Nothing is off-limits

This weekend is my youth ministry's annual winter retreat. During it, my high school students and I are exploring the book of Revelation.

After learning what our topic is, I've lost track of how many times someone has asked me, rather incredulously, “Why would you study that?”

It seems that by and large, people think Revelation should be off-limits for high school students.

Why?

Because it's filled with weird stuff.

Because it's hard to explain.

Because people disagree about what it means and how to interpret it.

All of those things are certainly true.

There's a lot of weird stuff in Revelation that's hard – if not impossible – to explain. It is a book of the Bible that lots of people interpret differently.

But if you ask me, that's exactly why Revelation is perfect fodder for a high school retreat.

It's weirdness makes it interesting to teens. It's a book of the Bible that teens actually WANT to know more about.

Read the rest of this article here. 

Jen Bradbury on Youth Ministry

Jen serves as the Minister of Youth and Family at Atonement Lutheran Church in Barrington, Illinois. A veteran youth worker, Jen holds an MA in Youth Ministry Leadership from Huntington University. Jen is the author of The Jesus Gap: What Teens Actually Believe about Jesus (The Youth Cartel), The Real Jesus (The Youth Cartel), Unleashing the Hidden Potential of Your Student Leaders (Abingdon), and A Mission That Matters (Abingdon). Her writing has also appeared in YouthWorker Journal, Immerse, and The Christian Century. Jen is also the Assistant Director of Arbor Research Group where she has led many national studies. When not doing ministry or research, she and her husband, Doug, and daughter, Hope, can be found traveling and enjoying life together.

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A Mission That Matters: How To Do Short-Term Missions Without Long-Term Harm

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Unleashing the Hidden Potential of your Student Leaders

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The Real Jesus

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What Teens Actually Believe About Jesus

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