“Adolescence” on Netflix: Into The Unseen Underworld of Our Kids
From 1978 until last week, there were only two media artifacts that held the #1 spot in things I’ve watched that have rattled me to the core. The films Midnight Express and Fight Club offered peeks into the human condition…
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What Are You Doing With Single-Parent Families?
One of my biggest youth ministry mistakes was rooted in ignorance. Early on, I would look around the room as our students would gather and assume that they were all more alike than they were different. In many ways, I…
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Who’s Teaching The Kids? Are They Following Culture or Christ?
Walking question marks. That’s what our kids are. It doesn’t matter if they’re toddlers, pre-schoolers, elementary-aged, pre-teens, or teens. They are constantly seeking, searching, and finding their way through life. They can either follow the ever-present cultural narrative, or they…
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Meeting New Challenges In Youth Ministry. . .
While there’s really nothing new under the sun, things have changed. . . a lot. Those of us who have been involved in youth ministry for the long haul have been the given the “long view”, which is a perspective…
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Six Marks Of This Great Youth Ministry Training Event. . .
It was so good the first two times around that we’re doing it again! The Northeast Youth Ministry Summit will be happening March 17 to 20 in the beautiful Laurel Highlands of Pennsylvania. So far, we have youth workers registered from multiple…
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Those Super Bowl Ads. . . Here’s Something Helpful.
Does marketing work? You bet! If it didn’t work, then why are companies willing to fork out $8 million for a 30-second commercial spot during this year’s Super Bowl? If you’re one of those parents or youth workers who plan on shutting…
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Debunking The Myths Of Marriage
Just a couple of years into my own marriage, I was a seminary student working at a beautiful historic hotel on the picturesque North Short of Boston. As the evening manager, it was often my responsibility to offers tours and…
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Youth Workers. . . This Is For You!
“I’ve finally found my people!” That clear sense of belonging is what we all desire, isn’t it? And my heart leapt for joy when a respected veteran youth worker pulled me aside at the end of our first-ever Northeast Youth…
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Wake Up Call: Teens and Sports Gambling
It’s the day after the ending of what was promoted as a “First-Time Ever” five consecutive days of playoff football. And over the two days of NCAA College Football playoffs and three days of NFL playoff action, anyone who watched…
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Your Kids and Your Time
I think often about the story I once heard about a busy woman who was struggling to balance the demands of her life outside the home while being a wife and mother. One night her nine-year-old son approached her as…
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Devotional Reading – 2025
One of the great benefits of being a member of what I hear being called “The 5am Club,” is that waking up early (no alarm-clock needed) offers a nice block of quiet time to focus on spending time in God’s…
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Remembering Those Who Find The Holidays Difficult: A Prayer
Over the coming week, many of us will lift our voices as we do each Christmas to sing these words from Joy To The World: “No more let sins and sorrows grow nor thorns infest the ground; He comes to make…
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