My friend Ben Birdsong recently volunteered to review my new planning resource for youth workers called My Youth Ministry Playbook. He bought the resource and I had no idea what he was going to write. Planning, strategy, and communication are all essential elements of a good youth ministry. These three core fundamentals all begin 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…
I’m cheating on Halloween with All Saints Day (or All Souls Day) this year. I’ve never made a big deal of All Saints Day but Halloween has lost some of it’s pizzazz for me. Besides, All Saints Day focuses on the commitment the saints made, even unto death, that our kids need to hear. For…
Is this your small group? You: I ask an important question Them: Awkward silence You: C’mon guys (in whiny voice) No more! The Elevate Sessions are an interactive way to get your students talking about where their life is going: Up, Down, or Sideways. Check out the video below and then snag your Elevator ride…
Since January, I’ve been tackling the longest chapter in the bible, Psalm 119. I started with trying to break down the meaning and context and discovered the heart of fellow believer like me. We and the Psalmist are not so different. We cry out, we bargain, we declare, we fear, we cry and we hope.…
It’s Passion week. Are you still struggling to find the perfect message or the best way for your kids to enter into the fullness of the gospel? Let me offer a few suggestions. Three Cups With a video (seen below) of me explaining this sermon, and having over 27,000 views, this has become my post…
I’m super excited about a new series I’ve written called Shine A Light. If you’ve never done one of my series, let me give you a behind the scenes look. I write most of my multi-weeks series’ as a discipleship narrative. I write the series as if I am taking one kid through the process…
A few months ago I finally pulled the plug on an idea I had called Youth Pastor University. It was my plan to offer courses to youth workers on how to do various things in youth ministry. Sadly, I had neither the time or energy to do it well, so I dropped it. The great…
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 Firecracker Edition is a print…
This is a blog about discipleship, so it’s natural that I create curriculum, lessons, and retreats around the subject. Today I offer Follow 5. Follow 5 is really my manifesto on discipleship. It’s takes students past the “pray, read your bible, come to youth group, be a good kid” track that many youth workers have…
