EquipU Clubs Edition

Thanksgiving Shipping Schedule

jgillen — Mon, 17 Nov 2008 19:31:00 GMT

Thanksgiving is quickly approaching! In order to have any orders shipped before the Thanksgiving holiday, please make sure they are in by midnight, Tuesday, November 25th. All orders in by that time will be shipped on Wednesday, the last shipping day before Thanksgiving.

For orders placed after the 25th (November 26th - November 30th), these items will ship on Monday, December 1st.

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact us at clubs@kids4truth.com. Thank you!

Required Listening - Hitchens and Wilson

BobRoberts — Sat, 15 Nov 2008 18:56:00 GMT

This is a worth-your-time debate on the existence of the Christian God between Douglas Wilson and atheist Christopher Hitchens.

It is about 100 minutes in length and about a 40MB download.

Here's the LINK

***WARNING*** Hitchens mutters the occassional expletive and during a Q&A session one member of the audience quotes Hitchens' work which uses some foul language.

Here are a few reasons why I encourage Christians to regularly listen to debates like this (at least a few times a year):

1. Because all Christians are commanded to give an answer with meekness and respect (1 Peter 3:15). You need to know the questions and objections so that you can answer them. We are living in a post-Christian age...and we will be witnessing to atheists more and more. There is simply no reason to be fearful of them and their arguments unless you have not equipped yourself. One reason I listen to debates like this is to help sharpen my evangelism.

2. It demonstrates the primacy of one's worldview. Hitchens is an atheist...and he interprets everything through that filter. Wilson is a believer in the triune God...and he interprets everything through that filter. Hitchens begins with reason (or what he perceives as reason). Wilson begins with the Bible. (There is a fascinating discussion of reason and logic between the two debaters near the end. Notice the tangled web Hitchens gets himself caught in. The bottom line is at some point we all hit bedrock.) ***NOTE*** I appreciate the fact that Wilson states that one cannot reason themselves to God. Wilson is a solid presuppositionalist and he understands that unless God is gracious to open up one's eyes through the truth, no amount of evidence, data, facts will convince the unbeliever to become a believer. There needs to be a fundamental/presuppositional/bedrock change in thinking. Hitchens has man at the center of his universe, in particular himself, and therefore needs to repent. And he won't repent unless God grants him repentance.

3. It should cause you to grieve over the lostness and blindness of the atheist and pray for God's grace to open eyes.

4. Most of us live in a comfortable Christian subculture away from the bothersome challenge that the atheistic worldview brings our way. Stop it. God didn't call you to live a comfortable life. It shoud stir up a righteous passion in you to confront the culture because you hold, in your jar of clay, life saving and life changing truth by the grace of God. And we know how God has used this truth in our lives so it stands to reason based on His nature and promises that he'll do it for others too.

5. Realize that we can engage non-biblical viewpoints with humility, while still weilding the sharp edge of the truth with authority.

I also found this LINK to what is probably my favorite Christian-V-Atheist type debate ever.

I hope that you will benefit from these solid resources.

Now Available! - More Discoverers TruthTime Teacher Lesson Plans

marrena — Wed, 12 Nov 2008 20:08:05 GMT

Throughout the next few months we will be adding six additional Discoverers lesson plans for each Doctrinal Theme and renumbering all Discoverers lesson plans to make it clear where the lessons fit.

The original four Discoverers lesson plans for each Doctrinal theme were written using the Q&A from the Discoverers B TruthBook as the main point for each lesson plan. This works for most churches as they study each Doctrinal theme for 3-4 weeks. The Key Truth and the Q&A studied in the lesson plan goes along with the Doctrinal Theme that is studied.

However, we have some churches who have requested additional lesson plans for this age group for some of the following reasons:

Their older levels are studying just one Q&A a week and they want to keep the Discoverers on the same Q&A as their older children. To do this, it would be helpful to have one lesson plan for each of the Q&A studied in both Discoverers B and Discoverers C TruthBooks.
They have different classes for children in Discoverers B and Discoverers C and would like to have lessons to specifically address the Q&A in Discoverers C TruthBooks. The additional Discoverers lesson plans are being written using the Q&A from the Discoverers C TruthBook.
They use the Discoverers Teacher Lesson Plans for their Developers. They like the graded down format and extra activities within the lesson plans. However, some of these churches are covering just one Q&A a week and would like a lesson plan for each Truth.
They do not want to teach the same TruthTime Lesson plans two years in a row. Having more lesson plans available allows them to rotate through the lesson plans.
They are using a 12 month curriculum year and want extra material for those months that have five weeks.

By adding additional Discoverers lesson plans we are adding to the flexibility of the program. Any lesson plan listed under a specific Doctrinal theme can be taught for that Doctrinal Theme. The director for your program should decide how your church will use the lesson plans. Churches who were happy with the four lesson plans can continue to use the program as they have in the past (these lesson plans are labeled with a "B").

Flexible Discoverers Scenarios

Separate Classes for Discoverers A, B, and C: If your church uses TruthBook A, B and/or C each year AND teaches the children separately, use the Discoverers lesson plans written for the TruthBook studied in that classroom.
1. TruthBook B has 4 lesson plans for each Doctrinal Theme
  1. 12 Month Curriculum Year: use all 4 lesson plans for each Doctrinal theme.
  2. 9 Month Curriculum Year: use 3 lesson plans for each Doctrinal theme.
2. TruthBook C has 6 lesson plans for each Doctrinal Theme
  1. 12 Month Curriculum Year: choose 4 out of the 6 lesson plans to use.
  2. 9 Month Curriculum Year: choose 3 out of the 6 lesson plans to use.
3. TruthBook A has only 1 lesson plan for each Doctrinal Theme because they have just one Q&A per theme. However, teachers teaching from this TruthBook should use lesson plans from the other TruthBooks as well or else they will only be covering 12 lesson plans. Most churches use the lessons from TruthBook B when teaching a class that uses TruthBook A. We will note the question from book A in parenthesis - 010101B(a). Please remember: Any lesson plan listed under a specific Doctrinal theme can be taught for that Doctrinal Theme.
Rotate Curriculum: If your church is rotating every other year between Book B and Book C, use the Discoverers Lesson Plan written for the TruthBook being used during the curriculum year.
1. TruthBook B has 4 lesson plans for each Doctrinal Theme
  1. 12 Month Curriculum Year: use all 4 lesson plans for each Doctrinal theme.
  2. 9 Month Curriculum Year: use 3 lesson plans for each Doctrinal theme.
2. TruthBook C has 6 Lesson Plans for each Doctrinal Theme
  1. 12 Month Curriculum Year: choose 4 out of the 6 lesson plans to use.
  2. 9 Month Curriculum Year: choose 3 out of the 6 lesson plans to use.
All 10 Q&A - One Question each week: If your church studies all 10 Q&A for each Doctrinal Theme covering just 6 Doctrinal Themes a year, you will use all 10 Discoverers lesson plans for each Doctrinal Theme.
1. The Discoverers curriculum was written using the same 10 Truths for each Doctrinal theme that levels 2-4 memorize. In some cases we have reworded or simplified the question for the child, and for theme 7 the children learn the 10 commandments like the children do in level 2.
2. Please note: if you are trying to make sure the Discoverers are learning the same Q&A each week that the older levels are learning you will want to review the Parallels document or the TruthCard file for the order of questions and answers.
  1. TruthBook B was designed by choosing the four Q&A that we believed were most important for the preschool child to know. TruthBook C used the remaining six Q&A from the 10 Q&A covered for each Doctrinal theme.
  2. TruthBook A was designed by choosing the one Q&A that we believed was most important or easiest (in some cases) for a 3-year old child to know.

