Featured Archives - YouthMinistry.com https://youthministry.com/featured/ Daily Wisdom for Youth Workers. Fri, 21 Jul 2023 18:56:26 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.5.5 Killing the Cockroach https://youthministry.com/killing-the-cockroach/ https://youthministry.com/killing-the-cockroach/#comments Mon, 24 Jul 2023 10:00:08 +0000 https://youthministry.com/?p=76003 We all know that a cockroach is hard to kill… After the atomic-bomb blasts in Hiroshima and Nagasaki at the end of World War II, the military reported that the only living things to survive the blast zone were these disgusting little pests.…

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]]> https://youthministry.com/killing-the-cockroach/feed/ 2 What are the cockroaches of youth ministry, beliefs and practices that need to go, but keep surviving year after year? How can we finally put them to rest?https://youthministry.com/wp-content/upload/ymprod/21-1-270x196.jpg270196 (PODCAST) In His Image: Work https://youthministry.com/podcast-work/ https://youthministry.com/podcast-work/#respond Thu, 20 Aug 2020 19:18:57 +0000 https://youthministry.com/?p=77122 Join Rick as he dives into the sixth episode of a new series IN HIS IMAGE. Today we’ll be exploring why Work is a core expression of Jesus’ heart, and why he honors effort but not earning. Work is the transformational expression of His redemptive love, and is therefore central to who we are.…

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]]> https://youthministry.com/podcast-work/feed/ 0 Join Rick as he dives into the sixth episode IN HIS IMAGE. Explore why Work is a core expression of Jesus’ heart, and why he honors effort but not earning. (PODCAST) In His Image: Trust https://youthministry.com/podcast-in-his-image-trust/ https://youthministry.com/podcast-in-his-image-trust/#respond Thu, 13 Aug 2020 18:01:30 +0000 https://youthministry.com/?p=77109 Join Rick as he dives into the fifth episode of a new series IN HIS IMAGE. Today we’ll be exploring how Trust is central to the Kingdom of God, and is at the core of Jesus’ “operating system.” A proverb reminds us: We gain trust in drops, but we lose it in buckets.…

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]]> https://youthministry.com/podcast-in-his-image-trust/feed/ 0 Why is it so hard to build trust and so easy to lose it? Explore how Trust is central to the Kingdom of God and is at the core of Jesus’ “operating system.”https://youthministry.com/wp-content/upload/ymprod/PRATJ-Season-5-Ep-27-270x196.jpg270196 Bi-Believer Ministry https://youthministry.com/bi-believer-ministry/ https://youthministry.com/bi-believer-ministry/#respond Wed, 18 Sep 2019 15:00:16 +0000 https://youthministry.com/?p=76195 Not long ago I got off the phone with a “profoundly unhappy” mom whose daughter is a regular in our youth ministry. 
She launched into a long, emotional tirade about our ministry’s openness to “those kids”—teenagers who don’t yet love or follow Jesus. …

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]]> https://youthministry.com/bi-believer-ministry/feed/ 0 It’s a youth ministry dilemma—how do we build a ministry that reaches both disciples and “pre-disciples”? Here's three priorities to a bi-believer ministry.https://youthministry.com/wp-content/upload/ymprod/franck-v-miWGZ02CLKI-unsplash-270x196.jpg270196 Back-to-School: The 7 First Steps https://youthministry.com/the-7-first-steps/ https://youthministry.com/the-7-first-steps/#respond Mon, 16 Sep 2019 14:00:36 +0000 https://youthministry.com/?p=76159 In an extended pick-your-brain session with longtime youth pastor Ralph Paige, I sat with a group of young youth workers eager to learn from Ralph’s veteran wisdom as another school year rockets off the launching pad.
In Part 1 of this series, Ralph focused on the foundational importance of prayer.…

