During Holy Week, my congregation holds worship on each of The Great Three Days: Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, and Holy Saturday.
Though I grew up in a church that held a Good Friday worship service, the concept of worshipping on each of these...
For many years, my husband and I led a small group we affectionately called the Palatine misfits. The group earned it's name because of where we met and who we were. Our group could not easily be categorized as singles, couples, or families....
As my senior pastor says, "At our place, we do church. Especially this time of the year. Holy Week." I had the privilege of preaching on Isaiah 50:4-9a, Hebrews 12:1-3, and John 13:21-32 during Holy Wednesday worship. The reflection I shared...
Earlier this week, Josh posted a poll about taking the summer off saying, “I’m not talking about changing it up a bit in the summer, I’m talking about largely taking the summer off.”
My youth ministry definitely falls into the category of “largely...
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...
The other day, my teens and I attended a workshop during which we had the opportunity to practice contemplative prayer. After doing so, the facilitator asked people to share their experience with 2-3 people near them.
My teens’ body language...
There's only one group I know that thinks it's OK to kidnap people: The church.
While most of the world scorns kidnapping, churches use it as a promotional tool.
Just last week I read a blog post from Taylor Bird about helping 5th graders become...
In December, I loved participating in the Great Christmas Exchange. This winter, I also enjoyed the We {Heart} Books Virtual Exchange. Naturally, when Elizabeth at Oak and Oats mentioned the Etsy Swap, I decided to give that a try...
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...