Understanding the Numbering of the Discoverers Lesson Plans

Discoverers Lesson Plans will have a six digit number plus a letter at the end.

First two numbers = level number (Discoverers will be 01)
Second two numbers = Doctrinal theme number (01-12)
Third two numbers = Q&A Number (You can match up the Q&A number with the Discoverers lesson plans by going down the first column and then down the second column of any given page [Doctrinal Theme] in a TruthBook. As a reminder, the order of Q&A in the Discoverers lesson plans and Discoverers TruthBooks do not necessarily follow the order of the Q&A in the older levels for that theme. Note number 3 under Flexible Scenarios.)
Letter = TruthBook Letter (B, or C)
- We will note the question from book A in parenthesis - 010101B(a).

Updated Lesson Plan Files

Over the past year we have been editing our Discoverers TruthTime Teacher Lesson Plans. If you downloaded your lesson plans some time back, you may want to download the updated files. The updated files contain more activities, craft ideas, illustrations, and content. Please remember: our lesson plans are designed with more content than most teachers can teach in a lesson time period. This is done so that you can pick and choose the points and illustrations God lays on your heart as you prepare to teach the lesson.

Original Ideas for Crafts or Activities

Do you have an original idea for a craft or activity that goes well with one of the Discoverers lesson plans? We would love to hear your ideas. You may feel free to post your idea in the online form, under the lesson plan description, or email it to us at clubs@kids4truth.com. Sharing your ideas helps make K4T better for others. Remember: we currently have a monthly contest for the most creative, helpful, or interesting forum post each month. The monthly contest winner receives a $15 gift certificate to the Online Store.

Why wear Kids 4 Truth Shirts?

marrena — Thu, 06 Nov 2008 19:50:33 GMT

I love wearing Kids 4 Truth shirts! I have been called the Kids 4 Truth Lady at my church as I wear my K4T garments so often. There are several benefits of having your workers wear Kids 4 Truth Logo shirts.

Provides a professional and official look to your ministry - Helps your ministry (club) look like a complete program that is organized, neat, and identifiable which helps parents feel safe in allowing their child to come to your club. This is especially important when you are using your club as an outreach opportunity.
Identity of Workers aids in Safety of your Ministry - Identifies who your workers are and who should be around the children. This is important not only for the parents but also for the children as the children will know who to turn to for assistance when needed.
Encourages and Motivates - Children follow the examples we set before them.
1. Children who see workers faithfully wear their Kids 4 Truth "uniform" are more likely to wear their standards and participate.
2. Earlier today I had a director tell me how excited his children were when his new K4T shirt arrived. He had to wear it to club that night and the kids at church were excited about it as well.
3. Some churches use the K4T children's polo shirts as incentives to earn patches. The children can earn earn a shirt by earning so many patches or "points".
4. Other churches have all their children wear polo shirts as "part of their uniform". Shirts can be purchased to match their level or one color for all levels. (It is important to note that most churches who do this charge yearly "dues" to participate in the club. This gives them the funds to provide the shirts.)
Promotes your Kids 4 Truth Club. Every time your workers wear their Kids 4 Truth shirts out in public they are advertising your Kids 4 Truth Club. They are a walking billboard for your ministry. (This is the main reason why I wear my shirts out in public!)
1. People who see the logo become more familiar with the logo and are more inclined to allow their child to participate if invited.
2. People may want to find out more about Kids 4 Truth - therefore, they visit the site. When they visit the website they can watch multimedia presentation (dynamations) which share the gospel or they can find out more about Kids 4 Truth Clubs.

Kids 4 Truth realizes that we all have different styles, tastes, and needs when it comes to garments. Therefore we offer a wide variety of embroidered items in styles and colors for both men and ladies ranging from $17.95 to 34.95:

Polo Shirts
- Basic
- Luxury
- Luxury with Trim
- Long Sleeve
Button Down Shirts
- Long Sleeve twill or denim
- Short Sleeve twill or denim
- Brushed Gabardine (soft brushed twill)
- Camp Shirt (this shirt has a straight bottom)
Especially for Ladies
- Knit button down cardigan
- knit shell - short sleeve crew neck
- knit shell - short sleeve v-neck
- Knit shell - 3/4 sleeve v-neck
- Knit shell - long sleeve crew neck
Outerwear
- Windshirts
- 1/4 zip fleece

Do you like the idea of Kids 4 Truth shirts, but just can't quite do the $17.95 a shirt?

Perhaps you would like to use the silk screened t-shirts or hoodies. These items are available in a wide assortment of colors, sizes, and styles and start at $9.95.
Check out our clearance section: http://kids4truth.com/store/Clearance-C106.aspx. Sometimes our vendor changes or colors/styles are discontinued, when this happens we clear out our inventory by making these available to you at a discount. Currently we have garments in the clearance section ranging from $4.95 to 14.95 - some have a savings of over 50% off!
During the months of November and December, all garments are 10% off of regular prices. This includes all embroidered and silk screened items in men's, ladies, and children's sizes. Please note: items in the clearance section are not on the 10% off sale.

We offer our embroidered items in many colors so that churches can use the shirts the way they prefer. Some ideas are:

Color-code by level or position
1. Lime = Discoverers Workers
2. Red = Developer Workers
3. Khaki = Detective Workers
4. Royal = Defender Workers
5. Black, White, Yellow, Orange, and Denim = Leadership or Miscellaneous Workers
One Color for all workers - Our most popular colors are: Red, Royal, Khaki, and Black
Workers choose what they would like to wear.

Although we offer a variety of styles and sizes, sometimes there is a need for a garment/size that is not available on the online store such as smaller, larger, taller, or maternity sizes. Please contact our office if you have a specific need and we will do our best to help you. Please note: we do not offer the Kids 4 Truth logo in a patch (The K4T logo is embroidered on the standard and is not a patch.); however, when needed, we will custom order a size/style or make custom embroidery available for your ministry. Custom orders are non-returnable, and custom embroidery is only done by our vendors as the logo is copyright protected.

Regeneration v. Decisionism

BobRoberts — Sun, 26 Oct 2008 17:37:00 GMT

This message by Paul Washer is truly worth your time. He draws the line in the sand between biblical conversion and much of what passes for evangelism in our current day.

Return Policies

jgillen — Wed, 15 Oct 2008 19:46:00 GMT

Several questions have come in recently regarding our return policies - we are working to get these posted to the on-line store, but until we can get those up, we wanted to go ahead and post them here to the Clubs Blog where you can refer back to them as often as you need.

- Refunds are not available for download purchases. If there is a problem with the download purchased, a store credit will be issued. Problems must be reported no later than 30 days from purchase date.
- Any shipping discrepancies or damages must be reported within 30 days. Defective and damaged materials should be returned within 30 days after notifying Kids 4 Truth.
- Unused merchandise returned in clean, salable condition with no signs of use within 90 days of invoice date will be credited to your account, or refunded. No credit will be issued for materials returned after 90 days. Books will only be accepted if they are unopened. The customer is responsible for shipping charges on returns, as well as any new merchandise being shipped as an exchange.
- There is a 15% restocking fee on all items returned.
- Please allow 2 weeks for credit to be issued for returned merchandise.

If you have any questions at all, don't hesitate to contact us at clubs@kids4truth.com.

Halloween - Is it a witnessing opportunity you are hiding from?

marrena — Wed, 15 Oct 2008 17:08:48 GMT

So...what do you do on Halloween? Do you turn out all the lights, hide in the basement or family room, and hope that no one comes to your door? Do you wrestle with the decision of whether or not to participate or allow your children to participate in the holiday? Perhaps you do this because:

You do not want to promote Halloween with your children and you do not want your children seeing others come to your door asking for candy and treats.
You do not want your children feeling like they missed out on some fun and excitement.

