These 12 links will take you to the most visited More Than Dodgeball tech posts this year, Click and visit or revisit… Teens are officially over Facebook: Interesting statistics on how our kids are using social media. Sermon Series Ideas: Calendar planning is right around the corner, these links are super helpful! DIY Nerf® Power […]![]()
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Top 12 Tech Posts of 2014
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Try Something That Didn’t Work?
Think ALL the way back to the start of the school year when your youth group wound itself up again from a relaxing summer. You tried some new stuff, right? Maybe a different format or a new style of teaching. Perhaps you divided up the age/grades in a new way. You might have changed your […]![]()
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Messing with the Homeless?
This video has been making its rounds on social media. The guts of it seems to be in its title: “How Does A Homeless Man Spend $100?” To be more accurate,what is “sticky” about this is the way this man defies the stereotype of just spending all the money on liquor. Is that all there […]![]()
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Quick Thoughts: Newsweek Article About The Bible
I respect the fact that people have differing opinions and beliefs. I also am fully aware that there are always two sides to every story. But even though I’m not an expert theologian or a professional reporter, I can say this Newsweek article is highly unfortunate. Good for business I suppose, but potentially an unwarranted problem […]![]()
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Recap Your White Elephant
Now that we’re on the other side of Christmas, it’s time to take stock of what from it will stay with us forever. You know, like whatever you got at a White Elephant Gift Exchange. These blind grab-bag style games have become common in church circles around Christmas time. In a nutshell, you get everyone […]![]()
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One More New Year’s Post
The “new year” is here. I have heard several leadership types say things like, “It’s a blank canvas.” Everywhere I look there is another, “goal setting” blog post or article. I keep reading articles that tell me, “start with this,” or “stop that.” Each person out there has there own method, rule or reasoning for […]![]()
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5 Things I Wish God Would Admit About the Bible
I’ll admit it. I’m feeling edgy as I write this post. I just finished reading an article via Relevant Magazine’s website entitled “5 Things I Wish Christians Would Admit About the Bible.” It has layers and layers of comments with all the diversity that you might expect. . I hope it’s okay, but I’d like […]![]()
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Youth Group Ideas for Your 1st Week Back
I hope your youth group took a few weeks off. I really do. You needed the break, your students needed the break, and so did your family. But now it time to plan for the first time you meet again in 2015. For many of you that’s either Sunday, Jan. 4th or Wednesday, Jan. 7th. […]![]()
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2015…Time For A Little More!
When you give just a little more, good things usually happen. A little more exercise, a little more family time, a little more quiet time….just a little bit more. As you head into the new year, here are three areas in youth ministry I think giving just a little bit more might be worthwhile. Why […]![]()
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9 Topics To Speak On In 2015
I actually did this a year ago where I listed some things we should be talking about and discussing in our youth groups (check it out here). And wow, the response was crazy good!! So I wanted to do it again. This time I want to focus on a few topics I believe students are […]![]()
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A Proper Thank You
Taylor Swift gave away some gifts recently to her fans. Like her or not, what makes this video uber-awesome is the time she took to wrap the gifts herself. When the gifts arrived, many of her fans took video footage of the exciting unwrapping process. Taylor also made a personal visit to a fan in Connecticut […]![]()
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9-Year Legacy of Service and Teamwork
Join us for a life-changing Week of Hope experience in 2015 as we continue a strong 9-year legacy of service and teamwork in Indianapolis. The Indianapolis Week of Hope is special. We have long-lasting partnerships with the community for sustainable impact. Each year, since our partnership started in 2006, has gotten better and better as […]![]()
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10 Things I am Looking Forward to in 2015
Here are the 10 things I am looking forward to in 2015, in no particular order… Hanging out with my family offline. Just jumping in the car at head to the zoo, science center, the gym, Starbucks, Dunkin Donuts, etc… Reading my Bible. YouVersion has some great plans, everything from 5 day devotions to the […]![]()
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A Hard Look at Ministry and Marriage
For years, I had prayed for the “right one” to come along. I can remember sitting across from my friend John and telling him about the other guys I really liked. Then somehow in the span of three years and in spite of my move to another country, we became best friends and realized how […]![]()
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Top 10 Reasons to Serve in Cuba
You’ve probably heard in recent news that restrictions are loosening on American travel to Cuba. It’s an important historical step in our decades long relationship with our neighbor to the south. What you may not know is that religious organizations have been free to travel there for years under a general license. If you’ve always […]![]()
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Myth Busters
It’s always bothered me that just because somebody says something is true means it’s true. Which must be why back in the day I loved watching MythBusters. The premise was great: Take urban legends, folklore and stuff we’ve always assumed to be true and put it to the test. What I loved most was that […]![]()
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Maximizing Q+A Panels
It’s been said that this is what happens when you let your group or audience ask questions: Can I get a witness? Even in spite of that, I’ve done several panels over the years in youth ministry. It’s a great way to help students process a theme with a greater degree of interest and ownership, especially […]![]()
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Youth Ministries, This Isn’t Us, Right?
A small church UM pastor friend in the Dakotas Conference, Jeff Lathrop, posted a quote he’s using to preach with today. It left me…startled. Could it be true of us? Our youth ministry? Our church? Before you start sending me angry comments or pictures from the great mission projects your church did during the holidays […]![]()
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Well, What Do You Know?
Appearances aren’t everything. If you’re reading this, you’re likely the “go-to” person for youth ministry in your church. Maybe I’m wrong, but play along with me for a moment. Now let’s take a quick rabbit trail. I was looking for an image recently using the keyword “expert.” Google is normally my friend for this, but […]![]()
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Two Letters for Teen Trips – Teen Version
It’s always fun to sort through old computer files. I found two letters this week from a teen trip I led from afar years ago. My challenge at the time was that I couldn’t be in two places simultaneously, as I was a part of the leadership team organizing the convention for thousands of teens […]![]()
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More Pages to Explore .....
