Confession time… I once auditioned for a national commercial. The tagline of the product? “Never let them see you sweat.” These commercials were famous. The spokesperson would offer an additional summary at the end of the ad, such as “Everyone feels pressure.…
I’ve done 5,000 zoom calls over these past few months. You probably have too. On a recent one, someone asked me this pivotal question: “Jeanne, if a microphone were put in your hands and you were told that you could communicate any message to the Christian leadership world, but you could only use one sentence, what would you say?”…
I can’t believe how many opportunities I’ve wasted taking students on mission trips. I know I’m not the only one. Mission trips are an amazing idea…but what we tend to do with them (or not do with them) is the real issue.…
“You’ll only have to volunteer for a little while.” You’ve heard that one before, right? You may have even said it. It’s not the only lie you’ll hear or tell in church. For the record, this is not meant to be a “church critique” article. …
I’d like to tell you two stories. The first story involves how bands shift players around. It’s just the way it works. It’s rare to find the original group together like they when everything started. Audio Adrenaline, a Christian rock band that rose to fame in the mid-nineties, is no exception.…
Our church’s amazing children’s director recently resigned. It’s understandable financially. We couldn’t pay her what her household needed for her to keep doing the job. It wasn’t the first time our financial team approached her over the years to explain that the money coming in simply wasn’t able to sustain her position full-time.…
I’d advertised the opportunity well. “You’re invited to join our Student Leadership Team.” It was my second week at the church, and the students didn’t know me or what to expect from this invite. All they knew was that whomever was on this team would become point leaders in our youth group.…
It’s hard to serve those who cause you heartache. (Pause with me a moment as we each consider who that is for us.) I’m going to guess we have one thing in common with our answers. It’s the reason why youth workers and pastors who are otherwise strangers can find immediate camaraderie with each other.…
Robin Williams is a liar. At least, his character in the great movie “Dead Poet’s Society” is… or is misinformed. Just like you. Just like me. Esquire Magazine referenced a quote by novelist Nicolson Baker of how one of William’s catchphrases in the movie was mistranslated: “Carpe diem” doesn’t mean seize the day — it means something gentler and more sensible.…
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