Consider with me the possibility of turning this into a witnessing opportunity. For years, we have taught our children that we use Halloween as a witnessing opportunity. Although we do not allow our children to dress up or go from door, we usually do something special with our children that night by cooking hot dogs & marshmallows in the fireplace and eating them picnic style in the living room, watching a fun dvd, or playing a family game while we wait for children to come to the door. Our children take turns answering the door and giving treats to the children who come to our door. We always include a Kids 4 Truth Bookmark, DynaBox, or a tract that gets the gospel into the homes of each and every child who comes to our door. Our children enjoy seeing the children dressed up and giving the children their special treats or prizes, and know that they have had the opportunity to share the gospel in an unique way. Although our children are now between the ages of 12 and 21, they still enjoy this special family witnessing opportunity!

Fun Ways to Give out the Gospel:

DynaBox Tracts (http://kids4truth.com/store/DYNABOX-Tract---Pack-of-25-P167C0.aspx): These unique tracts fold into a box. We suggest that you assemble the tract into a box but before closing the box include a prize or candy treat. This creates a fun way to give out a tract, gets the gospel into the children's hands and home, and gives a prize/treat at the same time.
Kids 4 Truth Bookmark Tracts (http://kids4truth.com/store/Bookmarks-C70.aspx): Children and teens love these colorful, glossy bookmarks! The tracts are easy to distribute and we find they get used...which means sooner or later they will turn the bookmark over and read the gospel or visit the website.

Tips:

If you are giving out tracts with your treats or prizes, don't use old, stale candy. Be sure that you use treats or prizes that the children will enjoy. Remember, you are representing Christ when you give out tracts with treats/prizes.
Be careful that prizes don't look too much like candy. One year I was giving away small prize erasers, and I had to grab fast to keep a young child from eating the frog eraser I just handed to him.
Candy can be taped to a tract or bookmark if needed to make it easier to distribute.
If you are going to be away and you know children will be coming to your door, consider leaving a basket of prizes by the front door. Believe it or not I have done this several times and children are good to only take one prize.

Don't want to give away candy:

Consider a small prize instead. US Toy (www.ustoy.com) or Kipp Toys (www.kipptoys.com) are great places to get cheap little toy trinkets. Try bouncie balls, stretchy lizards/frogs, or sticky guys. They are cheap and kids absolutely love them.
Consider a cool pencil or eraser. Don't choose just plain school quality...pick the cool eraser shapes or the metallic-look pencils.

Do you have some ideas to share with others? Please feel free to do so by posting your idea on the forums at: http://equipu.kids4truth.com/forums/69.aspx.

To help you do this, tracts including both the Dynabox Tract and the Bookmarks on sale for 10% off through October 31.

NEW! - Kids 4 Truth License Plates!

marrena — Wed, 15 Oct 2008 12:33:10 GMT

Help spread the word about Kids 4 Truth while driving with the new Kids 4 Truth license plates!

The Kids 4 Truth Team is pleased to introduce Kids 4 Truth license plates (http://kids4truth.com/store/Kids-4-Truth-License-Plate-P657C0.aspx). Many of us look for ways to promote Kids 4 Truth to others in our community. This can be done through many items including apparel, drink bottles, mugs, posters, and now....license plates. These license plates are great for those living in states that require only one plate on the car.

Do you have an idea for a product you think we should carry? We would love to hear your ideas...please drop an email to: clubs@kids4truth.com and we will consider your idea.

Patch Inventory

jgillen — Tue, 14 Oct 2008 00:45:00 GMT

Due to an vast increase in sales this year, we have are currently out of a few patches. All patches are on order, and supply should be replenished by the end of October. As soon as the new patches are in, we will begin shipping what is currently backordered.

Patches that are currently backordered include:

- Bonus Patches
- Cutout Magnifying Glass Patches
- Green Bulldozer Patches
- Yellow Shield Patches
- Green Sword Patches

A few others are running low, and if we run out of those, a new blog post will be posted listing all backordered patches.

Due to being out of some patches, several patch sets are also on backorder. In order to get as many patches to you as we can, if you order a patch set, you may see modifications to your order to show what patches can be shipped now, and what will be shipped at a later date. If you have any questions at all, please contact us at clubs@kids4truth.com.

Here In Knoxville...

BobRoberts — Sat, 04 Oct 2008 01:44:00 GMT

This past month has been one of travel. Almost every weekend, I’ve had the opportunity to be in a different state. Just a couple of weekends ago I had the privilege of speaking at a junior event called RodeoFest up at Northland Camp & Conference Center. It was such a blessing to minister to the 250 or so juniors and sponsors who came out for the day. Our time at Northland was also spent working on a project that I am thrilled about which is the curriculum-in-audio. Jason Gerdt and Trevor Gearhart worked tirelessly on this project with us, and we are so grateful for their sacrifice for the ministry. The fruit of this effort should begin to be made available in early 2009. Please pray that the curriculum-in-audio would be blessed by God and used by many boys and girls (and moms and dads) to learn good theology!

The month of October is going to be full as well, as my wife and I spend time in Knoxville, Tennessee. Not only is it a tremendous opportunity to tackle some big Kids 4 Truth projects, but it’s also a chance to spend time with our friends and co-laborers in the ministry, Rob and Julie Gillen and their two children. During the month, I will be spending much needed time meeting with Rob on several items. One of the biggest projects that we'll be working on is the development of web based training. The harnessing of new technology will allow us to effectively multiply our small staff by offering live webinars as well as up-to-date and more effective training options for local churches. Lord willing, we will be able to begin implementing some of these new training sessions by the first of the year.

My wife will also be very busy this month as she works to transfer data from our current website to the updated version. Although the website will be her primary responsibility, Sarah will still be able to keep up with customer service by using her new soft line on her laptop to answer phone calls to the office and keeping up with the chat line. It is exciting to see how God can be glorified, and efforts maximized through the use of technology! Praise the Lord for gifting Kids 4 Truth staff with the talents necessary to accomplish His mission.

Discoverers - New Wall Charts

marrena — Mon, 15 Sep 2008 15:28:59 GMT

Chart the progress of your children in the Discoverers program using our new Discoverers Progress Charts. These charts are available as a free download on the EquipU site (http://equipu.kids4truth.com/files/folders/progress_charts/default.aspx) and not only includes a column for each doctrinal theme but also columns for each Memorize It! component. This is helpful for teachers as they can mark on the chart as the child says each part of the curriculum.

Choose the chart you need according to the TruthBook you are using.

Advertising Your Club in Local Newspapers

marrena — Sat, 13 Sep 2008 00:06:57 GMT

Several churches contacted us recently asking how they can advertise their club in their local newspaper using Kids 4 Truth graphics. We welcome you to use our free downloadable flyers, postcard, or posters as part of your newspaper ad. This makes creating your advertisement quick and easy, and gives the same look as your club materials.

Determine what information you want to give in the ad:
1. Church name and/or Logo
2. Contact information
3. Club meeting time
4. Grades/ages you serve
5. Cost - if you are charging a participation fee
Go to the EquipU site and download the file template you want to use (http://equipu.kids4truth.com/files/folders/artwork/default.aspx). There are several files available:
1. Generic Postcard
2. Flyer
3. Promotional Poster #1
4. Promotional Poster #2
5. Promotional Poster #3
Using the computer program of your choice (Word, Publisher, InDesign, etc.) insert the jpg file into the document.
Resize the graphic to the size of your advertisement space.
Insert a Text Box and add your text adjusting the font size as needed.
Add a church logo if you wish.
Tip: Zoom in/out to check placement and spelling.
Save the file in the format desired by the newspaper.

