New Seires- Weird

  I know I haven't been up on this blog much (I've been focussing on my other blog: www.youthmaster.blogspot.com) so, this is kind of a revamp of this blog. I'm back and want to share all the stuff I put together so you can get free content and free ideas and help for your youth ministry!   Inspired by Lifechurch.tv and Craig Groeschel's series: "Weird" is the new series I am running with my Middle Schoolers here in the inner-city of...

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Pinnochio Vs. The Real Boy

This has been a long time coming, but as of March 20th my book has been out for sale! I can't tell you how grateful I am to those who helped me get this off the ground and the willingness of my family to share our story with the world is an extreme blessing to me! I started this journey about 3 years ago when God sparked my heart to do a sermon series on 1 John 1:5-2:2 with my then High School Students in Nyack, NY. Once that series ignited the...

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Taking Your Licks

  In Ministry, it's foolish to think you won't feel like these beat up old shoes to your left...because it's going to happen.   The past couple of weeks have been that way for me.  I feel a little beat up, bruised and banged up.  I feel as if I could be doing something better with the ministry, yet it still seems to be slipping into chaos.    God has been doing some amazing things: we've grown!  Students are...

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NOISE

The Lives of our teens are filled with NOISE, just flat out loud visual, emotional, spiritual and physical noise that distracts them.    Noise that takes the form of stupid shows like Jersey Shore.  Noise that takes shape in Facebook, TV, dumb books and and waste-of-time-boyfriends.   All of this noise, which comes from our common enemy is to distract these teens from having a true, honest and meaningful relationship with their...

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The Compulsion of the Gospel

 "We are not in contact with another world. We are happily in contact with this world. But those disciples were other worldly...the Church these days does not have a sense of wonder" (Tozer, The Mystery of the Holy Spirit, pg. 56).    I've been thinking lately and asking myself why teens have been walking away from faith, trying to see a pattern with what's going on and what Youth Ministry should look like in order to lead students...

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Uncommon Friends & Peer Pressure- Review

  Recently, I was asked to review some curriculum from Gospel Light and the first one up for review is The Christian Life. This book is put together in a 12 week series, with 6 of the sessions being on Friends- Building Relationships; Strengthening Friendships; Serving Our Friends; Gossip; Jealousy and Unresolved Anger The second half is 6 weeks on Peer Pressure: Standing Firm; Beware and Be Wise; Get Your Ears on Straight; Go by the Book;...

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The Amazing Christmas Race

It is that time of year again and my wheels have been spinning with some new Christmas ideas and I thought I would share what I'm doing this Christmas to see if it can help any of you all out there.   First off, let me share an amazing resource with you.  Many of you may know this, but Minute to Win It hosted by Guy Fieri is a sess-pool of amazing youth group game ideas and there Christmas ideas are just as potent as their other games. ...

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