LEARNING MY LINES . . .

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

God's Story artwork

Boundaries For Youth Workers. . .

Over the course of my years in youth ministry I’ve learned many things the hard way. . . either by watching myself or observing friends. One of the lessons I’ve learned is just how important it is for a youth…
Read More

My Best Books Of 2019. . . Part 2. . .

As I mentioned in my last post, the end of one year and the beginning of the next is “that time of year” for my annual mention of the some of the best books I read during the prior 12…
Read More

My Best Books Of 2019. . . Part 1. . .

The end of one year and the beginning of the next is “that time of year” for my annual mention of the some of the best books I read during the prior 12 months. It’s my hope that the books…
Read More

Resolving To Gain Weight. . . Join Us! . . .

Our habits form us. When those habits lead us deeper and deeper into the things that really matter, we call that spiritual growth and formation. When those habits lead us away from the things that ultimately matter, we call that…
Read More

Lord. . . Make Me Hungry. . .

“Fill your well with the Word.” A mantra we must preach to ourselves 24/7. In 1652, Thomas Brooks published an eye-opening book I’ve been working through for a couple of years. . . “Precious Remedies Against Satan’s Devices.” It’s been…
Read More

Art, Gender, And Life After God. . . .

I reached way up on a top shelf this morning to pull down a book I haven’t opened for several years. It’s Douglas Coupland’s 1994 Life After God. It was a book that made a huge splash. . . seemingly…
Read More

Christmas Materialism. . . A Pushback. . .

These are the days when we really ramp up our thoughts and desires regarding stuff. I can’t point to any hard and fast data, but I can tell you about the seemingly endless parade of trucks from UPS, FedEx, USPS,…
Read More

Helping Students Recover Christmas. . .

A few years ago, I came to a sad realization about myself: the amazing story of Christmas had become so familiar to me that it was almost as if it didn’t matter much anymore. No, I hadn’t lost my love…
Read More

A Youth Worker’s Letter To His Students. . . .

Youth workers. . . If you were to write a heart-felt letter to your students, what would you write? Earlier this fall, I had the privilege of teaching a week long class on “Understanding Today’s Youth Culture” for The Coalition…
Read More