You can use these same techniques to create flyers and handouts for door to door visitation or for children to use to invite their friends to your club.

If you have additional ideas how to advertise or promote your club, please share them with other churches by posting on the online forums (http://equipu.kids4truth.com/forums/). We look forward to seeing your ideas.

Who Got The Big Sword?

BobRoberts — Wed, 10 Sep 2008 20:39:00 GMT

Congratulations to Ethan Gillespie for winning the Kids 4 Truth Award at Tri-City Baptist Church (this is the church where I help with the program)! Each year, the Kids 4 Truth Club at Tri-City presents a special award to the 5th or 6th grader who has memorized the most curriculum during the curriculum year. This child must also earn the gold award (earned for completing a total of thirty patches). Not only did Ethan memorize all of the verses possible within the curriculum, but he also was able to recite all of the verses within a theme at one time along with the key truth and key verse of each theme. Ethan completed all of this work within 8 months time rather than the 11 month time frame scenario that Tri-City utilizes. Wow!

This award is not a Kids 4 Truth specific award, but rather a Tri-City specific award. In other words, at Kids 4 Truth we desire for churches to be creative and unique in their approach to club time and awards. The Kids 4 Truth curriculum is designed to be flexible enough so that local churches can this ministry tool in the best way possible for their children, families, and workers. Although Kids 4 Truth comes complete with all of the patches and awards necessary, we are always thrilled to see local churches putting their own unique spin on this part and all parts of the ministry.

I know there is much debate about the use of rewards/awards in children's ministry. But I contend that awards are the language of children. They get it. By giving out an award you are communicating that what they had to do in order to receive the reward was important to you. So important that you spent your effort, energy, and money to acknowledge it with an award. Furthermore, awards demonstrate honor. Frank Hamrick says: "You get what you honor." In so many churches we honor kids that can play an instrument well, or kids that can kick a ball skillfully, but we fail to honor boys and girls that are working diligently to learn the most important truths about God in a memorable way. Oh that local churches would put more emphasis on the doctrinal rearing of youth. Good theology is what will save and grow the upcoming generation and yet it is so often neglected.

(note: the tall guy on the right side of the photo is Will Cover. Will is now the official director of the Kids 4 Truth Club at Tri-City and is doing a fantastic job.)

Keeping our records up to date.

marrena — Tue, 19 Aug 2008 01:31:38 GMT

Recently we sent out a survey to many who are using the Kids 4 Truth curriculum We want to make sure that everyone has the opportunity to participate in this survey and update our records with information about your ministry. This information will help us to communicate with you and serve you better.

As the Kids 4 Truth Team, we would like to personally thank you for pouring your lives into grounding boys and girls in essential Christian truth! We also want to make sure that we are doing everything in our power to assist you in this endeavor. If you have not answered the survey below, please help us update our records to make sure that we are fully equipped to assist you by taking just a few minutes to send us a response to the following questions:

Church name (with city and state)
Senior Pastor
Main Contact/Director
Your name
Your role in the program
Number of children in the program
Length of time you have used the program
Service(s) in which the program is used (please check all that apply)
1. SS
2. Junior Church
3. Sunday Evening
4. Wednesday evening
5. Another evening
6. Other_____
Learning style you have implemented
1. on their own pace
2. stay together as a group (Focused Group Study)
Do you use the Discoverers Program?
1. Would be a help to have the Discoverers Program in a book 1/book 2 year just as the older levels with only 6 themes per year?
What would you like to see added to the program?
What changes would you like to see to the program?

Please be sure to let us know if/when your email or mailing address changes. This helps us keep our records up to date.

You may email your survey responses to me at marrena@kids4truth.com.

Thank you for allowing us to minister with you in teaching the Truths of God's Word.

Why I Believe the Bible is the Word of God - by my friend Massimo

BobRoberts — Tue, 29 Jul 2008 16:25:00 GMT

I met Massimo through the WWW. He is a big fan of presuppositional apologetics like me. As I've gotten to know him a little better I've found that his evangelistic fervor and zeal is commendable and challenging. In other words, he uses presuppositional apologetics for more than just philosophical discussion. It has impacted the way he does evangelism. He is publishing a new book about witnessing that I hope to have in my hands soon. Here is an article he wrote about why he believes the Bible is the Word of God. I hope that you will find it useful.

Why I believe the Bible is the Word of God - by Massimo Lorenzini

I could answer this question by appealing to evidences such as:

Prophecy - supernatural predictions of the future that are precise, detailed, and accurate. Sum: supernatural predictions.
Unity - Diversity of authors, settings, and topics yet converging on a unity of testimony. Sum: supernatural unity.
Answers the big questions in a way that is consistent with the way we experience and perceive the world and in a way that is internally cohesive. Sum: supernatural insight.
Historical accuracy - Consistent with archaeology and history; gives unimpeachable testimony; tremendous amount of manuscript evidence. Sum: supernatural events.
Changed lives - The Bible transcends time and culture to radically transform sinners into saints. Sum: supernatural impact.
Survival through time and persecution. Sum: supernatural survival.⁽¹⁾

However, I prefer to answer this question with a question. What truth verification scale will you use to weigh my answer? Or, by what ultimate criterion for truth will you accept or reject my answer? This is the real issue. The issue of epistemology (one's theory of knowledge). Is it the testimony of God as revealed in the self-authenticating Scripture? Or is it autonomous reasoning? Which one do you appeal to as the final arbiter of truth?

How do you justify your position to question the self-attested Word of God? From what vantage point do you stand in judgment of God's Word?⁽²⁾ If you cannot answer, then you have no way to verify the claims of Scripture and you must simply repent of your autonomous use of reason and rely on God's interpretation of reality as found in His Word and think God's thoughts after Him.

Now, allow me to give you a bit more explanation of my response to this question. The reasoning method I'm using is indirect rather than direct and does not allow for common ground in its presentation of arguments and evidences for Bible. The method I'm using is called the presuppositional method. This method was taught by Cornelius Van Til, the late professor of apologetics at Westminster Theological Seminary. He wrote: "Every bit of historical investigation [historical apologetics], whether it be in the directly Biblical field, archaeology, or in general history, is bound to confirm the truth claims of the Christian position. But I would not talk endlessly about facts and more facts without ever challenging the non-believer's philosophy of fact" (The Defense of the Faith, p. 199).

What I'm arguing for here is called the transcendental argument. A transcendental argument is one that transcends normal patterns of thought and speaks to the possibility of intelligible thought or rationality. It is a clash of ultimate starting points in reasoning. This approach to apologetics is what I like to call worldview apologetics because we're not simply debating a fact or two in isolation from all other facts. I'm arguing for the biblical Christian worldview in contrast to the non-believer's worldview. Facts only have meaning in relation to all other facts. Therefore, we must not discuss facts apart from their interpretation in relation to one's worldview.

One of the main arguments for the Christian worldview is the impossibility of the contrary. This argument states:

If Christianity is not true, then nothing is true (Prov. 1:7).
Without the Christian worldview, no position is possible; nothing makes sense.
The Bible is the precondition of all rational thought
Unbelievers need God to account for the laws of logic, inductive reasoning, uniformity in nature, predication, human dignity, rationality in the world, ethics, an invariant moral code, science, mathematics, and everything that underlies all their thinking. They contradict themselves.
Unbelievers use what God gave them to ridicule Him (Ps. 10:4; Isa. 45:21; Hos. 2:8; Acts 17:28). This is their unacknowledged dependence upon suppressed truth (Rom. 1:18-20).
The unbeliever has rejected God with foolish pride (Ps. 14:1).

