Hayward Wesleyan Church is currently hosting the Alpha Course so there are quite a few posters and promotional material around our facility. The other day a student asked me a funny question. She pointed to the picture on the Alpha poster and asked: “Why is there a dirty guy on that poster?” In the span […]
Sari has a tough time sleeping at night. She’s like her Dad… a night owl… doesn’t like going to bed until your body completely shuts down and gives up. Anyway, the other night I was laying next to Sari while she was attempting to “sleep.” I was trying to give her some good ideas of […]
Early in the morning, exactly 5 years ago, Sari graced us with her presence into this world. And nothing has been the same since! Happy Birthday to my first and oldest daughter! May you continue to grow in relationship with the Lord and may the Holy Spirit continue to shape your character as you seek […]
This kind of video brings on Christmas nostalgia, but then I realize… it doesn’t have to be Christmas to be thankful for the Incarnation… Jesus coming to earth… God in human form breaking into our world as one of us… mystery upon mystery… fully God, and yet, fully human. Amazing. HT ChurchMag source YouTube
HT Youth Ministry Media via Online Graduate Programs
Kids and families rely and appreciate a good, local public library. It’s still a safe and respected place for children, teenagers, and adults to go read, study, do research, check email, etc. Thanks Sherman and Ruth Weiss Community Library in Hayward, WI! HT Good source YouTube
A simple, super-short Bible verse video on John 3:16. HT More Than Dodgeball source Vimeo
The latest thing in the war for efficient communion dispersal. via Instagram
This video aired during the Denver Broncos vs. the New England Patriots game on January 14, 2012. What a neat idea! Way to go Focus on the Family!! source YouTube
Basic Training: What’s Up With the Bible? On Sunday, January 22, 2012, myself and 4 middle school boys preached a sermon together on the Bible. Eli, Hunter, Brady, and Nils participated in sharing about the historical reliability, truth, contents, and other proofs of Scripture. It was a fun experience for the students and me… and […]
I give “presentations” on a regular basis. My audience is children and middle school students. If I haven’t done my homework or thought through a plan, I’m toast! This is a clever video that depicts the essence of why some communicators FAIL in their presentations: HT Youth Leader Stash source YouTube
YouTube video description: Cousins James Ransom and Cherie Johnson recall their fearsome Sunday school teacher, Miss Lizzie Devine, the only woman who had more power than their grandmother. Set in the small Florida town of the cousins’ memories, this animation resounds with the joy of sharing stories with family. source YouTube
The Search Institute is an organization that does research, create tools and resources, and offers collaboration with other organizations that work with youth and children (click here to learn more). One of the things The Search Institute is known for is their creation of Developmental Assets: The Developmental Assets are 40 common sense, positive experiences […]
It’s cool to see (and hear) stories of how God “orchestrated” events in the lives of people to lead them to Him. Everyday your life is filled with seemingly insignificant events, but little do you know that every moment that is made is part of a larger orchestration. source Vimeo
If our premise, or core values if you will, for this small group experiment is to: build community share life model Christ-like character engage in creative content and prayer radically goof off together …then with a small group of 6th grade boys, we would start with radically goofing off together! So we did. I’ve amassed […]
This is the second post in a series on Middle School Small Groups. CORE group provided something that I had not had up to this point in youth ministry at Hayward Wesleyan Church: a small group. Okay, the number in CORE group numbered about 20-25 students, which is hardly a “small” group, but at least […]
This is the first post in a series on Middle School Small Groups. Our intent, for both the middle school and high school youth arenas, was to deepen disciples of Jesus. Pastor Loretta Sunderland and I, at the end of one school/ministry year, were less than enthusiastic about youth group on Wednesday nights. We were […]
I purchased this book after reading and reviewing Halfway Herbert by Francis Chan. It’s a neat story about a tractor that a “little village” uses sort of incorrectly. The tractor does it’s main job of plowing a field, but the village people push and pull it instead of start it up. As a result, the […]
Why did the [ancient Roman] emperors persecute Christians? Sometimes it was just because they hated Jesus and the Christians who followed him. Other times, Christians were killed or tortured, not because they worshiped Christ, but because they would not also worship false gods. The Romans believed that their many gods made the empire rich and […]
When I was in college the quote below was a popular one that we batted around often (I heard a variation of it @ CPC 2012): What you call people with is what you call people to. What you call people to that you must sustain. If you do ministry with hype and prize giveaways, […]