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]]> https://youthministry.com/the-7-first-steps/feed/ 0 The school year is starting! Here's a short list of seven first steps to make for maximizing ministry opportunities in the new school year.https://youthministry.com/wp-content/upload/ymprod/7-steps-270x196.jpg270196 Joshua Harris and the ‘Purity Problem’ With Teenagers https://youthministry.com/joshua-harris-and-the-purity-problem-with-teenagers/ https://youthministry.com/joshua-harris-and-the-purity-problem-with-teenagers/#comments Wed, 07 Aug 2019 21:39:30 +0000 https://youthministry.com/?p=76057 We are shorthand people who prefer shorthand solutions to complex problems. That’s true in life, and it’s true in youth ministry. In the past, our shortcut paths to deeper discipleship included…
• What Would Jesus Do—”Go beyond your identity as a church-attender and have the courage to live like Jesus.…

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]]> https://youthministry.com/joshua-harris-and-the-purity-problem-with-teenagers/feed/ 3 Using shortcuts when discipling teens typically doesn’t work out. So, what are our alternatives to the shorthand and shortcut strategies that tempt us?https://youthministry.com/wp-content/upload/ymprod/Joshua-Harris-270x196.jpg270196 Save Your Thoughts and Prayers? https://youthministry.com/save-your-thoughts-and-prayers/ https://youthministry.com/save-your-thoughts-and-prayers/#respond Wed, 07 Aug 2019 19:25:13 +0000 https://youthministry.com/?p=76067 Type “teenagers” into Google, then spend 30 minutes browsing the links. I did this the other day and was confronted (over and over) by one overriding reality—Gen Z teenagers are suffering from more depression, anxiety, and stress than ever before. EVER before.…

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]]> https://youthministry.com/save-your-thoughts-and-prayers/feed/ 0 In a Gen Z culture fed up with a passive response, how can we walk with teenagers into the mess of a tragedy while shaping positive action?https://youthministry.com/wp-content/upload/ymprod/Save-Your-Prayers-270x196.jpg270196 Planning a Personal Kickoff https://youthministry.com/planning-a-personal-kick-off/ https://youthministry.com/planning-a-personal-kick-off/#respond Thu, 01 Aug 2019 11:50:05 +0000 http://youthmindev.wpengine.com/?p=49823 I’m going to be honest and say I have not mastered what I’m about to share with you. I’m in the middle of this one-sided wrestling match with you.
The school year will soon begin. Youth groups across the country will soon be having or are planning kickoff events.…

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]]> https://youthministry.com/planning-a-personal-kick-off/feed/ 0 As you start prepping teens and volunteers your fall youth ministry schedule, are you taking time to prep yourself? Here are some practical ideas to help.https://youthministry.com/wp-content/upload/ymprod/Personal-Kick-Off-270x196.jpg270196 Church Kids: helping teens fall in love with a familiar God. https://youthministry.com/church-kids/ https://youthministry.com/church-kids/#comments Tue, 02 Jul 2019 16:54:27 +0000 http://youthmindev.wpengine.com/?p=51775 How can you help teens fall in love when they’ve known about God their whole life? Here’s one leader’s experience!
I was born on the front pew of a church during a Sunday night worship service. Before I could say momma, I said Jesus.…

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]]> https://youthministry.com/church-kids/feed/ 22 How do you help teens fall in love with a God they've been arranged to believe in from birth? Here’s one leader’s story of experiencing God.https://youthministry.com/wp-content/upload/ymprod/church-kids-in-love-with-God-270x196.jpg270196 Responding to Tragedy with Redemptive Presence https://youthministry.com/responding-to-tragedy-with-redemptive-presence/ https://youthministry.com/responding-to-tragedy-with-redemptive-presence/#respond Thu, 09 May 2019 23:13:30 +0000 https://youthministry.com/?p=61997 By Rick Lawrence
I was driving home from a writing retreat, where I’d been off the grid for four days—no Wi-Fi, no cell service. I called my wife to let her know I was on the road, and I heard that edge in her voice that I know all too well… “Rick, there’s an active shooter situation happening right now, at the STEM school that’s 10 minutes from us.…

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]]> https://youthministry.com/responding-to-tragedy-with-redemptive-presence/feed/ 0 When tragedy hits, how can youth workers process their own emotions while offering an environment of healing and processing to students. Here are 7 ideas...https://youthministry.com/wp-content/upload/ymprod/Police-YM.com_-270x196.jpg270196