I have been a Notre Dame fan for 40 years. I can hear some of you saying, “Oh, you poor thing”. The last time I saw them play in a National Championship was 1988, 37 years ago. Head coach Marcus Freeman said something a few weeks ago...
I spend my days writing for and training youth workers JUST LIKE YOU.
Notre Dame Coach, Marcus Freeman Says “Choosing Hard” Is The Only Way To Win In Football and Life
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Youth Pastor, This Is The First Book You Should Read This Year
Let me ask you, how many excuses did you make last year? Probably a lot, as did I, Let me narrow it down, how many excuses did you make last year that kept you and your youth ministry from being successful? I bet you can narrow it...
Creator Mindset: Curing Cancer vs Making Bubble Gum
In March, this blog will be 15 years old and, with over 1400 posts, is an absolute failure and I’m, finally, ok with that. Let me be clear, this blog is a failure by many standards, one of which is that it is, to my knowledge, no ones...
My 15 Unacceptables
I have a lot of time on my hands. I deliver for Grubhub and sit in my car as I wait for an order to deliver. This is not the professional place I wanted to be at age 50, but it is the place I must pass through to get to where I am going. Part of...
The Youth Pastor’s 2025 Wellness Guide
Paul: Carl, we have you today, not to talk about paper games, although maybe we’ll bring you back for an entire episode about paper games, but we do want to talk about something that’s super important. And we were discussing a little...
Books Every Youth Pastor Should Read
If I see one post over and over again it’s, “What are you reading?” I like post like these because I am an avid reader and I love to share what I am getting from the books I am reading. This list will be added to. subtracted from...
5 Shocking Truths About Gen Z and God
In episode #326 of the Youth Ministry of Motion podcast, host Paul Turner welcomes Cicely Corry, the Editorial Director at Barna, to discuss valuable insights from recent Barna studies. They explore Gen Z’s unique challenges, their...
You’re Not Going To Have The Perfect Christmas, So Do This Instead
I wrapped my Christmas presents early this year, but I used the wrong paper. See, the paper I used said ‘Happy Birthday’ on it. I didn’t want to waste it so I just wrote ‘Jesus’ on it.- Demetri Martin Every year,...
The Spiritual Secret To Conquering Loneliness
In May of 2023, the Surgeon General of the United States issued an advisory about loneliness, “The physical health consequences of poor or insufficient connection include a 29% increased risk of heart disease, a 32% increased risk of stroke,...
Before You Put It On The Calendar, Ask These 6 Questions Part 6
Welcome to part 6, the last in my series on mastering your youth ministry calendar. If you’d like to start this series from the beginning, check out Part 1. Have I Made Any Assumptions? Critical Thinking Challenge your assumptions and...
Before You Put It On The Calendar, Ask These 6 Questions Part 5
Hey, you’re back for more, huh? Unless this is your first time here and you are coming in on the middle of this series, which is perfectly fine, each of these posts cover an important point in calendar development. If you want the full...
Loose Lips Sink Friend-Ships
Have you ever heard of the phrase Loose Lip Sink Ships? I heard it when I was a kid and somewhere in mind I knew it had to do with the Navy and spies. So, I Googled it and found out a few things. The phrase “loose lips sink ships”...
Before You Put It On The Calendar Ask These 6 Questions Part 4
Well, hello there. First time here? Welcome. If you’ve stumbled into the middle of my series on youth ministry calendar development and would like to start from the beginning, you can head over here. If you’re back for more of the...
Before You Put It On The Calendar, Ask These 6 Questions Part 3
If you’re new around here, first of all, welcome. And I bet you’re observant enough to see that there are 2 previous posts to this topic so here is Part 1 and Part 2 for your reading pleasure. Now, we come to part 3 in this 6 part...
Building a Lasting Legacy: 4 Timeless Tips from Quarterback Aaron Rodgers
If you’ve been reading this blog for any amount of time you know I am an avid sports fan. I love college football, pro football and will watch a little basketball, at times. The rest of the sports are kind of in the background while I fold...
The Disciple Project OUTREACH MANUAL
HOW TO TRANSFORM YOUR DECAYING YOUTH MEETING INTO A FLOURISHING CITY-WIDE MOVEMENT