I have been in youth ministry probably for about 10 years now, and never have I been more unconfident. Our church was able to acquire a storefront that is about 100 yards away from our town’s junior high school. It’s located in an area where teens walk to and from school, so basically I hit the youth ministry grand prize.…
Every year our church allows the middle school ministry to run “Big Church” (the main Sunday services). I try to get a group of current 8th-graders together to pray, plan, and present the message for that Sunday. This year as we were brain storming together one of my kids started to talk about impossible things that God can do and I thought about that word.…
Recently, after speaking to a group of middle school students, I asked a girl how I could make my message better. She replied, “Well…don’t be afraid to cuss every once and a while.” I didn’t realize that my speaking was so dry that our students wish that I would just cuss a little to spice things up. …
Okay, I’m going to admit something: I sorta like the fact that we are in a recession and that times are tough. Now, I’m sure part of the reason for my “upbeat” attitude is due to the fact that I haven’t faced any real financial hardship during this period…I still have my job, my home isn’t in jeopardy and I still drink way too much sweet tea from Chick-Fil-A.…
I’ve been a Kansas boy my whole life, so summer to me typically meant 100-plus degree weather and long days spent at the pool. As a kid, I loved the idea of being away from school and not having to do homework, but I wasn’t a huge fan of the heat and not seeing my friends every day.…
I’ve often been asked what makes a good junior high volunteer. And the truth is I have often asked myself the very same question. If you’re like me you have probably had a few experiences where a volunteer you thought would be a great addition to your team turned out to be anything but.…
For some reason as I was reading Scott’s article, every time he said the phrase “Flash back” my mind went to “Flash Dance”! Maybe that’s because when I did his little exercise, that dumb movie was the first thing I “flashed back” to!…
The Facebook phenomenon continues to draw in younger and younger people these days. (Am I the only one with students who “exaggerate their age” on FB?) But at the same time, older and older people are increasingly finding their way to this online network.…
Youth Ministry is an essential part of the church today. Over the years, the adolescent has been identified in several different ways, changing his/her reputation with each new generation. This, in turn, has impacted Christian education and the styles approached and presented in youth groups.…
I hate Charlie Brown. Whenever his specials come on, I sit in amazement that anyone would watch something so slow moving and boring. My favorite part of hating Charlie Brown is hating the way you can never understand what the teacher says to him.…
