What the book's about: Lessons in Belonging from a Church-Going Commitment Phobe is a book about belonging. More specifically, it's a book about finding your place in church, written by someone with a self-proclaimed "complicated" relationship...

I’m a new mom. Currently, my 9-month old daughter, Hope, is into everything. She’s a speedy crawler who’s started pulling herself up and cruising along furniture.

As Hope has become more mobile, I’ve become increasingly aware of the dangers...

Much of my husband's family lives near Springfield, IL, as do several of our friends from college. Several years ago, many of them began sharing blog posts from a local woman named Courtney Westlake whose daughter, Brenna, was born with a serious,...

What the book's about: Autopsy of a Deceased Church by Thom Rainer uses research to analyze what factors contribute to the death of a church and in contrast, keep congregations alive. 

Why I read this book: When I spoke on The Jesus...

During our first day in San Diego with The Global Immersion Project, we met with a young woman named Nohemi. Although she didn't know it until she was older, Nohemi came to the US undocumented as a young child. She worked hard in school to earn...

Today, I'm linking up with Kate Motaung's Five Minute Friday. The rules: Write for 5 minutes flat – no editing, no over thinking, no backtracking.

This week's prompt: Build.

Days before leaving for our Peacemaking Trip, I was struggling with...

A week ago, I held a logistics meeting for our combined junior high and high school mission trip. This is an interesting trip because it's filled with a mix of students, some of whom are going on their first ever mission trip; Others who are...

Today, I'm linking up with Kate Motaung's Five Minute Friday. The rules: Write for 5 minutes flat – no editing, no over thinking, no backtracking.

This week's prompt: Protect 

My pregnancy was fraught with complications.

After nearly...

Today, I'm linking up with Kate Motaung's Five Minute Friday. The rules: Write for 5 minutes flat – no editing, no over thinking, no backtracking.

This week's prompt: Rest.

I woke up with a migraine yesterday, the worst I've had in a long...

I love Jesus.

That's probably not surprising to you. As a youth worker, I'm guessing you love Jesus, too. What's more, I'm guessing you want the teens in your congregation to love Jesus. But what happens when they don't?

Because let's face it,...

I am in countdown mode. I leave for our intergenerational Peacemaking trip on Sunday, a mere three days from now. This will be the first time I've been away from my nearly 13-month old daughter for longer than a few hours since she was born. In...

Part of the “magic” of mission trips and events like the 30 Hour Famine is that they take place outside of the normal context of students’ lives. Often, they take place in a different location, away from teens’ family and friends. In so doing,...

What I'm Reading:

Fiction:

May was even more INSANE than April. Nevertheless, I still read three fiction books. 

Best mystery: The Last Mile by David Baldacci. 

Non-fiction:

I also read two non-fiction books during April: Colors of...

In a recent project for Arbor Research Group, a Bible teacher at a Christian school talked about the moment “when the lightbulb goes on” for the kids in his classes. In the weeks since, this phrase has echoed around my head.

As youth workers who...

What the book's about: Colors of Goodbye  is a beautiful memoir about the life and death of September Vaudrey's 19-year old daughter, Katie. Using flashbacks as well as Katie's art, it's a story about  grieving, choosing life after...

At a recent conference, I attended a workshop where, among other things, the presenter made the case for using gender-neutral pronouns to teach children and youth about God.

This is a debate that rages in a lot of circles. People fear that if we...

In my community, it's officially the end of the year. Schools get out in the next couple of weeks and it seems that between now and then, there's a steady onslaught of end-of-the-year festivities, including parties. In some instances, students...

Baby girl turns one on Sunday, a milestone which has left me feeling nostalgic. There's so much I want to capture about this first year; things I fear I will forget in a year in which scrapbooking has fallen by the wayside.

During my pregnancy, I...

What the book's about: In many ways, Night Driving: A Story of Faith in the Dark picks up where Addie's first book, When We Were on Fire, leaves off. It addresses the question, "What does faith look like when the fire wanes?" using the...

What I'm Reading:

Fiction:

April was an INSANE month. Nevertheless, I still got some reading in. 

Best mystery:  What She Knew by Gilly Macmillan  

Perfect beach read:  Summer at Little Beach Street Bakery by Jenny...