Lead Well

Photo by Cláudio Luiz Castro on Unsplash Since this is coming out on Black Friday, I thought it would be appropriate to talk about one of my passions. Video Games. I’ve been playing since I was a little kid and still play regularly. Also working in NextGen, I’ve seen a lot of kids exposed to games and media way before they’re ready because of their parents' ignorance. It doesn’t have to be this way though. Every game has a rating ranging from E for Everyone to M to Mature. (There is a higher Adult Only rating, but those games are few and far between.) As a parent or pastor knowing what games are going to be fun and appropriate for your kids is important. For this post, I’ll pick three games from each system that are family-friendly and can be played easily with multiple people. I won't make recommendations on consoles, but you can see my buying guide here.   In addition, many of these games are on sale for Black Friday. If you’re looking for Christmas or update the games ...

Recently I visited James River Church in Ozark, Mo.  James River is one of the largest Churches in the Assemblies of God and have a great children's ministry. I love to visit other churches and see how they do things. While I was there, I saw great idea for games and toys before service. Our kids love to find fun things to do before service begins and for us our games are on a cart and the kids have to play on the floor.  This is usually not a problem, except the colossal mess that's left when service begins and ends.  In addition, it is becoming increasingly difficult to keep all the pieces together for the multiple board games.   Kids will be kids. While I was walking through James River's children's area, they had these games stations set up with a game or two on each table.  I thought this was a fabulous idea and am looking forward to implementing it in my own area. Do your kids play games before service? How do you set them out? Please...

With so many consoles out there and video games becoming a major part of the American childhood experience, many parents are asking which one should I get for my kids? gettyimages.com As a lifelong gamer, I know the challenges and the overwhelming amount of information that's out there, so I'm creating this guide to help you make an informed decision for your kids this Christmas. First of all you should know that all consoles come with the following features: Online Connectivity Parental Controls At least 1 Controller At least 1 Game Apps such as Netflix and Hulu 1. Nintendo Wii  Cost: $149.99 Free web: yes Kid Friendly: 5/5 Recommended games: Mario Kart, Wii Sports/Resort, New Super Mario Brothers If your kids are under the age of 10, this is the best system for your family.  It has fun, easy, and safe games for your whole family and it's easy on your wallet at only $149.99 making it the cheapest of all the consoles. Even though the next generation console the Wii U ...