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Learning To Live Shalom
I am on a journey of learning to live shalom. I have always thought of myself as a fairly peaceful person in how I live life. Internally, not much rattles me and I can navigate stress fairly well...
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Top 10: Youth Ministry JOB vs. Youth Ministry CALLING!?
About a year ago I left a youth ministry JOB to continue to follow my youth ministry CALLING! I was at a highly professional church in a highly professional metro area. The position I was in and even...
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Protecting Your Ministry by Protecting Your Heart
Looking back I wish I had understood the importance of BEING who God called me to be more so than DOING. Sure, I did pretty good performing on stage and ministering to people I would come in contact...
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How to Avoid Youth Ministry Blasphemy
I was recently sitting with one of my high school students, chatting about her self-harming and her depression. She was broken over the fact that she kept cutting every time she felt she had a “bad...
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How to Host an Innovative Silent Event
Are you looking for an event to draw students in and build momentum for your ministry? A silent event is a one of a kind event mixing technology and music to create a high energy atmosphere of...
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Middle School Ministry Idea Swap
Cesar Castillejos led a great casual conversation with a handful of youth workers about middle school ministry. We celebrated the things that have worked well and talked through some of the challenges...
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4 Ways I Use Technology in Our Youth Ministry
Youth ministry has obviously changed in America over the last 50 years, and especially over the last 10 years. Those changes have deeply impacted many things, but especially how we utilize technology...
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LIFE-SIZED RISK: A How-To Guide
EVENT OVERVIEW This is a great team game and an excellent Small Group activity. It mimics the real board game but is much simpler to play. It can be played in any large or medium space and is super...
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Catalonia: Teaching Your Youth How to Be Activists
A few months ago, when my wife and I were planning our Autumn holiday we were not expecting to end up at the center of a revolution. Our trip to Barcelona and Sitges was supposed to be a fun holiday...
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Empowering Students Within Your Ministry
Students are not the church of tomorrow, they are the church of today and can have a major impact now! I hope you were fist pumping as your read that and we can all agree on that statement. We know our...
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Community of Faith Approach: Communicating the Gospel to Youth
Where does youth ministry happen? If you jot down a list of three answers to that question, chances are some variant of “youth room” is in the mix. Your terminology might be cooler or more relevant,...
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Going It Alone: Being Single in Youth Ministry
I turned 34 last November. I don’t generally like to own up to my age, bur for the sake of this blog and the direction it’s heading, I needed to sacrifice information I prefer kept secret. Last...
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My Depression Doesn’t Make Me a Bad Youth Pastor
Do you remember the story of the unclean woman? Jairus begged Jesus to come heal his daughter. When they left, an unnamed woman who had bled for twelve years without any cure touched the fringe of...
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They’ll Keep Watching – Youth Ministry, Scripture, and Game of Thrones
In high school, I was a nerd. I surrounded myself with all things sci-fi and fantasy, from Star Wars and Lord of the Rings to superheroes and vampire slayers. I wore these interests on my sleeve, and...
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Serving Together is a Win for All
In the church world, we often hire age-specific pastors – Children’s Pastors, Youth Pastors, College and Career Pastors. These leaders can care for and cater to their people well since they have a...
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Me Too
While wandering the half mile to Sprinkles in Scottsdale on a bizarre weekend trip across the country, a group of men appearing to be in their mid to late twenties walked by. As they did, one decided...
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Choosing a Sunday to Rest
You finally found it! You found a Sunday and you deem that Sunday to be holy and without anything for the first time in several months. You tell the students you’re not meeting. You put it on the...
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The Altar and the Couch
Hi, my name is Kristin and I believe in Jesus. I believe that He is my Savior and Lord, and the lover of my soul. He is my redeemer, my rock, my sustainer, and my friend. At this point in my life HE IS...
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Welcome Erik Anderson!
We’re excited to announce that Erik Anderson has been hired as the new YS programming director for NYWC! At Youth Specialties, we’re always looking for ways to lead, innovate and support youth...
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Introducing the Challenge of Purpose: Is the crisis of the ‘nones’ really a...
A good way to get the attention of clergy these days is to mention the rise of ‘religious nones’ and suggest a solution to help keep young persons in the fold – here is a magic pill to keep teens,...
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