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A Youth Pastor's Hurt
I wrote this a year ago after some time with some former youth. I’m currently working on a sermon that brought it to mind and decided to share it again. I’m starting my thirteenth year as a youth pastor at the same church. That is a really long time in youth ministry and a really long time as a youth pastor in the same church. I remember my current youth when they were mere babies and the first youth I had in my ministry are now having babies. Over the thirteen years, I’ve shared countless moments with hundreds of teenagers. I…
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Loud and Off Key
There is a youth in my youth group that sings loud and off key. I love his singing the most. Because her song comes from her heart. He is lost in the words, in the music. She is oblivious to her faltering pitch because of her joy of the experience. I want to live life like he sings. I want to live from the heart. I want to live oblivious to faltering because of the joy of the experience. I want to live loud and off key. So next time you’re near me and hear me living off key, don’t move to a…
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Source of Significance
On Wednesday night, I was talking with the youth about our sources of significance. What or who is it that we look to to validate our worth and to prove our significance? There is a lot of similarity between how teens and adults would answer: Relationships. Work or Grades. Success. Money. Popularity. Looks. Influence. There is a long list of fleeting things that we allow to have a lasting impact on our lives. When these things serve as our sources of significance, we live fearful, chaotic lives because we are always chasing that which can’t be caught. It was ironic to me that…
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Lesson Learned
The youth in my youth family teach me a lot of things. There are the very useful things like how to master the Wii, how to SMS bomb someone, how to have fun, how to fart on demand (okay, I already had that mastered.) They remind me that you can make a difference and that it is never to late to start. They remind me that you can have fun regardless of the task at hand. They remind me to relax and that to be present in someone’s life is more important than designing a stellar program or event. They teach me that selfishness is pervasive…
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Reflections on KONY 2012
If you follow me on Facebook or Twitter, you know that I am a supporter of Invisible Children. You’ve been barraged by updates and tweets this week as we prepared to host the IC roadies at our church and as the latest video went viral and discussions/criticisms ensued. If you have followed me for any length of time, you know that I’ve been an advocate of Invisible Children since 2006 – showing movies and films, sharing their materials, purchasing their products (shirts, bracelets, MEND bags, etc) and coordinating local events with the Invisible Children roadies. I’ve written letters, made phone calls,…
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A Youth Pastor's Hurt
I’m starting my twelfth year as a youth pastor at the same church. That is a really long time in youth ministry and a really long time as a youth pastor in the same church. I remember my current youth when they were mere babies and the first youth I had in my ministry are now having babies. Over the twelve years, I’ve shared countless moments with hundreds of teenagers. I honestly don’t have a number for you but I do have names. Names and faces; joys and sorrows. It is important to remember the joys from the years. Those memories are…
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I Have a Secret
I want to help my youth live a better story. Some of them have had bad stories written for them and some have chosen bad stories. But God has a great Story for them and I want to do everything I can to help them live a better story. A story of living life abundantly. A story that is a great adventure with God. A story where they realize how beautiful they are because God made them and God forgives them. But in order to move forward and write better chapters, we all need to let go of some of…
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Getting Schooled By My Youth
The youth in my youth group teach me a lot of things. There are the very useful things like how to master the Wii, how to have fun, how to fart on demand (okay, I already had that mastered.) They remind me that you can make a difference and that it is never to late to start. They remind me to relax and that to be present in some one’s life is more important than designing a stellar program or event. They teach me that selfishness is pervasive and that I once was as awkward and self-conscious as they are…
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When It's All Worth It
Ministry can be discouraging. I imagine it is the same in most jobs. The things that end up dominating your “to-do list” or clogging your email or voicemail are things that you never intended to spend your time on or be a slave to. Yet they take (and get) so much from me.
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On the Road Again
I leave Sunday for the third and final mission trip of the summer. This time around I’m heading out with my youth to Atlanta, Georgia, for a week of service at the Moncrief Center. We will be spending each day working with about 60 children in grades kindergarten – fifth grade. Most of the children are Hispanic children that live close to the Moncrief Center. They provide many ministries throughout the year. During the summer, groups come for a week and prepare different activities and lessons to both teach the children and have fun. Each evening the youth also sing…