What the book's about: Unlocking Mission & Eschatology in Youth Ministry is part of the series, "A theological journey through youth ministry", which tackles pressing theological issues as they relate specifically to youth...
In youth ministry, summer is the prime time for attending camps, conferences and mission trips. Regardless of what type of summertime activity you participate in with your youth, it's important to process your experience with your teens. Here's...
Eight weeks ago, I had a baby girl, Hope.
My pregnancy was wrought with all kinds of trouble and fear.
As a female youth worker, one of my early fears was how my church would react to the news.
I hoped it would be unashamedly excited for me,...
I'm someone who needs a lot of encouragement and affirmation.
What I've learned after 13 years in youth ministry is that most teens do, too.
As a result, I try to be intentional not only about giving teens encouragement and affirmation, but also...
Shortly after returning from a mission trip to Rwanda, one of my teens called me in tears. She’d just returned from a bookstore, where she’d noticed less than a row of books about the entire continent of Africa and none about Rwanda. “Don’t people...
It's been a busy month. To say that I'm exhausted is an understatement. There's a time I would have been proud of this. Not anymore. Here's hoping for a slower April!
Reading:
Due to the busyness of this month, my reading took a hit....
I'm at the stage of pregnancy where people no longer have to wonder whether or not I'm pregnant. At 32 weeks, this pregnancy is obvious. In fact, my new entertainment is watching my stomach move as the baby shifts.
As my pregnancy has grown...
In recent years, much criticism has been lobbied at short-term mission trips and in particular, at their value; At whether they do more harm than good. To that end, books like When Helping Hurts have helped those of us in the church figure out...
Over the weekend, I saw the movie McFarland, USA.
In so many ways, this is a youth ministry movie – a powerful example of the impact adults can have in the lives of teens.
In the movie, Mr. White – a teacher who's been laid off by several...
When I first interviewed for my current position, I remember asking the pastors, “How are youth involved in worship?”
Their answer to this question was important to me because I was coming from a non-denominational setting wherein we had a...