As we stood at my mother-in-law’s casket, my nearly two-year-old nephew chased my four-year-old daughter around the empty funeral home room – something they could do since, thanks to the COVID-19 restrictions, the room was empty except for us.
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Context is everything.
As a ministry professional, I’ve had this instilled into me for years. Even so, I’ve never seen this quite as clearly as I have since the pandemic began.
Because we’re safe-at-home, unable to go places, feeling a myriad of...
In these unprecedented times, with a massive number of churches opting to live stream their worship services in order to protect the public’s health and love our neighbors, families with young children might find themselves wondering, “That sounds...
I love to read. In fact, it’s one of the things I love most in the world. Because of how much I love and value reading, I want very much for my daughters to become avid readers.
I also, more importantly, want them to become committed followers of...
One of the things that my teens most enjoy talking about is science and faith. Note that I said talking about; Not debating. Having facilitated this conversation a number of times in the past, I wanted to freshen up my approach with some fresh...
I’ve lost track of the number of times in my career in youth ministry when a high school senior has confronted me because they don’t like the direction our ministry is going. This confrontation always comes after a transition – usually within the...
In college, I invested in a study Bible that I loved. I used that study Bible until it literally fell apart. It served me well… including during my first, tenuous days as a youth pastor when I felt as though I was consistently in over my head...
As a youth pastor, I am a leader.
I lead students, adult and student leaders, parents, and in a variety of ways, colleagues.
As such, I constantly want to grow in my leadership skills. For that reason, I was excited to read Aubrey...
According to author Rachel Held Evans, “Those who say having a childlike faith means not asking questions haven’t met too many children.”
What I love about that sentiment – and about Rachel in general – is that she embraces questions of all...
I'm a big believer in the power of experiential learning. To this end, instead of giving a talk about prayer, I'd much rather create a series of prayer stations designed to give students the opportunity to pray in a variety of ways.
Over the next...