High Fives All Around
As I have grown up, I have learned many things about myself, that I love people, love Jesus and that when it comes to being loved, my primary love language is physical touch. I have been in Youth Ministry for 10 years now and as all of us can agree, if there is one thing students love to do it is flirt and hug each other...

Dealing with Unacceptable Behavior in Middle School Youth
No one ever signs up to be a youth minister for the joy of being a disciplinarian. It is, however, one of those areas that come with the territory. Individual behavior like anger, negative comments, hitting, personal boundary issues and bullying are just a few common issues you may face in your middle school youth group. These issues, if not dealt with, can draw other youth into participating in the same disruptive behavior...

1 Kings 19 for Youth Workers
And the word of the LORD came to him (or her): “What are you doing here, Youth Worker?” Youth Worker replied, “I have been very zealous for the LORD God Almighty. The teenagers (or the people of this church, or the staff of this church) have rejected your covenant, broken down your altars, and put your prophets to death with the sword. I am the only one left, and now they are trying to kill me too.”...

Granularity of Prayer
I spend a lot of time thinking about how prayers of petition work. On the one hand, I know that we are supposed to ask God for what we want, and that he does “answer prayers” in the sense of granting our requests. On the other hand, it couldn’t possibly work that way all the time. After all, if God were to give each of us every single thing we ever asked for, he wouldn’t be an omnipotent God; we’d be gods, and he’d be a wish-granting genie...

Your Kid's an All Star? Wow! Someday He'll Be Average Like the Rest of Us
The church in America is puzzled. Young adults are leaving in droves. Magazines, books and blogs are wagging the finger of blame to point out who is responsible. Some say it is a failure of youth ministry, some point to church budgets and some nail the blame on outdated, unhip worship services. We parents are shocked that our kids just really aren’t all that into Jesus...