The Measure of Success
"O Lord, let Your ear be attentive to the prayer of your servant, and to the prayer of Your servants who delight in revering Your name. Give success to Your servants today" (Neh. 1:11).From an early age, we are...
Feet-ball
This game can be played outdoors. You will need a large group and a rubber ball for each group.Each team gathers in a circle, arms on shoulders, feet in the middle. Working together, teams see which group can p...
The Napkin Game
Here's a fun game to play before or after a meal. Divide the group into teams (those sitting at the same table become one team). Then, instruct each person to do the following with their napkins.• Wr...
Youth Culture Lesson: Frustrating Facebook
Teens Talk About the Most Popular—and Unpopular—Social NetworkGet downloadable PDF.Get downloadable PowerPoint presentation.About/DisclaimerWhat Happened:A full 94 percent of American teens have a F...
Working from the Outside In (Part 2 of 2)
The BackdropIf you haven't yet, you may want to do the devotional "Working from the Inside Out" before you embark on this devotional. As you probably can tell by the titles, these two devos go together, this be...
Graduation Day and Encouraging Faith
Every generous act of giving, every perfect gift, is from above, coming down from the father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change (James 1:17).
One of the highlights of your you...
Campus Ministry: Expectations and Technology
My wife recently took our daughters to see The Nutcracker. It's become a tradition in our family...for the girls, that is. They get dressed up, go out to dinner with some friends and then enjoy the ballet. It's...
10 Minutes in God’s Word: The Miracle of Grandma
A few days before the deadline for this column, my saintly grandmother of 102 slipped peacefully into the arms of Jesus. It seems appropriate to write about her. So, if you don't mind…She was the mother o...
Soul Care: Just an Humble Guy
On Saturday, March 23, 2013, Ron Baker, a redshirt freshmen led the Wichita State Shockers to upset the No. 1 ranking Gonzaga Bulldogs in the basketball tournament called March Madness. Baker led his small high...
Managing Your Ministry: Managing Bedtimes
For the first couple of retreats you attend as a youth pastor, bedtimes are irrelevant to you. "This is where the real ministry happens," you say to yourself. "Besides, I can sleep when I get home."Then you sta...