When Life Gets Crazy
My heart raced as I entered the youth building. Several hundred people were attending a conference at our church but I was interested in finding only one person-my wife. I made my way to my office where I knew she’d be waiting.…
Heart Attract
To help junior highers have a heart for your community play this familiar game with a twist. Tape a large map of the world to the wall at the student’s eye level. Highlight your community. Blindfold the students one at a time spin them around and have them tape a heart as closely as possible to your community.…
How to Quickly Get Students Involved with Skits
The hardest part about church drama’s or skits is the execution. Let’s face it, there’s a lot of grace when peers perform in front of their peers. So often the skit goes flat, too long or the acting wasn’t all it could be to make the lines really come to life.…
Increasing Your Terminal Velocity
Terminal velocity is achieved when an object (usually falling from the sky) reaches its maximum speed. When it can go no faster, it has reached terminal velocity; in other words it has reached its full potential. I’m sure there’s much more to it than that, but since I’m not a scientist that simple explanation will have to do.…
The Hunt for Buried Treasure: Time Management Tips for A.D.D. Youth Workers
Teach us to number our days aright, that we may gain a heart of wisdom (Psalm 90:12) What would you do if you found out that just beneath your backyard swing set was buried a treasure beyond your wildest imagination? If you’re like me, you’d start digging.…
Monkey Management II: Its 9:00 A.M. Do You Know Where Your Monkeys Are?
In my last column, I introduced our readers to “the fine art of monkey management.” Borrowing from the term “the monkey on your back,” I defined a “monkey” simply as “the responsibility to take the next step.” Every youth pastor faces hundreds of monkeys every day.…
The Need for Balcony Time: Why Most Youth Ministries Never Get Off the Dime
I could feel the emotional overload as he described the expanding pile of tasks before him. Everything on this youth workers to-do list screamed URGENT. He shook his head in frustration, Ill never get it all done! He was just beginning to understand.…
Teens and Fantasy Sports
Sports fans are everywhere. Pro sports have become a staple of the American pop culture. Now that TV broadcasts games across the globe nearly 24 hours a day, fans are able to follow their favorite teams and players more closely than ever before.…
Mirror, Mirror
Last summer, I spent some time reflecting on my reflection. I turned 50 at the end of July. Of course I spent time thinking about the lessons I’d learned and the blessings I’d received over the course of the first five decades of my life.…
Massively Becoming a Part of Youth Culture
There’s no denying that video games are a booming business. Gaming professionals continue to vie for the attention of gamers both male and female, young and old. Much of the buzz in video games today exists in the online world. The saturation of computers and Internet access into homes across the country and around the world has ushered in a new era for video games.…