Two big reasons people avoid youth ministry are fear and ignorance. Fear of failure, rejection, appearing foolish or boring, being disrespected, not knowing how to handle a group, not knowing what to say, and all that. Fearful stuff. And the ignorance part? Not knowing what to do! I can’t picture what value I bring or […]
The black smoke of youth ministry
A fellow youthworker, who is also a pilot, recently wrote: Smoke draws your attention. It’s not every day I see a billowing column of black smoke as I fly over the ridge just north of our runway, so I perked up. My first impulse was to break from the pattern and cruise over to check […]
A lesson in violation
A letter from a former student, now in the workplace . . . May I tell you about my life? I am surrounded by people, especially when I work days. There are guys everywhere, and they all want one thing. Sex. They brush past me, lightly touching some part of my body, neither by accident […]
Authentic?
Christian Smith is a sociologist. His extensive research on emerging adults reveals a simple power. Regardless of sophisticated youth programming, mission trips, youth group and church busy-ness, kids adopt Christian values through two primary means: 1. The authentic life of their parents 2. Establishing a habit of prayer and bible reading The secondary helps of […]
Two ways to learn
In publishing, there are two types of authors. 1. Those who observe patterns 2. Those who create patterns The first group observes, takes notes, and searches for meaning. For example, a marriage counselor hearing the same thing over and over, keeping track, and noticing that these words, behaviors, or beliefs nearly always result in these […]
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