Feed Your Need for Feedback
Just about every week there comes a point where I find myself thinking, “why won’t they just TELL me what they think?!” I’m talking about my coworkers, my family, my toddler–they all have their moments where it seems like I can’t get any recognition of what I’m doing or helpful tips on how to make myself better.
As humans, we crave feedback from other humans constantly, to help confirm our own beliefs about ourselves. This may mean we surround ourselves with and seek out only those who agree with us–which can lead us to make it much harder to illuminate what we can do to improve ourselves. KEEP READING
Be Aware of Self Care
It was the Fall of 2007 and I was a new hire at a parish school in Queens, NY, just four miles from where I was living. I was eager and excited for challenge, wouldn’t you be? Soon as events went better and the program grew, more responsibilities fell on my lap. “Can you help on the parish council?”, “are you free on your day off to give a talk to the confirmation group?”, “We have a three day long Christmas tree sale, can you organize teens and stand in the snow and rain and sell trees ?” Of course I jumped at the chance to serve! KEEP READING
Ministry Can Be Lonely
Ministry can be lonely.
Especially youth ministry. My first two years of ministry did not prepare me well for the next ten years. I started youth ministry as an intern at a parish with 3 full time staff members, a college intern (me), and two high school interns. It was a large parish in North Dallas and we were able to do some amazing ministry to about 600 youth. We were a tight leadership group with tons of volunteer support, a large budget, and dedicated facilities.
It was also a total deception of what youth ministry looks like in most parishes. KEEP READING
Five Tips for Thriving in Your First Year of Ministry
The first year of ministry is challenging. There, I said it. I’m in my third year of professional ministry, and with all of the ups and downs and constant transition, it is difficult to maintain a steady prayer life, social life, and an overall healthy lifestyle. As a fellow rookie in ministry, I’ve come up with five tips to help you thrive in your first year of ministry.
Five: Find a supportive community
The first year of ministry is a year of questions and of trust. We find ourselves questioning our decisions, our plans, and our place in this ministry. One of the most important pieces to making sure that you thrive in your first year is to find a supportive community. KEEP READING
Best. Communication. Tips. Ever.
I love Stranger Things. I binge-watched it when it came out. I made jokes with my fiancée about how cute the kids in the show were and we laughed about the CGI monsters. Then, I promptly forgot about it (as one does until Season 2 comes back with a vengeance).
That was until the cast became A-List celebrities overnight and saw an absurd amount of media attention hoisted onto 13 year olds, the bulk of the attention being centered on Millie Bobby Brown’s personal life, style, and relationships (a term I use lightly as she is so young).
It suddenly seemed like I couldn’t escape the vicious discussion and life of Millie Bobby Brown and her relationship with Jacob Sartorius: it was posted all over twitter and Instagram as people everywhere discussed her shading him, or them kissing, or him cheating on her, or anything else. KEEP READING
Happy Advent!
We want to help
your ministry thrive.
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We want to help your ministry thrive.
Feed Your Need for Feedback
Just about every week there comes a point where I find myself thinking, “why won’t they just TELL me what they think?!” I’m talking about my coworkers, my family, my toddler–they all have their moments where it seems like I can’t get any recognition of what I’m doing or helpful tips on how to make myself better.
As humans, we crave feedback from other humans constantly, to help confirm our own beliefs about ourselves. This may mean we surround ourselves with and seek out only those who agree with us–which can lead us to make it much harder to illuminate what we can do to improve ourselves. KEEP READING
Be Aware of Self Care
It was the Fall of 2007 and I was a new hire at a parish school in Queens, NY, just four miles from where I was living. I was eager and excited for challenge, wouldn’t you be? Soon as events went better and the program grew, more responsibilities fell on my lap. “Can you help on the parish council?”, “are you free on your day off to give a talk to the confirmation group?”, “We have a three day long Christmas tree sale, can you organize teens and stand in the snow and rain and sell trees ?” Of course I jumped at the chance to serve! KEEP READING
Ministry Can Be Lonely
Ministry can be lonely.
Especially youth ministry. My first two years of ministry did not prepare me well for the next ten years. I started youth ministry as an intern at a parish with 3 full time staff members, a college intern (me), and two high school interns. It was a large parish in North Dallas and we were able to do some amazing ministry to about 600 youth. We were a tight leadership group with tons of volunteer support, a large budget, and dedicated facilities.
It was also a total deception of what youth ministry looks like in most parishes. KEEP READING
Five Tips for Thriving in Your First Year of Ministry
As a fellow rookie in ministry, I’ve come up with five tips to help you thrive in your first year of ministry and maintain an overall healthy lifestyle.
Best. Communication. Tips. Ever.
I love Stranger Things. I binge-watched it when it came out. I made jokes with my fiancée about how cute the kids in the show were and we laughed about the CGI monsters. Then, I promptly forgot about it (as one does until Season 2 comes back with a vengeance). That...
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It’s here. It’s queer. Are we getting used to it yet? This June is Pride Month in the United States and throughout the world. Adults identifying as LGBT is increasing over time and across generations. Same sex attraction is “coming out” into the limelight. We see it...
How to Communicate Your Ministry to Others
“Preach the Gospel at all times. If necessary use words.” This quote is famously attributed to Saint Francis of Assisi, when in fact, we have no solid evidence that he ever spoke these words. What we do know with certainty is that he was a very effective preacher and...
Show the Dads in Your Life Some Love
I remember my dad being larger than life. He wasn't a very tall man, only stood about 5'5" if he was really trying. But his outgoing sales personality and fierce love he had for the people in his life made him appear 7 feet tall. He could make anything fun, was...
13 Reasons Why Season 2
The truth is your students are watching 13 Reasons Why. When season 1 was released, teens everywhere spent their Spring Break binging the entire season. And with season 2 coming out earlier this month, your teens are probably binge watching it right now – if they...
Youth Ministers Need to Watch This
There's a lot of great videos out there for youth ministers – including ones that we've created. But this video from Roy Petitfils might be the most important and impactful video a youth minister will ever watch. Drawing from his own experience as a young person – and...
Be The Vision – Plan for an Amazing Year
"Without a vision the people lose restraint, but happy is the one who follows instruction." (Proverbs 29:18) It has come to the end of another youth ministry year and summer trips, socials, and special events are right around the corner. Your schedule is packed. Yet,...
How to Respond to “Why” and “How do We Know?”
Today I attended the funeral of a family friend – a 25 year old young man. He leaves behind his parents, 2 younger siblings, one older brother, grandparents, cousins, aunts, uncles, and a host of friends. The Church was packed – as was the funeral home in the days...
Mary, Our Model of Faith
May is traditionally a month Catholics set aside to honor Our Lady. She is our Heavenly Mother and she loves to hear from us. How can we foster our devotion to Mary as youth ministers? Why is it important? Here are just a few tips to help you grow closer as a youth...
