“Who am I?” “Does my life matter?” “Am I accepted?” “Am I loved?” “Am I significant?” When you interact with students regularly, it becomes clear that these questions haunt them. We see students making poor decisions and acting…
Whether you’re new to a youth ministry role or a long-hauler, it is not uncommon to have times of identity distortion. Of course, we ascent to the fact that we are children of God, but amongst friends and…
“How do I know what God’s will is for my life?” As a former student pastor, I saw the special weight this question carries for teenagers and young adults. Members of these age groups are making decisions that…
Helping our children understand who they are also helps them embrace Whose they are.
Most of the time I enjoy scrolling through Facebook. I love following high school and college friends, camp friends, the people I bonded with after college in a new city as God taught me who I was, and…
When I served in youth ministry I couldn’t stand being asked about my dating life. It didn’t matter who was asking—parent, student, fellow church staff—I didn’t want to be asked. But it was always hardest when a student…
It doesn’t matter where you live, what type of school system you are in, or who your kids’ friends are, there is no fool proof way of avoiding middle school meanness. That is not to say the meanness…
Competition in Ministry and Brothers in Christ For as long as I can remember, I have been an extremely competitive person. As a young child darting and dashing around the soccer field, my desire to be “the best”…
It used to be primarily summer when beautiful bronzed bodies in itsy bitsy bikinis invaded pools everywhere (and made me want to cover my two little boys’ eyes). But these days the trending clothing styles, no matter the…
