How Do You Respond Under Pressure?

All-nighters. That is the term given to the nocturnal binge cram-sessions that every educated person is due to experience once in their life. I experienced my fair share of all-night study sessions during my college career. The copious amounts of caffeine in sugar-saturated liquid form. The bright lights. The “breaks” where I fought off the urge to plunge headlong into slumber. I would talk to myself, yell, do whatever it took to keep my bloodshot eyes open.

I’m glad to have left all-nighters behind. Unfortunately, I’ve not been able to slough off all stresses of life. As life progresses, opportunities for anxiety and pressure increase. With that pressure, the temptation to go into survival-mode is immense. Like a ship that’s sinking fast, I survey the cargo of my life to see what I can jettison. Sadly, one of the easiest things for me to forsake is focused time reading and meditating on the Word. It is one of those things in my life that rarely feels urgent and often is undervalued. But that isn’t how it should be.

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Music for Your Monday: Hymns by the Acclaim

Bringing Hymns Back

A while back I wrote about the band Page CXVI my interest in seeing the worlds of indie music and hymnody mix. The theological and historical riches that many hymns offer are being re-introduced to a new generation through new arrangements that are compelling to a less traditional audience. As someone who loves innovation in music and works with a bunch of people who would otherwise never come in contact with hymns, I’m thankful and continually excited to see artists perform hymns.

Hymns by The Acclaim

The Acclaim is an indie band based out of Washington state. Continue reading “Music for Your Monday: Hymns by the Acclaim”

Youth Ministry Leadership Quick Tip: Rest in Jesus

The A-Word

I’ve been called it many times. In moments of embarrassment, I’ve even found myself murmuring it under my breath at myself. Some days I don’t think I’ll ever shake the label.

“Awkward.”

That’s right. I’ll admit it. I’m awkward. Whether it’s a conversational misstep or a wrinkle in the rug, I often find myself in awkward situations, usually perpetrated by my own foolishness. And it seems that in youth ministry, some invisible force puts its mischievous fingers on the dial and turns my awkward all the way to eleven.

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Youth Ministry on the Cheap: Resources & Training

Resources. Training. Series ideas. Whether you are looking to do further biblical studies or to equip your youth, there is always a need for helpful resources. One of the great advantages of this information-age is the wealth of resources available to those with internet access and some patience. Below are a few of the resources I’ve used in the past to equip myself and our ministry.

Personal Development

As Doug Fields says, “Leaders are learners.” As ministry leaders, one of the constant pressures is to be further developing ourselves spiritually and vocationally.

iTunes U

Desiring God

Desiring God has a ton of free online versions of all John Piper’s books, as well as articles, sermons, and conference messages. Check it out for all the available resources.

Youth Ministry Resources

Beyond personal development there is always a need for helpful tools and resources to lead a youth ministry.

Art & Design

  • Creation Swap – This is a great site of free and low-cost art resources that you can use for your series and youth ministry.
  • Flickr – Sometimes Flickr will have the images you need and many people share their work under Creative Commons licensing. But be sure to respect the copyrights.
  • stock.xchng – This site offers free stock photos. Sometimes they’re great. Sometimes they’re terrible. But they’re free.

Although you may not be able to meet all your resourcing needs, this list should be a decent head-start.