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Something happens to me on the hill—the nearby sledding hill. I know that I shouldn't do it but the longer I stand there the more I feel a compelling urge to strap on the snowboard. So I do, and the results are predictable if not laughable. Every ten to twenty feet, I entertain everyone with a fall. Some are spectacular, others quite graceful. When the hill bottom rescues me from misery, I vow to stop. But by the time I get back to the top…

Over lunch recently, I summed up my snowboard skills. "I'm just not good," I said.

"But dad, you always get up and try again, and that's cool," my son assured me.

This month, our country celebrates Martin Luther King, Jr. Day. Among a lifetime of notable achievements, Dr. King combined four simple words into one of the most memorable phrases ever spoken, "I have a dream." So what do these words and snowboards have to do with children's ministry? Plenty.

With a fresh year underway, most of us have at least one or more new dreams for our ministries. What is your dream for the next twelve months? The answer to that varies widely. Some want to move into new facilities. Some picture sorely needed new volunteers or staff. An outreach program. New curriculum. Training. Mentoring. Others might dream that the church will begin to understand the critical role of your ministry.

You have a dream for your ministry because you are a leader and in a position to chase that dream. And the best news of all is that as you try to build His Kingdom by reaching and teaching kids, you can rely on God (I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. Philippians 4:13). Just don't dismiss your dream as too big, too much, or too anything! The Promiseland ministry (Willow Creek Community Church), as it exists today, started with a simple dream of a better way for a kids' program.

As snowboarding taught me, expect challenges, setbacks, and spills. Just make sure to get back up. If necessary, go to a quiet place—maybe a hilltop somewhere—look at the ministry, tighten the straps, and try it again.

And, according to my son, loosening up and bending at the knees will help.

David Staal, senior editor of Today's Children's Ministry, serves as the president of Kids Hope USA, a national non-profit organization that partners local churches with elementary schools to provide mentors for at-risk students. Prior to this assignment, David led Promiseland, the children's ministry at Willow Creek Community Church in Barrington, Illinois. David is the author of Words Kids Need to Hear (2008) and lives in Grand Haven, MI, with his wife Becky, son Scott, and daughter Erin.

Copyright © 2006 Promiseland.

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