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.

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 […]

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. […]

Those Turds

Maybe it’s just our ministries and you don’t have this problem, but we have some unique children in our programs that we lovingly refer to as “turds”. I sincerely mean that. We love them, but their behavior stinks. It’s ok though, they’re keeping us all on our toes, as well as sometimes on our last […]

The Vital Need for Ritual

My shampoo bottle says lather, rinse, and repeat. That is some great advice for ministry. My wife and I celebrated our first Thanksgiving together at her parent’s home a year before we married. It was great, but didn’t feel exactly like Thanksgiving. They didn’t have mashed potatoes. The following year we journeyed to my parents […]

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 […]

Give Them What They Came For

The question I’m most frequently asked at the start of any given youth night is “What game are we playing tonight?” The truth is that for a number of our youth it’s the things like snacks, social activities, and games that really gain their interest in coming. I challenge you to give them what they come for! Most of […]

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.” […]

How to Plant an Invisible Garden

That’s the thing with middle school youth ministry: we are not the ones watching the fruit grow. We are merely planting seeds, or sometimes just tilling the soil to help make a place where something might grow someday. And honestly, it’s not even us doing the work. We’re just lucky enough that the Holy Spirit is choosing to use our feeble hands to further the Kingdom of God here on Earth. God has the power and ability to use every game we play, every word we speak, every time of small group, every smile, every interaction, every meal, and every prayer said to move the hearts of these kids, and move my heart as well.