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Your vision should be clear, concise, quotable, and audacious. Vision that is not easily understood is quickly lost in translation. Vision that isn’t clear peters out in transition. The clearer the vision, the more easily it ripples beyond the source. The longer the vision, the more it leaks. Commas and run-on sentences poke holes in an otherwise powerful vision. The brevity of a concise vision focuses the mind and the energy of the...

I learned very early in my ministry that not everyone would like me. I learned every parent and every student carried unique emotional, relational, and theological baggage into every interaction I had with them. I learned that not every program I worked hard to create and execute would be well attended. I learned that students will text while you speak and snapchat while you pray. I have felt the sting of the unanswered text, the...

If you have ever been shocked at how quickly it got dark while you a) tried to balance your phone in one hand and cabin list in the other b) cozied up next to a headlight while calling out small group lists c) attempted to organize a game with a flashlight in your mouth it’s time to upgrade. A headlamp, the original hands-free device, can end the awkward yoga-towards-the-light poses. Cheap and lightweight, the headlamp gives you...

Today, we celebrated one of the best among us; Martin Luther King, Jr. He possessed a unique ability to go beyond shallow, individual-focused faith and bring the prophetic voice of scripture to bear on the world in its entirety. King’s dream has sadly and shamefully gone demonstrably unfulfilled on Sunday mornings, when congregations resemble more a 60s era Woolworth’s counter than the kingdom of God.   We cannot claim the dream of...

When I began youth ministry years ago I was encouraged to involve college age and young adults in our youth ministry. The premise behind this approach was that in order to reach youth culture the ministry needed to look like youth culture. I did my best to equip the young team I had assembled but I kept bumping into problems—most of them related to maturity. The “maturity” problem came to a head the day I had to speak with one of my...

This is not scientific in any way.  It is not proven through social science.  It cannot be graphed on a chart (yet anyway).  It just happens EVERY time I take a youth group anywhere for a week.  You may call it something else but I suspect you will recognize it for the real phenomena that it is. I call it “The Flow.” Day 1– Everyone arrives a church excited to hit the road.  The parking lot is filled with parents, youth and...