At the end of this summer, you want to look back on your missions experiences in awe—the transformation in your teenagers was not only obvious but ongoing. Your kids crushed it; your leaders crushed it; you crushed it! And then the biggest question… Now what?…
We are shorthand people who prefer shorthand solutions to complex problems. That’s true in life, and it’s true in youth ministry. In the past, our shortcut paths to deeper discipleship included… • What Would Jesus Do—”Go beyond your identity as a church-attender and have the courage to live like Jesus.…
As teenagers drag themselves out of summer and into their next school year, they have a lot on their mind. I want to access all of that “seismic activity of the soul,” so I avoid coming off like I’m interrogating them.…
Socrates said: “The unexamined life is not worth living.” Likewise, our unexamined study-prep rituals can lead to teaching that isn’t worth delivering. The back-to-school season gives us a good excuse to revisit them. That’s what Ralph Paige, a veteran youth pastor, does every year.…
In the News Washington, D.C.—The election this week of business mogul Donald J. Trump as America’s 45th president left many people stunned and afraid. Although polls had predicted a victory for Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton, she lost the electoral vote 290 to 232.…
On the seventh day God finished his work of creation, so he rested. But why did an all-sufficient God need rest? What kind of rest is this—and what is the truth about the rest Jesus is inviting us into? Join Rick as he continues a series exploring the foundational truths connected to Jesus and his mission in our lives.…
Join Rick for the second episode of the new series—“THE WAYS OF JESUS.” Researchers say a strong factor feeding resilience is “the degree of control that the person has over the stressor.” When we can’t exert any control over the trauma we’ve experienced, the “agency” that fuels our hope is obliterated.…
Based on our exclusive national research, Christian teenagers are watching and listening to a lot of profane entertainment, but their youth groups aren’t doing as much as they could to help them think critically and biblically about what they’re taking in.…
By Rick Lawrence I was driving home from a writing retreat, where I’d been off the grid for four days—no Wi-Fi, no cell service. I called my wife to let her know I was on the road, and I heard that edge in her voice that I know all too well… “Rick, there’s an active shooter situation happening right now, at the STEM school that’s 10 minutes from us.…
Early one afternoon, I walked to throw something out in a back room, when I spotted him outside next to my bike. A large gentleman in his 50’s was doing something, and it hit me immediately, “He is taking my bike!”…
