My kids were recently invited to attend a youth conference with some friends. When I visited the website to find out more information and clicked on the promo video, this is what they told me: “This conference will be UNLIKE anything else you have ever attended.”…
About six months ago I had this idea to put a fire under a group of apathetic students. I started teaching about injustice in the world and how God handles it. We discussed our responsibility alongside his work and from this, “Passion Projects” were born.…
It’s that time of year again, school awards, sports awards, and more awards for teens. All of those who care about teens will sit in a chair for what will seem to be the longest hours of your life. Parents will bite their nails hoping their child will be recognized in some way.…
I was talking, but they weren’t listening. From up front I could witness a laugh-fest in the back row, several students were obviously dozing, while others were just having a side conversation. My heart sank. So I stopped, mid sentence and stood there in silence wondering if they would even notice.…
Growing up I was “picked on” notoriously. There was the kid who threatened to kill me because he didn’t like my mail box, the era of the “anonymous” messages on my answering machine telling me I was stupid, name calling and “practical jokes,” that cut deep.…
My 8th grade son has always been the king of the deep question. From the time he was little, he has woken up in the morning not only talking (Before my coffee, I send him to his Dad.) but contemplating the struggles of humanity.…
There are lots of articles out there about how to “protect” your marriage. We have heard the statistics about wandering eyes and hearts that can lead to affairs, failure and porn addiction. I read a quote on ministry burnout recently that discussed how those of us in ministry can merely “accept” the “distance” that happens in our marriages caused by the drip, drip, drip of schedules, demands and even disillusionment.…
For years, I prayed for the “right one” to come along. I can remember sitting across from my friend John and telling him about the other guys I really liked. Then somehow in the span of three years and in spite of my move to another country, we became best friends and realized how much we could just be “ourselves” with the each other.…
The Christmas season is one we associate with celebration, laughter and joy. Hands down when I ask students their favorite holiday, this is the one that bubbles to the top of the list most times. Yet, the other day I was given a great reminder.…
This morning Twitter sent me a message that instructed me how to follow football on Thanksgiving. The essence of the message said that it’s really what the holiday is all about. Sports. They seem to take over everything these days. If you had asked me just a couple of years ago if sports was the enemy of youth group, I would have screamed, “YES!”…
