The Source for Youth Ministry

Experiences that Teach

From The Source for Youth Ministry on Wednesday, October 14, 2020 @ 9:31 AM PST
in the "Resources" Category.
Last weekend, I took 7 teenagers with me to give out food to the homeless, and the experience proved far more memorable than any lesson I taught recently...

Rock Skip Robot- The Science of Perfect Rock Skipping

From The Source for Youth Ministry on Sunday, September 27, 2020
in the "Resources" Category.
Mark Rober's emphasis of the engineering design process shows his own commitment to achieving the best possible result in the end. In the same way, God is determined to work in believers to achieve the optimal result at the end of your story...

Before You Go

From The Source for Youth Ministry on Wednesday, September 23, 2020 @ 5:19 PM PST
in the "Resources" Category.
As a young boy in Scotland, Lewis Capaldi tragically lost his aunt to suicide. Years later, he wrote the song Before You Go, asking difficult questions about how to help somebody who is struggling with these or other dark thoughts...

Owning Their Faith

From The Source for Youth Ministry on Wednesday, September 23, 2020 @ 9:30 AM PST
in the "Resources" Category.
Tony, a high school boy in our ministry, begged me to let him speak at youth group. He said that he felt like he needed to tell his friends about Jesus and the incredible difference Jesus made in his life...

Let them Lead

From The Source for Youth Ministry on Wednesday, September 2, 2020 @ 9:30 AM PST
in the "Resources" Category.
When COVID shut down our in-person youth ministry, I challenged my youth to record a one-minute devotional video, and each day I would send one of them out to the group...

Taking a Stand on TikTok

From The Source for Youth Ministry on Thursday, August 27, 2020 @ 1:30 PM PST
in the "Resources" Category.
In these two short TikTok videos, teen influencer Cash Baker calls out two groups while taking a stand for his faith. Was he right? How can Christians take a firm stand on their convictions and faith...but do so in a respectful and gentle manner?

My Future

From The Source for Youth Ministry on Friday, August 14, 2020 @ 12:50 PM PST
in the "Resources" Category.
Popular recording artist Billie Eilish's My Future is described as a song contemplating her past and the effects it had on her outlook on life and the future. Eilish declares she is ready to put the past behind her, but it raises the question of what it really means to find hope in our troubles. Eilish has endured some hard things, and now is turning inward to find hope in herself. Will it be enough?...

People Over Program

From The Source for Youth Ministry on Wednesday, July 8, 2020 @ 4:47 PM PST
in the "Resources" Category.
If we are too focused on program (I've gotta set up these games, let's practice this worship set one more time and get it perfect, let me just finish the PowerPoint slides on my talk...) that we miss people...we've done nothing. Again, none of these practices: setting up games, practicing worship songs, perfecting a talk) are bad...until they distract us from...

A Change is Gonna Come

From The Source for Youth Ministry on Wednesday, July 8, 2020 @ 4:35 PM PST
in the "Resources" Category.
Nearly sixty years ago, singer and songwriter Sam Cooke wrote this song in response to being turned away from a hotel because of the color of his skin. Intended to be an anthem for the Civil Rights Movement, this song has become a timeless classic due to the universal message of hope it proclaims...

Changing Lanes

From The Source for Youth Ministry on Wednesday, July 1, 2020 @ 2:50 PM PST
in the "Resources" Category.
This is a short clip about one lawyer trying to justify his illegal activity to another lawyer. His hope was that he would do more good than harm across his life. Then he asked a really good question: What should I be basing my life on? In other words, Where should I be turning to know what's good or bad, right from wrong?...

The Bones

From The Source for Youth Ministry on Friday, June 5, 2020 @ 5:49 PM PST
in the "Resources" Category.
Written as a reflection of strong relationships, "The Bones" is written by country music sensation Maren Morris. Painting a picture of a relationship that stands strong through storms because of its solid foundation, the song raises the question of how someone can build a relationship with an unmovable foundation...

Surviving Zoom Fatigue

From The Source for Youth Ministry on Wednesday, May 27, 2020 @ 2:57 PM PST
in the "Resources" Category.
If you are feeling "zoomed out," I promise you - many of your teens are also. Here are some of the key practices I have done to fight my own lack of connections...

Sunday Best

From The Source for Youth Ministry on Thursday, May 14, 2020 @ 2:20 PM PST
in the "Resources" Category.
Written to reflect their spiritual beliefs, Texas based Surfaces wrote Sunday Best to express their belief that every day can be better than the next. The idea of finding joy in challenging times is one we see in the Bible, provoking discussion about what it looks like to choose joy in tough times.

Helping lonely kids...which is most of them

From The Source for Youth Ministry on Wednesday, May 13, 2020 @ 10:01 AM PST
in the "Resources" Category.
How can you help an already stressed out generation, now hurting more than ever before, when screens aren't fulfilling? Here's three foundational practices helping lonely kids...

Alicia Keys' Biggest Decision

From The Source for Youth Ministry on Monday, May 4, 2020 @ 12:00 PM PST
in the "Resources" Category.
Faced with what might have been the most important decision of her life, Alicia Keys realized that nothing was more important than her baby so she decided to give birth to the child and named the boy Genesis. This story has a happy ending, but...