Why Youth Ministry Shouldn’t Be The Greatest Show On Earth. . .
The truth is that I was jealous. I was convinced that there was no way I could compete. Even worse, I believed there was a competition. I was a young youth worker doing ministry in a suburban church during the…
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Parenting: What Did You Expect?!?
It couldn’t have come fast enough. . . the birth of our first child, that is. Thirty-five years ago we learned that “we” were pregnant. As the anticipation built as fast as my wife’s belly grew, I spent countless nights…
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Chris Pratt. . . I See What You Did There. . .
I’ve watched it several times now. Several of my friends thought enough of it to message it to me. It’s Chris Pratt’s gone-viral acceptance speech upon receiving The Generation Award at the MTV Movie and TV Awards the other night.…
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Marriage Matters. . .
In her book Love Thy Body, Nancy Pearcey shares how one poll found that almost half of all millennials have given up the hope and perhaps even the desire for a monogamous relationship. Pearcey writes, “The hookup culture is unraveling…
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Grace, Truth, And Tensions. . .
How do we balance it out? How can we maintain that tender balance between grace and truth that marked the life and ministry of our Savior, and must mark His bride, the Church? I’ve been attempting to navigate that tender nexus…
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Miss America. . . Finally. . . .
No more bathing suits for Miss America. That news broke yesterday as fourteen of us are in the midst of spending two weeks together talking about the intersection of faith and culture. Monday was the first day of this residency…
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“13 Reasons Why” . . . More Thoughts And Helps. . . .
I’m still thinking about what I saw and heard during my head-spin-inducing binge-watch of season 2 of “13 Reasons Why.” I had my handy notebook at my side and scribbled all over the place as the dialogue on the screen,…
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Ireland, Abortion, and Talking With Our Kids. . .
It rattled me. It was a punch in the gut. When U2 voiced their opposition to Ireland’s ban on abortion and related support for the referendum to overturn the abortion ban, I was distressed. A band known for integrating their…
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“13 Reasons Why”. . . Season 2. . . Thoughts Post-Binge-Watch. . .
Watching news footage of kids filing out of the building after a school shooting is gut-wrenching. It leaves us broken, hurting, and realizing that things are not they way they are supposed to be. And then there are the all-too-often…
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School Violence. . . Some Thoughts. . .
This morning’s paper had this headline on the front page: “Many turn to Jesus for ‘hope, healing.’ Texas town worships en masse after 10 die at Santa Fe High School.” The article served up another couple of gut punches as…
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Andy Stanley, Youth Ministry, and Thoughts In Process. . .
It’s too widespread and too important to be ignored. The dialogue over Andy Stanley’s remarks in a recent sermon about the need for believers to “unhitch” the Old Testament from the New Testament has been going on for a few…
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Youth Ministry Relevance. . . And Your Song Of The Summer. . .
Do you have a group of friends who challenge you, encourage you, stimulate your thinking, and hold you accountable? If not, you need them. . . desperately. I’ve got that in a small group of trusted buddies who do all…
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