Youth Ministry Culture 101
I spent the first 16 years of my adult life working with teenagers in a variety of youth ministry positions. I’ve spent the last 17 years studying teenagers, their lives and their culture. In the midst of...
From Death to Life
My first 10 months in youth ministry were textbook perfect. I’ll share my secret formula with you. I began with this question: “How can I draw teens?” My answer included a catchy purpose state...
God on Mute: Engaging the Silence of Unanswered Prayer
Regal, 2007, 296 pp., $17.99, www.regalbooks.com God on Mute takes a refreshingly honest and hopeful look at the difficult and often undiscussed topic of suffering and unanswered prayer. Using Jes...
Still Waters and Skyscrapers: The 23rd Psalm for the 21st Century
Baker, 2006, 128 pp., $12.99, www.bakerpublishinggroup.com If the tagline to Still Waters and Skyscrapers sends you fleeing for the hills to escape a dreaded cliché beast, take a moment to calm your&sh...
The Inner Life of Melody Carson
MELODY CARLSON has an uncanny gift for getting inside the hearts and minds of today’s teens -- and great respect for youth ministry. She is an award-winning author of more than 150 books for young adults,...
More than Volleyball: Will Our Kids Eventually Get It?
Sometimes I wonder why I’m in youth ministry. Sometimes it feels like the most useless job in the world. Every Wednesday night, my kids show up, kind of sing the songs, and fidget throu...
From Whatever to Certitude
Why is a relationally based youth program important to Christian formation? Becauseour young people tend to experience and express faith in a culture that stresses individualism and youth. They have too fe...
GoBible Digital Audio Bible
GoBible, LLC, $99.95, www.gobible.com In the struggle to find a way to fit Bible reading into our daily schedule, many of us have turned to audio, trying to squeeze in devotions at the gym or in the ca...
The Bible from Scratch—Catholic Edition
St. Mary’s Press, 2006, 260 pp., $14.95, www.smp.org Highlighting both the stories of the Bible and its truth, The Bible from Scratch will be enjoyable for teens (or even adults) who might be intimidated...
Youth Ministry: Kids Need You
How connected are young people to the adults in their lives? How connected do they want to be? How connected do they need to be? More than 50 pastors, youth ministry leaders, authors, and scholars gathered la...