Making the Most of Your Summer Break
 “School’s out! School’s out! Teacher let the monkeys out!” Do you remember the excitement you had as a child as you ran out the school doors for the last time? Can you remember daydreaming about what you would be able to do that summer? As kids, we just basically went along with whatever Mom and Dad planned for us and it was all so easy. But now, as Christian leaders, the birth of Summer reminds us of camps, Vacation Bible Schools, mission trips, and various other activities for our kids. And now it is OUR responsibility to plan them . . . AHHHH! If we are not careful, we will plan the entire summer, jumping from one activity to the next, just trying to “keep our nose above water,” and neglecting to enjoy the time ourselves. Have you ever taken a group of kids to the zoo and had one child who constantly ran from one exhibit to the next? He could not wait to see the monkeys, but once he got there, he watched them for fifteen seconds, then raced ahead to see the polar bears? We sometimes do that with our ministries...we are so “busy” that we do not enjoy and learn from each event. I would like to challenge you to do two things this summer: Reflect and Cast!
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Developing a connection with a child is critical to being able to communicate with them and teach him about the Bible. A couple of weeks ago, I walked back into our new member's class for the Ambassadors program. I noticed a boy in the class who had his head down and apparently wanted nothing to do with what was being taught in the class room. This was his first week; his mom, who didn't attend our church, had dropped him off. But he just hadn't connected with anyone yet. There was no leader or boy present who had previously developed a relationship with this boy.