Life changing one-day reads for the self-isolated
With many of us spending more time working from home and less time on projects, I thought I would list off some of my very favourite one-day-reads. These are books that can easily be read in one day, with a few brew breaks, and should – every one of them – change how we think. […]
How do we respond to CORVID-19 as youth workers?
Let’s start with the obvious: we respond with love, grace, compassion, selflessness, and hope in Jesus Christ. On Sunday I was invited to preach in a local church where I talked about the opportunities we have to shine as Christians in the middle of dark and scary times – and how having a God-perspective on […]
Why I don’t post many book reviews
Over the last twelve months I’ve been sent about twenty-five books from publishers hoping for a review. This is always a hard call for me because I take book reviews very seriously. I think there’s an inherent responsibility to the book, the author, and the audience (intended or otherwise) that a reviewer on a public […]
Should Youth Ministers attend seminary? – On The Gospel Coalition
[This was first published on the Gospel Coalition US Website here] Should those called to work in youth ministry be required to attend seminary? There’s a fight between two combatants that often goes into answering that question: in one corner is $60,000 worth of debt from training and diplomas. In the other stands the 12-year-veteran […]
Is there any satisfactory alternative to the Western-epistemological method in our youth ministry?
If ever you needed evidence that click-bait isn’t really my thing, this title might be it. So to the four of you who clicked on this, hi! This is a very brief summary of my thoughts on something I’ve been both pondering for a while – namely, how should we model to young people how […]
Music, Moshpits, Psalms and Young People – An excerpt from Rebooted
The following is an excerpt from my book, Rebooted. Reclaiming youth ministry for the long haul – a biblical framework. When I was 16 I had the single most rock n’ roll experience of my whole and entire life. I was sat in a Christian camp for young people with a friend when we heard […]
Addressing a mistake in my journal…
Late last year I wrote a journal which evaluated the incarnational model of youth ministry. I stand by that evaluation as it’s an important and often missing voice from the youth work conversation. However, upon reflection, I’d like to address a mistake I made in that journal. In the cutting process I unwittingly oversimplified Prof. […]
So you want to be a youth work blogger…
I started ministry blogging in my first year at Bible College, which means I’ve been doing it for over sixteen years. It’s an amazing privilege and a joy – and yet it’s hard work and a slog too. There’s been plenty that I’ve gotten wrong, both in front and behind the keyboard. There are many apologies that […]
Dear Pastor: How to resource your youth worker in 2020
My wife and I recently acquired a cat – and said cat is a pain. Cat needs food – she eats more than I do. Cat needs space to poo – she poo’s twice her body weight. Cat needs places to sleep – usually that’s on my face. Cat needs exercise – she likes to ninja dive […]
Advocating for Women in Youth Ministry – we really must do better!
A couple of years ago I received a bit of pushback to my 11 essential youth ministry books because none of them were written by women. My response was that this, unfortunately, is the reality of the market. For every youth work book written by a woman there are dozens written by men. There is an enormous problem with […]
Book Review: ‘The Man You’re Made* To Be’ by Martin Saunders
Man, this took me ages to get to, but it was well worth it! Martin has written a blinder of a book for lads. Unlike most ‘how to be a godly man’ style books, The Man You’re Made* To Be has taken the spotlight off of us and put it back onto God as the […]
Are you a walking wounded youth worker?
Bent double over the dining table, trying desperately to plan out a term of meaningful, life-changing projects. Feeling the crushing weight of irony that nothing has felt meaningful or life-changing for a while. You can’t work. Lying in bed cradling your pillow tightly against your head, staying unnaturally still, holding muscles tense, heart beating in […]
Happy New Year – May it be a year of hope!
Happy New Year everybody! May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace (Rom. 15:13). May you rejoice in that same hope as you remain constant in prayer (Rom. 12:12). May you know the assurance of being born again to a living hope (1 Pt. 1:3), the hope that saves (Rom. 8:24-25), […]
Why ‘reading the Bible in a year’ just isn’t enough.
I love how many online resources are offering help to read the Bible in a year. It’s a great goal and a good place to start – but I really want to push us to go further. Reading the Bible in a year takes 15 minutes a day. That’s three 5 minute sittings. You could […]
A 1hr a day reading list to make 2020 a year of theology
Did you ever wish you knew more about theology or wanted to brush up on the basics? Maybe you’ve been a youth worker for years, but you skipped training and now you feel like you’re playing catchup? If you start the year right, then you can work in some new reading habits that – with […]