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My day-to-day typically involves constantly hearing people talk about how much is on their plate and how they envy when they hear of someone taking a vacation. As a therapist and a pastor's wife who is constantly on the go...

Do you remember walking into your student ministry for the first time? More than likely, you, along with everyone else, probably experienced some level of awkwardness as you tried to figure out where to go, where to sit, and who...

We’re coming up on the end of another year of life, ministry, marriage, parenting, an election, celebrations, loss, heartache, and countless other things. I love this time of year because it creates a natural desire to want to “look back”...

Have you ever had one of those weeks, months, or seasons where it seemed like your life was very, very busy?  You had so many things going on. Work, social events, family obligations, and church responsibilities were taking up a...

Tis the season! Christmas is almost here. Like many, you are counting down the days until Christmas this year. You are either arguing for Christmas music year-round, or you’re putting your foot down and holding off until Thanksgiving is over....

One of the worst feelings in youth ministry is getting up to preach an unfinished message. It may be technically “finished,” but because of your schedule, the difficulty of the text, or maybe even a lack of discipline, it is...

Have you been on the verge of calling it quits? According to some recent statistics, about 35-40% of pastors consider leaving the church each year. Serving in church ministry is a high calling. Those of us in church leadership serve...

Budgets. The dreaded word, right? Some of you have a lot, some of you have a little, and some of you are hoping for one! No matter where you are, for most of us in youth ministry, budgeting isn’t something...

OUR GET-ALONG SHIRT Have you ever seen pictures online of siblings wearing their “get along” shirts? Parents will take an extra large t-shirt and put two siblings who are fighting together in the same shirt until they can work things...

The Inevitable Benjamin Franklin is credited with saying, “Nothing is certain except death and taxes.” However, if there is one thing I have learned in my thirty years of life, it is that conflict is just as certain. Ever since...

One of the biggest pain points for a leader's story can be a bad staff experience. How many youth leaders have you heard share nightmares or frustrations from previous churches? While there are so many great churches that support, care...

Games. Games. Games. Some of you hate them, and some of you love them. But here’s my belief: games have an underestimated power to change your student ministry, especially at the middle school level. Games can bring new fun and...