Did you make New Year’s resolutions for 2021? Are you on track or have you decided to chunk them into the trash with the leftover pizza? Don’t get me wrong, I am not negative about this yearly “Resolution Ritual,” but I want to suggest a better approach. I wrote this blog a couple of years ago and it seemed to…
If my spiritual growth is more about “what I do” than “who I am,” I find myself in danger of becoming “weary in well doing!” When our Christianity is relegated to an event, it often grows sterile and perfunctory. Our goal should be to keep our spiritual lives fresh and our relationship with Jesus intimate. Working on the “inner man”…
Planning is vital to success in life. Few people become successful by accident; it happens because we have a goal and passion for that goal. We utilize organizational tools, seminars and personal coaches to accomplish those goals. So what about our spiritual success? By spiritual success I am not purporting a “health, wealth and self-philosophy”: I am talking about Biblical…
Do you ever feel like you have nothing to say? You stare into your blank computer screen knowing the deadline for a sermon, article, blog or book looms closer. You want to communicate but just cannot bring yourself to strike the first letter on the keyboard. Having the desire to make a difference with our communication is not the problem…
Ever heard that one? If so, it was probably the tagline of a heated dialogue. Some parent’s teen was not doing well spiritually and some youth leader was being blamed. When this happens, the parent may range from being totally disengaged from their teen’s life to simply being at a complete loss as to what to do and be lashing…
Do you ever feel like you have nothing to say? Have you ever peered into your blank computer screen knowing you had to write that devotional, sermon, article, book or blog and just could not bring yourself to strike the first letter on the keyboard? I think all of us want to communicate clearly. We want to make a difference…
The teen years are not a “holding pattern” but should be a time of utilizing the power of youth. We are not preparing them to be leaders in the future; we are preparing them now for this moment. Being salt and light is not a post-graduate concept. Some of the most vocal advocates for change in student ministry are the…
“I’ve tried everything!” Remember those words from Part 1? If not refer back to my post on January 12. I have divided the philosophical approaches into four sections determined by their predominant thrust. In Part 2 we will examine the first two sections and will conclude next Tuesday with Part 3, so stay with me. Keep in mind that some…
Someone has said that a rut is just a grave with the ends knocked out. My take-away from this statement is that whether you are in a grave or in a rut, your horizons are limited. It is so easy to become comfortable with the routine and familiar. One of my greatest challenges is to keep growing and learning. The…
Autonomous (capable of independent function) Youth Ministry -Part 2 Our obvious goal is to reach students with the gospel but are we just as passionate about developing them to the point of embracing an autonomous faith that is contagious? Developing autonomous students within youth ministries is vital to the longevity and stability of our influence in their lives. In Part…