Ministering in an Age of Distraction
An image has recently surfaced on Twitter showing the intense hold that electronic media has on children The picture portrays a gathering of students in front of one of Rembrandt’s most famous and moving pieces, The Night Watch, at Amsterdam’s Rijksmuseum.[1] What’s interesting, although not surprising, is that none of the students are observing the painting, but all of them are looking at their phones. With the opportunity to look at...
Tracing the Crimson Thread
An earlier edition of this article was first published in The Brink Magazine, Vol. VII, Issue 1, Fall 2015 September – November. George MacDonald writes in his delightful little children’s book The Princess and the Goblin about a silvery thread Princess Irene’s grandmother makes for her. This thread is made to lead the young princess back to her grandmother—especially in the midst of danger. The problem is, the thread only works if...
Rethinking Apologetics for Students
I’ve often said that modern youth ministry puts the right emphasis in two places: evangelism and apologetics. While other areas and elements of youth ministry are debatable, there is hardly a youth group I know that doesn’t consistently emphasize these areas—and rightfully so. In many ways, evangelism and apologetics represent the foundational dimension of a student’s faith. How a student is able to articulate and share their faith...
Being Filled with the Spirit: Mystical or Moral?
Quick quiz: who were the first people in Scripture to be filled with the Holy Spirit? If you guessed someone in the book of Acts, let alone the New Testament, you’re an entire testament too late. The answer: Bezalel and Oholiab, the tabernacle artisans. Exodus 31:3 states, “I have filled [them] with the Spirit of God, with ability and intelligence, with knowledge and all craftsmanship.” Not only do most of us get the answer to that...
Five-Dollar Couches and the Church’s Future
What is the one staple that you can find in virtually every youth group across America? You’re right: the (overly) pre-owned couch. Whether you’re in Idaho or Illinois, California, or Connecticut, it would seem that the perennial signature of any well-christened youth room is an old couch. One can only imagine the stories behind the acquisition of these couches. For some, the youth minister bought a couch from the local thrift sore,...
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