The night my high school youth ministry discussed refugees, one of our final questions was, “How else can we show mercy to refugees?”
After wrestling with this question for a while, one student quietly and courageously asked, “Everything...
As a youth worker, one of my roles is to come alongside families during times of struggle and provide pastoral care. As part of this, others often ask me, “What can I do for Person X?”
During times of crises, people want to be helpful but they...
In addition to reviewing Katharina & Martin Luther: The Radical Marriage of a Runaway Nun and a Renegade Monk, I also had the chance to interview its author, Michelle DeRusha about her writing process and what she learned from writing this...
As part of our youth ministry's recent conversation about refugees, students worked in small groups to write a modern-day version of the Good Samaritan. Here's one group's version:
An empty-handed Syrian refugee was traveling from...
After 15 years in our congregation, my senior pastor is leaving to take a new call.
Since my senior pastor announced his departure, I’ve become acutely aware of the role that I, as a staff member, have to play in this transition. Just as there are...
“I can’t do the Famine,” one of my active, never-miss-an-activity students informed me.
“How come?” I asked.
“My mom doesn’t want me to starve myself,” she said.
It’s something I’ve heard a lot over the years. For many students, fasting – the...
I'm a Lutheran Youth Pastor who, until now, could count on one hand the things I knew about Martin Luther, a key player in the Reformation and the person for whom my tradition is named.
1. He believed in the importance of Scripture alone.
...
After 15 years in our congregation, my senior pastor is leaving to take a new call.
As far as transitions go, this is a healthy one. No underlying conflict is forcing anyone to go. And yet, transitions are always hard. I’m grieving and so are many...
What I'm Reading:
Fiction:
Best chick lit: Forever, Interrupted by Taylor Jenkins Reid. I devoured this book in just a couple days. It's fast, entertaining, and would make a great beach read.
Book I'm still thinking about: ...
After President Trump signed the travel ban impacting refugees, I met with my student leaders. Together, we decided to postpone our previously scheduled discussion in order to insert a week into our teaching calendar about refugees. As Christians,...