The administrative work in ministry is hard for me. Diving into the details always stresses me out. That’s why, at the beginning of every school year, I make sure I’m making six critical connections before we launch. These are conversations that help everyone, including me, know where we’re going, and why.…
Almost 50 million people attempt to diet every year—as we all know, most never reach their goal. The reason has less to do with willpower and more to do with our brain’s stubborn dictatorship. Neuroscientist and author Sandra Aamodt says: “Whenever your weight changes too much, your brain will intervene to push it back to what it thinks is the correct weight for you.…
A chief source of anxiety in our lives comes from the idea that what we bring to the table will never be enough. When it comes to the struggle of feeling like we’re never enough, what would it look like to invite Jesus to reveal the truth to us?…
Serving in youth ministry is both rewarding and challenging. As a leader, you’re a catalyst for helping teenagers grow as disciples of Jesus, a ...
In the often-chaotic cloud that is everyday youth ministry, one goal always rises to the surface—growing disciples who follow Jesus with an all-...
Fortnite, 13 Reasons Why, Snapchat… The shifting currents of culture all play a role in shaping the teenagers you serve, and give you unique opp...
The administrative work in ministry is hard for me. Diving into the details always stresses me out. That’s why, at the beginning of every school year, I make sure I’m making six critical connections before we launch. These are conversations that help everyone, including me, know where we’re going, and why.…
We are shorthand people who prefer shorthand solutions to complex problems. That’s true in life, and it’s true in youth ministry. In the past, our shortcut paths to deeper discipleship included… • What Would Jesus Do—”Go beyond your identity as a church-attender and have the courage to live like Jesus.…
Type “teenagers” into Google, then spend 30 minutes browsing the links. I did this the other day and was confronted (over and over) by one overriding reality—Gen Z teenagers are suffering from more depression, anxiety, and stress than ever before. EVER before.…
I’m going to be honest and say I have not mastered what I’m about to share with you. I’m in the middle of this one-sided wrestling match with you. The school year will soon begin. Youth groups across the country will soon be having or are planning kickoff events.…
Type “teenagers” into Google, then spend 30 minutes browsing the links. I did this the other day and was confronted (over and over) by one overriding reality—Gen Z teenagers are suffering from more depression, anxiety, and stress than ever before. EVER before.…
I was born on the front pew of a church during a Sunday night worship service. Before I could say momma, I said Jesus. Enough exaggerating. I wasn’t born on a pew, but I was born a preacher’s daughter. Going to church was more important than anything else in our world.…
A mission trip is like the Olympic steeplechase—you’re running as fast as you can over, around, and through every imaginable obstacle to get to the finish line. Maybe it’s the girl who shows up with a piece of luggage the size of a small horse casket, or the guy who forgot to study the packing list and brought clothes that won’t work well in your context.…
Each summer for the last three years, our youth ministry has served our city through a weeklong local mission trip called “I HEART LINCOLN” (or I❤LNK). Our teenagers pay a $100 fee and are placed on a team with two leaders—each team is assigned a pre-arranged service project organized by a local organization in our city.…
In a ministry context, summer is a serial liar. I mean, summer is NOT a slower time for youth ministry, and it’s NOT chock-full of margin. We won’t have a more relaxed schedule, and we won’t have time to catch our breath.…
 Essential Questions—Will I Ever Be Enough?){kind=link}