It was a simpler time. Youth Group was a game, a few familiar songs, five minutes of teaching and 12 minutes of “well, what about…” questions. We laughed, we prayed, and then we hung out in the parking lot until mom or dad came to pick us up.
Author:
Catch the lizard. How to notice, focus, follow and finish what is really important.
I don’t keep lizards anymore, but there are a thousand projects, tasks and ideas darting around my mind. They zip across my to-do list, fast and clever, and constantly changing to blend in with a dizzying pace of life.
Trips are for travel agents
Our job in ministry is not to serve as travel agents, but to make disciples—to make disciples obedient to Christ’s call to “go.” Our job is to help our students become missionaries.
How to capture and control the energy of a group
When I was young I remember standing in my grandpa’s workshop watching him build birdhouses. All the while, he would tell amazing stories from his life and experience. I hung on every word he said, and watched every movement of his hands and tools. His stories weren’t about wood, nails or screws. His stories were about life. But his project kept a 9-year-old engaged for hours.
How to tell a more compelling story
“Dad, you got it wrong,” Josh said after the first service. He was probably 10 at the time, so I overlooked his blunt criticism of my teaching. Was it my theology, my application, my mismatched pairing of shirt and socks? “You got the story all wrong,” he continued.