It’s the most emotionally intense, violent, and curse-ridden film of the Marvel cinematic universe so far… and everyone’s buying a ticket to see it. Avengers: Infinity War goes places other superhero films don’t. Embedded among the snarky jabs and insider humor, the film explores provocative questions about faith.…
Sometimes the movement of history feels glacial; sometimes it turns on a dime. And sometimes, today for instance, history shoves us off the subway platform onto the tracks. Now we must learn how to “live and breathe and move” in a world where “pandemic” is no longer a plot device in a film but a present reality.…
It’s helpful to look at things we already think we know well through a new filter. That’s how we jettison ourselves from ruts and cure ourselves of blindness. So, what if we sampled some standard youth ministry “givens” and looked at them through a doctor’s filter?…
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.…
Salvations, re-commitments, powerful worship, blood on the wall leading into the sanctuary, a busted eye leading to a parent picking up a student to go get stitches, and a trail of blood on the sanctuary carpet… Yes, each of those happened at my recent Back2School Lock-In.…
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).…
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.”…
The last time I saw Aaron, he was learning about life skills at a training session for at-risk teenagers. At the time, he was close to the cliff’s edge—where kids who are drug-addicted and homeless slip into oblivion. His parents didn’t know or care where he was.…
What happens when one youth worker plunges herself into the gritty lives and disorienting culture of “fringe” kids, and what she learns from the experience that helps her create a profoundly welcoming environment in her ministry. By Theresa Mazza It was a crazy night in the mosh pit.…
