Not My Own

Growing up in Grand Rapids, Michigan, when I lived there I didn't think it was anything that special. It is known for being the second cloudiest city in the nation (#1 being Seattle), and it's nicknamed the "Furniture City" known for it's production of furniture. WOO HOO. It was and will always be where my home roots are but I never felt any special bond with the city while living there. It wasn't until I moved away that I truly appreciated my home town for what it was. After living in Nashville for almost three years now, I now understand what it means to have a sense of pride and value from where I come from. Moving form the North to the South is a bit of a cultural shift. There are elements that are similar, but I have learned to appreciate the differences. What helped me learn this was removing myself from the familiar and stepping into a place and culture a bit unfamiliar. Leaving my comfort zone helped me gain a whole new understanding. How can we ge

Visiting youth during their school lunch time can be difficult. First of all, some schools do not let in any visitors at all. Other schools make it tricky by first making you get a background check and your fingers printed. Other schools require notes from parents and identification. If they finally let a youth worker in, usually we are instructed to not talk about religion or invite youth to our church. After all this, then trying to find some of your youth in a wild sea of teenagers in an overcrowded lunch room is like looking for a certain type of fish in the ocean.   It can be a humiliating experience as some teens glare at you assuming you are someone’s parent or in my case when teachers yell at me to get back to class.   But once you get through that entire mess let me tell you a few reasons why it is worth it… 1. You get to know your youth outside of church and see who they really are. 2. You get to meet their friends and this is how I have seen the most growth in our you

I have had a lot on my plate lately and I am struggling with what it means to let go of my own burdens and other people's burdens. Most of these struggles are doubts and frustrations that come from being a youth minister.  How do I give my worries to God and truly be set free? That is one of my greatest struggles. I constantly wonder if I am doing a good job and how that is defined.Questions constantly haunt me like... Are student's spiritual needs being met? Do most of the students and volunteers feel reached out to? What does it mean to be a successful youth minister? Am I equipping parents enough? Are lessons deep enough? Are events fun enough? Are relationships meaningful enough? Am I doing enough? WHAT IS ENOUGH? The pressure of ministry can be overwhelming if you are constantly wondering.. "Am I doing good enough". The answer you are going to get from the enemy "NO. You are a fail." No wonder so many youth ministers quit after two years. On the edg