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Jen Bradbury
Dec 12 · 5 min read

Review: Packing Light by Allison Vesterfelt

Filed in Book Review and Book Review

Packing Light

As someone who both loves to travel and to write, I was excited to read Allison Vesterfelt's Packing Light: Thoughts on living life with less baggage.

Despite taking me a while to get into, I ended up thoroughly enjoying this book. In it,...

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#books #travel #identity #vocation #Jesus gap #writing #brave

Jen Bradbury
Dec 05 · 5 min read

Babies, Mobiles, and Hope

While in Rwanda for our international missions trip, we went shopping at an artisans' market.

While there, I couldn't take my eyes off the crib mobiles.

Eventually I confessed as much to my husband. He assured me that even though we did not yet...

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#Rwanda #miscarriage #hope #Jesus #Jesus gap #Prayer #pregnancy

Jen Bradbury
Oct 28 · 5 min read

Teens know who Noah is, right?

This year, our junior high Sunday School class is learning about each of the five promises they'll be making at their confirmation:

- To live among God's faithful people.
- To hear the word of God and share in the Lord's Supper.
- To share the...

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#confirmation #youth ministry #Community #evangelism #justice #research #Jesus gap #identity #faith formation

Jen Bradbury
Oct 24 · 5 min read

Recent Reads: Jesus is Better Than You Imagined by Jonathan Merritt

Filed in Recent Reads and Recent Reads

Jesus Is Better

What the book's about: Jesus is Better Than You Imagined  is about how the God we've construed (oftentimes in our image) compares to the God of Scripture. It's a book that juxtaposes Jonathan's own stories of Jesus with those found in...

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#Jesus gap #small group #books

Jen Bradbury
Oct 20 · 5 min read

The small pool of female youth workers

A male youth worker recently bemoaned the fact that he could think of only two female youth workers to invite to speak at an upcoming event. He told me how he believed it was important to have a female youth worker on stage for all the female...

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#Women #Jesus gap #youth ministry

Jen Bradbury
Oct 08 · 5 min read

Don't Assume Jesus is Understood

Jesus Gap

This year, my adult leaders and I are reading and discussing Sticky Faith together. At our first meeting, we wrestled with the chapter on the Sticky Gospel. As part of this, I asked leaders to share their reaction to how teens defined what it...

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#Jesus gap #research #Sticky faith #Jesus #youth ministry

Jen Bradbury
Jul 19 · 5 min read

I am a Spiritual Misfit

I Am A Spiritual Misfit

Earlier this year, I had the privilege of speaking at The Progressive Youth Ministry conference.

I went, genuinely excited not only to be sharing my research about what high school teens believe about Jesus, but also eager to try a new youth...

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#Jesus gap #ecumenical #justice #Jesus #youth ministry #books

Jen Bradbury
May 19 · 5 min read

Review: Youth Ministry in a Multifaith Society by Len Kageler

Filed in Book Review and Book Review

If you pick up my copy of Youth Ministry in a Multifaith Society by Len Kageler, you'll notice that nearly every page in the last three chapters is dog-eared. It's that good.

In this book, youth ministry researcher, professor, and practitioner,...

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#Jesus gap #ecumenical #research #Jesus #youth ministry

Jen Bradbury
Oct 17 · 5 min read

Jesus > Holy Spirit

Recently, one of my new adult leaders asked me, “Why don’t we talk about the Holy Spirit more with our high school students? It seems like we’re very focused on Jesus.”

Truthfully, this is a pretty fair assessment of my high school ministry: It ...

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#ELCA #NSYR #Jesus gap #research #Jesus #books

Jen Bradbury
Mar 26 · 5 min read

Why a crucifixion?

For the last eight months, I've been immersed in a research project, investigating what high school students in my denomination (ELCA) believe about Jesus. Among other things, I asked hundreds of students, “Why did Jesus die?”

The majority of...

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#Jesus gap #atonement #research #crucifixion

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Latest Posts

  • Review: Packing Light by Allison Vesterfelt
  • Babies, Mobiles, and Hope
  • Teens know who Noah is, right?
  • Recent Reads: Jesus is Better Than You Imagined by Jonathan Merritt
  • The small pool of female youth workers
  • Don't Assume Jesus is Understood
  • I am a Spiritual Misfit
  • Review: Youth Ministry in a Multifaith Society by Len Kageler
  • Jesus > Holy Spirit
  • Why a crucifixion?

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