I can’t believe it’s going to be 2018 soon, and writing that title with #OC18 was a bit surreal as I remember writing blog posts for #OC11, back when hashtags we’re a very different thing. The 2018 Orange Conference is coming up soon and there is no better time to sign up than right now. In fact, if you sign up by December 14, you can save $70 per person AND get… read more
Grow
Are you lazy? Let’s be honest, that’s a pretty pointed question. Most of us recoil defensively, but I think it’s a question we need to wrestle with if we want to be great ministers of the Gospel. Last time I checked, the call of Christ was pretty intense, and passages like James 3:1 make it clear that we who teach will be held accountable for our efforts. But instead of just ranting… read more
I discovered CrossFit in May 2015. I was an avid runner, pounding out mile after mile every week, which led to an ankle tendon injury. My doctor told me that I could still be active, but he did not want me running the heavy miles I had become accustomed to. My wife invited me to try CrossFit, which she had been doing for almost a year. I wasn’t going to stop eating… read more
Every Tuesday morning, before the staff at our campus begins the day, my campus pastor calls the staff into the lobby for what he calls “Pastries With The Pastor.” He supplies donuts and other sweet treats and we spend the first 15 minutes of our day sharing highs and lows of ministry and praying for one another. Occasionally he will share a short devotional or thought for us to think about for the week…. read more
This is a GUEST POST from Jonathan Robinson. The life of youth minister can be a lonely place. Sounds silly right? You’re around people all the time yet, somehow you feel like you’re on an island. At least this has been the case for me before in ministry. Yet, over my years in ministry I’ve discovered something that has not only been enjoyable, but has invigorated my life and ministry. I started off in ministry… read more
So you decided to take the plunge and transition out of student ministry? Great! God is going to do some great things in you and through you as you move into this new phase of your life. Yet, there’s an issue. In order to leave student ministry, you have to leave your church, which means you’ll have to uproot your family to start this new position. Just thinking about moving makes me… read more
You’ve heard it said. I’ve heard it said. It’s been said to you. We’ve asked it ourselves every now and then. Even search teams talk about it. The million dollar question that makes every youth pastor want to roll their eyes – “Aren’t you a little old to be a youth pastor?” For some odd reason this question seems to get asked more than once when you hit your thirties. Like you,… read more
November 2, 2015
Every day, my phone and laptop are inundated with notifications from Facebook. Before you think “Wow, he must be a really popular guy,” let me clarify. I have the privilege of being one of the group administrators for the YouthMin.org Facebook group, a gaggle of 4685 youth ministers and leaders (currently) from all over the world seeking advice, resources, and encouragement online. For the past two years, I have seen countless reasons why… read more
A few weeks ago, I watched a few of our college interns interacting with a Mom of a student in their small group. They all knew I was close by if needed, but they were resolving the issue themselves. It was a tough situation in that a student in the group had started pouring out a lot of the junk going on his life, and the small group leaders were still processing… read more
“Daddy!” My 5-year old boy Matthew came running, arms wide open, plowing into my legs at Mach 3 to welcome me home for the evening. He had experienced his first day of kindergarten, and was eager to tell me about all the amazing things he had done and new friends he had made. Sounds like a perfect picture, right? Unfortunately, it wasn’t, because as I had pulled into the driveway, a parent… read more