As followers of Jesus, we’re familiar with the Easter story and its life-altering significance. But is there a mystery embedded we often fail to recognize? After his being crucified, why was it necessary for Jesus to stay in the tomb for three days?…
Your summer mission trip is on the launching pad—the countdown is on. Maybe you just completed your last leg on the fund-raising marathon (who knew teenagers could sell that many over-priced balls of cookie dough?). Your spreadsheet mapping the intricate details of the trip is filling up.…
Sacrifice. It’s a word that can easily bring about negative connotations, especially when viewed with an Old Testament frame of mind. What would it look like to shift our perspective to focus on and embrace the ultimate sacrifice Jesus made on the cross?…
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...
As followers of Jesus, we’re familiar with the Easter story and its life-altering significance. But is there a mystery embedded we often fail to recognize? After his being crucified, why was it necessary for Jesus to stay in the tomb for three days?…
I was relational before relational was cool… Way back in the day, I invited kids in my youth group to run errands with me, signed on to be a substitute teacher to earn street cred with kids at school, and invited the families of my teenagers over for dinner.…
Truth be told, many of us are discipling our teenagers with unsharpened axes. We’re dull inside, because we’ve refused to take a break and invest in our long-term relationship with Jesus. We just keep swinging, through season after season in ministry, surprised that our work seems harder and harder.…
Patrick Mahomes is 23 years old, fresh off his first full year as a starting quarterback in the NFL, and is already considered the most feared player in the game. He’s just won the NFL’s 2018/19 Most Valuable Player Award, the youngest to do so since Dan Marino in 1984.…
Aquaman is the Rodney Dangerfield of the Justice League—for decades, he’s earned no respect from the comic-book superhero world. Yes, he has the power to influence the undersea world, so why does he work a day job at the very land-based Hall of Justice?…
Your summer mission trip is on the launching pad—the countdown is on. Maybe you just completed your last leg on the fund-raising marathon (who knew teenagers could sell that many over-priced balls of cookie dough?). Your spreadsheet mapping the intricate details of the trip is filling up.…
I work with teenage moms at Hope House of Colorado—this year, we’ve served 220 amazing moms and their children. These girls come to Hope House determined to become self-sufficient and work toward a better life for their children. Every day they face a murderer’s row of challenges: abandonment, poverty, homelessness, and sometimes abuse.…
Few things have greater leverage for spiritual growth in the lives of your teenagers than summer trips—and that’s just why they’re a magnet for disaster. Embedded in these EpicFail stories are profound lessons on effective youth ministry. Summer trips are the lifeblood of a thriving youth ministry.…
Play a game with me… Imagine you weren’t allowed to have small groups of any kind in your youth ministry. We all know that creating relationship-rich spaces to grow community is important, but what if our go-to greenhouse for friendship-building wasn’t an option?…
 Death to Life—Three Days in the Dark){kind=link}
 Death to Life—No Sacrifice){kind=link}