Clik here to view.
E.V.A.L.U.A.T.E.
I recently attended the premiere of When God Left the Building. It was a movie documentary based on the book Why Nobody Wants to Go to Church Anymore written by Thom & Joani Schultz. First of all,...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Which Person in the Photo are You?
Do you know your role? Prince William and Kate, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, have been in the news this week. We can all empathize with how difficult it must be for them to sort out normal events...
View ArticleClik here to view.
The Plight of the Parent Volunteer
This past weekend I had an interesting opportunity to chaperone a trip for “another” youth group my kids are involved in. It is not one in which I am a leader in any capacity. In this setting I am a...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Facebook = Data Hog
Have you noticed that recently the videos that are popping up in your Facebook timeline are playing as you scroll? If you haven’t, that might be a good thing. A “feature” in the iPhone app in that...
View ArticleClik here to view.
$0.99 Back-to-School Books + Matty’s 90′s Phone
We have all the slick new stuff you need for the fall season in youth ministry. Sure, they don’t open your garage door or remind you to feed the cat…but these books WILL help enhance what you’re really...
View ArticleClik here to view.
School Debt: Investment or Burden?
I have written a bit about the issue of school debt and how detrimental I believe it can be for people. But it’s not just me, there is more and more research about the negative long term effects of...
View ArticleClik here to view.
How Young Can a Kid Become a Christian?
I’d love your perspective… How young do you think a child can be to legitimately become a Christian? We can certainly have some fun with this, and definitely get off on some tangents… but I’m genuinely...
View ArticleClik here to view.
LTYM: 3 Tips On Small Groups/Dealing With Parents
We are back this week with our Let’s Talk Youth Ministry video blog after taking some time off for the summer. We discuss how to keep the momentum of your small group launch rolling, and also how we...
View ArticleClik here to view.
5 Ways To Lose Your Best Students
In this day and age we live in, ministry is a challenge. We have students who are hurting deeply coming to the same group as students who are just average oblivious teens. Church and unchurched...
View ArticleClik here to view.
The Bad Taste “Good Ideas” Leave
Too busy to visit a loved one who’s passed on? No worries. Try the drive-thru window at the Paradise Funeral Chapel in Saginaw, Michigan. They’ve installed a window for your convenience to display the...
View ArticleClik here to view.
One Day Really Can Make a Difference
An emphasis on service does not have to stop with the close of summer. There are opportunities to impact communities near you in only one day of service. To catch a glimpse of this, I chatted with Tony...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Random Randomness: Stuff I’m Learning
It seems like I’m in a bit of a learning season…or perhaps a relearning season. - Learning that clear is always better than cute. A few times recently in my never-ending desire to be clever, cute and...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Everyday Parables: Fight Church
“The thing that attracted me to this project in the first place was the idea of Christianity and fighting, two things that seemingly don’t fit, being paired together.” This quote comes from director...
View ArticleClik here to view.
4 Christian Artists You May Not Know About, But Should!
Yesterday I picked up a rental car (see right) that was, well, small. It was quite humorous actually. I brought Jared with me, he is one of the pastors on my staff. We were in this car for over 5 hours...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Talk About Anything…And Keep ‘Em Talking!
Andy Stanley recently said something to the effect of, “The church should be the safest place to talk about anything.” I’m no Andy Stanley, but the other day while talking to one of our interns I said...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Top 5 Tips To Choosing A Youth Group Name
A few days ago I wrote a post on the pros and cons of having a youth group name. Check it out here. If you are thinking about giving your youth group a name, here are a few things I would think through...
View ArticleClik here to view.
On Fitting In
In the past two weeks, I feel like I have talked about the topic of “not fitting in” a bazillion times. It keeps coming up at home, in my JH small group and even with my good friend who lives in...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Two Sides to Gay Teens Coming Out
In what it becoming a popular trend these days, another “live-coming-out” video has been posted on Youtube. These stories will temporarily trend in social media feeds, including one in particular that...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Tie a Thread from Your Fall Festival to Christmas Eve
Every church in their right mind wants to reach more people, right? And every small church talks about increasing their Good News output, right again? Plus, small churches wouldn’t mind growing a...
View ArticleClik here to view.
NEW! 7th Grade: A 30-Day Devotional
Saying goodbye to 6th grade and hello to 7th grade is a huge transition. Help seventh graders make a positive jump with this brand new 30-day devotional written just for them! Lars Rood delivers...
View Article