it's kinda like toothpaste

If you squeeze all the toothpaste out of the tube, you can never put it all back in. Kind of like the words you use, Proverbs 12:18 says; "Reckless words pierce like a sword, but the tongue of the wise brings healing." What a powerful verse! I'm guessing it would be very hard to find someone who hasn't said something they regret.

During this past weekend, I heard a parent tell their almost 2 year old to stop what he was doing and that he was a "bad boy." They continued by saying, "you are always bad, do you hear me, bad." I wonder if that parent realizes how powerful those words are. I wonder if that little guy will live up to the prediction.

We are all human, but as children's leaders we must always be mindful of our words. We need to seize each opportunity to be positive in a negative world. Children are bombarded with negativity on a daily basis. Especially if their parents choose to watch the news. I heard this example this past weekend. "Have you every noticed during the weather forecast you never hear the weather person say '80% chance of sun today," no they say '20% chance of rain'." This world is a negative place, but as christians we are called to be the light in the darkness. As children's leaders we can impact children in a positive way each and every week. We might be the only positive they get! But, what about the parents?

Are we doing everything we can, or can we do more to help parents be everything God wants them to be? What about a shared family experience? Reggie Joiner is an amazing servant. He has allowed God to work through him to bring the "Orange" concept to life. What is Orange you say? Reggie and his team put it this way on www.orangeleaders.com;

Orange is our color because it represents the idea that "two combined influences will make a greater impact together than just two influences alone." Red and yellow are fine on their own, but combine them and you get a third, more vibrant option: orange! It's why we want to put children's leaders and student leaders in the same room discussing their strategy for graduating Godly students. It's why we want church leaders to combine their influence with parents. And it's why we want ministries to be both relevant and strategic, to teach truth while offering hands-on experiences, to be more together than we could ever be alone.

Sounds like a pretty positive way to give parents the tools they desire to raise great kids who know Jesus as their Savior! I'm just saying.....