We all want to make the most of new beginnings, and longtime youth pastor Ralph Paige has helped point the way for me. Though he’s been a ministry leader for more than 20 years, he treats every start of a new school year as a blank page.…
We are on the brink of Christmas. Many people keep asking me if we are “ready.” The answer is of course, “No.” I would love to be one of those amazing people who have been prepped and ready for the big day for weeks, merely waiting in anticipation.…
For many years the longtime column I wrote for GROUP Magazine was titled “The Youth Ministry Drill Sergeant”—I guess I have the sort of opinions that fit best in a boot-camp setting. Translation: I’m very direct when I have something to say.…
Our primary authority for living a Jesus-Centered life is the Bible, a long book written in two languages thousands of years ago by dozens of people throughout hundreds of year. Good luck making sense of all that! But if we want to deepen our trust in Jesus and our understanding of God, ourselves, and humanity, there’s no greater resource.…
Recently I read a hysterical article comparing back-to-school from the 80’s to back-to-school circa 2016. It joked about the simplicity of an era that involved lunches with processed bologna, metal lunch boxes, and the need to only supply a pencil and pen for the first day of school.…
My team was tired. And I couldn’t blame them, even though the fruits we saw from our ministry efforts were undeniably profound. We’d just marched through a packed calendar of amazing, bridge-building events that attracted new teenagers to our ministry and a Bible study series that deepened the faith of our student leaders.…
In our house, we’re working with the change that’s taking place as our oldest son, Aeden, is entering into junior high this fall. As parents, who’ve worked in youth ministry for 21 years, we feel completely inept and unprepared for this new season of life.…
Join Rick for the sixth episode in a new ongoing series—“JESUS IN THE REAL WORLD.” The “messaging” around Christmas is deeply embedded in us—at no other time during the year is gift-giving such a major focus of our life. And there’s a lot on the line for us.…
by Kelli and David Trujillo Jesus: Who Do You Say I Am? – The Meaning of Allegiance Editor’s Note: This is the third of a yearlong series of Bible studies that will help your teenagers answer Jesus’ profound question in Luke 9:18-20—”Who do you say I am?”…
When I entered youth ministry, I must’ve signed a contract agreeing to teach about sex and relationships every February forever…it’s law! Okay, maybe not. But with all the Valentine’s Day love buzz, it’s a natural time to focus on relationships. Last February I decided to try a series or book.…
