Is He listening? It’s a question that many children (and, let’s be honest, adults too!) often wonder about. When we talk to children about prayer, we often describe it as “talking to God”. And that’s true, of course. We certainly want to encourage our kids to talk with God – anytime, anywhere, about anything. We want them to know that they can tell God anything – they can brag or cry, complain or giggle. Th…
Let’s face it, as teenagers go our students these days are extremely busy. Soccer. Hockey. Band. Soccer. Girl Scouts. Boy Scouts. Soccer. Dance team. Cheerleaders. Soccer. Soccer. And all of that is before we even get around to school work, and the crushing weight of homework. So into that busy schedule, imagine if you will, that you would like your student to carry a familiarity with the a…
"Be still, and know that I am God! I am exalted among the nations, I am exalted in the earth." (Psalm 46:10, NRSV) What a gift in our hectic days to be able to take time to just “be still” and to allow God to speak to us. It is what Pope Gregory was talking about in the 6th Century when he spoke of the need to allow ourselves to just rest in God. There are always things that will com…
Children are a big part of our world, and are often central in our lives. In our roles as parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, neighbors, and friends; in line at the grocery store, when we go out to eat, take a walk in our neighborhood, go shopping at the mall; almost everywhere we are, we see children… and are amused, annoyed, charmed, frustrated, entertained by them. So I guess it’s no sur…
It always comes up. In conversations around my friends at the seminary, as everyone this time of year is trying to sort out what we're going to be doing next, and many of my friends are desperately searching for jobs, the question is almost always asked: Why would you want to do youth ministry? People have a hard time believing that I would enjoy dodgeball (I do), and week long mission trips…
