REI store. We would grab a coffee at one of fav coffee shops and head to REI and spend hrs just roaming the isles...total bliss!
Can you imagine a generation with this kind of faith? I can, because that is why I'm here doing what I'm doing...Partnering with you, the parent, invest in this Next Generation, that will trust God and do what He asked them to do, even when it seems so, so crazy! 
Take some time this week the review these passages and talk to your child about the difference between happiness and joy and what gives you joy. Take some time and get away, "go smell the flowers". The Family Devotional that was sent home this last weekend has a great activity called Nature Walk - get out, unplug and enjoy God's creation with your family!
GOKIDS! Grand Opening!Have a great week and thanks for Investing in the Next Generation! Pastor Steve
Working Moms that call Heritage Church, Bettendorf Campus your home church...the first 3 moms that email me, Pastor Steve, will receive a FREE book titled Working Moms 411: How to manage Kids, Career and Home.
Parents,Enjoy this bible study with your family. Pastor Steve
I Will Be Kind When Others Are Mean! and the bible story was out of 1 Samuel 26:1-25. The story when David decided not to harm King Saul when he had a chance. All it takes is 5 minutes on any playground in America and you can see the opposite of this teaching acted out in our young kids. Kids can be mean, kids choose to retaliate, kids get meaner, kids retaliate more. Sounds like these kids are watching CNN and just acting out what they see adults and governments doing around world. So how do we teach our kids to BE something different? The same way we BE different. In Pastor John's message last weekend, he talked about "following our appetite"(what we feel like doing). Listen again to his message here.
I wasn’t sure who started the saying “The Dog Days of Summer”, so I Google it…
Hope to see you and your family on Saturday at 9:30am sharp, Pastor Steve
Kids Team,
This team continues to blow my mind, there is no other Kids team that has this passion for each other and a mission to Invest in the Next Generation!
These are just things I saw but in every classroom and on the Hub there were people that sacrificed their time and energy for the Next Generation. You are called the Kids Ministry at Heritage and I praise God for you every week! You inspire me to be a better father, a better husband, a better Pastor and a better Jesus follower!
In the Kids Ministry we may not see the fruits of our labors very often, but we can join in celebration when fruit is produced. This last week at the Youth Camp (view video here) four teens gave their lives to Christ. What an incredible feeling to be part of a team that changes eternity. We are like the farmers that get the soil ready. We till up the dirt, we add some fertilizer and then we throw seed down and pray for a crop!
Have a great week! Steve
The title to this weekends teaching seems to be pretty simple, "keep doing what is right". But its much more difficult than it sounds. First, what the world tells us that is right is many times different than what the Bible says. Second, our flesh wants/desires many things we know is clearly not "right". Third, we have an enemy that is constantly lying to us, accusing us, and waging war on us.Take these 4 things and talk to your family on ways you can implement them in your life. Each person in the family may have different conclusions, and that's OK. Talking about them is the most important act.
The Family Devotional this week has two great activities, one activity is all about Acts of Random Kindness. Nice coincidence that Heritage has Do Something...Now event this weekend! Show up at 9:30 this Saturday at Bettendorf Campus and do something great with your family
Pastor Steve
Godly friends in our children's lives, that is a wish I think all us parents have. As your child gets older their friends play a much larger role in the influences in their life. Statistically, parents are still the biggest influence (let me repeat that again...Parents you are the Biggest Influence in your child's life!) in a child's life but friends begin to play a larger role. This is one of my most common prayers, not only for my son but on weekends for your kids. That God will begin to shape Godly friends with Godly parents now, for our children. Prepare these friends and parents now before they ever get into elementary, JR and High schools.
Parents,We parents, have some difficult decisions to make if we want to teach our kids about Wants vs. Needs! The Family Devotional has 1 activity that talks about Needs vs. Wants. The other activity is about serving others and you will have a great opportunity on July 17th, Do Something...Now! Event. Stay tuned to this blog for information about family friendly events.
Enjoy some time with your family, Pastor Steve
In this story, when David was at the front lines talking to the men in the army, David said, "Who is this uncircumcised Philistine that he should defy the armies of the living God?" And then David was summoned to speak to the King and David said the same thing and that he, David, would kill the Goliath.
It's midsummer and you need something to do with your Toddler/Preschooler and it needs to be cheap and easy!
Many times we are quilted into attending another bible study, or a home group, or whatever and it doesn't change the way we think about God or people. Please, I'm not saying bible studies are not important, putting on the full armor of God is very important and fellowship with other believers is also very important but if these "tasks" do not transform you then you are just attending an event and going through the motions. Believe me, I love checking off my to-do list, sometimes I even put stuff on my list that I have already done just so I can check it off! But my relationship with God should not be that way, it should not be a check list. The stupid carpenter did just as much work as the wise carpenter to build the house but the difference was the foundation. The houses look the same from the curb but the one house will stay fixed into the solid foundation when the storm hits.
One of my favorite verses comes from this chapter, 1 Samuel 16:7, "Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The LORD does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart." What an important message to teach a young boy or girl. Preschool can be hard time for some kids as this age they begin to learn about what the world sees as attractive. But this verse says something different than the world teaches us, God looks not at outward appearances, but at the Heart!
Children often don't want to go to bed and the continual battle night after night is draining, causing many parents to just give up and allow children to stay up later. Don't fall into this trap!
As I read through these passages, I relate most to Thomas, he is the one that gets the bad rap for doubting ("a Doubting Thomas") but I'm sure all the disciples doubted at one time or another. Here is the Messiah, the Returning King, the Son of God, the one who performed miracles, raised people from the dead...and HE was dead in a tomb. That's not how the story was suppose to go, not the story book ending that we want for any saviour. But that was God's plan and many times as we are in the thick of a difficult time we have a hard time seeing God's plan. I know I have been in times in my life where I'm asking God, "what are you doing, I don't get it?" but after the fact I can look back and see what God wanted to teach me. And its through these difficult times, when we persevere that that we grow, as the bible verse states (James 1:2-3).
this last weekend was the last lesson of the series called Center Stage. This series taught your child that worship is showing God that we love him. The next 8 weeks we will be in a series called Ten Hut (check out the intro video), a study of King David in the Old Testament. Back to this last weekend...The PreK/K class learned about "I worship God Because He Loves Me!" and the bible story came from John 3:1-18, 19:1-41, 20:1-9, where we read about Jesus' death and resurrection. Take some time this week and talk with your child about Jesus and what He did on the cross and why, what it means to you.
As I reflect on Fathers Day and look around at all the boys in our Kids Ministry that have NO positive men figures in their lives I must call on the men of my church that are not serving. I ask you to pray about serving in the PreK/K or Elementary classes 2 times per month.Contact me if you want to help Invest in this Next Generation, Pastor Steve
To all the Fathers out there I want to wish you a happy Fathers Day! And now for some challenging words to all fathers (including ME). According to a recent poll the percentage of dads that answered that they NEVER engage in the following activities: You are being watched! Dads are always “on stage,” and that awareness should add extra motivation to speak and act responsibly. Each of us Dads should be challenged regularly by these simple questions:
There is no such thing as the perfect Dad but we do need to strive to be the Men that God has called us to be. Pastor Steve
