For many years the longtime column I wrote for GROUP Magazine was titled “The Youth Ministry Drill Sergeant”—I guess I have the sort of opinions that fit best in a boot-camp setting. Translation: I’m very direct when I have something to say.…
I have a bad feeling about this. Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker is a great disturbance in the force for supporters and critics alike. The film ends a 42-year-old story arc spanning nine primary movies, two side films, multiple TV shows, and endless supporting books.…
It’s the most wonderful time of the year. A holly-jolly Christmas. Do you hear what I hear? Silver bells. The First Noel. We get it. The Christmas nostalgia in our soul’s cup “spilleth over.” But threaded through the music, food, and decorations of the Christmas season is a reminder of something greater and deeper—that God came near and continues to come near.…
Distractions define youth ministry because it’s a relational calling, and relationships are an engine for distraction. And if you’re like me, distractions are like catnip—three years ago a test for ADHD came back positive, though my friends could’ve told you that without a test.…
We have a global warming problem, but some struggle to acknowledge its source and implications. Meanwhile, we have a “global freezing” problem in the youth ministry world, and some in the church are struggling to acknowledge its source and implications. The “freeze” is driven by a church in decline (a 20 percentage-point decline since 1999)—stagnant youth ministry salaries and shrinking career possibilities are the results… So, it’s been four years since we asked youth pastors all over the U.S.…
In Part 1 of this short series, we followed Julie, a 10-year youth ministry vet, as she spent some of her “fall doldrums” time reinvesting in training and strategic reflection. With a fresh wind blowing in her ministry sails, Julie left her youth leaders luncheon with Jeff Henderson, author of Know What You’re FOR, ready to implement what she had learned.…
We’ve already plowed through the meat of the new school year. And if your life is anything like mine you’ve catapulted from the bustle of summer into the craziness of fall. My schedule is fuller (how is that possible?), overshadowed only by the packed calendars of my teenagers.…
It’s time to lean into the grind. What does that mean? Read on to find out! Youth ministry is hard. Of course, it’s also fun. I love what I do, even when it’s hard. But some seasons are harder than others.…
Julie is a 10-year youth ministry vet. That means she’s sailed her ministry ship into the fall doldrums over and over. The doldrums, as it turns out, is a real thing. It’s the name sailors have given to the Intertropical Convergence Zone, where the northeast and southeast trade winds converge into a stifling calm.…
“I…Am…Not…a…Loooooserrr!” It’s one of my favorite lines from Disney’s underrated 2000 movie The Kid, starring a Bruce Willis so young he still has hair. In the film, Willis’ arrogant and successful Russ Duritz has a mystical encounter with his pudgy, awkward 8-year old self. …
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