A Cat’s 10-Step Guide to Life
I have a cat. Two cats, actually. And until I watched this video, I had no idea of the things they could teach me about life (other than annoying their owners). Enjoy! source Vimeo
Articles — Page 15
Identity and Instagram (or any other social media platform)
Where do we find identity? How is our identity shaped? In whom is our identity formed? These are pertinent questions for your middle school and high school student. And they are always asking the big identity question: Does anyone like me? The question for us as parents and small group leaders is: Do we have […]
Top 10 Reasons our Kids Leave Church
Boy, I must’ve been under a rock because I missed this post when it happened. Top 10 Reasons our Kids Leave Church Here is the list: They don’t need it They know the truth They got tired of pretending They found better feelings Community You gave them hand-me-downs You sent them out unarmed They get […]
Discipleship: Realignment of Affections
My favorite part of this article was the first two paragraphs: “To truly disciple is to realign our affections – and those of the person we’re discipling – to a greater Person. Unfortunately, many youth ministries do not focus on making disciples or the heart change of their young people. “Instead, behavior modification, moral change, or intellectual assent are often emphasized. This […]
Loldigocks and the Bree Thears
This is fantastic! I heard Lanny Donoho do this LIVE at the Orange Conference. It is hilarious. source YouTube
How to Block Porn on Your iOS Devices
I remember a time that it took work to find a dirty magazine. You either had to know a friend whose father had it, or you had to hope someone left an errant copy of a porn magazine on a shelf lower than where they were usually kept. Not anymore. It’s available anywhere, anytime, and […]
A New Kind of Parenting in this Digital Age
A Couple of Highlights from the “Digital Parenting” infographic below Make sure your student understands the difference between “virtual life” and “real life” Don’t “friend” someone online who you haven’t met in person Be open with your kids about your right to review search history, contacts, Facebook posts, uploaded pics, etc. source ChurchMag
Parent/Child Dedication Materials
Well, yesterday morning we had our first ever “Parent/Child Dedication” class where we talked through the role of the individual, family, and the church in the spiritual formation of the dedicated child. It was great. We wanted to take some time to emphasize, in a formal class setting, the importance of training up a child […]
The Gospel Story Bible // Review
The Gospel Story Bible: Discovering Jesus in the Old and New Testaments Check out this review of “The Gospel Story Bible” over at WesleyanKids.org
Spark Story Bible // Review
Spark Story Bible Check out this review of the “Spark Story Bible” over at WesleyanKids.org
Repent and Believe // Sermon
This past Sunday I preached a message called: “Repent and Believe.” It was a very personal message about what God has been doing in my life the past 31 years and how Christianity is as simple as: Repent and believe Here is the link below: haywardwesleyan.org/2013/04/21/repent-and-believe-the-gospel/
Read and Share Bible // Review
Read and Share Bible Check out this review of the “Read and Share Bibles” over at WesleyanKids.org
The Big Picture Story Bible // Review
The Big Picture Story Bible Check out this review of “The Big Picture Story Bible” over at WesleyanKids.org
My Wallpaper Background for April 2013
For a while I had a netbook, an underpowered, small footprint sized laptop computer, because I wanted to spend less time on a computer and more time in ministry with students. This strategy sort of backfired after about 5 months because the machine was so underpowered, it took me SO LONG to get anything done […]
“Jesus and the Jewish Nation” Conclusion – George Caird
“Here then, in conclusion, is the picture of the ministry of Jesus I have been trying to put before you. “Jesus believed that Israel had been called to be God’s saved and saving nation, the agent through whom God intended to assert his sovereignty over the rest of the world, and that the time had come when God […]
Historical Context is Important
If there is one thing I’ve learned (or picked up) from N.T. Wright’s Jesus and the Kingdom of God, is that: It is vitally important to place the vocation of Jesus in its historical context Could Jesus have come at a different time in history? Earlier or later than he did? After all, we often […]
What Discipleship Might Look Like
“I just think [discipleship] has a lot more to do with following Jesus, and pulling some people close to you so they can follow Jesus, too.” – Connie Patty
Small Town “Problems”
I was at a four-way stop sign, turning right. The vehicle across from me didn’t have their turn signal on, so I assumed they were going straight. I then proceeded to go through the intersection, but then the other vehicle started to turn the way I was going. I wanted to be mad at this […]
Vision of the Future for Hayward Wesleyan Youth
In 21 years, I see 1500 students who have been discipled and are reproducing disciples. They believe in the kingdom of God by faith, and surrender/sacrifice their lives in pursuit of God’s kind of world. These students give and serve generously. They are humble. Ordinary, yet extra-ordinary. Natural, yet super-natural. These 1500 disciples depend on […]
The Incarnational Model of Evangelism
“Men [and women] were to be his method of winning the world to God.” — Steve Patty in Impact: Student Ministry That Will Transform a Generation (pg. 5)