Archive for Teaching
Helping Students Find Happiness
What is happiness? Before you read any further take a moment and try to define happiness. Tomorrow I am going skiing at one of my favorite resorts in Colorado. I love to ski, I love the feeling of powder running over my skis, hitting my ski pants, and even occasionally smacking me in the face. When I am going down the side of a mountain on a powder day, I am happy.
Called: Conversion
“In order further to prove a man’s call, after a little exercise of his gifts, such as I have already spoken of, he must see a measure of conversion-work going on under his efforts, or he may conclude that he has made a mistake…” Charles Spurgeon in Lectures To My Students
Perhaps you read the quote [...]
Calling: Aptness to Teach
“In the second place, combined with the earnest desire to become a pastor, there must be aptness to teach and some measure of the other qualities needful for the office of a public instructor.” -Charles Spurgeon, Lectures To My Students
Teaching Students to Pray
Prayer is one of those spiritual disciplines that most of us struggle with. This is especially true for those of us who seem to always be “plugged in”. Our lives are filled with noise from our cell phones, computers, TVs, radios and so on. Over the past 15 years I have noticed [...]
Essential Elements of the Gospel
Occasionally I try to put myself in the shoes of a non-believer who is “checking out” God and this whole “religion” thing. I wonder what goes through their mind as they drive into a parking lot full of cars at a place they at one time thought they would never [...]
What is Theological Ministry?
“Youth ministers have been on a long and frustrating quest of their own over the past two decades or so. Believing that a message wrapped in pop-culture packaging was the way to attract teens to their flocks, pastors watered down the religious content and boosted the entertainment. But in recent years churches have begun offering [...]
Something New is Something Old With a New Paint Job
When I was 11 or 12 my step dad had a 1968 Camaro SS RS. It had hidden head lights, leather interior and an amazing stereo system. To this day it is my favorite car. It was really loud too. I love loud pipes!! We only took the car out [...]
Understanding Adolesence
Adolescence as it is understood today is relatively new. Of course the word “understand” may be a little presumptuous. Adolescence has changed over the centuries, especially in North America. It is not only confusing for those who are going through it, but their parents, their friends, and for youth leaders.
Over the past 150 [...]
Does Exigetical Teaching Have a Place in Youth Ministry?
When I was a kid I would visit my Grandpa and Grandma in Wisconsin. My Grandpa served as the pastor of a very small church in a small town called Comstock. On Sunday mornings I would accompany my grandparents to Sunday school and church. You need to understand Sunday school consisted of pretty much the [...]
Does Exigetical Teaching Have a Place in Youth Ministry?
When I was a kid I would visit my Grandpa and Grandma in Wisconsin. My Grandpa served as the pastor of a very small church in a small town called Comstock. On Sunday mornings I would accompany my grandparents to Sunday school and church. You need to understand Sunday school consisted of pretty much the [...]
