Groan. Roll eyes. I know you have a hard time getting people to show up for parent meetings. That used to be me until I changed my perspective about what parents are up against and what it means to come alongside them in caring for their teenagers.…
…and I don’t mean parents. I’m talking grandparents, the old ladies in the women’s group, the crotchety dudes who grumble when students wear hats in the Sanctuary. The answer to the title question? Of course they do! Can you believe that I STILL run into YP’s who say their counselors really shouldn’t be older than college-age?…
As ministers, it is so important for us to set a high priority on our family. To help me remember what is important, I wrote the following list of promises to my 3 year old daughter: Dear Abbye Grace, As your father… …I promise to affirm you with positive words and actions.…
In most professions there is a level of supervision that is required to ensure fidelity to certain expectations and to make sure that the company’s employees are “hitting the mark”. At best, in many churches, there is the annual performance review but the one performing the review is either way too removed to be helpful or too involved to remain objective.…
“I mean, come-on. Can’t someone step up?” This was the sentiment expressed to me recently by a small church youth leader who was looking for volunteers. Not for the mission trip. Not for summer camp chaperones. Not for VBS. Not for any major ask like that. …
I’ve learned that with every program or event that we do in youth ministry I think one of the areas we can always improve on is the way in which we make things better. The feedback we receive from our leaders is priceless.…
*Read PART 1 here!* Left to their own devices, children with Asperger’s Disorder will often go through life like a train on a track: one way, straight ahead, never varying, and avoiding the unexpected. It is hard to live a life of faith without the flexibility to take-risk, something that is difficult for an Apsie.…
In a setting which relies heavily on spoken and written words the Asperger’s child is at a disadvantage. With a growing awareness of Asperger’s and its nuances youth ministries need to adjust some of their practices to make it more accessible to those who have traits of or a diagnosis of the disorder.…
I have never met anyone who doesn’t appreciate being encouraged. I have met people who don’t like to be publicly encouraged (I don’t understand that, but I am also not an introvert), but never someone who would get upset because they got encouraged.…
Below is excerpt of an email one mom sent to another. Both mom’s are walking the journey of raising a gay child. I thought what my friend shared with this particular mom was info more moms and dads need to read.…
 Rant About (the lack of) Volunteering){kind=link}
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