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, not someone’s advertising dollar.
I will not advertise things which I find offensive or otherwise contrary to the goals of this website. I have total control over some of the advertising on this site, and will exercise that control to choose to advertise products which I think will be of benefit to the users of this site and consistent with my beliefs. For those avenues where I do not exercise total control (like Google Ads), I do monitor them as much as possible to make sure nothing offensive is included. If you see something I miss, please let me know about it.
My goal is that the advertisements would be a resource and not a detraction from the site. Personally, I don’t like sites where the advertising is more prominent than the content, and I don’t want Dad in the Middle to become that type of site. I will do everything I can to make sure that advertising is an addition to the site but not the main content.

There you have it. I may be the only one who ever reads this posts, but I feel better putting my criteria out there. If you are an advertisers and you feel like your product would be a good fit for Dad in the Middle, please feel free to click on one of the boxes to the right!

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Extra! Extra! Read All About It!

Wayne — Sat, 24 Apr 2010 12:00:16 +0000

Today, I have big news to share with the readers of this blog! It’s been a little over a year now since I started earnestly writing this blog here at Dad in the Middle. In that time, I have made a number of online acquaintances within the children’s ministry community who are also bloggers. I have learned a lot from them and have enjoyed sharing my own thoughts here on Dad in the Middle.

For those of you who are consistent readers of this blog, you know that one of my favorite sites for children’s ministry tips and ideas is Ministry-to-Children.com. Over the last year, I have participated a number of times in their Children’s Ministry Think Tanks, promoted their forums, participated in their Kidmin Blog Madness Tournament, and included their articles in the monthly Children’s Ministry Blog Patrol more than any other single blog. Ministry-to-Children.com is one of the largest and fastest growing children’s ministry sites on the internet today.

So, when Tony Kummer asked me to join the talented team of writers he has assembled for Ministry-to-Children, it was an opportunity which I had to jump at. So, I am pleased to announce that, starting today, I will be publishing several articles a month on that site as well.

Last night, my first article titled WHO IS WAYNE STOCKS? was published on Ministry-to-Children.com. The article introduces me to Tony’s readers and provides some insight into my personal mission when it comes to working with kids. I hope that by partnering with Ministry-to-Children.com I will be able to further that mission and ultimately assist in reaching more kids for the Kingdom of Christ.

So, where does that leave this site? Now that I am writing for Ministry-to-Children.com, where does that leave Dad in the Middle? My plan is to continue to write for Dad in the Middle. Given the additional articles to be published at Ministry-to-Children.com, the frequency of posts to Dad in the Middle may decrease, but I hope that the quality of the posts will not. Tony has asked me to write a handful of articles each month for his site. Given that I have a whole lot more than that to say, I imagine that I will still have plenty to write about here on Dad in the Middle.

Furthermore, as my articles are posted over on Ministry-to-Children.com I will post a brief synopsis and link to the article here for Dad in the Middle readers. I do not intend to duplicate posts from Ministry-to-Children.com on this site.

FYI, for those of you checking in for the normal Saturday morning video, make sure you check back tomorrow for the post I had originally intended for today.

Dad in the Middle Finally Has a Permanent Home

Wayne — Thu, 28 Jan 2010 01:38:59 +0000

After much debating and consternation, I finally decided to move Dad in the Middle to its own domain. When I changed the name of the blog several months ago, I purchased the domain name to go along with it, but in the end, I decided to move everything to WayneStocks.com instead. If I’ve done it right, all links should still work, but you might want to update your rss feeds and links going forward to make sure there is no interruption. Also, let me know what you think of the new layout. I’m not set on it yet, but I had throw something together! No housewarming gifts needed!

Dad in the Middle – The Year in Review

Wayne — Wed, 30 Dec 2009 14:00:49 +0000

In a couple of days, I intend to post on some New Year’s Resolutions and look forward to the coming year, but today I thought it made sense to look back at the past. Specifically, I thought it might be interesting to look back at the past year of this blog. As any of you who read these posts have probably surmised, I am a list person, and will get to some lists of best and most popular in a little bit. Before we do that though, I want to take just a bit to reflect.

