In one way or another, our students will be faced with reconciling suffering and the “good life.” As youth pastors, we need the resources of the gospel to point teenagers to a biblical perspective on suffering.
While some people these days wonder why our nation has not returned back to normal yet, and some wonder why people would even entertain the thought of coming out of a lockdown so soon, most everyone continues to…
God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. 2 Therefore we will not fear though the earth gives way, though the mountains be moved into the heart of the sea, 3 though its waters roar and foam, though the mountains tremble at its…
Another school shooting. A classmate dies in a senseless car accident. A friend’s mother dies of cancer. Why? Why does God allow these things to happen? It’s tempting to respond to those who suffer by pointing the finger…
After graduating college, I served with the church overseas for about two years. Soon after arriving, I began experiencing piercing back pain and learned surgery was imminent. Being confident God had led me to this work, I convinced…
Shepherding Students Through the Psalms As we care for students in the complex situations they face, we are so aware that we need resources beyond ourselves—the resources of the gospel. Our students struggle with anxiety and addiction. They…
I remember the sense of paralysis I felt on my second week of youth ministry when a child’s father died. I had no idea what do. What was the first step I should take? Now, I have worked…
I will not soon forget standing in the cafeteria of a local high school this Feb. 15, one day after the mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School. A day usually celebrated in high school hallways with…
So often, our passions and drives in ministry are the byproduct of an experience or story from our own adolescence. In this series, we asked student leaders what shaped and enlivened their faith as teenagers, and how that…
