to grant to those who mourn in Zion—     to give them a beautiful headdress instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning,     the garment of praise instead of a faint spirit; that they may be called oaks of righteousness,     the planting of the Lord, that he may be […]

Forgive me Father for I have sinned.  This is not a confession, but more of an admission. I guess really, it’s an omission. You see, for the past nine years, I have omitted to take a vacation.  At least, not in the traditional sense.  When I was part-time, we spent […]

A few years ago, I faced a dilemma. Debbie, one of my graduating seniors, wanted to stick around in the fall and help out with our youth program.  She had no plans to attend college and desired to stay involved in a program that meant so much to her teenage […]

The bird on the right came to visit my family last weekend. It is a Racing Homing Pigeon (yes, people do this) that had lost its way. It was tame enough that we could capture it, and then  read the identification on its leg band to try and locate its owner. […]

The original article this post addresses is found here… In 13 years of Rural Youth Ministry, there are a few things I’ve learned. One of these important lessons is that the daily schedule of a youth pastor in a small/rural church can be even less predictable than that of the […]

I am not your typical youth pastor. For one, I detest coffee.  I don’t touch the stuff. I also don’t dress like the “typical” youth minister does.   I hate flip flops.  I’ve never worn them, and I don’t plan on it.  My jeans have no holes.  I’ve also never worn […]