My husband and I have been blessed to be part of a long-standing small group. Together with this group, we've celebrated milestones and walked with each other through some of life's darkest moments. We've also reflected on our faith stories and in...
This summer, my student leaders & I read and discussed the book, Help! I'm a Student Leader by Doug Fields. Using the questions below, we had some incredibly powerful discussions about leadership and faith.
Questions about the Intro of...
During the wee hours of our summer mission trip, I realized one of my student leaders was in the midst of a spiritual crisis.
Just before the trip, her atheist friend asked her, “Why do you believe in God?” In that moment, she realized she didn't...
Over the last two weeks, there has been extensive news coverage about the impact of the government shutdown on various services.
We've seen headlines about WWII veterans trying to visit a closed WWII monument in Washington DC; About frustrated...
In February, I found out I was pregnant. Like so many other newly pregnant moms, I expected to be welcoming a baby into our house 9 months later - a few short weeks from now, actually.
Instead, I miscarried a few weeks later.
Since then, I've...
For a time, my husband and I participated in a lot of lay-witness missions. During these, a team of lay-leaders descended upon a church and led the children, youth, and adults in a weekend-long retreat.
I loved many things about these lay-witness...
This year, I'm challenging my student leaders to dream big, God-sized dreams for our ministry; Dreams that are, without God, impossible to achieve.
Over the summer, I asked my student leaders to write their God-sized dreams down, share them with...
My students are, in a word, obsessed with the 2012 movie version of Les Miserables. Knowing this, I decided to use Les Mis as the basis for our first, three-week series of the year. This series is written as discussions, designed to be...
Let me tell you a secret.
I hate accountability groups.
Oh, I know I shouldn’t say that.
I know they’re a valued part of many churches and youth groups, a way to keep wayward teens accountable for their actions.
I know that as a youth pastor, I’m...
Each summer, my husband and I binge on a TV series or two.
Last year, it was Friday Night Lights and Downton Abbey.
This year, it was Breaking Bad.
Now, I know we came late to the party & that the series finale aired Sunday. But we're...