So in using the transcendental argument, I'm not answering your question in a direct, "simple" manner. I'm moving the discussion to the undeclared assumptions or presuppositions that the questioner holds and that govern all of his thinking about facts. You see, I can't just give you "brute" facts as if the believer and unbeliever see the facts in the same way. Again I quote from Van Til, "This is tantamount to saying that those who interpret a fact as dependent upon God and those who interpret that same fact as not dependent upon God have yet said something identical about the fact" (The Defense of the Faith, p. 203). So rather than just give a pile of facts, I'm challenging the unbeliever's undeclared assumptions. I'm calling the unbeliever to epistemological self-consciousness. This means to become aware of your ultimate source of knowledge (i.e. God or self).

This method is consistent with all we know from Bible doctrine. In fact, one of my favorite passages affirms that the way Christians defend the faith is not by using the conventions of debate that the world dictates: "For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ" ( 2 Cor. 10:3-5, NIV).

So it is actually immoral to feign neutrality in the realm of epistemology. We are commanded by God's Word to "take every thought captive to make it obedient to Christ." Our thinking is either righteous and aligns with the truth according to God's Word, or it is wicked and follows "the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient (Eph. 2:2, NIV).

If you want a simple answer to the question of why I believe the Bible to be the Word of God. Here it is: The Bible's own testimony (in innumerable passages the Bible declares or assumes itself to be the Word of God). Sum: supernatural testimony.

Notes:

1. These evidences are summarized from a teaching outline by Greg Koukl of Stand to Reason (www.str.org).

2. You only have two choices: (a) Man is the final or ultimate reference point in human predication (the logical affirmation or assertion of something about another—to affirm, give ground or relationship, or to found a proposition). (b) God, speaking through Christ by His Spirit in the infallible Word, is the final or ultimate reference point in human predication.

For a more detailed study on this topic see Has God Spoken? How Can We Know the Bible is from God?

Junior Camp In Michigan

BobRoberts — Fri, 18 Jul 2008 20:28:00 GMT

This week I've had the privilege to speak to children at Camp CoBeAc in Prudenville, Michigan. Most of my growing up years were done here in Michigan and so it is a treat to be in my "homeland." I actually attended Camp CoBeAc (www.cobeac.org) growing up. Pastor Bob Wall (now Pastor in Fostoria, Michigan) brought us teens over here for a few Winter retreats and some basketball camps if memory serves me right. I'll never forget the midnight pop can war we had in the cabin one night (sans Pastor Wall)!

Jeff Kahl is the director of Camp CoBeAc and has been a special blessing to me over the years. I served under Jeff at Northland Camp and Conference center during the summers of 1995 and 1996. There are a few qualities that you can't help but notice about Jeff: #1 Jeff is friendly, #2 Jeff hates trash...especially on the ground/floor, and #3 Jeff is concerned about unity amongst Christians. One thing is for certain, you won't be able to entirely figure him out, and I think that is a good thing. Jeff will sharpen and deepen your thinking about a great many things. I praise God for Jeff Kahl and the solid ministry he is having here in God's country. :-)

Oh, one more thing...Jeff is a former "bus kid." He rode a bus to a Baptist church. He ironed his sweatpants to look the best he possibly could on Sunday. In my humble opinion Jeff is the kind of person that remains the best kind of argument FOR a bus ministry in local churches. In my mind I imagine someone giving Jeff a hundred reasons against a bus ministry with him graciously nodding and listening. Then, at the end of the discourse, Jeff sighing, looking down, putting his hands on his knees, looking back up and stating: "You know, I was a bus kid." I do hope that happens someday if it hasn't already!

Jon Vandenburg the program director here has also been a special blessing to me the last couple of years. I have thorougly enjoyed our late (very late) night Taco Bell trips. Think of it as "camp fuel."

Pearson Johnson is here as a sponsor. He serves as an assistant pastor at Inter-City Baptist Church in Detroit, MI. Pearson (we used to call him "PJ" back in the day) is a friend from my summers at Northland Camp. He has been blogging about the week of camp and has posted several very good pictures. View the blog and the pics here: http://homebuildersonline.wordpress.com/

Time to Order!

jgillen — Mon, 14 Jul 2008 00:18:00 GMT

Fall is quickly approaching, and many of you will be starting up your clubs again, or for the first time! How exciting! We at Kids 4 Truth have been preparing for the new year as well, adding support staff, purchasing inventory, etc. We hope you'll find that some of our improvements are a big help to you.

In order to be invoiced through our on-line store, the Kids 4 Truth staff will need to add your account to the invoicing group. Please contact clubs@kids4truth.com if you'd like to have this option added to your account.

As note earlier this year, many of our items are now being shipped from different locations across the country. You will need to keep this in mind as you place orders. Here's a quick refresh of what has changed since last fall, and some standard shipping timeframes for UPS Ground (our default shipping option).

Books, Entrance Exams, Songbooks, Banners, Shirts, Totes, Bible Covers, Award Certificates - Kansas City Warehouses
Standards, Patches, Misc. Items, Tracts, Award Pins, Parallel Documents - TN Office
T-Shirts, Posters, Postcards - SC Warehouse

- From Kansas City Area

1 Day - IA, KS, portions of MO, NE, OK, IL
2 Day - Most of the Midwest and Southeast
3 Day - New England, West Coast, Florida
4 Day - AK, HI

- From TN Office

1 Day - TN, KY, portions of OH, NC, AL, GA, VA
2 Day - Southeast, Midwest, FL, PA
3 Day - New England, Northern Midwest, CO, NM, most of TX
4 Day - AZ, portions of ME, WY, MN, PR, AK
5 Day - Pacific Northwest, West Coast
6 Day - HI, portions of OR, CA, ID

- From SC Warehouse

1 Day - SC, portions of NC, AL, GA, VA, TN
2 Day - Rest of the Southeast, Ohio Valley, FL, PA
3 Day - New England, Midwest, CO, TX
4 Day - AZ, NM, Dakotas, PR, AK
5 Day - Pacific Northwest, West Coast
6 Day - HI, portions of OR, CA, ID

As we approach the fall, many churches will all be placing orders at the same time. The earlier you get your order in, the earlier we can get it to you. Please allow at least 2-3 weeks before your club begins for your order to arrive. The goal of the Kids 4 Truth staff is to ship orders 24-48 hours after the order is placed; however, during the busy fall ordering season, we cannot guarantee this. Orders will be shipped on a first come-first served basis. Also, please remember that banners take up to two weeks to be shipped, and shirts take up to four weeks.

As always, please feel free to contact us anytime you have questions. We are here to serve you.

Director's StartUp Manuals

marrena — Tue, 08 Jul 2008 03:58:40 GMT

Are you ready to begin a club and don't know where to start? We recommend that you begin by going through one of the Director's StartUp Manuals (http://equipu.kids4truth.com/files/folders/director_start_up_manuals/default.aspx). Kids 4 Truth has kept the curriculum as flexible as possible so that churches can choose how they want to use the program and not have to fit our mold. Ministries have different preferences on teaching (learning) methods. We have addressed this by writing two different Director's StartUp Manuals to use when setting up a program:

Director's StartUp Manual: Traditional Club/Individual Study = for churches who like the "traditional club approach" where children work through the TruthBook on their own pace.
Director's StartUp Manual: Focused Group Study = for churches who prefer to keep children learning on the same pace within the same unit (question/answer).

