Category Archives: discerning your issues
an open letter to my pastor
Dear Pastor, I am writing you because I am dying. I know it probably doesn’t look like it but I am alone and withering on the vine. I came to this job excited about starting in this new ministry position. … Continue reading
numbers: the most important indicator of ministry health
when i meet a fellow youth worker, the most pressing question i have is, “how many kids are in their youth group?” and the answer to this question dictates my emotional state for the rest of the conversation. now, don’t get me wrong, i … Continue reading
the elite youth pastor
in ministry i have found that there are two kinds of people, the ones with the big ideas, and the ones who actually do the work to implement them. over the last 15 years in student ministry i have noticed … Continue reading
i hate finals!
i have yet to meet someone who relishes the opportunity to take tests, let alone finals. the amount of stress that comes with trying to remember a semester’s worth of information and then regurgitate it for your teacher in unbelievable. … Continue reading
community: we build it for others, but not for ourselves.
why is it so hard for youth workers to be in community with our peers? oh, i know, because we don’t have peers. our world consists of the students we work with and their parents. we are consumed with our … Continue reading
an advent experiment
as i was approaching this holiday season, i realized something strange happening inside of me. somewhere along the way i had become jaded about chirstmas. it could be that decorations have been us since before halloweeen, it could be the … Continue reading
thankful for being broken
as thanksgiving approaches i am closing the door on a flurry of thanksgiving themed youth groups and sunday schools. i have taught our students everything they need to know about how every good and perfect gift comes to us from … Continue reading
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