It has been an exciting year for me here at Dad in the Middle. I started this blog back in the Summer of 2008 with a series on the Biblical Definition of Love. Not many people read it back then – which was OK. I mainly started the blog because I like to write out what I am studying, and I decided a blog might be an interesting way to do that and if a dozen people or so read it or got anything out those posts, that would have been fine! I continued along that way for a while and even wrote about a few other things. I took a couple of month break from writing anything at the beginning of the year, and the first post was not until February 21 when I posted I’m sorry…an open letter to my family and friends a combination of confession and testimony. After another month of two or three posts, something happened towards the end of March. I started to feel more and more called to try to use this blog more for the glory of God and less as my personal note taking site.

On March 29, I summarized an interesting Nightline Debate on the topic of “Is Satan Real?” After that, the posts became more and more frequent. On April 7 I started The Blog Patrol which has morphed several times during the year and become a popular feature on the sight. It is now a monthly feature called The Children’s Ministry Blog Patrol. Over the course of the year, my focus has also shifted from general issues related to Christianity to a greater focus on issues related to Children’s Ministry.

Another significant moment came following a post I did called 8 Reasons to Get Involved in Children’s Ministry from Psalm 78 in June. Following that post, David Wakerly was nice enough to link to it from his site Kid Inspiration. He was also kind enough to take a good natured dig at the unimaginative name of the blog (which at that time was Wayne’s Random Thoughts) which in his words “is what you call your blog before you realise there are approx. 18.7 million with the same title.” In his defense, there was a smiley face after that text! In all seriousness though, I had thought about changing the name previously and David’s post was enough to prompt me to come up with something we gave rise to renaming the blog Dad in the Middle.

There have been times throughout the year when I have considered taking a break from the blog or stopping altogether. Invariably, I get a comment or a kind word from someone who has found the blog useful. I have been, and continue to be, amazed how God has worked through this simple blog to affect lives. I suppose I shouldn’t be surprised though – he is a big God! I am looking forward to the coming year and what it will bring, but the following are some of my favorites from the past year:

TEN MOST VISITED POSTS/PAGES THIS YEAR

These are, very simply, the ten posts and/or pages which received the most traffic during the past year. The only one that really surprised me was that my About Me page made the cut, but I guess people want to see if what they’re reading was written by some nut job. I hope they weren’t too disappointed when they found out that is was!

I should point out that this list was compiled about two weeks ago. Since that time, The Real Christmas Story propelled itself up to #7 on the list from #12 and almost took over the #6 spot. Rather than redo the list, I thought I would mention it here!

MY TEN FAVORITE POSTS IN THE PAST YEAR

Some of my favorite posts to write did make it into the most popular list like 30 Ways to Get Connected with Your Kids, but many did not. The following are some of the stories I enjoyed the most and/or most enjoyed writing about.

TOP TEN UNDER-VIEWED POSTS

Then, there were a number of posts that just never took off, but I thought were worth reading (in my humble opinion). Feel free to check them out now.

TEN FAVORITE SATURDAY MORNING VIDEO POSTS

It didn’t happen by design, but Saturday morning has become a day where I generally post a video that I’ve come across that interested me. Here are some of my favorites.

TEN FAVORITE JUST-FOR-FUN POSTS

Sometime on Saturday mornings, and sometimes on other days throughout the week, I’ve posted videos or other items that are just for fun. I believe God gave us laughter for a reason. Here are some of my favorites!

TOP TEN (PLUS ONE) “LIST POSTS”

Finally, if you didn’t catch on before this recap, you should have by now – I’m a list person. I keep lists of lists. Technically, this is a list of lists, and since there were so many of them, I actually made this a Top Ten plus 1! These are some of my favorite list posts from the prior year.

Finally…an index!

Wayne — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 11:00:09 +0000

Well, it finally happened! Yesterday, I published my 200th article on this blog which means it is now officially impossible to find anything. I maintain (as time permits) index pages for each of the series on this blog, but there was no easy way to find a specific article or to browse articles on a given topic. So, I am pleased today to announce that I have added an INDEX to Dad in the Middle. A button appears at the top of every page allowing you to access the index. Please let me know what you think!

