Author Archives: Ministry Tools Resource Center

Winter Season Reminders of God

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Using winter scene displays or decor is one way to remind people of our Creator God. We can also use activities or take home handouts with a winter theme to serve as reminders of God’s truth. God Himself uses word pictures in Scripture that sometimes pull in a seasonal reference like Isaiah 1:18. — “Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow.” That image reminds us that we have a merciful and gracious God.

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Crafts & Other Activities that Tie into the Winter Season

Children especially learn through repetition so the more we depict a lesson’s truth in different ways, the more we will reinforce what they’re learning. A winter themed craft or activity might use a verse unrelated to the season to reinforce that day’s lesson but it can serve a dual purpose of pointing them to the Creator of all things.

Religious Snowman Bookmarks    Jesus Warms My Heart Sweater Ornament Craft Kit    Snowman Paddle Ball

Handouts or Take Homes with a Winter Theme to Serve as Reminders of God

Church Bulletins

Other Handouts

Interested in Ministry Resources for Other Seasons?

Go to: Seasonal Ministry Resources

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Winter Scenes Display the Wonders of Our God

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We serve a God who created the world to be divided into seasons, winter being one of them.

It was you who set all the boundaries of the earth; you made both summer and winter. (Ps. 74:17)

As long as the earth endures, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night will never cease (Gen. 8:22)

Our creative God has provided us with a backdrop that displays His wonders which we can visualize in our classrooms, homes, and other locations as a means of pointing people to the Creator.

Ministry Ideas for Seasonal Displays Using Winter Scenes

Not every place in the world experiences snow during the winter. For some it may be just a more barren time of the year with the promise of spring on its heels. Whatever our environment, we can see the hand of God.

Links to other sites will open in a new page to keep the list available to look at additional ministry resources. Where possible, we link to merchants with whom we have an affiliate relationship, such as being an Amazon Associate from whom we earn from qualifying purchases. These sites may use cookies to track your activity to ensure that Ministry Tools Resource Center gets commissions from any sales.

Bulletin Boards for Winter:
Bulletin Board for Winter Season Ministry

Wintery Decorations & Classroom Decor:

Interested in Ministry Resources for Other Seasons?

Go to: Seasonal Ministry Resources

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Leaving Church Changed?

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When We Follow the Light We Leave Changed
We have good, life-changing news. The Gospel touches every need. We move from death to life and from out of darkness into His glorious light. God intends for us to not only have eternal life but that we live in His abundant life and light right now, every day. Each encounter with God and His Word has the potential of changing us from the inside out. Here’s the question for us: Are people leaving our churches changed? — How sad when it’s like they were never there!

The Need for Change

Perhaps people come with burdens that seem too heavy to bear. Maybe they come with a bad habit or sin they just can’t overcome. People may come empty spiritually. Or, perhaps they come never having put their trust in the Lord to save them.

  • How sad when they leave unchanged!
  • How sad when it’s like they were never there!

Even those who may seem to have it together still have room for growth. None of us have obtained all there is to life in Christ and what He wants to do in and through us. We each, with the Apostle Paul, must say, “I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me” (Phil. 3:12).

  • How sad when we think we don’t need to change!
  • How sad when any of us leave like as though we were never there!

The Goal of People Leaving Church Changed

You’ve probably heard it said, “Aim at nothing and you’ll hit it every time.” If we want to see changed lives, we must prayerfully and purposefully head in that direction. What will it take to experience the presence and power of the Lord in our midst? What will it take to “grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ” (2 Pet. 3:18)?

  1. We must purposefully point people to a God who is great enough and caring enough to make a difference in their lives. (Ps. 145:3; Prov. 14:27; Rom. 8:28)
  2. We must purposefully work at connecting with the whole person and show people how the unconditional and all-encompassing love and power of the Lord reaches into every aspect of their lives. (2 Cor. 1:3-4; 1 Thess. 5:23; Heb. 4:12)
  3. We must purposefully help people get beyond head knowledge about God and His Word by presenting it as the life-changing, powerful Book it is that affects everything we do. (Ps. 19:7-11; 2 Tim. 3:16-17)
  4. We must purposefully encourage people to engage with God and His truth right there in our gatherings rather than remain passive bystanders. (Col. 3:16-17; Eph. 4:16)
  5. We must be the kind of leaders and teachers who authentically and purposefully model seeking after God and allowing His power to work in and through us. (Acts 20:28; 1 Pet. 5:2-3; Titus 2:7-8)

Pray to this end, trusting God to work in people’s lives, including your own.

