In my adulthood, there have been a number of devastating natural disasters that have ravaged our world including the tsunami in Indonesia and the typhoons in the Philippines. Each time, I've watched the scant news coverage, stunned by the horrific...

I first heard Becca Stevens speak several years ago at the ELCA's Youth Ministry Extravaganza. That year, she also spoke at the ELCA's triennial Youth Gathering. I was intrigued by her work. She's an Episcopal priest who founded a non-profit, ...

Like many other congregations, ours has struggled with transitioning 8th graders into our high school ministry after confirmation. Over the past several years, we've put a lot of time and energy into strengthening this transition process. To that...

In addition to requiring student leaders to read, another way I train and equip students for leadership and in particular, for creating a culture of welcome is through blogging. Blogging forces teens to intentionally think about their faith...

I'm a big believer in the power of experiential learning. To this end, instead of giving a talk about prayer, I'd much rather create a series of prayer stations designed to give students the opportunity to pray in a variety of ways.

Over the next...

Shortly after returning from a mission trip to Rwanda, one of my teens called me in tears. She’d just returned from a bookstore, where she’d noticed less than a row of books about the entire continent of Africa and none about Rwanda. “Don’t people...

Today is Holocaust Remembrance Day.

As I've seen news coverage leading up to this day, I've been reminded that the Holocaust isn't the only holocaust that's happened in our world.

Even though the world said, “Never Again” after the Holocaust,...

Last week, we talked about how the fundamental role of student leaders is to create a culture of welcome. A common question I get in response to this idea is “How do you train and equip student leaders to create a culture of welcome?”

There are...

I used to believe there was such a thing as a perfect church. Then I became a youth pastor and started working for the church. I quickly realized just how imperfect the church is.

Of course, this shouldn't be surprising. The church is made of...

I'm a book junkie. Just ask my father-in-law – who recently spent the better part of a day moving my library upstairs to make room for Baby Bradbury downstairs.

I wholeheartedly believe that you learn by reading. Even so, for a variety of...

What the book's about: The Girl's Still Got It is an exploration of the book of Ruth. It's a commentary that doesn't read like one. 

Why I read this book: I first discovered Liz Curtis Higgs in college when my campus ministry used her book,...

Once you have a student leadership team, the question is, what do you do with it? What jobs can & should student leaders fulfill?

To be honest, I cringe a little bit at the notion of jobs for student leaders. Jobs are something that can be...

I'm a big believer in the power of experiential learning. To this end, instead of giving a talk about prayer, I'd much rather create a series of prayer stations designed to give students the opportunity to pray in a variety of ways.

Over the next...

I am pregnant right now, heavily pregnant.

My husband tells me I look beautiful and that he's in awe of what my body is doing. While I, too, am in awe of my what my body is doing, of the miracle inside me, as my pregnancy progresses, I've also...

It's been a busy month. To say that I'm exhausted is an understatement. There's a time I would have been proud of this. Not anymore. Here's hoping for a slower April! 

Reading: 

Due to the busyness of this month, my reading took a hit....

I'm at the stage of pregnancy where people no longer have to wonder whether or not I'm pregnant. At 32 weeks, this pregnancy is obvious. In fact, my new entertainment is watching my stomach move as the baby shifts.

As my pregnancy has grown...

As part of my student leadership team application process, I interview every teen who applies to be part of our team. This part of the application process is not only valuable, but necessary. To that end, here are 8 reasons why you should include...

I'm a big believer in the power of experiential learning. To this end, instead of giving a talk about prayer, I'd much rather create a series of prayer stations designed to give students the opportunity to pray in a variety of ways.

Over the next...

Not long ago, popular Christian author Annie Downs tweeted “Sometimes it feels like youth ministry is the final frontier for women in leadership.”

A friend asked me what I thought of this. To be honest, I’m not sure I agree with Annie’s premise.

...

Last week, my high school youth ministry finished it's discussion of Gospel Journey Maui by wrestling with the question, “Who is Jesus?” Because I've used this curriculum before, I searched my computer for our “Who is Jesus?” discussion from five...