The Youth Cartel

announcing the 2012 middle school ministry campference

January 19, 2012

last year i took a big risk. well, i took a bunch of them; but one of them, for sure, was to put on the first-ever national event just for people who work in churches with junior highers. this is my tribe-within-a-tribe, my people. i love middle school youth workers maybe even slightly more than [...]

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kara powell reviews ‘understanding your young teen’

January 18, 2012

dr. kara powell, youth ministry professor at fuller seminary, executive director of fuller youth institute, author of tons of books (including the sticky faith series), is also a good friend and former co-worker of mine. so, i suppose i shouldn’t be too surprised that her review (part 1 here) of my new book for parents, [...]

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why it’s important to understand teenagers

January 17, 2012

starting later this month, i’ll be speaking in 5 locations for barefoot ministries’ $5 training. it’s a very cool half day of training, for (can you guess?), five dollars. the day is targeted at volunteer youth workers, and is ideal for teams to attend together. check out the $5 training site for more info and [...]

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the featherweightiness of belonging

January 16, 2012

more than fifteen years ago, i identified three 7th and 8th grade guys in my junior high ministry and started meeting with them, as a group, as guys i wanted to mentor. i saw both a spiritual interest and leadership potential in each of them. i think back on this little group as one of [...]

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some no-travel-costs openings in my speaking schedule

January 12, 2012

looking at my travel schedule over the next few months, i have a handful of days or evenings where i’ll be stuck in a particular city in-between other engagements. that means, if you’d like me to: – speak for your youth group or event – lead a parent training event – lead some youth ministry [...]

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2 sentence book reviews, part 4 (christian non-fiction and youth ministry)

January 12, 2012

this is the final post in this series of 2 sentence book reviews. part 1 was fiction, part 2 was general non-fiction, part 3 was a combo of young adult fiction and graphic novels. this time around i’m covering christian non-fiction and youth ministry. i allow myself (with a few exceptions this time) one sentence [...]

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2 sentence book reviews, part 3 (young adult fiction and graphic novels)

January 11, 2012

part 1 of this series included reviews of five fiction books, and part 2 included reviews of four general non-fiction books. this time around, i’m covering two categories: young adult fiction, and graphic novels. my approach: one sentence of summary, and one sentence of opinion. YA fiction The Hunger Games, by Suzanne Collins 5 stars [...]

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2 sentence book reviews, part 2 (general non-fiction)

January 10, 2012

yesterday, i reviewed 5 fiction books. today, it’s general non-fiction. remember, i allow myself one sentence for summary and one sentence for opinion. Kicking Ass and Saving Souls: A True Story of a Life Over the Line, by David Matthews 4.5 stars Amazing selfish-to-selfless true story of a guy who lives more adventure in a [...]

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locations of $5 training

January 9, 2012

i’m stoked to hang with hundreds of youth workers at each of the five locations for barefoot ministries’ $5 training over the next four months. seriously, this idea is almost insane — a half day of youth ministry training for your volunteer team, for $5 each? shoot, the freebies and other goodies from the day [...]

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2 sentence book reviews, part 1 (fiction)

January 9, 2012

i started something new with my book reviews earlier this year, and i liked it: 2 sentence book reviews. i allow myself one sentence as a summary of the book, and one sentence of opinion. it’s a bit like tweeting a book review, i suppose, though i’m not counting characters. i was a bit behind [...]

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