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…
“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…
