It’s that time again. It’s time to inspire your graduates and your congregation. Here a few tips to keep that graduation slideshow from getting away from you. Keep the whole slideshow between 5-6 minutes max (you can go less) Choose fun pictures everyone would enjoy not just inside joke pics. Choose spiritual pics as well.…
If I brought anything to the table over the past 30 years, it’s my God given gift of gab. I love sharing interesting and relevant messages with students. Many of my messages focus on growing in Christ, but I always include the gospel and what it means to follow Jesus. This is part seven in…
Most youth ministries do not have the luxury of separating their middle and high school students, which is optimum, when it comes to Sunday school, small groups or even in your main meeting. This is mostly because of not enough volunteers or not enough volunteers who want to work with middle school. The challenges with…
When I was a full time youth pastor, I loved me some calendars and planners. Wall calendars were my favorite because I could see the next three months at a glance and make notes. One year, I was literally putting information on four calendars every time I came up with an event or meeting. I…
This is important: to get to know people, listen, expand the circle of ideas. The world is crisscrossed by roads that come closer together and move apart, but the important thing is that they lead towards the Good. – Pope Francis I don’t always like the tone of what Steven Crowder does or even the…
Youth Ministry in Motion Podcast Episode 68 Show Notes I was listening to one of my favorite new podcasts, Everything Happens with Kate Bowler (Teacher at Duke Divinity School) with one of my favorite actors, Alan Alda (M.A.S.H, Same Time Next Year, and The Four Seasons). Alan is on the show to discuss the…
Close your summer out right Have a bonfire, testimony night, or a slide show of all your summer activities. Maybe have a special worship night or a night where everyone affirms one another and points out where they shined this summer. I share a few ideas here Plan with the end in mind Get your…
When I prepare a message, most of the time, I usually know where I’m going with it and I have an outline in my head. There are times though when I leave the prepared path and go muddin’ (as they say in the south). In preacher talk we call them rabbit trails. Talking and preaching…
This one bugs me. Maybe you’ve heard that phrase. “Let’s connect”. I have, several times. Except, I don’t know what that means anymore. I thought I knew what it meant, but now I’m not sure. Here’s my definition: Let’s Connect– The desire to communicate or collaborate. The desire to get to know each other better. …
I was looking at my calendar for next year. It’s packed. The question is: What’s the point? Do I want every weekend of my life packed? Does a packed schedule = success or just business. It is a question of timing. When is the right time to do an event or no events? Students want…
