In this week’s Whiteboard Wednesday experiment, we step into one of our most important ministry skills—mirroring back to teenagers the truth about their identity. Becky and I explore the practical ways we can pay ridiculous attention to kids, looking for the details about their identity and depending on the Spirit of Jesus to help us reflect back to them their Kingdom of God purpose.…
In this week’s Whiteboard Wednesday experiment, we recognize the reality of our context in youth ministry: We are key players in a “spiritual war” that’s focused on young people. We can, and must, play a strategic role in fighting for the true identity that Jesus sees in them (and in us).…
In this week’s Whiteboard Wednesday experiment, we take a surprising plunge into authenticity, and what it looks like to create a ministry environment that invites vulnerability and a sense of relaxed honesty. Teenagers growing up in a “curated” and plastic world are starved for authentic relationships—we explore the way Jesus feeds people who hunger for deeper connections in their life.…
Season 2, Episode 014: Freedom with Sarah Bessey What is Jesus hoping to set you free from? If you’ve grown up in Christianity, you probably know all about conviction and sin. But what if there’s more to the story? If Jesus came to set captives free, what does that really look like in our life?…
In this week’s Whiteboard Wednesday experiment, we upend the way we frame our relationship with Jesus—from a serious slog through principles and disciplines to an adventure on the playground. Here’s how you can help your teenagers re-imagine their life as a disciple in the childlike way that Jesus, over and over, urged us to embrace.…
Season 2, Episode 013: When Jesus Names You Who does Jesus say I am? When I first met Rick, he talked a lot about this question. He said it was the second most important question in life. That question scared me, because I’ve been raised in a world of broken mirrors.…
In this week’s Whiteboard Wednesday experiment, we explore the “mechanics” of a dependent relationship with Jesus—where the reality of his presence is not confined to the pages of the Bible. Jesus made it clear that the gift of the Spirit means we have an ongoing, real-time, experiential relationship with him.…
Season 2, Episode 012: Are We Heading Toward a “Bibleless” Christianity? When you picture someone who has devoted his entire life to the passion of getting people to read the Bible, you might think of a person who’s a bit rigid and judgmental.…
Season 2, Episode 011: How to Apply a Filter to the Bible As a youth worker or volunteer, one of the most powerful things you can do for your teenagers is get them excited about reading the Bible. This week, Rick randomly chose a Scripture passage and together with his sidekick Becky (now nicknamed B-Hodge) applied an “Oprah” filter as they unpacked it.…
In this week’s Whiteboard Wednesday experiment, we show how to unlock the truth about Jesus, and the truth about the Bible, using “The Oprah Question” and “Reading Filters” as tools. Our pursuit of the Bible’s truths can be transformational for teenagers when we help them slow way down, or really speed up, when they read.…
 Freedom with Sarah Bessey){kind=link}
 When Jesus Names You){kind=link}
 Are We Heading Toward a “Bibleless” Christianity?){kind=link}
 How to Apply a Filter to the Bible){kind=link}
