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 something that I thought was equally brilliant: “Always make extending the conversation one of your goals.”.…
As a parent, you will find yourself wearing multiple hats, playing a variety of roles in the life of your child(ren). I’d like to list a few of the more prominent hats you will wear as you raise your kids. This list is both linear, in that there is a sort of progression through these roles as your children grow, and completely non-linear in that you will also find yourself constantly jumping between roles, wearing multiple hats at one time, etc.…
When we started raising our kids, it seemed like Rachel and I had an obvious decision to make: Follow somebody’s prescribed “steps to raising Godly children” or figure it out on our own with scripture, prayer, the wisdom of others, and our own common sense leading the way.…
My daughter, Kayla, is 19 and a sophomore in college. She has become a big fan of the writing and speaking ministry of Bill Hybels’ daughter, Shauna Niequist. So I really wasn’t surprised to see her mention and link to one of her recent blog posts.…
Every year our junior high, high school and college teams sneak away for “Staff Camp”. We jam-pack the 36 hours away with training, dreaming, planning, laughing, playing and eating…lots of eating. It’s at Staff Camp that I introduce the area(s) of our ministry that I’d like us to give extra attention in the upcoming year.…
Recently in a youth ministry seminar the presenter asked the question, “How many of you feel like you have enough volunteers in your ministry?” One guy raised his hand. The rest of the room wanted to punch him in his smug, little, “I’m awesome” nose.…
You Eminem lovers out there in the #YMNATION surely appreciate the title of today’s post! I’ve noticed something in the Christian community lately that I don’t like. And as I’ve been busy pointing out the splinter in the eyes of my brothers and sisters, I’ve ignored the log in my own.…
I don’t know much about technology. I rely heavily on my teenage children and the younger members of our youth ministry team to help me navigate the world of technology. And it has become a “World of Technology” hasn’t it?! My hunch is that if you were to take a snap shot of your daily routine from a decade ago and compare it to today, you would be shocked by the influence the rapidly growing world of technology has had on your personal life and ministry.…
In the interest of full disclosure, let me say this: I’m a fan of virtually every organization, event and effort that exists to minister to junior highers! If young teens are the focus of somebody’s efforts, then I’m probably a fan.…
I’m a FFB rookie; this is my first year “owning” a team. And I realize there are some undefeated teams out there, but I’m feeling pretty good (and lucky) about being 6-3 and tied for first. Here are a few comparisons I’ve noticed… – Week to week, you’re never sure what you’re going to get from your key players.…
