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Godstruck Ministries 4 Kids is a children's music division of Godstruck Ministries, LLC,
owned and operated by Kim and Karen Langdon, 8180 Talon Ct, Falcon, CO 80831

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Special Announcement

Exciting News!!

Studio recording began this month on
CD #3 (Sing God's Word - Run with Jesus) and
CD #4 (Sing God's Word - Father over All)

May 2016 Newsletter





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Blessings Blog: Unmasked

Dress-up and pretend play are both part of a well-rounded child’s domain. Developing more sophisticated levels of creativity and make-believe as they grow, children build a stable foundation for many areas of their adulthood. According to Lauren Lowry’s article found on The Hanen Centre’s website, due to the development of the imagination in childhood, adults draw on their experience to “invent, visualize, solve problems, enjoy a book, understand others’ perspectives, and think creatively,” among other capabilities.1 Make-believe also stimulates language development. According to speech pathologists Elaine Weitzman and Janice Greenberg, “Pretend play and language both involve the same underlying ability to represent things symbolically.”2 With undeniable proof that encouraging imaginative play is critical for a healthy and productive mind, it is easy to see why Albert Einstein stated, “Imagination is more important than knowledge.”1

My son, Kevin graduated from Kindergarten in June 1987. As with all commencement exercises, it was, of course, an important event. Because my husband was on an assignment that took him away from home that summer, our dear friend, Miss Vickie, stepped in and joined the rest of our family for this most momentous occasion. It included quite the pomp and circumstance, incorporating among other things the traditional march, mortarboards, and appropriate speeches.

The children remained on the stage for the entire program. At one point, each was granted a diploma, and then Mr. Hanks, their principal, gave his charge to the young graduates and a message to their parents. Whoever thought to hand out the scrolls to the children before they left the platform was not keeping Kevin in mind. Within minutes of the beginning of the principal’s speech, Kevin apparently needed an escape from the scholarly environment, and he began to demonstrate “a hundred ways one can use a diploma.” Rather than risk boredom, he adeptly turned that rolled up parchment into a baseball bat, a telescope, a golf club, a hearing device, a sword, and a rifle. I signaled a “timeout” as discreetly as possible, but I did refrain from disappearing under my chair because my child was entertaining the crowd while all the other cherubs were sitting with hands folded and ears intent on their Headmaster. I really don’t know what any of the other attendees thought of the whole thing, but Vickie and I still chuckle at Kevin’s ingenuity and imagination displayed that day.

Kevin was laying a foundation for a creative life, something we have already seen is extremely important in one’s development. Interestingly, we grown-ups often continue the game of make-believe in our adult lives. Though we may not take a material item and pretend it is something else, we do wear masks and cover up our inner selves because sometimes that’s easier than allowing others to know what’s really going on inside or who we really are. There are various reasons for this attempt: fear, pride, insecurity, and self-judgment come to mind. We don’t want others to discover our inadequacies by revealing who we really are, and so we go on acting for the crowd and masking our true identities to garner acceptance and approval. Oh, there are those with whom we can let down our guard, but we often turn ourselves into someone totally different for the majority of our acquaintances. Even if the change is subtle, it still exists.

It is so amazing and refreshing to realize that we can be exactly who we are before God. It is obvious in His Word that there is no hiding from Him anyway, so it makes no sense to try. Psalm 139 clearly reveals this truth: “O LORD, You have searched me and known me! You know when I sit down and when I rise up; you discern my thoughts from afar. You search out my path and my lying down and are acquainted with all my ways,” (Psalm 139:1-3, ESV*).3 Our accepted means of hiding is in Him, not from Him. “For He will hide me in His shelter in the day of trouble,” (Psalm 27:5, ESV*). “In the cover of Your presence You hide them from the plots of men,” (Psalm 31:20, ESV*). “If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God,” (Colossians 3:1-3, ESV*). The best thing we can do is to acknowledge everything we hold inside to our understanding and compassionate God Who loves us unconditionally. With acceptance and guidance He will help us to deal with the areas that may need improvement and encourage us in the ways that we are already sufficiently living our lives to honor and serve Him.

I hope you appreciate this timely message. If you should find yourself at a graduation and the speaker is tending to send your mind far off in thought, perhaps you can pick up your program and escape to the land of make-believe. Batter up!

*Emphasis added

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  1. Lowry, Lauren, “The Land of Make-Believe: How and Why to Encourage Pretend Play,” The Hanen Centre (November 22, 2012)
  2. Weitzman, E Greenberg, J. 2002. Learning Language and Loving It: A guide to promoting children’s social, language, and literary development in early childhood settings. Toronto: The Hanen Centre.
  3. The ESV Student Study Bible, ESV Bible, Copyright © 2011 by Crossway. All rights reserved.

Family Activity: Costume Party

My daughter Kelley’s family enjoys the practice of holding a weekly family night. On a recent Thursday evening, four-year-old Libby, the event coordinator, decided that they should have a costume party. Truly inspired by her idea, this month’s activity is to hold a costume party with your family, perhaps even inviting others who might enjoy participating with you.

Within the boundaries of your faith and values, allow your child/children to be creative and give them the latitude to choose how they will dress up. Use items such as face paint, paper bags, simple masks, towels, beautiful dresses, and Daddy’s shirt and tie to keep the costumes simple and affordable. Perhaps you would even like to assign a theme to your event. Playing a “guess who I am” game could be part of the fun. With minimal decorations you could hold your party in a fort, a castle, a diner, or any other place that the family can create together.

