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.
Season 2, Episode 22: How to Put Discipline In Its Place In the Jesus-Centered Life, Rick Lawrence offers a path into a life free from all the “shoulds” we like to promote in the church. Join us this week as we dive into Paul’s message—to two different audiences spaced five years apart—regarding the role of discipline in our lives.…
Season 2, Episode 21: 600 Days of 24/7 Moments With Jesus What if your relationship with Jesus were a 24/7 event where he’s invited into every moment, not just a set period of time? What would that look like? Would you laugh with Jesus more?…
In this week’s Whiteboard Wednesday experiment, we remember that Jesus’ primary “teaching” method involves improvised responses amid intentional conversations. Then we’ll learn the basics of teaching in an “improv” way. I was never in a garage band, but whenever I hear a phrase that sounds like the name of a garage band (for example, the other day my daughter said the phrase “dissected squid juice”), I tell people it was actually the name of my band when I was in high school.…
In 2005, a 14-year-old in Florida named Lindsay discovered that it wasn’t God’s will for local teenagers to be treated as outcasts because they couldn’t afford to replace their worn-out shoes. It couldn’t possibly be his plan for kids to be threatened by bullies because of their hand-me-downs and thrift-shop attire.…
In high school, one of my favorite topics to discuss with my youth leader was Finding God’s Will, particularly how it related to finding a date for prom. I memorized Romans 12:1-2, where Paul encourages Christ-followers to offer themselves as living sacrifices in order to “prove” or “discern” what is God’s good, pleasing, and perfect will.…
Like a scene from an Indiana Jones movie, we pull our dusty hat down, clutch our whip, and head into the dark cave that hides the elusive Will of God. It’s a mysterious treasure, so we have only vague clues pointing us in the right direction.…
Season 2, Episode 20: Does Everything Happen for a Reason? Everything happens for a reason. All things work together for good. But what does that mean? If God has a plan, what if it isn’t the same as mine? What if the thing he’s keeping from me—that thing I so desperately want—is for my own protection?…
In this week’s Whiteboard Wednesday experiment, we explore ways to take advantage of the big moments surrounding grad time and “mark” teenagers with a reflection they’ll never forget. Ever had someone believe in you more than you believe in yourself?…
Season 2, Episode 19: Jesus Was the Worst Self-Help Guru Ever When you feel as if your life needs a hard reset, it’s easy to leave Jesus behind and head to a bookstore’s self-help section to get on top of your issue.…
In this week’s Whiteboard Wednesday experiment, I make the case that the heart is more important than the head in youth ministry because Jesus said so… With all the controversy swirling around the suicide-themed Netflix series 13 Reasons Why, we’re focused (again) on the impact of the powerful cultural messages teenagers soak in every day.…
 How to Put Discipline In Its Place){kind=link}
 600 Days of 24/7 Moments With Jesus){kind=link}
 Does Everything Happen for a Reason?){kind=link}
 Jesus Was the Worst Self-Help Guru Ever){kind=link}
