Skoolbus • Rules of the Road:

1. Keep It Simple Students

One part loving each child well (what ever that looks like for them)

One part safe space to experience Jesus (with messes and all)

2. Jesus Taught with Stories & So Shall We

 I know a mom who has a dedicated mud pit in her backyard. And they water it often. Why? Because her sons love it and their friends do to. Then there’s the other answer. These kids are looking for adventure anywhere so why not let them experience the grandeur in a familiar place.     

Kids aren’t afraid of mud, actually most of them gravitate toward it. Watch a child’s face when you tell them that it’s ok to play in the mud. Then back it up without fear of punishment. You will experience joy and so will they.

It’s the adults that usually break a sweat over it – often over the clean up…the potential of ruined clothes, what will the bathtub look like post bath, who will clean up those messes. But here’s the hidden nugget: kids can learn.

Kingdom learning tends to be a holistic process. When you learn about mud, you also become familiar with cleaning methods, agents and time frames. You know, Jesus had a mud pit in his backyard and his ability to clean up the mess was legendary. It still is.

At Skoolbus, we desire to see a ton of messy kids with a trail of mud and toys and dirty feet. So that they can experience the joy of watching mud take flight.  To then learn how it made it into the neighbor’s backyard. And be empowered to show their neighbor what Love really looks like. Initially in the form of mud removal and fence triage but later in continued relationship sparked through unusual meeting.

3. Location, location, location

Remember when you were a kid singing to pass the boredom…’We are the front of the bus, the front of the bus, the front of the bus…where is the back?” It’s funny to think back that it was really a song about identity.

This is who we are from the front and back of the ‘bus.

Front of the ‘bus– Community and Immersion (…and its mud pies)

Let the children learn of family and community with our occasional hang-ups and all our greatness. It’s important to interact together and actively love each other. In fact, God really likes it when we do. Look, you can’t pick the family you’re born into but we are commanded to love one another.  (1 John 4:7)

Let the children learn together with each other, with the generations, with Love. Everyone brings a key to the table that will open doors for all of us to walk through. (Matthew 19:14)

Back of the ‘bus - Love and Experience (God is Love)         

If there is one thing that our children learn from us, let them learn that God is Love.  1 John 4:16  NIV        

And let them experience Him.  Matthew 19:14 NIV