Why Are Your Friends Important For Your Soul?

Not too long ago, I was struggling with making good friends. Let me rephrase that. I was struggling with making friends, and in turn, settled for not-so-good friendships. At the time, I had no idea just how much these so-called “friendships” were affecting my own actions and the state of my soul. The New Kid […]

Spiritual Advisory

advisory, spiritual

Do you take precautions and protect yourself and your ministry spiritually? Gwen talks about the importance of always looking forward and remembering the battle is already won.

Small Things with Great Love

My primary goal is to lead others closer to Christ through building Christocentric relationships and loving them as Christ loved us.  I strive to do this with my family, friends, coworkers, and in my ministry.  I’d love to say that this can be seen in the big and small ways of each of my interactions […]

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 […]

Caught and Not Taught

Think back to last summer. I know for some of us ministers this might be impossible, but humor me for a moment. Yes, since then there have been countless events, meetings, and distractions. But think back to those first few months of planning for this ministry year. Scheduling topics for particular nights, looking through your curriculum, […]

Trouble in Paradise: When Disciples Just Can’t Get Along

As the Campus Minister at a Catholic School, I have the unique opportunity of being present for all the little arguments and disagreements that happen throughout the day with the kids I minister to. Sometimes these conflicts are minor; a girl snaps at her friend, or a boy brushes past a classmate a little too […]

One Body and One Spirit

Last week we had our monthly Middle School Family Dinner at St. Joseph’s parish. We talked about the negative and positive pressure of our peers and the value of true friends. If you take those things a little bit deeper, we were really getting at the need for good community, for a group of people […]

Resolve to Listen Better! – 9 “Action” Tips for Listening Success

Have you ever struggled with what to say when?  Want to have more intentional conversations with teens, parents, friends, or strangers? Pick one or all of the tips to help you have better conversations with those around you. Love a person where they are – but love them even more to not leave them there. […]

The Lying Minister Epidemic

HONESTY Being honest is something we are taught to do from a very young age. There is so much importance in telling the truth and we learn very quickly that people can see through lies. As kids, when we tried to lie, our parents knew it instantly about 99% of the time. This was very […]