First, I traveled through the seven levels Of the candy cane forest, Past the sea of twirly-swirly gumdrops, And then, I walked through my back door. It was a lovely door, All shaded over with a brand new pergola, And there, on the brand new porch, Was a brand new table With a glowing red button. Wanting to be a very good child And not touch what wasn’t mine, I ignored it for probably 20 years. But my brain said, “Push.” I walked to the table, Lifted my arm, Extended my finger, And pressed that button. It gave a loud
Read more →Oh great… root of all evil. Okay, okay… I love learning about money, and money stuff in general. So last week’s Sunday school sermon was a weird one on money (from 5/5/19). Over the past few weeks, we’ve been working through Romans 12, which teaches that real love has real-life actions attached to it. Christianity isn’t just a vague belief in an invisible God somewhere, but it changes us from the inside out. We’ve covered patience, and being kind to each other, and working hard, and—last week—using our money to help others. “But we don’t have money!” says the average
Read more →Oh great… root of all evil. Okay, okay… I love learning about money, and money stuff in general. So last week’s Sunday school sermon was a weird one on money (from 5/5/19). Over the past few weeks, we’ve been working through Romans 12, which teaches that real love has real-life actions attached to it. Christianity isn’t just a vague belief in an invisible God somewhere, but it changes us from the inside out. We’ve covered patience, and being kind to each other, and working hard, and—last week—using our money to help others. “But we don’t have money!” says the average
Read more →Our camp Ironwood uses a nice little saying: “Using the temporal to affect the eternal.” Why do they build water slides, and zip lines, and WipeOut courses, and escape rooms? Because of the eternal impact that happens when campers come for the fun, but leave with the Word. Since all of camp—especially summer camp—is centered on the preaching of the Bible, then everything that happens in between the “spiritual” chapel services is just “temporal.” The conversations, counseling sessions, invitation times, singing, and preaching might be considered “spiritual;” and the meals, group games, shotguns, swim time, and hayrides might be “temporal;”
Read more →My Apple Watch buzzes at the end of a long day: “Congratulations! You closed your loop!” I feel like I ran a marathon and all I did was stand up once per hour. But the loop is closed, and that’s all that matters. Life is a series of loops—opening new ones and closing old ones. Sometimes a loop is a new project that takes a day, a week, or 100 years to close. Sometimes a loop is a person—a friendship you are trying to make or a child you are trying to raise. A loop in your life might be
Read more →
OYPO – One Youth Pastor’s Opinion – Vol. 46 A Philosophy of Games I wrote this philosophy of games for an upcoming 2nd Edition of my TOOLBOX book. It describes how we try to use games for good: Games are the well-worn tool in any youth leader’s toolbox. When people play together, they form a common bond around an event, or a laugh, or a moment of triumph. Youth pastors are constantly looking for ways to connect people to each other. Games can bridge a lost person to a youth group by providing a fun place to want to come.
Read more →
OYPO – One Youth Pastor’s Opinion – Vol. 45 A Day In the Life Of a Ministry Guy… The famous quote says, “You probably wouldn’t worry about what people think of you if you could know how seldom they do.” While I know how true that is, I also want my church to know that I feel a certain level of obligation to stay productive, as my salary comes from their giving. Sure, sure, sure… spiritual people give to the Lord. But don’t tell me you’ve never wondered how much a pastor is on Facebook versus how much he’s doing
Read more →My bookshelves are sometimes just for show, as most of my reading nowadays is either digital or audio. But I still give books away since that’s usually easier than sending someone a download code. These are some of the books I try to keep stocked on my shelves for various occasions: YOUTH MINISTRY Passionate Parenting. By Cary Schmidt. I have given this to almost all my teens’ parents. I particularly like that Bro. Schmidt wrote this book having parented teenagers, and I can always recommend it as a lighthearted but important read for families. I particularly emphasize the section in
Read more →OYPO – One Youth Pastor’s Opinion – Vol. 44 What Would Turn Your World Upside Down? I’m sitting in my comfy chair. I’m thinking of my healthy kids. I’m scrolling Facebook and I see a bald girl who is going through chemo right now. Dalia Johnson was diagnosed in 2018 with an aggressive adrenal cancer. She tags her posts #oneinamillion, referring to her odds of living, yet maintains a perfect smile and an encouraging message. I got frustrated with the church internet today. Silly, huh? Our lives are filled with trivialities, and only a few times do you ever experience
Read more →OYPO – One Youth Pastor’s Opinion – Vol. 43 Sundays Are Not Enough To Be a Student of the Bible My wife and I were talking about my ordination interrogation, and she found it reassuring that she had a basic grasp of most topics covered in the doctrinal statements. The format of the afternoon was pretty simple: I first quoted my prepared statements and supporting Bible verses, and then the four pastors asked follow-up questions. We followed the outline of most discipleship or theology books: The Bible God Jesus Christ Holy Spirit Man Sin Salvation Church Angelic Beings Last Things
Read more →
