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One afternoon into sorting through the library I inherited, I have a few comments to make: If you are a publisher of youth ministry items, DO NOT put pictures of teenagers in your materials, especially in the handouts. A picture of a guy with a curly mullet wearing tight short shorts circa 1979 will be [...]
New starts involve sorting. Between a new position, a new apartment, and a new baby, I’ve got a lot of sorting coming my way in the next few weeks. I sorted my limited office at the old church last week before leaving, and felt like I did a pretty good job. But now I am [...]
I think I have found my dream-student. Slate.com is carrying a blog by one of its regular writers called “Blogging the Bible.” He’s going through the Torah as a semi-observant, but not completely immersed Jew, admitting his lack of knowledge of the text, and reading it right out and honestly, straight through, not skipping the [...]
I love good sermon analogies, especially when they are so delightfully odd, and yet relevant that I cannot even be jealous that I didn’t come up with them. (Actually, with proper attribution, I can use them myself later on. Most preachers are flattered by the re-use!) In the last few days, I’ve come across two. First, [...]
Finally, seven years after starting seminary, three years after ordination, a year after starting the whole “presbyquest” process, and six months after starting a search, I have my first “called and installed” ministry position. Yesterday, the congregation of Fox Valley Presbyterian Church in Geneva, IL voted to call me as their Associate Pastor for Children [...]
Add this to the listof simple pleasures—shorts. I wouldn’t necessarily call myself a shorts fan. My knees are not my favorite body part, and I like the summery-skirt look better. But I just put on my new $8.00 denim shorts (maternity, fabulous consignment shop, 30 minutes frantically trying on every pair of shorts that might [...]
For the past 3 months, way too many aspects of my life have been up in the air. I really don’t like uncertainty. I like to be spontaneous, but uncertainty, especially when it involves: (a) work and call (b) where I live (c) the developing child in my womb (d) when that child will be [...]
My cousin Katrina, whom I cannot rave about enough, has just put together her own website. (Seems a certain recent high school graduate suddenly has some free time on her hands…) And the highlight of the site may well be the video clip of all six of my younger cousins (all of whom I cannot [...]
After an afternoon and evening, and a late night, too, glued to the webcast, I am done for the year with the CRC Synod. Check Mary’s blog for good comments, and a few of my rants on the subject. I am grateful for the men who stuck their necks out for us women in the [...]
Just to get my brain thinking about the new call, yesterday I finished Family-Based Youth Ministry, by Mark DeVries. The basic idea: family will always have a stronger influence on a teenager (even if the teenager is loathe to admit this!) than a dynamic youth worker. Youth ministry must include parents. And, youth ministry must [...]