Today at summer camp, a fairly new leader approached me about not being able to connect with his guys, especially during chapel debrief times. Here are some bullet-point words of wisdom for leaders experiencing this: – Combine your group with a veteran leader for a night. Allow the other leader to lead so you can [...]

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This post was written with the permission and encouragement of the person I counseled, but his name has been changed. This post is also likely going to ruffle some feathers. The purpose of the method was to help the student realize the big picture, rather than only his current feelings. Scott and I met the [...]

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Where is God when anything happens? He’s in the place he always is. God never changes (Jas. 1:17). Our alignment with him, however, does. I received a request to write on this topic as part of a new book that’s coming out called Where Was God When…? This is the scenario I was given: I [...]

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Sometimes a student will reveal something monumental in their lives that we’ll need to help them through. Conversations I’ve had or other leaders have told me about include such topics as drug use, gender identity, sexual impurity, abuse, thoughts of suicide, among others. These can catch any youth worker off guard. However, it’s always an [...]

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Last night I participated in a Skype call with Andy Disher’s student ministry. The students submitted questions for us to answer. One of them was, “Is it okay for me, as a Christian, to date a non-Christian? Here are a few thoughts I shared: – if Christ is 1st place in your life, and you [...]

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Tonight a high school ministry leader asked for some advice. Here’s the situation and my thoughts. I’d love to know what you think. Please post a comment if you have something to share. Basic details: – Female student stopped coming to small group – Won’t return phone calls – Weeks later when a leader has [...]

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This is part 4 of a 4-part interview with Tom and Marla. In this segment, Tom and Marla talk about some pain in their family and how they used it to help other families seeking help to recover from issues of addiction. At the end of this video I mention Celebrate Recovery and Life Hurts/God [...]

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I read a great article today over at YouthMinistry.com about suicide causes, signs and preventative measures. I like that the article is written mostly in bullet points. It makes for easy-to-read-and-absorb information. I highly recommend reading through the article so you’ll be more likely to see the signs of suicide. Being aware of this information [...]

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Paying attention to some signals can betray a student’s most valiant attempts to pull the wool over my eyes. These cues are not fool-proof. However, when I see these red flags I typically do a little digging to see if there’s more to the message than they’re telling me. 1. Overly emotional about not getting [...]

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I’ve been working with a student who has lost his parents’ trust. He’s working hard to get back on the right path, but still has to work through the lingering consequences of his past choices and occasional slip-ups. Here are some ways I’m partnering with the family to work through their issues: How I’ve counseled [...]

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