I was on a middle school summer trip to Chicago once, and had an interesting interaction with a Chicago native. One of our adult volunteers left his camera behind on a boat ride. The local Chicagoan happened to be on the boat, found the camera, and then came to find us.…
So a few weeks ago was the big NFL draft. With the first pick, the 0-16 Detroit Lions selected quarterback Matthew Stafford and gave him a 6-year deal that includes $41.7 million guaranteed—a record amount of guaranteed money for any player—rookie or veteran—in NFL history.…
The Hangover (Rated R) Abraham Lincoln once said, “It has been my experience that folks who have no vices have very few virtues.” And if that’s true, the characters in The Hangover have a lot of virtues. The film has received a major advertising push in the past month or so and, as a result, actually beat Disney/Pixar’s Up in its second weekend in box office earnings.…
Drag Me To Hell (PG-13) Most people know director Sam Raimi for his blockbuster Spider-Man movies—or perhaps from A Simple Plan, his underappreciated tragic tale of greed. But he first burst onto the scene in the ‘80s with the Evil Dead series—over-the-top campy horror films that were large on both gore and laughs.…
Are you experiencing what God has for you—both in your life and as a youth minister? Are you fulfilled and growing? Are you seeing results? Most of my coaching clients hire me because they aren’t fulfilled. Through my work, I’ve learned how frustrating it is to want to “live and lead from the inside out” but to have no idea how to get started.…
Fact: College students want to change the world. They don’t want to just talk about it or simply be told how to do it. They want to do something to change the world. They want to get their hands dirty and make positive, lasting change in a world that’s full of injustice.…
A buzz of conversation suddenly reaches my ears during the middle of a worship set. At the completion of the song, I snag the microphone and ask, “Hey, can someone tell me the three times when we ask you not to talk and participate?”…
By nature I’m a “doer,” but lately God has been teaching me how to be a “watcher.” And it’s been humbling and encouraging and incredibly exciting to watch God at work in the lives of my teenagers. Here’s the challenge: Sometimes I get so preoccupied with programming and teaching and leading and even mentoring that I forget to step back and watch what God is doing.…
Developing Your Adult Volunteers as LeadersBy Doug Franklin Having good adult volunteers in your youth ministry makes all the difference. It’s a great feeling when you have a few people that “get it” and can come along side of you to help make an impact in students’ lives.…
I routinely travel remote tree-lined winding roads all along Washington State’s Olympic Peninsula. As a crisis pregnancy volunteer, I’m usually on my way to middle and high school classrooms. The schools are all different—some large, some small, many are low income, but they all share a common world.…
