Fill in the blank: In this world you will have ____________.I suspect you know the word: Trouble (or tribulation, depending on the translation in your head). I also suspect you know who spoke those words: Jesus...

I've been in youth ministry for 30 years, but my preferred role is being the mom to a bunch of now-grown adults.When they were teens, you could have called them juvenile delinquents; but juvenile delinquents is...

Every year, 1.1 million teens attempt suicide, 750,000 teens are victims of violent crime, 600,000 unwed teen girls get pregnant, and 291,000 teens drop out of school.In addition, 4.1 million teens drink alcoho...

One of the givens of being a youth pastor (in addition to the consumption of a good deal of pizza and the never-ending supply of free T-shirts) is that you probably will be asked to officiate at a fair number o...

Some years ago, Barbara came to see me for counseling. For as long as she could remember, her parents had argued and fought; and in her teens, each parent would pour out their problems to her with little awaren...

Kevin had been a friend a co-laborer for many years; but he suddenly seemed pensive, which was much different from the outgoing person I had known for years. I invited him to lunch where he began to unpack some...

Matt and Amy pause—often—when they tell the story of unsuccessfully managing their daughter Kayla's depression. After years of exasperation, Matt finally walked into Kayla's room holding a suitcase....

For a decade or more, I've asked myself (and others with ears to hear) this one vital question: "How well do we know and understand kids?" The answer I keep coming up with is that young people between the ages ...

Some of your students graduated last year and went off to college. Some of these students will be coming home for the holidays and/or winter break. Youth workers differ over the best way to connect with them...

Parents want their kids to be happy, healthy and safe; but what about money management? The average young adult amasses $45,000 in debt by the time he or she turns 29, according to a recent PNC Bank report."Thi...