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. …
“Where is everyone tonight?” “I think a lot of them went over at First Church to their outreach.” “Man, what is going on?!” Ever have this conversation before or after a youth meeting? I know youth workers like to say they are not in competition with their brothers and sisters in Christ, and they are…
Teenagers can be about as stable as Homer Simpson running a nuclear reactor. The little red light could go off at any time accompanied by wailing sirens. Here a a few tips for staying out of trouble with your teens. 1. Keep your promises Promises are important to teens. They are even more important if…
In my naive days, I thought the youth ministry was my world, my silo, separate from other ministries. In reality, the only reason you have this full time, professional, role is because your boss, your pastor, signs those checks. So, try your best today to remove yourselves from harming the relationship that could be the…
Conflict was, sadly, something I was well aquatinted with. In my younger days I felt it necessary to have my way in the youth ministry because, well, that’s what you paid me for, right? Oh, those days, I’m glad they’re over. If you are a breathing human being you will face conflict eventaully. If you…
I was just thinking about this and there are questions I would like my Pastor’s to ask me and maybe you’d like your Pastor to ask you too. If I am missing some please feel free to add yours. These are in no particular order 1. What have you been reading in Scripture? I don’t…
We had a new member or prospective new member at a luncheon. Each of the staff had a minute or two to introduce themselves and share what they did at the church. I thought I made a good pitch but our Pastor made an interesting observation about all our introductions. He said, “What I noticed…
