Category: Family Stuff
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10 Church Safety Questions You Should Be Asking…
In light of all the news surrounding the church shooting in Tennessee this weekend, there are some questions that those of us in church leadership should be asking ourselves. We live in a dangerous world. Yes, it’s unfortunate that as shepherds, we must help in protecting our flock from physical danger, in addition to guarding…
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Five Ways to Welcome New Church Staff to Your Community… A How-to guide.
If you live in a community of any size, there is a decent probability that one of the churches will have hired new or replacement staff members. Uprooting and moving a family two miles or two thousand miles is a big deal. How can the believers in your local community make them feel welcome? 1)…
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How to truly #DefundPlannedParenthood …
Unless you have been living under a rock the last few months, you know there is an ongoing battle to defund Planned Parenthood on the state and national level in the legislatures. As the lawmakers return from their month of recess, the rhetoric on both sides will undoubtedly escalate. I am generally an optimistic person,…
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Five Ways to Show Appreciation For Youthworkers…
Youth ministry has changed in the last 15-20 years. For the most part, the days where the youthworkers mainly managed pizza parties and all night video game marathons are behind us. Instead we have youthworkers reaching out to overstimulated, overscheduled teens that are being bombarded with negative messages from society, messages like “you’re not ______…
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Digital Shadow.
Everything you do online is, for the most part, permanent. Go back and re-read the previous sentence. People and companies are tracking what you do online. Usually it is not for your benefit or gain, its for theirs. Some are legally and ethically ok, others are not. This concept of a “Digital Shadow or Footprint”…
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Protection.
Im many parts of America, you wouldn’t leave your front door unlocked at night. You also wouldn’t leave your keys in your car in the driveway, either. This is why it is such a shame to see the things I do as an IT Professional. You see, I see people taking little or no precaution…
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MinistryPlace.Net On The Road: Indiana United Methodist MERGE Conference
On May 29 and 30, I will be at the INUMC MERGE Family Ministry Conference in Indianapolis, Indiana. He will be presenting workshops on Rural Youth Ministry Strategies and Building Community in Rural Youth Ministry. He will also be representing National Network of Youth Ministries as well. If you are there, I’d love to connect with…
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Four Things You Won’t Learn About Ministry In College or Seminary….
There is some debate today about what the current value of Bible College/Seminary is in ministry positions, given some of the alternative training models out there today (Online/Coaching/Internships/Etc). That is not an argument that I am going to dive into today. There are some great arguments on both sides there to be looked at another…
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The Truth about Fifty Shades of Grey…
This post originally appeared on the Author’s Personal Blog… A few years ago at a church sponsored event, I noticed several young ladies and women who had distanced themselves from the crowd. While most of the people stayed in a rather central location and talked, these women, ranging from age 15-40, had quietly moved to…
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A Lamp Unto My Feet
This post originally appeared at the Author’s Personal Blog Finding yourself in a sea of crazy that leaves you feeling lost and groping for light switch hoping you do stub your toe on misplaced furniture and step on a forgotten toy. There is not a cup of coffee large enough to clear the fog from…
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Its all His anyway…
This morning, a friend of mine posted a news story on Facebook about some urban farming happening in North St. Louis. The story is quite fascinating how people have farmed this land for so many years, not knowing who the owner is, and happily reaping the benefits. There is a bit of unrest when the…