I have been on two mission experiences in the past two years. One to Haiti, in which a dad brought his high school son. The second to Romania, in which a 7th grade middle school student travelled with the team leader having responsibility for her. And I believe without a doubt that students need an […]
Mid-Year Update for Leaders
What you do matters, and it’s important to celebrate and remember. Remember what you trained about at the beginning of the year. Remember why you do what you do. Remember why it’s important to lead small.
Acceptance
Kids are kids are kids. The first step to being loved is to be accepted. We quickly learned in Haiti it is a privilege to attend school, and this school shows kids they matter.
DNow On the Other Side
A few weekends ago, we hosted 10th-12th grade girls at our house for DNow weekend. Aaron commented he has been a participant in DNOW, led DNOW as a small group and worship leader, run DNOW as a youth pastor, and now he’s hosting. It has come full circle for him. I was “married to a youth pastor” […]
Helping Them Overcome
Life for young adults is hard. Adolescence starts earlier & ends later, so it lasts longer. Pressures have increased. Here’s how you can help your younger people persevere.
Running Matters
Today, I went for a run. I’m not a runner. Nothing about me says run or runner. But today I ran. Well, it was more like run for a bit, walk a longer bit, run for a bit, walk a longer bit. I’m really a walker. I like to move. Today the sun peaked out […]
3 Tips for Having “The Talk” With Your Kids
Do your knees shake and your breathing get heavy when you think about having “the talk” with your kids? I, most certainly, am not ready. Thankfully, it’s still years away… …except it probably isn’t anymore. I recently heard on the Carey Nieuwhof Leadership Podcast (episode 121 link) that kids as young as 11 are exposed […]
Every Life Changed By…Young People?
Is your church struggling to reach younger people? Are you trying to find more volunteers, more money, more vision, better questions, more culturally awareness? See how Growing Young can bring vitality to your church.
Raising Missional Kids
How do you help your kids engage with tough issues around the world? How do we make mission be about more than a once-a-year or halfway-around-the-world kind of thing? I came across this article. And it’s awesome. Here are some insights: Your kids are watching. What does “our mission” look like? Who do we serve? Where do […]
Inside the App: GroupMe
I like to think I’m in the know on current culture and youth trends. So I am always amused at myself when I’m not quite as current as I want to be. On the high school retreat I spoke at in November, I was learning new language and a new app. Some of the girls […]