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Who God Is Reflected in What God Does

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To gain a glimpse into who God is, take a look at what God does. We could go book by book through the Bible and examine many wondrous works of the Lord to learn about the kind of God we have. Here, however, we’ll examine just three of His wonders and discover numerous attributes that make Him a God worthy of our praise and devotion.

Who God is as the God of Creation

Who God is, His greatness, Reflected in What He Does Like CreationThe Bible provides many accounts of God’s activity beginning with creation. What kind of God would be able to speak the heavens and earth into existence (Gen. 1-2; Ps. 33:6, 9) as described in Scripture?

Such a majestic, strategically designed masterpiece shows us we have an all-powerful, creative, wise, purposeful, and sovereign God of order. This is the God we love, serve, and worship. — “You are worthy, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they were created and have their being.” (Rev. 4:11)

For an alphabetical listing of traits it would take to be the kind of God who could create the heavens and earth, check out the Our Great God from A to Z Discipleship Tool Download. It includes that plus four other alphabet renderings about who God is and what He does.

How Scripture Reflects the Kind of God We Have

The writing, compilation, and preservation of the Bible is a testament to the kind of God we have. The Bible describes itself as inerrant, sufficient, dynamic, and powerful truth that is able to make us wise for salvation and thoroughly equip us for every good deed (2 Tim. 3:15-17; Heb. 4:12).

Only an eternal God of absolute truth, knowledge, wisdom, and perfection could produce such a comprehensive and cohesive manuscript though written over the course of time using many human writers. He not only sets the standard but is the Standard. These are the words of a God we should long to meditate on and follow in all we do. — “They are more precious than gold, than much pure gold; they are sweeter than honey, than honey from the honeycomb.” (Ps. 19:10)

What God Does in Salvation Reflects His Character, His Essence

We don’t have to look around us but just peer into our own hearts and we have to admit that we all miss the mark. We keep messing up, if not in our words and actions, in our attitudes. Scripture puts it this way: “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Rom. 3:23) — “For I know that good itself does not dwell in me, that is, in my sinful nature. For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. For I do not do the good I want to do, but the evil I do not want to do – this I keep on doing.” (Rom. 7:18-19) — Here’s the real problem: “the wages of sin is death” (Rom. 6:23)

Because He is holy, righteous, and just, God can’t ignore sin. Yet, He is also a God of love who doesn’t want anyone to perish in their sin (Matt. 18:14). So, in His mercy and grace, He bridged the gap for us in Christ Jesus who, though perfect, died in our place, taking the punishment our sin deserved. Hence, if we receive Him and believe in His name (Jn. 1:12-13), our sin is forgiven and we’re made right in the eyes of God — by grace through faith (Eph. 2:8-9). This is a God we can trust to deliver us eternally from the penalty of sin and also from the power of sin in our lives here and now.

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Priority Objectives for a Youth Director

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We live in challenging times to be a youth director but more than ever teens need a positive influence in their lives as they face difficult moral choices, mental and emotional turmoil, shattered trust in authority, and attacks on a biblical worldview. They need hope, a sense of belonging, and an identity securely rooted in truth.

Top Priority for a Youth Director

Love the Top Priority for a Youth DIrector
First and foremost, youth leaders need a love for the Lord that spills over into a heart for the teens (Matt. 22:37-40). If one or both of these are missing, teens will soon notice and ministry will be less effective.

Love for the Lord keeps Him first and in the center of what we do.

Love for the teens gives us the motivation to invest into them and the youth ministry with the intent of helping them learn to love the Lord too. As He becomes their all in all, they’ll find Him to be enough even in their most difficult days.

