| Betwixt: The Boy-Crazy Cheerleader Who Drove Me Bananas 7/14/2011 |
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The temptation, as leaders, is to think that we can't matter to certain kids. We want to try to label ourselves and the students around us.
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| Betwixt: Navigating the Choppy Waters of Identity 10/13/2011 |
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Most students are desperately trying to find their identity during these tumultuous few years, and it's easy to see why so many kids latch onto the first thing they stumble across: Hockey. Choir. Alcohol. A boyfriend or girlfriend.
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| Betwixt: Drowning in Technology 11/3/2011 |
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I'm curious about how I see technology influencing our everyday middle schooler--the good, the bad, and the ugly effects--right now, at this very moment.
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| Betwixt: My Biggest "Oopsies" 11/17/2011 |
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Every so often, I like to remind myself of some of my biggest failures or mistakes in ministry, just to realize how many things I've learned in my years working with youth.
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| Betwixt: Learning the Act of Juggling Fun and Ministry 6/9/2011 |
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How do I balance fun with ministry? What's that fine line between teaching something important and goofing around? How far do I let my kids get off topic before reeling them in?
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| Betwixt: The Weight of the Future on Their Shoulders 8/18/2011 |
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I often ponder how this younger generation is growing up, and how we can best assist them in their trek to maturity as caring adults and leaders.
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| Betwixt: Painful Betrayal 12/15/2011 |
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If you've ever been a middle school kid, you've been through the pain of betrayal.
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| Betwixt: The Dirty Little Secret of Ministry 1/12/2012 |
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The dirty little secret is this: sometimes, we give into that temptation to take the lazy road in our ministries.
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| Five Insights about Today's Teens 2/6/2012 |
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Despite the differences in our attitudes, experiences, and personalities, today's teens are our best allies in a hope for a brighter future.
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| Betwixt: Essential Items a Youth Leader Should Never Be Without 2/9/2012 |
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What are some things you always need to have on hand, as you're dealing with middle school kids all the time? Trash bags. Lots of trash bags.
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| Betwixt: How Did You Not Kill Us? 4/18/2012 |
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So how do you handle your temper, as you undoubtedly face frustrating situations, maddening parents, difficult leaders, ridiculous expectations or out-of-control students?
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| Betwixt: Dealing with the Dreaded Drama 5/3/2012 |
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"Drama" is a bitter reality our kids deal with every day at school.
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| Murphy's Law and God's Whispers 3/31/2011 |
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You know, that whole thought that "anything that can go wrong will go wrong"? Yeah, I think I can confirm that it's true.
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| Betwixt: Expectations of Leaders 4/14/2011 |
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One of the most important elements of my entire ministry, without a doubt, is my leaders. Without them, I'd be floundering alone in a dark, dangerous, and life-sucking whirlpool.
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| Betwixt: The (Unexpected) Joys of Middle School Ministry 4/28/2011 |
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Sometimes, in the midst of our biggest struggles and most unbearable pains, God gives us a little glimpse of something incredible--our whisper of hope in a time when things seem the darkest.
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| Betwixt: Alone? Alienated? Abandoned? Nope! 6/24/2011 |
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A lot of us can feel like we're alone in our jobs, but we have a God who never leaves us.
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| Betwixt: Stealing Kids (Without Breaking the Law) 9/22/2011 |
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When I say "stealing kids," I mean the notion of capturing their attention completely with pure wonder at the work of the Holy Spirit, the creative genius of our Father God and the unimaginable love of our Savior Jesus.
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| Betwixt: Getting the Shy Ones to Talk 3/28/2013 |
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Some tips on working with the quieter students in your group and getting them to talk.
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| Hospitality How-To 5/12/2011 |
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As teachers and leaders and parents, it's up to us to model hospitality for our young students. When it's a priority for us, it will be easy for our students to emulate because they've seen us living it out.
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| Betwixt: The Elusive and Fleeting "Aha!" Moment 9/29/2011 |
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A light bulb going off in the mind of every kid sitting in your youth group or classroom is definitely not a guarantee in our line of work.
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| Betwixt: Keeping it Together 12/1/2011 |
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Leaders keep it together and do the right thing when everything else around them is falling apart.
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| Betwixt: Who We're Really Doing it For 4/16/2013 |
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It's not about what we're doing, but WHO we're doing it for.
