” In all this, Job did not sin by charging God with wrongdoing.” Job 1:22 The Iron Bowl is the yearly college football contest in the State of Alabama between the Auburn Tigers and the Crimson Tide. Every year it’s a battle for bragging rights in the state. I don’t really have a dog in the…
Some things will never change in youth ministry like middle school boys not taking showers, high school girls in conflict and church politics. Maybe this pandemic has drawn attention to your youth ministry in ways that are not flattering and you’re being scrutinized and evaluated like never before or maybe you’ve been on the battlefield…
You should be competitive but not in competition with other churches or youth ministries. Competitiveness is good. Competition is bad. The difference, I believe, is in the heart. I never wished any harm on any other churches in my area, in fact, I prayed for their success. But, if you’re down about our group, you…
So, I am writing this post from a middle school class today. I am sub teaching a math class today. Currently it is a pre-AP class so discipline problems are minimal. I have been subbing for about 3 years now. So, why should you consider subbing? It gets you out of the office. It gets…
Our gigantic youth ministry experiment commences tomorrow night. Can’t wait to see what happens!- Tweet from Mark Cox 9:11 PM Aug 24th via web This is the tweet that was that catalyst for the following interview. I love it when youth pastors take risks. I hate it when other youth pastors see other youth pastors take…
It’s simple, you can’t build a 2200 sq. ft house on a 100 sq. ft foundation and yet we have all tried. You’ve tried to build your youth ministry on hype but hype is short lived. Those who want to build their youth ministry large, must build the foundations wider and deeper. Scripture says, “When…
I was in a prayer meeting with six or seven students. One of the leaders brought an IPhone to play worship music on. I do this often as well but tonight the inevitable happened; in the middle of a song the phone rang, later you could hear an email come through, then a Words With Friends…
I was told numerous times in staff meetings over the years that failure is not an option. But it is and it should be. Usually this slogan is centered around: a big church event keeping your job growing the church or youth ministry (see #2) This is small thinking at it’s worst. Failure in these…
As a full time youth worker, I sometimes spent too much time in the office. Too much time in the office lead to more paper work and less inspiration. As I started to get our more, my creativity increased. Manual labor takes me away from the mundane and gets me foccused on one task, like blowing…
I’ve seen a series of stories lately about teenagers making a difference and there was a story about a girl with a painful knee condition. The only time she had relief was when she was laying down and reading. She said, “When I read, it’s a real escape,” Bearup says. “I try to take myself…
