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-in commitment. You’re after life-changing, inside-out transformation—driven by a passion for Jesus that spills out onto the lives of others.
What You’ll Find
The Discipleship section offers practical ideas and insights about effective discipleship in youth ministry. We explore the method and models and strategies your ministry can use to help “seed” a generation of teenagers who are all-in for Jesus.
We call ourselves “followers” of Jesus, but how do you follow when you’re having a hard time seeing where the path is leading? Or…what if you can’t see the path at all? Join Rick and author Mikal Keefer as they discuss what it means to understand God’s will and examine why people, even those close to Jesus, can have a difficult time with it.…
We know that rash decisions made in our own strength lead to trouble. But the alternative–timid prayers that tiptoe around each and every step–is not much better. So how do we make decisions about what’s right and wrong? How do we walk the line between our own common sense and Jesus’ divine guidance?…
Just about everyone likes Jesus. Christians adore him. Muslims respect him. Even Jews think he has interesting things to say. If only Jesus didn’t have a habit of being completely unreasonable. Join Rick and special guest Thomas Christianson (author of the new book The Unreasonable Jesus) as they focus on “mud puddle moments:” passages in the Bible where Jesus says or does something that seems shockingly unreasonable.…
It’s often said that too much of a good thing can be bad. It’s true of ice cream and sunshine, but does it also apply to reading the Bible? Join Rick as he welcomes author Mikal Keefer to discuss common misconceptions about reading the Bible, including a surprising revelation about yearlong Bible reading plans.…
Sponsored content from our friends at Dare 2 Share Apathy. It’s a sneaky killer of passion that can sideline even the most vibrant of churches. It’s how on-fire Christians can ever so slowly become completely ineffective for God’s kingdom. And teenagers are known to have a pretty bad case of it.…
Imagine you’re facing hardship and you call out to Jesus. There’s an answer, but maybe it’s not quite what you envisioned or desired. Now what? Join Rick and special guest (and dear friend of the show) Becky Hodges as they examine what it looks like to have a genuine belief in the goodness of Jesus’ heart, particularly when facing dark circumstances.…
Recently, three students met with me (and another leader) to share, for the first time, that they’d made a decision to embrace their transgender identity. Let that sink in—instead of running from the church at a moment like this, all three felt safe enough to open up about their journey and seek out a closer relationship with Jesus, wherever that might lead them. …
Sponsored content from our friends at Dare 2 Share Have you ever really taken stock of where your students are at spiritually months after your big summer event (camp or a short-term missions trip)? • Are they still excited about exploring God’s Word on their own?…
If prayer is just conversation with Jesus…why do we talk so funny when we do it? For instance, why do we speak in a softer voice than normal, and close our eyes? Why do we adopt strange prayer-ish sayings we don’t use anywhere else?…
Lament, which stems from pain, mourning, and loss, is often viewed in a negative light. But what if we told you that lamenting is actually a core spiritual strength? Join us as we kick off a month-long series on core spiritual practices by focusing on lament and paying ridiculous attention to how Jesus forms grit in people through lamenting.…
 Followers Who Follow){kind=link}
 The Right and Wrong About Right and Wrong){kind=link}
 The Unreasonable Jesus){kind=link}
 Is Too Much Bible Bad?){kind=link}
 Hard is Good…Eventually){kind=link}
 Myths, Lies, and Propaganda About Prayer){kind=link}
 Finding Life After Lament){kind=link}