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Wayne’s Random Thoughts Is Now “Dad in the Middle”

Wayne — Thu, 11 Jun 2009 02:58:21 +0000

So, I got a little bit a grief about the name of blog today from Dave Wakerly over on his blog [Kid Inspiration]. Here is what he had to say:

Love this post from Wayne Stocks brilliant random thoughts blog, which is what you call your blog before you realise there are approx. 18.7 million with the same title. (Man, I really know how to build up and tear down in one sentence)

I appreciated the link to my post and also the good natured ribbing about the name of my blog. I have been meaning to come up with something for a while, and his post inspired me to try something new today. So, I am pleased to announce that I am changing the name of this blog (for the time being) to:

Dad In The Middle

Why Dad in the Middle? Well, one of my favorite Casting Crowns songs is Somewhere In The Middle about how we live torn between our old self and our new seld in Christ. I like it so much, I did a little expository post on it several months back. You can find it here if you\’re interested! I was thinking about just going with the song title for the title of my blog, but someone already owns the rights to Somewhereinthemiddle.com, and I wanted to pick a name where I can migrate to a unique URL in the future if I like it. So, I needed something else. Dad just seemed like a natural fit. One of the many things God has blessed me with is four wonderful kids and the privilege of being their Dad. The little about me blurb on my blog has always read “I am a devoted follower of Christ, a husband, a father and a dedicated Children’s Ministry Worker” and Children’s Ministry Worker in the Middle just seemed too long!

Anyhow, please leave a comment and let me know what you think of the new name. I’m not set on it, and if you can think of something better, I might just steal it!

Announcement: Plans for the future of “Wayne’s Random Thoughts” Blog

Wayne — Sun, 07 Jun 2009 13:00:06 +0000

To those of you who frequent this site, I wanted to update you on my plans – at least as they now stand. I never really had a plan when I started the blog other than sharing my thoughts about God, the Bible, Children’s Ministry, etc. Since sometime in March, I have posted a new article every day (with a couple of exceptions), and I have really enjoyed it. Unfortunately, I am now at the point where keeping up that schedule takes up too much of my time. So, for the near future at least, I plan to cut back a little. Here is what I am thinking:

1. I have been posting my chapter-by-chapter synopsis of Tedd’s Tripp’s book Shepherding A Child’s Heart on both Sunday and Thursday. I think I am going to cut out the Sunday post and just post a new entry each Thursday. That will leave Sunday as a day off for church and spending more time with the old family – seems appropriate. I may occasionally post on Sundays, but as of right now, I’m not planning on it. I have other books for which I am planning similar series once we’re done with Shepherding a Child’s Heart.

2. I still intend to post an entry in the Monday Morning Prophecy each Monday. I may go to en every-other-Monday schedule at some point, but I’m not planning on that for right now.

3. Tuesday is still ogoing to be reserved for The Blog Patrol a weekly round up of the best blog entries from the blogs I review. This is a popular feature on the blog which I’m not intending on changing it anytime in the near future.

4. I don’t know if anyone has noticed, but Saturday has become a day mostly for video posts of fun stuff I find from around the web related to Christianity, Children’s Ministry, the Bible, etc. So long as I keep finding stuff, I plan to continue this, but I may take the occaisional Saturday off.

So, that leaved me weekly “series” for Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday. Sunday is a day off. So, that leaves Wednesday and Friday. My plan, for the near term anyhow, is to post an entry on one of these two days. That entry may be a continuation of one of the other series: I Believe, A Love That Surpasses All Knowledge, or Questions Kids Ask. Or, it may be some other issue based on the sciptures I am studying, my work in Children’s Ministry, or some other issue.

I have found that this blog, and recording my study and thoughts, has deepened my walk with God, and I hope that in some small way God may use it to influence others for his glory. I hope that this post helps to bring you up-to-date on what I am planning for it going forward.