All About the Heart and Soul of YouthWorkers
Ever since the days of Gallagher, people can’t get enough of torturing innocent fruit whenever they get a chance. The iPhone is not immune to this fad, why should your youth group miss out? Let’s cut to the chase: Supplies * Water balloons * Food coloring or fruit juice (see below) * Twine * Broomstick…
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I was reading through the Call to Action, or maybe some other code word for a report that was on the vitalcongregations website a few months back, and something struck me as I read about the drivers and metrics and so on. The Bureaucracy Virus First, I think it is great that the UMC is…
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I believe that God created the universe (and maybe many universes). I also believe that the Bible makes it clear that as we discover the intricacies of that creation, we are discovering the underlying reality of who God is and what he is doing in the world. That is why I LOVE science. Science is…
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We’ve all grown to love the cute little hungry green monster from cut the rope (of course by all, I mean all the cool kids with an iPhone, android, iPad, etc). Now it’s time to ramp up your next youth event with a live version. First, the supplies list: Supplies 1 Broomstick…
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The United Methodist Youth Ministry website was created for youth workers to have conversation. As General Conference 2012 runs its course, we would love to hear what you are thinking. What have you heard that you think will affect your local youth ministry? What concerns you? What are you excited about? We really would love…
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Spiritual formation begins in the home. Well, that’s at least according to the way Susannah Wesley raised her children. I believe that many of our U.M. Churches have relinquished this responsibility in equipping, encouraging and preparing parents to intentionally pass on spirituality and the language of the Christian faith to their children. That’s not to…
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As I made my way through Lent this year I was increasingly reluctant to post even on my own blog (even more so over here where there’s actually an audience). It was a deeply moving experience for me and difficult to wrap words around–you’d really have to do it to understand. To sum up, if…
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There have been some great pieces on the Youth Worker Movement lately about discipleship in youth ministry, and how we can be better about that work. Our focus of discipleship, or “disciple making” in youth ministry is rooted in the United Methodist Church’s mission statement of “making disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of…
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So it’s a Monday. Which means you probably have pretty low expectations about how things are going to turn out today. But you don’t have to. In fact, God wants you to know that this can be the best day you’ve ever had. Not because of you. But because God is going to do some…
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Students are going to text while you speak no matter what you say or how many texting spies you place in the audience. Why not use this evil distraction for good? That’s where Poll Everywhere comes in. It’s a really simple process. You don’t even have to sign up to try it out. You put…
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Today is apparently TOMS Shoes “one day without shoes” which someone had to tell me about. The idea being that we not wear shoes through the day to bring awareness & some empathy to the plight of those around the world who go without adequate or any footwear. This article is not because of my…
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Dear Current Youth Worker: We mean no insult by generalizing your name in this fashion. You are an individual of the highest order. But if you’re new to youth ministry, you might be curious to know why we address your incoming mail in this fashion. So here are a few reasons: 1. There was somebody…
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When I was in the local church, I didn’t pay much attention to General Conference – the every-four-year-mostly-legislative-meeting of United Methodist delegates to decide what would be in the next Book of Discipline. I taught about General Conference in confirmation, I read the headlines that would invariably show up in the press about the more…
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“So, youth, what do you want to learn about?” “Revelation, angels, and Satan? Where do we go when we die? Okay, sure, we could do that. Oh wait, look at that shiny thing over there!’ I must confess something I am not very proud of — For years, I have been a professional controversy avoider.…
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The youth gathering is wrapping up, you are standing back and gazing over a crowd of teenagers bouncing around and talking to each other. Parents start to show up to collect their offspring and give obligatory greetings to you as they see you there. Then shows up Bob. Bob has two children in the youth…
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Are you aware that Duke Divinity School is offering a new Master of … [Read More...]
OK I know that sounds a little dramatic. Let me start Micro and move … [Read More...]
We did a Contemplative Christmastide Worship resource back in November … [Read More...]
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