4 things I learned about Evangelization from Vacation Bible School
This past week our church hosted Cave Quest VBS. It was an outstanding adventure… and a significant amount of work. Here are a few lessons I learned about Evangelization from Vacation Bible School. Evangelization is Joy-filled At the morning VBS meeting, the leaders reminded the volunteers that the energy they bring is the energy that […]
YM Exposed: Things I Never Thought I’d Do
Whenever you began your youth ministry career you had hopes and aspirations. You may have been excited to lead teens to Christ, catechize them on the truths of the faith, and build relationships with them. You probably expected some joys and challenges to take place like teens encountering Christ, occasional difficulties with co-workers or parents, […]
The Problem with Youth Ministry is that it is an Adolescent Itself
Youth ministry is not perfect. Many blogs have recently pointed out the problems Youth Ministry has. It tries to be the primary catechist and takes Sunday nights away from families. It’s not mentioned in the bible and does not have a great retention rate. It cannot hold the same authority that the parents or pastors […]
4 Movements in Evangelization You Need to Know
For Christmas this year, our one-year-old son received a fisher price basketball hoop. It has been played with for about 40 hours since he got it. His time with the toy amounts to less than an hour. Dad loves it, sisters love it. We recently had some friends over and their son had just seen […]
Lent Ideas to Live & Share
Lent begins and many struggle to find a solid sacrifice to embrace for the journey. Take a look at a few of the options below and pick one, pick one per day or pick a category and rotate through the sacrifices. Share the images or this post to inspire others to journey with you. Comment […]
5 Ways to Make Faith Relevant to Teens
Those committed to their faith know the importance of having a relationship with Christ. But for teens who are learning about the Church it can be difficult to grasp not only the beautiful theology but why it matters for their lives today. It’s vital to recognize that you’re not called to simply teach the faith, […]
God is not Mr. Fix It, He is more.
As a country we find ourselves in the wake of another mass shooting. Less than 24 hours after the shooting, the NY Daily News places a front page stating ‘GOD ISN’T FIXING THIS’. It criticizes republican presidential candidates for tweeting out concern and prayers for the victims, their families and law enforcement. The title is […]
My first drink was in a Gay Bar and I am Grateful
My first legal drink was in a gay bar, and I am grateful. It was just a few days before my 21st birthday and I headed out to Chicago for a spring break mission trip. We were headed downtown to serve with Emmaus Ministries who help male prostitutes get off the streets, build life skills […]
Why October Isn’t Too Early for Christmas Lights
In early October I was driving home and noticed one of my neighbors had their Christmas lights up and lit. My initial reaction was probably similar to many of yours; take a picture, post it on social media, and join in the barrage of comments about it being too soon for Christmas lights, how people […]
A Perfectly Designed Ministry
Simon Sinek in his book Start with the Why tells a story of American car executives who tour a Japanese assembly line. They get to the end of the line where the doors were placed on hinges and notice that there was not a line worker present with a rubber mallet to tap the edges […]