Like many of you, we’ve been walking with this year’s senior class through the heartbreaking loss of their final high school semester. The conversations are raw, varied, and emotional. These teenagers are grieving, and their struggle is similar to those who are grieving the loss of a loved one.…
On Pentecost Sunday Calebe Silva, a teenager in New Jersey, opened his church’s Zoom church service with a short reading from Isaiah, followed by a piercing lament over the grief and pain the African-American community is experiencing right now (in the wake of the protests over the murder of George Floyd at the hands of Minneapolis police).…
Season 2, Episode 014: Freedom with Sarah Bessey What is Jesus hoping to set you free from? If you’ve grown up in Christianity, you probably know all about conviction and sin. But what if there’s more to the story? If Jesus came to set captives free, what does that really look like in our life?…
Season 2, Episode 16: What Jesus Says About Your Body We’re wrapping up our month-long theme on identity, be sure you go back and listen to all four episodes in the series. We couldn’t finish a series on identity without talking about body image.…
Reaching Kids Experiencing Same Sex Attraction An article from Jonathan McKee at TheSource4YM.com “We are confident in our theology concerning sexuality. We are equally confident that how we’ve traditionally approached sexuality, and ministering to teenagers in all stages of their sexual identity, has been unintentionally hurtful, confusing, and alienating to a whole bunch of teenagers.”…
Season 2, Episode 013: When Jesus Names You Who does Jesus say I am? When I first met Rick, he talked a lot about this question. He said it was the second most important question in life. That question scared me, because I’ve been raised in a world of broken mirrors.…
This morning I walked into staff prayer, and true confession time, I didn’t want to be there. I knew it was expected that I showed up, I even knew it would be beneficial yet, still my “to-do list” was looming at the forefront of my brain.…
Have you ever been in a teaching funk? Most teachers have, and it feels like I’m in one now! I love teaching God’s word and I am fortunate enough to be the primary teacher in our junior high ministry. Like most pastors, I’m critical of my own teaching.…
Hey Simply Insiders! We have another great guest post from Chris Roberts of Christ in Youth (CIY)! In his last one, he gave 5 Steps to Helping Students Find Their Identity. Today, Chris talks about how excellent worship can be the key to bringing your Jr.…
If you ask people in ministry about their “calling” they give you the answer about what they now “do” for Jesus. You know what I mean. We are “called” to be youth pastors. However, I believe that “calling” is a far more transformational experience than any “one thing.”…
