If you are you have been in youth ministry for more than a few years, you’re likely familiar with the term “Moralistic, Therapeutic, Deism” (MTD)—a descriptor invented by Christian Smith and Melinda Lundquist-Denton in their groundbreaking report on the National Study of Youth and Religion (Soul Searching).…
We are living in a connection driven world. Every day it seems technology is advancing to help us better stay in touch with those we love. The upside of this is that those High School reunions are way less awkward now that we can deal with all the drama before we ever get there.…
Money doesn’t have to be difficult, so why do we make it that way? When you really boil good money management down to the basics, it’s all about four things: working, giving, saving and spending. That’s it. So when you teach young kids about money, all you really need to do is show them a simple version of what you are (hopefully) doing already. …
I remember asking my supervisor for budget approval to purchase a new video camera. I was ready for him to tell me I was asking for too much money. I presented my request, and there was no discussion. It was a resounding “yes.”…
Join Rick for the seventh episode in the series—“JESUS-PEOPLE.” Let’s ask a big question: WHAT did Jesus come to do? We say, and it’s true, that Jesus came to redeem us. To offer His life in exchange for ours. To give us abundant life and a place in the Kingdom of God that He’s “gone ahead to prepare for us.”…
Join Rick for the first episode in a new series—“THE HARVEST.” Fruit, we know, comes from a tree. Without the tree, no fruit. And each tree produces a certain kind of fruit. Jesus has invited us to attach to Him, like a branch in a Tree.…
Join Rick for the second episode in a new series—“THE HARVEST.” Jesus has invited us to attach to Him, like a branch in a Tree. And when we do, we produce fruit “after its kind.” Service is one of His tastiest fruits.…
Join Rick for the third episode in a new series—“THE HARVEST.” Delight is central to the personality and relational norms of Jesus. We think we understand delight as a simple concept, but it’s really the portal into a deeper life with Him… So here we explore an encounter Jesus has with a woman as He travels through the region of Tyre and Sidon—pagan territory and the traditional home of Jewish enemies.…
Join Rick for the ninth and final episode in the series—“JESUS-PEOPLE.” Jesus had 11 encounters with the demonic in the New Testament—and those are the encounters we know about. It’s clear that dealing with demonic entities was a common part of Jesus’ everyday life.…
Join Rick for the eighth episode in the series—“JESUS-PEOPLE.” Even though Jesus makes the heart and essence of children a major theme of His teaching and His everyday life, His relationship with children has largely been ignored. The heart of children and the questions of children and the dependence of children and the habit patterns of children are the key to living into the Kingdom of God… In this episode we explore why Jesus elevated children as an example to us, and how we can live as children in the real world… NOW AVAILABLE: Jesus-Centered Daily: See.…
