In Isaiah 61, we read three compelling words that can lead our hearts to respond in action, passion, and maybe even some fear – restore, rebuild, and renew. This is the calling that followers of Christ are given…
We all know the parable of the Prodigal Son. Two brothers, vastly different in temperament and behavior, who share the same father. One brother is notoriously bad and dominates the plot line, while the other is but a…
In a culture that is filled with to-do lists, tasks, efficiency, and goals, it can be easy to perform rather than to rest in the gospel of grace. Even in youth ministry it is tempting to work hard…
As we sipped our coffees at a local café, a student asked, “How do I know if that’s what God is calling me to?” On another occasion, sitting in my office, a different student said, “I’m just not…
Is this really America? This has been the question on the minds of millions since the May 5th release of Childish Gambino song and music video, “This is America.” What began with little hype has become a still-growing,…
God is God; you are not, and this is a very good thing. This basic message, grounded in the comfort offered by Isaiah 40, was a regular refrain early on in my ministry to teenagers. Those three basic…
In my family, we have a joke. Every time my wife makes anything with potatoes, I respond at the dinner table with my best nasally tone, “What excellent boiled potatoes – it has been many years since I…
If you work in youth ministry, you know the opposition and even outrage that foundational Biblical doctrines and truth elicit from the world. In the western world, one encounters a great chasm between secular culture and that of…
In a recent meeting for our upcoming Summer mission trip, I found myself hesitant to announce that girls were required to wear a one-piece bathing suit, a rule which in the eyes of a teenage girl is essentially…
