Marathon Youth Ministry

Really good, simple, practical advice that is many...

2010-03-08T22:25:16.735-05:00

Really good, simple, practical advice that is many times overlooked! Good post, man.

Thanks God that he doesn't require us to lead only...

2010-01-07T10:56:26.220-05:00

Thanks God that he doesn't require us to lead only on our own strength. He does provide us with more as he see us making an effort to follow Him. Being a leader comes one step at time, born from faith. Being a leader is not for wimps, remember what Pope John Paul II said "be not afraid". It requires a strength that challenges you to make judgments based on God truth and to experience challenges so you can grow in the truth.

I want to quote your post in my blog. It can? And ...

2009-12-25T05:26:03.110-05:00

I want to quote your post in my blog. It can?
And you et an account on Twitter?

Chris, that is a wonderful analogy and so very tru...

2009-12-13T14:40:19.208-05:00

Chris, that is a wonderful analogy and so very true. I will definitely take some time to try to make sure that I stay spiritually healthy! I will also pray that you start to feel physically better. Your words are so very inspirational. God Bless

Taking a day off is a great idea, sometimes I try ...

2009-12-09T15:04:12.983-05:00

Taking a day off is a great idea, sometimes I try to take a day to do nothing too, but I make sure that the nothing also refreshes me too.

I've been up to 2am most of the week taking on too...

2009-12-09T14:57:15.223-05:00

I've been up to 2am most of the week taking on too much. I just blocked out all day Saturday the 19th to do nothing!

I found this site using [url=http://google.com]goo...

2009-11-10T14:31:51.192-05:00

I found this site using [url=http://google.com]google.com[/url] And i want to thank you for your work. You have done really very good site. Great work, great site! Thank you!

Sorry for offtopic

Chris, I have been living off of cash for a long t...

2009-11-10T14:23:05.024-05:00

Chris,
I have been living off of cash for a long time (for my age). Sometimes it is really hard when there is something that you want but you have to wait to get it or you won't get groceries that night, But it is so liberating to not have any debt for silly things that you can obviously live without. It makes me laugh because the more aware I am of my money the more I realize that God really does call us to lives of patient and happy self-denial.
I love reading your blog. It is so interesting to pick up on a trend and see how your thinking is evolving, all the while you are keeping God the center.

I'd like to invite you to contribute to the resource library that my ministry is creating for youth pastors (www.calledtoyouthminsitry.com. We are trying to get a good base of information available from youth pastors to share with others in student ministry so that we can encourage and build each other up. If you are interested we would love to hear from you and publish your work on our site.
Thank you for your ministry and for your blogging.
Keep up the writing!
God bless,
Betsy

betsy@calledtoyouthministry.com

You had to bring it up. Wait till next year. GO O'...

2009-11-05T14:17:20.541-05:00

You had to bring it up. Wait till next year. GO O'sssssssss!!!!!

#4 is a big one. I certainly see how my lack of en...

2009-09-17T12:47:57.717-04:00

#4 is a big one. I certainly see how my lack of encouragement has led one volunteer to question how much I "valued" her, even though I valued her very highly and thought the world of the ministry she was doing. I just never told her.

I would add training to this list. Having a list of expectations is great, but I think some people don't become leaders because they feel ill equipped. What I usually do is say that I will make sure they have the tools they need to do their job well. That usually helps. :)

Just don't let these battles distract you from the...

2009-09-09T21:42:45.103-04:00

Just don't let these battles distract you from the REAL battle: that Satan wants to destroy your kids and Jesus wants to redeem them.

Adults are also more likely to give you a courtesy...

2009-08-25T00:48:37.999-04:00

Adults are also more likely to give you a courtesy laugh when your jokes bomb! :D

I think having a few opportunities to preach in fr...

2009-08-16T21:58:26.992-04:00

I think having a few opportunities to preach in front of the entire congregation is important for any youth leader because it helps build trust with parents and with other members of the church. I just had a similar opportunity to yours a week ago. Nerve-racking, certainly!

Chris, this kind of blew me away because a few wee...

2009-08-13T12:01:03.050-04:00

Chris, this kind of blew me away because a few weeks ago I went through this period where I was waking up every day at almost precisely 4am. And my anxiety would just shoot through the roof. And it was all about worries regarding this program or that and getting things done and following up and trying to cover myself on the things I had procrastinated on. And it wasn't until I just gave it up to God that I was able to cycle back into some sense of normalcy. We do forget just how big God is and how little we trust sometimes... not just trust in ourselves, but trust in God.

welcome back. missed your musings

2009-08-12T17:45:12.002-04:00

welcome back. missed your musings

This is awesome!

2009-07-17T18:24:06.194-04:00

This is awesome!

A couple of years ago I went on this retreat and i...

2009-07-04T23:53:04.966-04:00

A couple of years ago I went on this retreat and it is a most amazing experience for all who attend; youth and ministers alike. These teens are “unplugged” from their normal routine and are immersed with thousands of other Catholic youth in a celebration of faith. It’s an experience that opens their hearts and mind to God like nothing else can do. THANKS TO CHRIS AND THE MINISTERS for giving our conformation candidates this wonderful experience. And as a church let us encourage these young men and woman to continue contemplating their relationship with God from this new and deeper perspective.

Too funny! I love the balloon story. Also, thanks...

2009-04-15T11:36:00.000-04:00

Too funny! I love the balloon story.

Also, thanks Chris for all you did for the Rise worship service and the Praise Party! You need to be a performer for the Time Travelers Ministry. You were awesome!

You are a busy guy. Good insights.

2009-04-08T14:06:00.000-04:00

You are a busy guy. Good insights.

It was great seeing you again and meeting your wif...

2008-10-07T15:06:15.757-04:00

It was great seeing you again and meeting your wife. Congratulations again on the weight loss. I love your blog design!

your blog layout looks awesome! plus i really like...

2008-09-17T22:36:32.271-04:00

your blog layout looks awesome!
plus i really liked your post. i find myself in the same boat-i hate to say it, but sometimes it's like I am trying to get AWAY from faith based things when I get home. it's hard to not confuse or intertwine the two..

yeah! its much better,

2008-08-11T15:03:53.524-04:00

yeah! its much better,

Twitter is a great tool to stay connected with peo...

2008-07-03T16:37:19.033-04:00

Twitter is a great tool to stay connected with people. Especially for youth ministry it can be useful to communicate with your group. There are many web 2.0 tools that you can use - twitter, tumblr, facebook, etc.

I always question how can a Catholic Church be pur...

2008-06-20T13:40:10.874-04:00

I always question how can a Catholic Church be purpose driven?

I enjoyed that post. The helpful suggestions at th...

2006-09-23T21:27:56.183-04:00

I enjoyed that post. The helpful suggestions at the bottom encouraged me-because it's easier to just listen and remain quiet and convince yourself that is okay. Instead, we NEED to walk away as a part of showing mercy and compassion. It declares that the person's worth is more important than fulfilling little temptations as "being in the know." Good summary! -Kristin