From the category archives:
don’t miss this article on cnn.com about kenda dean’s book, almost christian. the money paragraph: No matter their background, Dean says committed Christian teens share four traits: They have a personal story about God they can share, a deep connection to a faith community, a sense of purpose and a sense of hope about their [...]
{ 3 comments }
a new web portal launched this week for church leaders, appropriately called churchleaders.com. the have some original content and some aggregated content, as well as lots of other stuff. i like that they have the home page that includes a variety of content, but sections divided into specific content for pastors, worship, youth (ministry), children [...]
{ 1 comment }
i’m in the middle of reading kenda creasy dean‘s new book, almost christian: what the faith of our teenagers is telling the american church (it’s so good, and critical reading for all youth workers – i’m sure i’ll be posting more about it). the book is kenda’s interpretation of the findings of christian smith’s ‘national [...]
{ 9 comments }
usa today ran a piece on youth ministry yesterday, ominously titled ‘Forget pizza parties,’ teens tell churches. as i read it, i found myself intermittently nodding my head in agreement and being frustrated (and even angry) about the poor assumptions peppered throughout the article (both by those they quote, and by the article’s writer). there [...]
{ 28 comments }
ok, i’ve had two somewhat serious post this week so far; so let’s mix it up with a caption contest! yee-ha! this one is on its knees, just pleading and begging for all your funny and snarky caption ideas. i’ll list ‘contenders’ in the post later today, and pick a winner by the end of [...]
{ 30 comments }
my broken palace is a great (new) ministry site for people (from the looks of it, teenagers and young adults) in pain. it’s just getting going, and i’m expecting it will be more robust in the months to come. from their “about us” page: Our shared desire is that no one should ever have to [...]
{ 5 comments }
i preached at the three services of my home church this past weekend, on ‘god-given emotions’. the backstory: last fall, after i was laid off, i was in full emotional freeze. i could barely feel anything, because the various feelings were just too overwhelming to me. i saw a therapist for a handful of sessions, [...]
{ 7 comments }
seriously, where else would these three books be reviewed together? Orbiting the Giant Hairball: A Corporate Fool’s Guide to Surviving with Grace, by Gordon MacKenzie 5 stars several years ago, when i became the president of youth specialties, mcnair wilson suggested i needed to read this book. it’s one of very, very few books i’ve [...]
{ 6 comments }
i’ve got a couple days of 3 mini-reviews each. and i’m kind of cracking up at the mix. seriously, i doubt these three books have ever been reviewed together in the same space before. what can i say? i like to read diversely. Half the Sky: Turning Oppression into Opportunity for Women Worldwide, by Nicholas [...]
{ 8 comments }
whether it’s ultimately helpful to me or not, i tend to “evaluate” worship leaders in 3 ways: 1. do i like their music? are they good musicians and singers? is it a style i connect with? 2. do i find, when listening to a cd or sitting in a context where the worship leader is [...]
{ 3 comments }