The teaching (learning) method you choose to use is not limited by the service in which you plan to use the curriculum. Either method will work in almost any setting. Therefore, neither of these methods are tied to one particular type of service. It is also important to note that churches do not need to feel tied down to just one method as some clubs choose to use both methods. For example:

Some use the Traditional Club/Individual Study for their older children while they use the Focused Group Study for younger children who do not read well and/or need more help.
Some use the Traditional Club/Individual Study for their regular church children and the Focused Group Study for children from unchurched homes.

Need help setting up a program for your church? Please do not hesitate to contact our office at: clubs@kids4truth.com or 866-754-4272. We will be happy to help you customize a program that is unique to your ministry's individual needs.

Life Founded Upon The Truth by J. Gresham Machen

BobRoberts — Fri, 04 Jul 2008 22:53:08 GMT

I am posting the following article by Machen in its entirety for two main reasons:

1. You should acquaint yourself with the late J. Gresham Machen. He will sharpen you!

2. The thoughts and truths in this essay resonate deep within my soul! If you want to get an idea of the solid, biblical philosophy upon which we tried to build Kids 4 Truth curriculum, this is a fabulous summary of why we did and do what we did and do!

******begin essay*******

HAVING considered with you the question what kind of book the Bible is, I think it is now high time that we should open up that book together and find out what is in it. We have shown that the Bible is worth reading, because it is the Word of God. Well, if it is worth reading, let us now begin to read it and see whether we can discover what it contains. What does the Bible teach?

I had in my mind a very good answer to that question when I was so very young as to have very little else in my mind. It is the answer to the third question in the Shorter Catechism, and it seems to me to be a very good thing. There are one hundred and six other good things in that Catechism. Those are the answers to the others of the one hundred and seven questions. I should certainly not go quite so far as to say what some Presbyterian is accused of having said — that the Shorter Catechism is more important than the Bible because the Shorter Catechism is “the Bible boiled down” — but all the same I am a convinced Presbyterian too, and I do maintain that the Shorter Catechism, with its marvelous comprehensiveness and its faithfulness to Scripture, with its solemnity and its tenderness, is the truest and noblest summary of what the Bible teaches that I have ever seen.

The third question in the Shorter Catechism is the question in which I am interested just now: “What do the Scriptures principally teach?” The answer is: “The Scriptures principally teach, what man is to believe concerning God, and what duty God requires of man.”

The thing that I want you to notice about this answer is that it makes the Scriptures principally teach, first, what man is to believe and, second, what man is to do. It puts truth before conduct, doctrine before life. It makes truth the foundation of conduct and doctrine the foundation of life.

Today the order is commonly reversed. Life comes first, we are told, and doctrine comes afterwards. Religion is first an experience and only secondarily a doctrine. Doctrine is merely an expression of religious experience, and although the experience remains essentially the same its doctrinal expression must change as the generations pass. So, it is said, we value the great creeds of the Church not at all because we regard as true, in the plain man’s sense of the word “true,” the things that they contain, but because they expressed in the language of a by — gone day an experience which We can still share. So it is also, we are told, with the Bible. It is a great mistake, we are told, to take what the Bible says about Jesus as being true in the ordinary sense of the word “true”; but it is a still greater mistake to miss the experience which underlies what the Bible says. Thus when the Bible says that Jesus was born of a virgin, we do not, of course, it is said, believe that any physical miracle took place in connection with the birth of Jesus nineteen hundred years ago. But we do think that the men of that day were giving expression to something very precious when they said that, and we ought not to miss that very precious thing. Thus also, it is said, when people of long ago said that Jesus was God, they were of course meaning by that expression something that we do not at all accept. They meant that a heavenly person who had existed from all eternity came into this world by a voluntary act when Jesus of Nazareth was born. We do not at all believe that, say the persons whose views we are now summarizing; on the contrary, we believe that the person Jesus never existed before he was born in that Jewish family. Well, then, shall we just reject what those persons said when they declared Jesus to be God? Not at all, it is said. They were giving true expression, it is said, in the language of their day, to something that is just as precious to us as it was to them. They could not possibly give expression to it in any other language. If they had tried to give expression to it in our language, that would for them have been utterly false and futile. Do we then still believe in the deity of Christ? Oh, yes — as the expression of a great experience. That experience is the really essential thing, but the intellectual expression of it must necessarily change from age to age.

Such is the attitude that is dominant in the religious world of our day—religion as an experience and doctrine as just the necessarily changing expression of the experience; life first and creed as just the changing expression of it. Those are the shibboleths that designate the prevailing attitude.

What shall we think of that attitude? Well, in the first place, I think we ought to face clearly the fact that it is an attitude of the most complete unbelief that could possibly be imagined. It denies not this truth or that but truth itself. It denies that there is any possibility of attaining to a truth which will always be true. There is truth, it holds, for this generation and truth for that generation, but no truth for all generations; there is truth for this race and truth for that race, but no. truth for all races.

I remember some years ago that I read a paper at a conference of theological professors on the subject of “revelation.” I read a paper and then another professor read a paper, and then still other professors made remarks about the papers. One of those latter professors said that although he disagreed with me completely, and agreed much more with my opponent, yet he was bound to say he thought that so far as the definition of terms was concerned I was a good deal nearer than my opponent to the historic meaning of the term “revelation.” I thought that was very encouraging. But then he went on to say that even I did not mean the same thing by that term as people used to mean by it, Then he developed, with more or less clearness, the view that in general words are bound to change their meaning so that we never mean by the words that we use what past generations meant by them.

At any rate, whether that was what that particular professor said or not, I think it does represent what a good many people are saying. A good many people seem to think that every generation lives in a sort of intellectual water — tight compartment, without much chance of converse with other generations. Every generation has its own thought — forms and cannot by any chance use the thought — forms of any other generation. Do you know what I think of this notion? I think it comes very near being nonsense. If it were true, then books produced in past generations ought to be pure gibberish to us.

Take any book of Aristotle, for example. Aristotle lived some three and a half centuries before Christ. That book of Aristotle is composed of thousands of words. When Aristotle wrote the book it made sense, because the writer knew the meaning of every one of those thousands of words. Knowing the meaning of those words, he could fit them together so that the resulting book would make sense. But then, according to the theory with which we are now dealing, the meaning of every one of those words began to wobble, and has been wobbling for twenty — two centuries. Of course the words would not all wobble to just exactly the same extent and in exactly the same direction. That would be a chance too remote to be considered. The probabilities against it would be ten billion or more to one. Very well, then. What will inevitably be the result? The result, after twenty — two centuries of wobbling, will be that all those thousands of words will be completely out of alignment and the resulting book will be a meaningless jumble.

Yes, that will be the inevitable result if that professorial theory as to the inevitable shift in the meanings of words is correct. But the trouble is that that inevitable result is not the actual result. As a matter of fact, that book of Aristotle is just as limpidly clear and logical today as it ever was. What does that show? It shows that the theory that we have been dealing with is untrue. It shows that as a matter of fact words do not change their meaning in that kaleidoscopic way. It shows that there is an intellectual gold standard which enables us to carry on commerce perfectly well with the men of past generations.

What is true of different ages in the history of man-kind is also true of different races co-existing today. People say that Western creeds ought not to be forced upon the Oriental mind. The Oriental mind, they say, ought to be allowed to go its own way and give its own expressions to the Christian faith. Well, I have examined one or two of those supposed expressions of the Oriental mind, and I am bound to say that they look to me uncommonly like the expressions of the mind of the South Side of Chicago. But how about it? Ought we to give our Western creeds to the Oriental mind? I shall just pass over the question whether those so — called Western creeds are really Western. Let us call them “Western creeds” in quotation marks and for the sake of the argument. Ought those Western creeds to be given to the Oriental mind? What is our answer?

