I spend my days writing for and training youth workers JUST LIKE YOU.
My Short List of Ways We’re Helping Kids Fail At Following Jesus
It came out of my mouth so fast I barely had time to think about it, "You are helping them to fail." My friend has a videography business. He uses the best technology but has flashes back to 1992. In the conversation we were having, he recommend...
Lessons I Learned From “Tupac” Actor Demetrius Shipp’s Tonight Show Interview
Just recently, I received a letter from Youth Specialties, a national youth ministry organization that supports youth workers. The letter was a contract, spelling out my responsibilities as a speaker at their conference this year. It's was one of...
The Ten Worst Ways To Disrespect Your Life
We only have one life. That's it. One go around here on the planet and, like so many, including myself, we treat it like a stolen car. We ram into things, we put it at risk, we attain high measures of speed and we abandon it when the heat is on....
Youth Ministry Is Not A Democracy
I've tried my best to please kids, to a point, but youth ministry is not a democracy. Some things are not up for a vote. I don't let kids vote what music is played in the youth hall or the van , I set the standard and give them options. I don't let...
New Game: Dice Spice The Firecracker Edition
If you have youth during the week of 4th of July, like I do, it can be a challenge to find a game that goes along with the holiday. Fear not, I, your youth ministry genie, have granted your wish for a fun 4th of July game. Dice Spice: The...
Jesus Shows Us The Key To Deeper Relationships
Passion is a surface level emotion that acts like a valve to let off steam. There are terms like "an act of passion" when referring to an affair that just sort of happened or when someone kills someone due to a" fit of passion". Both...
Adding Depth To Our Days: Fleeing The Shallow Life
“People care much more for how things look than how things are.” ― Donna Lynn Hope This quote really says a lot. I've worked in a few shallow churches that were all about image and lacked a ton of substance. Shallowness, although, is not limited to...
Real Youth Pastors Don’t Give Up Their Dreams
This is the 12th out of 12 posts from my series of reflections on Jeff Goins new book Real Artists Don't Starve. It really hit a nerve in my life and I wanted to express those thoughts to you, the artists, the local youth workers who work so hard...
9 Ways You Should Be Preparing For A Life After Youth Ministry
This is the 11th post in my series of 12 posts on the new book by Jeff Goins, Real Artists Don't Starve. It's my attempt to convince youth workers that they're artists and that their work matters. Being a youth pastor for 27 years sounds romantic,...
Take Ownership Of Your God Given Talents Or Someone Else Will
This is my 10th post, in a series of 12, where I use Jeff Goins book, Real Artists Don't Starve, to convince and inspire you, the local youth worker, that you are an artist. This particular chapter deals with artists who give away too much of their...
How A Youth Pastor Earns Respect
This is the ninth post in my Real Youth Pastors Don't Starve Series, as I attempt to convince you, the local youth worker, that you are an artist. Each post is my take on Jeff Goins book Real Artists Don't Starve. Let jump right into this. You...
This Is How You Get Off The Island (Of Desperation)
This is my seventh blog post in a series about Jeff Goin's new book and my sixth attempt to convince you, the local youth worker, that you are an artist gifted by God to do what you do. You can start at the begging HERE and I highly recommend you...
This Is Where Your Best Youth Ministry Ideas Will Come From
I'm in the basement of my church. I can hear the groans and creaks of "the others" upstairs. They're shuffling papers, having meetings, dishing out information. I've barricaded myself in "the lab", aka my office, working on Project Q. If people...
The Church Every Youth Pastor Wants To Be A Part Of
You, the local youth worker, are an artist. That is my premise as I break down Jeff Goins' new book Real Artists Don't Starve and share the principles as to why this is true about you. In the past, we've romanticized the struggling youth worker:...
I’m In Honduras!!
Hey, I'm going to be gone all week on a missions trip to Honduras. Sorry to leave you hanging in the middle of my series on trying to convince you that you an artist and a creative force to be reckoned with, but duty calls. The series is based in...
The Disciple Project OUTREACH MANUAL
HOW TO TRANSFORM YOUR DECAYING YOUTH MEETING INTO A FLOURISHING CITY-WIDE MOVEMENT