Talking About Las Vegas

las vegas

How do you talk with your teens about what happened in Las Vegas? Gwen has great advice for having a hope-filled discussion when talking about tragedies and events like the mass shooting in Las Vegas.

How A Mud Run Transformed My View of Christianity

Obstacles I recently completed my 6th Tough Mudder in as many years.  A Tough Mudder is a 10-12 mile obstacles course with 20-25 obstacles and plenty of mud.  They intentionally implement several obstacles that cannot be completed without the help of others. The first year I ran was on the anniversary of the Columbine shooting.  […]

13 Reasons Why: A Youth Ministry Perspective

  13 Reasons Why…or Why Not? You’ve seen the various posts on social media. Netflix made a show and teens are watching it. What to Know It’s not a show about suicide, it’s a show about manipulating people through suicide. It’s not a show for teenagers, its rated MA for Mature Adults, I’ve never met […]

Continuing the Conversation

This post is based off of thoughts and reflections resulting from How Not to Hijack Your Youth. I encourage you to read that post, which shares how to facilitate discussions on controversial topics found in music, movies, or other media. The youth are able to think critically in a setting that allows for open and honest discussion. […]

3 Tips to Combat Relativism

Well, that’s just your opinion. Don’t force your beliefs on me. Intolerant. Hater. Bigot. These are all things you’ve heard and may have been called.  Why?  Because you’re teaching the truth of Jesus Christ. A few years ago I was in the Austin airport and overheard two teens talking. The girl, who I learned was […]

An Open Letter to Christians in the Wake of the Election

We are missing out on an amazing opportunity. Over the last 30 days social media feeds have been filled with people spewing venom at one another due to a disagreement of ideas. People are instantly villainized due to their affiliation with one person. News reports are showing how Americans can deal with the added stress […]

How Not to Hijack Your Youth

As I typed the words “Take Me to Church” into Google on my projected computer screen, I heard a groan escape from one of the girls sitting in the front row. I took the bait and asked her why she was upset.   “You’re going to ruin this song for me. I like this song.” […]

Martyrdom and Narcissism

Last Tuesday, Fr. Jacques Hamel gave his life for Jesus Christ. Fr. Jacques was martyred by two jihadists in a Catholic church in Normandy during the sacred liturgy. Shockwaves flew through first world countries by this tragedy so uncommon in these areas. Our surprise should not be so great. According to Christianity.com, more Christians have […]

3 Cities, 7 Deaths…NOW WHAT?!

You’d have to be living under a rock to not know what has been happening in our country over the past week.  There were multiple fatal shootings by police officers being called into question with a public outcry helped by witness’s video, then someone taking the law into his own hands and ending the lives […]

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 […]