If you are looking for a fun and engaging idea for gift-exchange among the teenagers, try this hands-on activity that can double as a game and a project. Purchase a block of potter's clay (available online) t...

"Now the birth of Jesus the Messiah took place in this way…her husband Joseph, being a righteous man, and unwilling to expose her to public disgrace, planned to dismiss her quietly" (Matt. 1:18-19). Some...

Create index cards (numbered 1-4) with one number on each card. Invite everyone in the youth group to draw an index card from the pile. According to numbers, respective youth then will share Christmas memories ...

Every youth leader understands the meaning of the fundraiser woes. You know—it's that phenomenon that wrests your focus away from ministry and leads to inundation in fundraising. After you've been thr...

Some months ago, during a weekend trip to Michigan, my wife and I drove across the Old Mission Peninsula, a narrow strip of land approximately 10 miles long. This beautiful peninsula was extraordinary for t...

It has been said that there are two types of people in the world: those who see the glass as half empty and those who see the glass as half full. Viewpoint. Attitude. Outlook. These do have an impact in ...

Dr. John Townsend Zondervan, 2015, 288 pp., $14.39 Increasingly, conversations about American culture seem to turn on the hinge of entitlement, or as Dr. Townsend describes in his soon-to-be-classic: "Entit...

Joel Mayward The Youth Cartel, 2015, 310 pp., $19.99 Every now and then, one comes across a youth ministry title that—very déjà vu—hearkens back to a previous resource such as Stephen ...

Many years ago, I used to visit a local artist's studio. I learned so much about painting from watching this artist at the easel, dabbing at the canvas with various hues and with techniques. I always was amazed...

While walking across the Golden Gate Bridge some months ago, I pondered the engineering marvel of the project itself and the idea behind the expanse. Somewhere, at some time, there was the vision of joining t...