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We're All Born This Way

Rick Lawrence Tuesday, April 16, 2013
The other day I had breakfast with an old friend—we’ve met, off and on, two Saturday mornings a month for 10 years or so. I hadn’t seen him in a few months, so we had some catching up to do. I asked about his family. He paused, glanced down for a moment, then...
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Leadership

Radical Hospitality

Youth Ministry ... Saturday, February 16, 2013
http://ymarchitects.com/blog/ blog by Dave Sippel I was planning a youth retreat several years ago. I wanted to create the space for an honest discussion about denominational distinctions. I wanted my youth to understand that each Christian denomination has unique traditions, doctrine, and... read more
Culture

Discussion Starter: Pope, 85, Unexpectedly Resigns From Office

Steph Martin Friday, February 15, 2013
Rome—Pope Benedict XVI, the spiritual leader of 1.2 billion Roman Catholics, made a surprise announcement this week, saying he’ll step down February 28 because of his age. The 85-year-old Pope, who’s become increasingly frail, said he’s “had to recognize my incapacity to adequately fulfill the... read more
Families, Leadership, Volunteers

From Mistakes: Tips for youth pastors and parents

Pedro Escamilla Friday, February 15, 2013
One of the major ways we humans learn is by learning from the mistakes or success of others. When we are young, we don't possess any frame of reference by which we can make educated choices until we have experience in certain situations. Frame of references come through experience, such as learning... read more
Families, Leadership, Culture

Running on Empty: A Response

Roy Probus Thursday, February 14, 2013
Many of us don't ever think about doing anything else besides youth ministry. We live and breathe youth ministry. We have the scars to prove it, so it’s hard to ever think about leaving it. Deep down, we all know it can happen. While there are some lifetimers out there, many of us will move beyond... read more
Leadership, Discipleship, Speaking, Small Groups, Programming

No More Secondhand Faith

Troy Richards Wednesday, February 13, 2013
The “Telephone” game is a youth ministry standard—you tell the first person in a long line a message, usually a movie quote like this one from Braveheart: “They may take our lives but they’ll never take our freedom.” That person then whispers the message to the next person in line, who whispers it... read more
Leadership

Finding Your Edge

Mark Devries Wednesday, February 13, 2013
Most of my ministry pals want to be on the “cutting edge”—blazing trails, multiplying effectiveness, and awakening fresh faithfulness. In the words of hockey great Wayne Gretzky, they want to “skate to where the puck is going to be.” Recently, I stumbled onto an important distinction that can... read more
Leadership, Discipleship

The Bus-Driver’s Rant

Rick Lawrence Wednesday, February 13, 2013
Not long ago I was at an annual three-day forum for youth ministry professors—I’ve been an interloper at this gathering for 15 years. One night, all 125 of us loaded onto school buses for a cross-town trip to a Bible college campus, where the “entertainment” for the evening was a panel discussion... read more
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Leadership, Volunteers

I’ve Seen It All

Kurt and Josh Wednesday, February 13, 2013
Kicking off the school year. Launch of small groups. Youth group. Adult services. Speaking in big church. Christmas chaos. Overnighter. New Year’s party. Scavenger hunt. Parent drama. Driving the kid home after waiting an hour because his mom never did show up. Trying to finish a seminary course so... read more
Families, Leadership

Running on Empty

Kurt and Josh Tuesday, February 12, 2013
Running on empty? We know the feeling. The energy of the fall is gone, seniors are already starting to head toward the door, and you’re questioning your own sanity because you were the one championing the junior high overnighter this Friday night. What do you do? You’ll need to find what is... read more
Culture

Have You Been Claimed?

Lane Palmer Monday, February 11, 2013
By Lane Palmer at Dare 2 Share What a way to engage a teen audience during Valentine season – with the release of a totally original, never before conceived movie that connects a soapy teen romance with supernatural teen powers. As you already know,Twilight Beautiful Creatures is out for public... read more