One of the things I do is “watch people” in different contexts that what I normally live in. It has been interesting today to watch the interactions of college students to the 60+ year old cashier here at a taco bell in a college town in Ohio (about as different […]
Christian Leadership , Rural Ministry , Stories , Student Ministry
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When The Levee Breaks
One of the things I encounter working with rural communitites is bringing awareness to the queston of “what are we going to do to reach and engage the next generation?”. The more I talk with community leaders, the more I hear a response that goes something along the lines of […]
Christian Leadership , Ministry , Stories , Student Ministry , Youth Leader Health
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Healthy Youth Leaders: PRAY
I asked the following question in a room of 60 people recently. “How many of you are consistently praying for one of the other youth leaders or pastors in your community?” ONE hand. One hand went up. We have to pray for one another. It is beyond important. I have […]
Christian Leadership , Ministry , Ministry Tech , Stories , Youth Leader Health
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@perrynoble and 10 Convictions on the Church…
Today, Perry Noble posted a list on 10 convictions about the church. Some of them I agree with, some I need to think/pray about before I respond openly. However, there are two things to learn from this list: 1) What are your convictions that you operate under? Are they fluid, […]
Christian Leadership , Redneck Tech , Rural Ministry , Stories , Student Ministry
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The Kaskaskia Dragon and Youth Ministry…
One of the interesting things about my new position with NNYM is that I get to see some really wild things that are off the beaten path. One of these gems is the Kaskaskia Dragon. It is located off US 40 in Vandalia, Illinois. According to Roadside America, this creation […]
Bible Study , Christian Leadership , Family Stuff , Resources , Stories
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A Youth Ministry Prayer for Today
“Be still and know that I am God – Psalm 46:10” In our society we have a hard time slowing down, to relax , to wait. We want it our way and right now. STOP IT. Just sit here and rest in the next sentence. God is. That’s it. Not […]
Bible Study , Christian Leadership , Stories
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On Suffering
For it has been granted to you that for the sake of Christ you should not only believe in him but also suffer for his sake, engaged in the same conflict that you saw I had and now hear that I still have. Philipians 1:29-30 One of the biggest questions […]
Christian Leadership , Evangelism , Ministry , Stories
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Being a Bystander is Hard…
Last weekend, while we were out of town, my son saw another boy almost killed on a bicycle. There was nothing my son or the friend he was playing with could do to stop it. A car was driving what looked way too fast, the boy jetted across the street […]
Ministry , Rural Ministry , Stories , Student Ministry
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Staging…
A couple weeks ago, I announced that I was embarking on a new ministry adventure. There has been much preparation in the transition (and not all is complete, but we’re getting close). In all the preparation and training, I feel like the driver sitting behind the wheel of a top-fuel […]
Christian Leadership , Ministry , Missions , Rural Ministry , Stories
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Just Stop It Already!…
“Why do we do this ministry every year?” “Well…kinda because we’ve always been the ones to do It?….” We have all had that conversation in our churches. There seems to be that one ministry in every church that is a sacred cow that happens every year only because it happened […]
Christian Leadership , Money , Stories
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Getting the Whole Story OR the Meaning of MT on Twitter…
I was reminded of a very important fact the other day. The importance of taking the time to get the whole story before acting on a situation. I had a story happen in a meeting with my new agent from an insurance company that I have dealt with for many […]
Evangelism , Family Stuff , Ministry , Missions , Resources , Stories
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A Hand for the Mission Field….
The church where I serve has been a long time supporter of a ministry called Seedline International. They are a ministry that prints, produces, and ships Bibles all over the world in many languages. Our church is near enough to one of the production centers that we bring a team […]