“In fact, though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you the elementary truths of God’s word all over again. You need milk, not solid food! Anyone who lives on milk, being still an infant, is not acquainted with the...
Yesterday, I talked about how to use positive reinforcement to handle disruptive students. I wrote this post in response to a question posed on an online youth ministry forum I'm a part of: “How do you handle disruptive students during a lesson or...
Recently, someone posted this question to an online youth ministry forum I'm a part of: “How do you handle disruptive students during a lesson or sermon?”
One of the most helpful ways I've learned to “handle disruptive students” is actually...
As a youth worker, I know that relationships matter far more than any talk I'll ever give or any discussion I'll ever lead.
I know this based on my own life experience. Even so, over the years, there have been three talks that have...
Ever feel as if your students are bored during your mission trip meetings? If so, perhaps that's because you're the one doing all the teaching, even though students learn by doing. For this reason, require students on your mission trip team to...
One of the greatest gifts my Mom gave me is a love of reading. I grew up in a house that was loaded with books and I loved reading, even as a small child.
Today, my house is the same way. We have books everywhere: Three dedicated shelves as...
My youth ministry discussion tanked on Sunday. Every question I asked fell flat. Despite my efforts to pry responses out of my students, they remained universally unengaged.
As a veteran youth worker, I know these days happen. Even so, they’re...
On a Sunday morning not all that long ago, I stood behind a young mom and her toddler-aged daughter as they exited church. When they reached the doors in the back of our church, the mom said to her daughter, “Say good-bye to the church.”
The...
This post is part of a synchroblog on Loving Nature: "Is God Green?"
Long before being green was a thing, my family was.
My parents have always driven highly fuel efficient cars. They rarely run their air conditioning. In the winter, their...
In Lent, as we discussed the story of Jesus' arrest, my students were intrigued by Jesus' command to Peter to put away his sword because “all who draw the sword will die by the sword.”
Immediately, students began asking about...