I don’t like to rush things. I like my seasons in order. I don’t like Halloween stuff in stores before October. I don’t like Christmas music before Thanksgiving. But, I love thinking about New Years Eve and 2018 in late summer. There is never a bad time for preparing. I love taking notes, jotting down…
I just returned from speaking at the National Youth Workers Convention in Memphis. It was the fulfillment of a dream I’ve had for a long time. As much as I enjoyed every moment of this dream, there was one moment that stood out more than any other and it had nothing to do with the…
You just preached a message, you wipe your brow and say, “Whewww, that’s done.” But is it? Did you work that hard for that one message that would be done 20 minutes only to be left in a computer folder? It has more life than you think. In an article by Andy Crestodina, called The Periodic…
When kids come to your youth ministry could it be mistaken for something else? Could it be mistaken for a club for only the cool kids? Could it be mistaken for a YMCA with great activities? Could it be mistaken for a TED talk where kids just sit and listen? Could it be mistaken for…
It’s hard to give back from a place of instability – Gary V. This statement by Gary Vaynerchuk applies in so many ways, whether you want to give back financially, emotionally, or spiritually, you can’t do it from a place of instability or lack. If I want to have anything to give to my own…
I have had the pleasure and the challenge of leading our church into the streaming age. I’ve had plenty of experience streaming my own stuff, but for a church service, we needed a little more polish. After studying all the options, we went with Mevo, a production device that puts you in the directors chair.…
I love a good list. I love checking things off because my dopamine spikes when check something off. The problem with to do lists is that they don’t turn into “to be” lists. The things on my list are not translating into a more fuller life. Just recently, I was reminded of that. I had…
des·ti·ny ˈdestinē/ noun the events that will necessarily happen to a particular person or thing in the future. the hidden power believed to control what will happen in the future; fate. Today was a hard day. Today I gave up on destiny. For years I believed in a personal destiny to become what I thought God had…
I have Live Streamed our youth service several times now, and I love it. Do we live stream because we have the greatest, hypest, most lit, youth ministry in the universe? Nope. In fact we are exactly the opposite. We are the most awkward 15-20 people ever and we gather to worship God just…
If you’re busy putting out fires… If you’re spending more time online complaining and defending … If you’re constantly having to argue over what you can’t do… You’re the wrong kind of busy. Spend your time investing in others and those fires will diminish Use your online presence to inspire and teach and ignore the…
