In recent years, much criticism has been lobbied at short-term mission trips and in particular, at their value; At whether they do more harm than good. To that end, books like When Helping Hurts have helped those of us in the church figure out...
In 2008, my husband and I began mentoring an Iraqi woman and her two sons.
They were refugees who'd been forced to flee for fear of their lives, casualties of a war the United States began.
As the year progressed and we got to know this family...
My husband and I have often wondered: Is it easier to bring social justice to the evangelicals or Jesus to the mainliners?
So often, our experience has been that despite the fact the Bible emphasizes the importance of both Jesus and social...
The premise of Jon Weece's Jesus Prom is, I think, really good. According to Jon, “Jesus loved verbs. Verbs like love, come, rest, learn, hear, die, give, and go. So wouldn't it make sense that the people who claim to follow Jesus would love the...
I still remember the day youth ministry got fun.
It was during a meeting with my adult leaders in my rookie year in youth ministry. As we went through our upcoming youth ministry gathering, I remember sitting there thinking, “You guys are fun....
As someone who both loves to travel and to write, I was excited to read Allison Vesterfelt's Packing Light: Thoughts on living life with less baggage.
Despite taking me a while to get into, I ended up thoroughly enjoying this book. In it,...
Following my miscarriage last year, I searched high and low for books and in particular, for memoirs that would help me find my way through my grief. Though I stumbled upon a few gems like A Force of Will and An Exact Replica of a Figment of My...
As a woman in youth ministry, I face some unique challenges.
I wish that wasn't true, but it is.
Most of the time, these unique challenges no longer bother me. I'm confident in my call. I wholeheartedly believe that I'm fully using each and...
I am not brave.
There have been times (usually when there's a sheer cliff on one side of me) when my husband and I have been backpacking when I've literally been paralyzed by fear, unable to take a step forward.
I'm also extremely risk averse.
...
This month, I began my 13th year in youth ministry. While I'm fairly good at what I do, I'm a strong believer that leaders are learners. To that end, you can almost always find me with my nose in a book, often one about youth ministry.
Recently,...
Eugene Cho is a pastor and founder of One Day's Wages, an organization that he sacrificed a year of his own salary for in order to begin. To say the least, he's an intriguing character in today's evangelical landscape.
The fact that he believes...
Elizabeth Esther is a blogger I've followed for years. While I don't always agree with her, I appreciate the way she consistently makes me think.
For that reason, I was excited to read Elizabeth's memoir, Girl at the End of the World: My Escape...
If you pick up my copy of Youth Ministry in a Multifaith Society by Len Kageler, you'll notice that nearly every page in the last three chapters is dog-eared. It's that good.
In this book, youth ministry researcher, professor, and practitioner,...
For many years, my husband and I led a small group we affectionately called the Palatine misfits. The group earned it's name because of where we met and who we were. Our group could not easily be categorized as singles, couples, or families....
As a former youth pastor, Micha Boyett has a special place in my heart. I've followed her blog for years and was eager to get my hands on her book, Found – A story of questions, grace, and everyday prayer.
Though I feared Micha's book would be...
In the youth ministry world, there are veterans and gurus. Neither of these words accurately describe the impact author, professor, and practitioner, Dean Borgman has had on our world.
Knowing this, I was excited to read his book, Foundations for...
I spent five years working at a multi-ethnic, multi-site congregation.
There was much I loved about this church and my role there. During my time there, I discovered who I was as a youth worker. More importantly, though, serving in a context...
I do not generally enjoy books on prayer.
Oh believe me, I've read my fair share – for small groups, class, and work.
But there tends to be something about these books that rub me the wrong way. Perhaps that's why even though I received Anne...
Last week, I sat on a plane and wept (Think ugly cry) as I finished Addie Zierman's When We Were on Fire . I'm sure my poor seat mate thought I was crazy but it couldn't be helped. Addie's words moved me deeply.
Having followed her blog for quite...
Like many of her fans, I fell in love with Sarah Bessey via her blog. Her writing is stunning; Her posts simultaneously heartfelt and provocative, oftentimes leaving me in both tears and deep thought.
Since I love her writing, I was thrilled to...