LEARNING MY LINES . . .

. . . discovering what it means to follow Jesus, seeing my story swept up into his . . .

God's Story artwork

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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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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