Helping Students Read the Bible
Whenever people tell me they can't read through the Bible because of tedious passages in Leviticus, I say, "That's ridiculous! The final chapters of Exodus are worse. At least Leviticus offers a 'gross out' fac...
Stirring It Up: From Action to Reflection
The Missing Element in Student Service ExperiencesThere is little question that service projects and mission trips have become a regular part of most youth ministries: Feed a group of homeless men, clean up a c...
HM Magazine Celebrates 25 Years with Top 100 Christian Rock Albums
25th Anniversary Issue Links the Work of Dedicated Musicians Through a List of HM's 'Top 100 Christian Rock Albums of All Time'A quarter-century ago, Doug Van Pelt transformed newsstands by providing news ...
Icebreaker: Initial Answers
One of the players is chosen to be the questioner for the first round. He or she asks any appropriate question, which must be answered by each of the players in turn. Each player's answer must consist of w...
YCU: Changing Faith for Changing Teens
Changing Faith for Changing TeensYouth are remarkably faithful, according to a new study by the Christian research organization The Barna Group: About six in 10 teens attend some sort of spiritual get-together ...
Middle-School Ministry: The Fifth Week
I lead a small group of seventh grade guys in my home each Wednesday night. Four out of five weeks feel like we barely accomplish anything (whatever that means!).That fifth week, though. Hmm! That's the one tha...
Drink, Drank, Drunk: God’s Guidance on Alcohol
It scares me when I think about what I would have been like if I had been living during Prohibition (the period from 1920-1933 when alcohol was illegal in the United States). Based on my attitude toward alco...
Youth Culture Lesson: With Friends Like This
Some Experts Believe 'Best Friends' Are BadGet downloadable PDF.Get downloadable PowerPoint presentation.About/DisclaimerWhat Happened:Back in the day, almost everyone had or wanted a best friend—someone ...
Changing the Changers
Moving Students from Faith to Lives of Service to Social ActionOne of my favorite things to do when training a group of students for a mission trip is to share embarrassing moments from past trips. It loosens u...
Are coffee drinks safe for kids?
A growing number of youth are drinking coffee -- the National Coffee Association says young people are the fastest growing coffee-drinking niche. In 2002, about 24 percent of 18- to 24-year-olds drank coffee, a...