The answer is: “Certainly.” Of course those Western creeds ought to be given to the Oriental mind. But that ought to be done only on one condition — that those Western creeds are true. If they are not true, they ought not to be given to the Oriental mind or to any other kind of mind; but if they are true, they are just as true in China as they are in the United States.

The truth is that although I am thought by some of my friends to be very gullible, believing as I do that the Bible is true and that miracles really happened, there are some things about which I am a confirmed skeptic. Frankly, I do not believe in the separate existence of an Oriental mind or an Occidental mind or an ancient mind or a medieval mind or a modern mind. I do believe indeed that different races of mankind have different aptitudes or talents. It is perhaps true that French writers have the special gift of clearness, while Germans are characterized by a power of metaphysical speculation and by a certain solidity and thoroughness of learning. It must be admitted, indeed, that some German writers are admirably clear and some French writers, on the other hand, are awfully muddled. But still I suppose it is true to a very considerable extent that clearness is especially a French virtue of style. I have a great respect also for the intellectual gifts of Oriental peoples. I have no doubt but that those peoples are contributing something very valuable, and are going to contribute something still more valuable, to the intellectual life of the world.

But the really important thing is that under all fluctuations between this age and that age, between this nation and that nation, there is a gold standard of truth. We may misunderstand ancient writers, but our very recognition of the possibility of misunderstanding them shows that there is also a possibility of understanding them. I may have difficulty in understanding the mental processes of the Chinese and the Japanese, as they have difficulty in understanding mine; but the very fact that we can both detect that difficulty affords hope that the difficulty may be overcome, since the fact that we can detect that difficulty shows that there is a common intellectual ground upon which we can stand.

I think, therefore, that we can safely resist the bottomless skepticism which holds that all that remains constant from generation to generation is an experience that must clothe itself in ever — changing intellectual forms I think that we may safely resist the skepticism which holds that the convictions of one generation can never by any chance be the convictions of another.

But are convictions important? Many people say that they are not. It does nor make much difference, they say, what a man believes; life is the thing that counts. But merely saying a thing often does not make the thing true. As a matter of fact it does make a tremendous difference what a man believes.

A modern French novelist wrote in 1889 a very interesting book to show that that is the case. I have just been re-reading it, and I find it almost as impressive as I found it when I read it the first time. The novelist who wrote it is hardly to be put in the first rank of French writers. But this one book of his is certainly worth reading. Some years ago I was talking about it to a French lecturer and critic who was inclined to be very severe upon this writer. But then I said that I had read one book of this writer and that it seemed to my poor judgment to be a masterpiece. “Yes,” said the critic with whom I was talking; “that particular book of this writer is indeed a masterpiece.” The book that I am referring to is the novel by Paul Bourget entitled Le Disciple, “The Disciple.” It describes, with a delicacy of touch in which French writers excel, the simple and austere life of a noted philosopher and psychologist. He was engrossed altogether in the things of the mind. His lodging was up four flights of stairs. His daily existence was an invariable routine. Coffee at six o’clock, lunch or breakfast at ten, walk until noon, work again until four, visits of scholars and students three times a week from four to six, dinner at six, short walk, work, bed promptly at ten. An inoffensive, scholarly man if there ever was one, a man who, in the words of his caretaker, “wouldn’t hurt a fly.”

But one day this peaceful routine was strangely broken into. The philosopher was summoned to a criminal inquest. A former pupil of his was accused of murder. He had been a brilliant young man, who had climbed those four flights of stairs full of enthusiasm for what he regarded as liberating doctrines. He had drunk in those doctrines only too well. In the prison he wrote an account of his life for the eye of his revered master. In it the abstract becomes concrete. The terrible story is told of the way in which those supposedly liberating doctrines work out in actual practice.

It is rather a tremendous little book — that study of “The Disciple” by Paul Bourget.

But the same tragedy as that which is so powerfully depicted in that little book is appearing on a gigantic scale in the whole history of our times. Fifty or even twenty — five years ago, certain views about God and about the Bible might have seemed to a superficial observer to be perfectly respectable and perfectly innocent — as harmless and as remote from anything like tragedy as Bourget’s philosopher up his four flights of stairs. It was such a sweet, pleasant thing — that older Modernism, or “Liberalism,” as it was euphemistically called. But today it is having its perfect work. It is destroying civil and religious liberty; it is defiling the sweetness and gentleness of the Christian home; it is causing contracts public and private to be explained away, until the man or the nation that sweareth to his own hurt and changeth not is regarded as a curious relic of the past. Do you look with complacency upon this world where purity and honesty and liberty are regarded as out of date? Do you think it is going to be a pleasant world to live in? If you do, you are blind. You have to be pretty blind not to see that mankind is today standing over an abyss.

Do not be deceived, my friends. This notion that it does not make much difference what a man believes, this notion that doctrine is unimportant and that life comes first, is one of the most devilish errors that are to be found in the whole of Satan’s arsenal. How many human lives it has wrecked, how many mothers’ hearts it has broken! That French novelist is entirely right. Our of the Pandora box of highly respectable philosophy come murders, adulteries, lies and every evil thing.

Well, I have been talking about various things. It might look as though I had forgotten all about the thing I started out to talk about. It might look as though I had forgotten all about the Bible. But indeed that is not the case. I have been talking about these other things, I have been talking about the snarl into which men have come, only in order that at the last I may lead you to the place where that snarl may be straightened out. What does the Bible say about the question that we have been discussing this afternoon? What does the Bible say about the question whether doctrine is merely the changing expression of life or whether — the other way around — life is founded upon doctrine?

You do not have to read very far in the Bible in order to get the answer. The answer is given to you in the first verse. Does the Bible begin with exhortation; does it begin with a program of life? No, it begins with a doctrine. “In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.” That is the foundation doctrine upon which everything else that the Bible says is based.

The Bible does present a way of life; it tells men the way in which they ought to live. But always when it does so it grounds that way of life in truth.

Run through the Bible in your minds, my friends, and see whether I am nor right.

In the Old Testament a wonderful program of life is presented. It is called the Ten Commandments. But do the Ten Commandments begin with commandments? Not at all. They begin with doctrine. “I am the Lord thy God, which have brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage.” That is the preface to the Ten Commandments. It is not a commandment. It is not a program. It is a doctrine. Only because that doctrine is true — only because the one speaking in the commandments is the Lord God — have the commandments any authority.

The Old Testament contains another wonderful presentation of the way in which men should live. Like the Ten Commandments it was quoted by Jesus. It reads: “Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might.” That is a wonderful commandment indeed—that commandment of love. But does it begin with a commandment? Not at all. It begins with a doctrine. It is grounded upon a doctrine. “Hear, O Israel,” says the passage in Deuteronomy: “The Lord our God is one Lord, And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy. might.” Only because that doctrine is true has the commandment any meaning. Only because there is one God only and only because that one God is Jehovah are God’s people commanded to love that one God with all their heart and soul and might.

Turn then to the New Testament. The New Testament tells us how Jesus came. Did He come in the modern fashion telling people that it made no difference what they believed and that the thing for them to do was just to live the life first and then afterwards give doctrinal expression to the life?

Well, He did come presenting to them a life that they should live. “Repent,” He said, when He came forward in His public ministry in Galilee. But is that all that He said? Did He just say: “Repent, repent, repent, repent, repent”? Not at all. He said: “Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” “The kingdom of heaven is at hand” is not a command or a program. It is a doctrine; and upon that doctrine the command of Jesus to repent is based.