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| Arriving, Surviving and Thriving at Your Middle School Retreat 4/16/2010 |
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Planning a retreat for middle schoolers is an opportunity for you to invest in the growth of your students' spiritual lives, build relationships with them, and have a lot of fun together. Done properly, I believe a retreat can have a life-long impact.
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| Betwixt: Vanilla Frosting and Dirty Gym Towels Can Really Put Things in Perspective 8/11/2010 |
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on lessons learned in Middle School Ministry
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| Betwixt: Newborn Kittens in Shark-Infested Waters 8/25/2010 |
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on the faith life of tweens
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| Betwixt: When Your Roommate Cusses at the TV 9/23/2010 |
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thoughts on outreach
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| What Youth Want from their Leaders, Part 2 10/15/2010 |
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The conclusion to what youth are looking for from their leaders.
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| Betwixt: What Youth Want from their Leaders, Part 1 10/6/2010 |
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The longer I work with youth, the more I realize that I need to be plugged into them to really know what's going on beneath the surface and be effective in sharing Christ's incredible love with them.
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| Betwixt: Good Cop, Bad Cop--Can You Be Both? 11/4/2010 |
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Myths about discipline
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| Betwixt: They Think I'm Crazy...Until They See the Kids I Work With 1/5/2011 |
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As youth leaders, we need to know everything we can about our kids, so we can best learn how to work with them and help them grow in their faith. Here's a quick glimpse of what exactly we're dealing with when we talk about your average middle school student.
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| Betwixt: Good Cop, Bad Cop, part 2 11/24/2010 |
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| Betwixt: What Keeps Me Going? 1/20/2011 |
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Sometimes my job can drive me absolutely bonkers. Can anyone else relate?
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| Betwixt: When Middle Schoolers Strike Back (a personal anecdote) 2/3/2011 |
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I've learned a fearful lesson about pranking the hard way: Never give your secrets away to middle school youth.
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| Betwixt: Crickets Chirping Into the Silence - Tackling Student Prayer 2/17/2011 |
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| Betwixt: Adapting and Evolving 2/25/2011 |
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As unpredictable and ever-changing as our jobs are, that's the reality we have to live with as youth leaders. It's the nature of our ministry.
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| Handling the Bubbling Stew of Emotion 5/13/2011 |
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The passage from middle school to high school ministry is a significant occasion. Students facing this change are caught up in a mixture of excitement, dread, nervousness, poignant sentimentalism, and utter uncertainty.
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| Betwixt: Six Untrue Stereotypes of Middle School Ministry 3/8/2012 |
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There are countless misconceptions about middle school ministry. Some are well-founded, but other stereotypes of middle school ministry aren't quite accurate.
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| Why Fellow Leaders are Invaluable 3/22/2012 |
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When I know that my leaders are confidently operating in their God-given strengths, using the training we've given them, and impacting students positively in their faith, there's no music sweeter to my ears than that.
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| True Confessions of a Total Goofball, Part 1 9/6/2012 |
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Get inside the minds of two total goofballs with this interview from Cassie.
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| The Incredible Shrinking Attention Span 1/3/2013 |
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Some tips on how to help kids focused.
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| Betwixt: Puppy Love 2/19/2013 |
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Puppy love has hit your youth bad...so what do you do?
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| Taking Care of Yourself 3/14/2013 |
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As a leader, you need to take time to take care of yourself in order to better take care of those around you.
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| Betwixt: Crafting Relevant Lessons 5/31/2012 |
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My job is to know my students, to learn their struggles, and to come alongside and provide them with rich, thought-provoking materials and experiences that would fan the flames of their personal faith.
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| True Confessions of a Total Goofball Part 2 9/21/2012 |
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More insight on how to approach the goofballs in your group.
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| Betwixt: Gas Explosions in the Church? 10/25/2012 |
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Seize those teachable moments where ever they show up!
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| Mosquito Bite Ministry 10/11/2012 |
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Even mosquitoes can give us something to think about.
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| The Slowly Deflating Youth Group 12/19/2012 |
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When doubt about your role in working with you creeps in, we find hope in Jesus.
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| Betwixt: Phrases Youth Leaders Never Want to Hear 1/24/2013 |
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There are phrases youth workers never want to hear. These are a few of them.
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| Dealing with Negativity 11/29/2012 |
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One of the most difficult parts of youth ministry is dealing with negativity.
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