In December, I loved participating in the Great Christmas Exchange. This winter, I also enjoyed the We {Heart} Books Virtual Exchange. Naturally, when Elizabeth at Oak and Oats mentioned the Etsy Swap, I decided to give that a try...

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As a youth worker, I know that relationships matter far more than any talk I'll ever give or any discussion I'll ever lead. 

I know this based on my own life experience. Even so, over the years, there have been three talks that have...

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A few weeks ago, my congregation’s associate pastor preached her farewell sermon. During it, she confessed a few doubts about her faith to us.

Afterward, one of my students – who’s been in the midst of her own spiritual crisis – talked about how...

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A few weeks ago, my congregation held it's annual Youth Sunday, a tradition I have the ultimate love / hate relationship with.

For years, I've heard people describe this Sunday as the one in which our youth “take-over” worship. Even though I...

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Yesterday, I had lunch with one of my youth group graduates who’s now in college. As our time together drew to a close, this student pondered, “So how long can we keep getting together like this?”

In processing her question, here’s what I think...

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Today, I'm linking up with Lisa-Jo Baker‘s Five Minute Friday. The rules: Write for 5 minutes flat – no editing, no over thinking, no backtracking.

This week's prompt: Joy. 

In the dead of winter, teens from my youth ministry delivered a...

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What the book's about: Unexpected Gifts is about the formation of community. In it, Christopher Heuertz explores 11 things that often inhibit the formation of community. He then reframes these tensions by exploring the unexpected gifts that...

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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...

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Recently, I had a window replaced. Consistently poor service left me disgruntled. After expressing my frustration to the installer, I received a call from the company’s district manager.

Still frustrated, I quickly rattled off a list of the...

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What the book's about: A Parent's Guide to Understanding Teenage Brains explores the daunting subject of adolescent brain development in a mere 68 pages. It's extremely practical in nature and targeted at the parents of...

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