I love watching my neighbors improve their home and property. Before they bought the house, it was pretty much an eyesore. We looked at it ourselves, but decided it needed too much work. We're not very handy wi...

There is a great temptation in youth ministry to have to attract and entertain youth. Whether this pressure comes from church leaders, the congregation or one's own personality, the pressure to attract, keep an...

Imagine yourself trekking in Jesus's footsteps along the Galilee's Gospel Trail, the route Jesus is believed to have walked that connects sites from his life and ministry.Now, imagine yourself experiencing the ...

Though renowned as the author of The Message, pastor-writer Eugene Peterson was also a church pastor for 29 years. To this day, his love of the church is evident. Yet, his latest book, The Pastor: A Memoir h...

In the youth ministry world, Eugene Peterson is perhaps best known for his work in translating the Bible into contemporary language in The Message. In addition to being a prolific author, Eugene is also a minis...

As a congregation, we had achieved critical mass, we were self-supporting financially, we had built a sanctuary that gave visibility to our worshipping presence in the neighborhood. It was the beginning of what...

YWJ: What prompted you to write this book?YWJ: Is JB really a Christian? If so, what kind? How committed?YWJ: Describe JB's faith commitment, as you understand it.YWJ: Is his faith a big part of his music, perf...

Courage and Calling: Embracing Your God-Given PotentialSmith, Gordon T. InterVarsity Press, 2011, 203 pp., $15Courage and Calling by Gordon T. Smith  is a great tool for youth pastors to use with thei...

My favorite story from those years was Samuel's anointing of David to be king. The story began in my mother's telling of it with Samuel, an old man with his beard down to his knees. He was a thick, stocky man, ...

As I hung up the phone from a conversation with the mother of an active student in our ministry, my heart was full. In youth ministry, there aren't many times when that happens after a parent phone call; so I r...