If you like, consider “masking” the food you are serving as well. We have provided two recipes that you can follow and that will perhaps inspire you to come up with similar fare. The masking comes from making a savory dish look as if it is a dessert, or making something sweet look as if it is part of a savory main dish. Enjoy your make believe time as you make memories together!

Meatloaf Pie with Strawberry Topping1

You will need:

  • A pie plate
  • Cooking spray
  • Ingredients for your favorite meatloaf recipe
  • Mashed potatoes – homemade from real potatoes, or a box of instant flakes or buds
  • Small can of beets (Not pickled. You can bake your own beet, if you prefer.)

Using one and a half pounds of ground beef, make the meatloaf. Spray with cooking spray, and spread into the pie plate. Bake until done – it took about 50 minutes for ours to be done in a 350-degree oven. Carefully pour off any extra grease.

Make the mashed potatoes. Puree about ¼ cup of beets in a blender or food processor with a small bit of beet juice from the can, warm milk, or water. Allow small bits of beet to remain.

Use a mixer to whip the potatoes with a small amount of the beet puree. Use what is needed to get the color of topping desired. A small amount should not affect the flavor of the potatoes. Mound the mashed potato mix on the meatloaf. Reheat in a moderate oven, if needed. Cut into wedges to serve. We did not use a crust, but you could also bake this in a crust to make it look more like a pie. You could also call it a “meatloaf cake” if it looks more cake-like to you.

Cheesecake Mashed Potato Bites with Caramel Gravy2

You will need:

  • A glass pie plate or small glass, oven-safe dish
  • Cooking spray
  • A mixer and bowl, a scraper
  • An eight-ounce package of cream cheese
  • ¼ cup sugar
  • ¼ tsp of vanilla
  • 1 egg
  • A vanilla shortbread cookie or another flat cookie
  • Caramel sauce
  • A small chocolate bar
  • A fine grater for the chocolate
  • Sea salt (optional)
  • Sturdy cupcake paper liners, if desired

Spray the baking dish with cooking spray. Beat the cream cheese, sugar, and vanilla until blended. Add the egg and thoroughly mix until smooth. Bake in a 325-degree oven for 30 minutes or until a knife inserted in the center comes clean. Remove from the oven to a rack. When the cake has cooled down, chill in a refrigerator for three hours.

If using the cupcake paper liners, place a single cookie in each. Use a spoon or a cookie scoop to scrape a ball out of the chilled mixture. Place on the cookie. Make a well in the mashed potatoes; fill with caramel sauce, allowing it to run over a bit like gravy on mashed potatoes. Grate the chocolate over the mound for pepper. Sprinkle with sea salt, if desired.

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  1. the Idea Room
  2. sheknows

Living the Word: A Class Act

Now that you have become dress-up and make-believe experts, it’s time to share the joy with others. Take your masters of disguise to a Senior Center or to the home of a beloved older friend or relative. Do so during an earlier hour, perhaps before your family party. If this individual still lives in his own home and he can have it, bring him one of your “masked treats.” Have your elderly host guess the role each of your children is playing. Get in on the act too! Remember that as the summer months’ approach, people are engaged in outdoor activities, vacations and other warm weather events, so your visit will likely be very welcome. Your children may even want to do a little bit of acting as entertainment. May God reveal your true heart and spirit as you bring the joy of this family activity to others. “Do not neglect to do good and to share what you have, for such sacrifices are pleasing to God,” (Hebrews 13:16, ESV).1

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  1. The ESV Student Study Bible, ESV Bible, Copyright © 2011 by Crossway. All rights reserved.

What's New?

Verse for May – Colossians 4:2 (ESV)

2Continue steadfastly in prayer, being watchful in it with thanksgiving.


Latest Testimonial

"We use this program and LOVE it! The kids know all the songs and request the CDs often! They have learned so many Scriptures with this program!" - Jeana E., Dallas, TX


Update on CDs #3 & #4

Studio recording has begun on CD #3 (Sing God's Word - Run with Jesus) and CD #4 (Sing God's Word - Father over All). Continue to keep us in your prayers as we bring the artists into studios in various parts of the country. We have much to accomplish, but we are trusting God to lead us and allow us to finish in a timely manner.


Stuffie Makeover

Our seamstress has worked very hard on the new design of our Matt Cello and Joni Microphonie characters. We are very excited to announce that Matt Cello is presently available to order for $19.99, plus shipping and handling. We will be working further on a couple of products that will use the Joni graphic. Thank you for your prayers for wisdom and creativity as we move forward in this process.


Major Recording Announcement

We've shared in the last few newsletters that we are currently in discussions with a German recording company (Liedeo) who desires to translate Sing God's Word - Psalms in Tune CD #1 and Sing God's Word - Way to Praise CD #2 into the German language. To date, 7 songs have been translated and will soon be sent to us for lyrics verification.


Ministry Partners

  • Living to Worship - promotes wellness and fitness in your spirit and body, all for the glory of God

  • Little Giant Steps - provides life-changing solutions for accelerating learning abilities in individuals whether they are gifted, typical or challenged

  • MY HOMESCHOOL ROADMAP - provides life-changing solutions for parents to homeschool their children without fear of failure

Upcoming Events



Look for us at the following venues in the upcoming months:


2016

2017

As the theme verse for Godstruck Ministries 4 Kids, Colossians 3:16 speaks to the heart and soul of why this ministry exists. Our mission is to help children hide God’s Word and principles in their hearts through His wonderful gift of music.

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