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…
We can encourage teenagers to trust that acting out of empathy, not aggression, will lead to soul satisfaction even if it may cause temporary social pain.
This week, Rooted wants to spend some time addressing the “Mean Girl” culture common amongst many middle and high school students. We started the week with counselor Alice Churnock’s educational article, pairing it with an experienced mother’s perspective….
