There’s a lot of exciting stuff coming for our ministry, Called to Youth Ministry.

We’ve got a youth ministry resource library that will be going live in the next few weeks, plus the coaching program for youth pastors, the Next Level Partnership, will be launching soon.

I can’t wait to see everything that God has in store! Stay tuned for details, and if you want to learn more, you can listen to our last ministry update conference call right here.

One area that I see a lot of my friends and many youth pastors struggle with is sanctification–or namely, perfectionism.

I don’t know how it happens, but somehow it has become easy for believers to first be enamored by the love and grace of God, in spite of anything and everything they have done, only to feel a few months or years later that they have to do something to earn that grace.

Well, I read a verse this morning that I thought was extremely encouraging, addressing that issue directly. Read the rest of this entry »

Are we loosing teens while they are still right in front of us?

According to a study by Ken Ham, founder and president of Answers in Genesis, we’re loosing the next generation of believers before they even graduate from high school. (details here)

He found that:

• 95 percent of 20- to 29-year-old evangelicals attended church regularly during their elementary and middle school years. Only 55 percent went to church during high school. And by college, only 11 percent were still attending church.
• Nearly 40 percent of the surveyed twentysomethings first had doubts about the Bible in middle school. Another 43.7 percent said they first doubted that all of the accounts and stories in the Bible are true during their high school years. Only around 10 percent said they first became doubtful about the Bible accounts during college.

What do you think? Are we loosing teens, even while they are still attending church?

Ever feel like you just “can’t worship”?

I’ve met with a lot of youth leaders and Christian leaders that sometimes feel like they just can’t get into worshipping God.

Usually, the reason has to do with what’s going on in their life, or in particular, what they’re doing or aren’t doing.

Read the rest of this entry »

I really enjoyed this article from Dare 2 Share on Miley Cyrus’s racy performance at the Teen Chocie Awards last week.

I thought that Dare 2 Share’s take on the incident was very appropriate because it focuses on what many of us tend to trip over at a time like this. The article also keeps its focused on what’s important without giving a play-by-play of the racey performance.

Take a minuite to check it out.

Please also continue to pray for Miley and the many other celebrities that influence this generation. Pray that they would know the Lord and grow in Him, and that their influence would be used for the glory of God.

http://www.dare2share.org/students/did-miley-miss-the-mark/

Amen.

Thanks @lexikate!

I met some visitors in church a few weeks ago. I like meeting visitors and making them feel welcome at church.

This couple had been believers for many years and were looking for a new church home. We talked about what they thought about the service and where they lived.

Then I noticed something about the way I was talking. It wasn’t like I had become rude or mean, but something was different. Without realizing it, I got a little weird.

Read the rest of this entry »

Someone shared this video with me a while ago. It’s a video from one of the founders of NARAL, Dr. Bernard Nathanson.

NARAL is a large pro-abortion organization. Dr. Nathanson was also the director of one of the largest abortion clinics in the Western world. But now he’s come to regret so much of what he has done.

IMPORTANT UPDATE: Please note that this post was not intended in any way to slander this mom or condemn what she did for her son. That is not my place. I’m merely trying to use this story to discuss deeper issues–namely, that teens need the loving support of parents and adults–and I hope that it is an encouragement for you and your ministry and/or family.

Yesterday I posted about a mom who put a 98-inch screen in her son’s bedroom ceiling. It was actually one of my most popular posts yet–more than 180 people read it in one day!

My question is: Why would she do something like that?

I think most parents of teens are worried about them. Either they’re getting involved with the wrong crowds at school, or they’re not measuring up to any number of expectations. Christian parents are especially concerned about seeing their child grow up knowing the Lord, but they’re not always sure what to do about it.

And many of these parents have bought into a few myths about their teens.

Read the rest of this entry »

Wow.

Mom decides that playing video games while sitting down just isn’t good enough. Her child deserves better.

So she takes the next logical step, installing a smokin’ awesome TV screen into the ceiling, right above the bed.

I’ll be the first to admit that this is the answer to many of my childhood dreams. But I’m glad my parents never spent this much money on me (rumor has it they had to reinforce the ceiling to make it happen) to try to make me happy. I probably would have never gotten out of bed.

From Engadet.com