Out of love for the Lord comes an authenticity that speaks volumes to youth, probably more than all the actual words we could speak. Out of love for teens comes an atmosphere of acceptance, respect, and security which appeals to deep-rooted needs within them and opens them to further ministry.

Three Objectives for Those Leading Youth Ministry

With love as our primary driving force, we’re ready for ministry.

  1. Understand youth and their culture and meet them there.

We need to meet teens where they are to take them to where they should be, to go deeper in their walk with the Lord. If we don’t understand how they view life, the messages we send might not get through the way we intend. They might hear something different than what we think we’re communicating. Find help at: Youth Ministry Resources

  1. Build community within the youth group, making the emphasis about relationships — first with God and then with us and the other teens.

Take time to read the blog post, The Focus of Youth Ministry. From this focus, we then strategize or plan out our youth program and meetings. What can we do to help them “grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ” (2 Pet. 3:18), to love Him more? What can we do to help them know one another better, not to be cliquish, but to engage in true body life to help each other grow? What can we do to let them know we care?

  1. Disciple, or mentor, them in their love relationship with the Lord.

Youth ministry needs to be about more than fun activities or hanging out. It even needs to be about more than simply learning “about” God or gaining head knowledge from the Bible. Teens need help navigating through life with Christ at the helm. Some of that can happen in a large group setting, but it will take more. They need to see an example. They need to be nurtured. They need feedback and debriefing. This best happens one-on-one and/or in small groups. Some can take place through texting, social media, and the like, but we must never let that replace face to face ministry. Check out the Shepherding Ministry section on the MinTools.com site. Start by reading through all the general pages and then under venues, hone in on the discipleship posts. Though these pages don’t specifically target youth ministry, the principles apply.

Sure, there’s more a youth director must do like planning and scheduling activities, service projects, group dynamic, parent relations, dealing with conflict and discipline issues, staffing, working with a budget, etc. However, with priorities and main objectives as suggested above, we’re headed in a good direction with lots of ministry potential.

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A Love Letter to God

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Express Worship in a Love Letter to GodSometimes people in love write love letters to each other, admiring the person for who he/she is and what they do. Expressing feelings in writing, whether that be an actual letter, text, or e-mail, may seem easier than over the phone or in person. If we love the Lord with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength (Mk. 12:30), perhaps we’d do well to take time to write a love letter to God. He’s already written of His great love for us through His Word.

God Wants Praise and Worship that’s Written from the Heart

God already knows what’s in our heart so writing Him a love letter may be as much for our benefit as for His. Nonetheless, praise is good and fitting for His people (Ps. 33:1). It helps reinforce within us the great God we have.

Whatever we write in praise to our Lord needs to be more than lip service, merely saying what we “should” say (Mk. 7:6; 1 Jn. 3:18). God looks for authentic worship, that which is done “in spirit and truth” (Jn. 4:23-24). — “Praise the LORD, my soul; all my inmost being, praise his holy name.” (Ps. 103:1)

To get beyond mere words to expressions of the heart …
think about what you know to be true about God,
meditate on those truths until it stirs up a reaction within you,
and then articulate how you feel to Him.

Example of a Love Letter to God

My Dearest Lord,

What a joy it is to love someone as special as you. I’m consumed with awe thinking about you. Words can’t accurately describe just what you mean to me. I love you so much!

You make me glad to be alive. You give purpose to my life. Even in the darkest night I know you’re there caring and helping me all the way. And, you always seem to know what’s best. You’re so dependable and faithful, someone I can always count on. You deserve more praise and honor than anyone I know.

All you do is filled with splendor. Yet, I love you not just for what you do but for who you are. You are fairer than the fairest. You are so gentle, yet you know precisely when to be firm. Your love for me is greater than the sands of the ocean. How can I help but love you?

Now, I want you to know: I’m not just a secret admirer. I’m not ashamed to let the world know I love you. I want them to see how handsomely fine you are. Dressed in your majesty, you excel all others. You are number one.

You are kind and gracious, filled with goodness and love. Anyone should be proud to belong to you! I’m glad you’re mine. I love you so.

Eternally yours,

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