Jesus sat one day by the well, and talked to a sinful woman. In the course of the conversation He laid His finger upon the sore spot in that woman’s life. “Thou hast had five husbands,” He said; “and he whom thou now hast is not thy husband.” Then, apparently to evade the disconcerting question of the sin in her own life, the woman asked Jesus a theological question about the right place in which to worship God — whether on Mount Gerizim or in Jerusalem. What did Jesus do with that woman’s theological question? Did He brush it aside after the manner of certain modern religious workers? Did He say: “You are evading the real question; we will take up your theological question afterwards, but now let us come back to the question of the sin in your own life.” No, He did nothing of the kind. He answered that woman’s theological question with the utmost fulness as though the woman’s soul depended on her getting the right answer. Not Gerizim, He said, but Jerusalem is the place in which to worship God, but the time is coming when the worship of God will be bound to no set places. And then, in response to that sinful, unconverted woman’s question Jesus engaged in some of the profoundest theological teaching in the whole of the Bible. Apparently Jesus regarded a right doctrine of God not as something that comes along after salvation but as something necessary to salvation.

At the beginning of the Book of Acts Jesus is said to have told His disciples to be witnesses unto Him. On the day of Pentecost, a few days later, Peter arose to obey that command. He preached that great sermon which is found in the second chapter of Acts. What did he say in that sermon? He had not had some advantages which men have today. He had not had the inestimable advantage of modern “religious education.” If he had had, no doubt he would have told the people that it did not make any difference what doctrine they held about Jesus or about anything else, and that life was the only thing that mattered. But poor Peter! He had not had the advantage of modern religious education. He had to content himself with another advantage — he had just been filled with the Holy Ghost. The result is that his sermon is doctrinal through and through. He just gave them the facts about Jesus. Not a bit of exhortation, nothing about a program. Just facts, facts, facts, doctrine, doctrine, doctrine. What was the result? They were “pricked in their hearts.” Then Peter told them what to do. Three thousand were saved.

So it is everywhere in the Bible, my friends. First doctrine, then life. The Bible from Genesis to Revelation gives not a bit of comfort to the skeptical notion that doctrine is the mere changing and symbolic expression of Christian experience. The Bible founds living everywhere squarely upon truth. God grant that you may all receive that truth for the saving of your souls, and that having been saved you may live true Christian lives upon this earth and then live in God’s presence for evermore!

Standards....now choose your size!

marrena — Mon, 30 Jun 2008 21:21:58 GMT

If you have ordered standards in the past you may be aware that the standards come in two sizes per color. In the past we would split your order and send half one size and half the other. Now you get to choose the size you want. We trust this will make it easier for you to know you have the sizes you need for the children in your club.

Standards are measured folded and from the top fold of the standard down to the point.

Sizing Chart

	Lime (Discoverers)	Red (Developers)	Khaki (Detectives)	Royal (Defenders)
Small	22 inches	23 inches	25 inches	27 inches
Large	23 inches	25 inches	27 inches	29 inches

As always, if you have any questions please do not hesitate to contact us via the online chat, email (clubs@kids4truth.com), or telephone (866-754-4272).

Curriculum - 10% off now through July 31!

marrena — Fri, 20 Jun 2008 18:16:07 GMT

We are pleased to announce that we have started our July sale a little early. Now through July 31 save 10% on all curriculum. This sale includes all printed Entrance Exams, TruthBooks, Awards Standards, and Award Patches (both individual and sets). Place your order before the August rush and save a little money for your church.

If you have questions regarding what you need to order for your church, please contact us. We are available via online chat (see chat line link at the top of this page), email at clubs@kids4truth.com, or toll free at 866.754-4272. This is our busy time of the year and are often on the phone working with churches. If we do not answer your telephone call, please leave a phone message. Phone messages are delivered direct to our email address so please leave a message and we will get to you as quickly as possible.

Summer Camp Ministry

BobRoberts — Wed, 18 Jun 2008 11:37:53 GMT

During the summer, my wife and I live at the Wilds Christian Camp in Brevard, NC (www.wilds.org). We work in the "Junior Boot Camp" program with Tim Meals. Every week, about 230 junior age (3rd-6th grade) boys and girls come to the Wilds' Junior Boot Camp. We love camp ministry. God saved me at camp. God brought my wife and I together at camp. It's a good thing to come away from the "norm" of life for awhile, to be surrounded by God's beautiful creation, and to be saturated with God-centered preaching and teaching. It's a no-brainer, folks.

I'm on "program" staff here which basically means I help facilitate the program. Some weeks I also have the privilege of speaking. This year I began teaching all new chapel messages. The theme of these messages is "Big Christian Words." I have four opportunities to speak, so I cover four "Big Christian" words:

Tuesday = DEPRAVITY ("I am wicked and I need God!")
Wednesday = REDEMPTION ("To be rescued through a great purchase!")
Thursday = SANCTIFICATION
Friday = GLORIFICATION

I'm concerned about the children learning solid theology. I strive to take meaty doctrinal truth and make it understandable and memorable for young people. I am going to try and post these messages and their corresponding PowerPoint files to this blog later this summer. It is vital that we teach boys and girls solid Christian doctrine! This is the heartbeat of my life and the reason Kids 4 Truth was born.

The Wilds has been a true blessing to the Kids 4 Truth ministry over the years. They have allowed me great freedom to highlight the Kids 4 Truth materials with all the sponsors. Many churches currently using Kids 4 Truth began as a result of visiting the Wilds and learning about Kids 4 Truth there.

I hope to see you at the Wilds this summer!

Year-end Award Pins

marrena — Thu, 05 Jun 2008 18:47:03 GMT

We are pleased to announce that the pins arrived in our offices today and we will begin shipping backordered pins tomorrow. If you are waiting on an order, please check your store account next week for your tracking information.

Our sales for year-end award pins were much higher this spring than we anticipated. The gold and silver year-end award pins have been on backorder for the past few weeks. We apologize for the inconvenience this may have caused your ministry.

Kids 4 Truth In Quebec

BobRoberts — Thu, 22 May 2008 22:07:28 GMT

Sarah and I recently had the opportunity to visit her parents in Rimouski, Quebec. They are missionaries there and have begun the first ever Kids 4 Truth club in the French language. It was thrilling to see these children learning God-focused truth in their native tongue. Please PRAY that God would provide wisdom as we are currently seeking to begin the translation process in the French and Spanish languages.

May 15 & 16, 2008 - Camp Logos Seminar Training

marrena — Thu, 01 May 2008 15:28:15 GMT

Co-hosted by Kids 4 Truth International and Tri-City Ministries

We are excited to announce that we will co-host our third Camp Logos Training Event at Tri-City Ministries in Independence, MO on May 15 & 16, 2008.

If you have ever used the Libronix Digital Library System, we are sure you will agree with Bob Roberts that this is one of the best resources available to Christians. He highly endorses the Morris Proctor Seminars by stating: "I cannot recommend Morris Proctor’s Camp Logos highly enough! Anyone who teaches and preaches the Word will benefit greatly from this awesome “Camp.” After the first 20 minutes of day one, I could hardly contain the newfound energy to study God’s Word using the superior tools Libronix affords. After day one of the seminar was over, I anxiously began putting my new found “Libronix” knowledge to work and heartily dug into Scripture. Wow! What a wonderful time it was to begin to use the Logos/Libronix software to a fuller capacity. I couldn’t imagine that there could be more to learn on day #2 – but there was! In fact, it got even better.

While you are in the area, please feel free to drop by our offices. We are a short 20 minute drive from the seminar location.