The Beatles’ song Eight Days a Week referenced that they were working so hard, they were working eight days a week. This always seemed like a potential theme song for youth ministers to me. Here continues a weekly series to serve you over your next eight days with eight notes and sets of links for your information and formation. Pass these along in your e-newsletters (and offer Project YM a little love in the process, please.)
- John Maxwell reminds us that you can be a leader, no matter your title or whatever. An important read worth sharing.
- Being a leader, however, is not a rationale for entitlement.
Even youth can lead! Our title image above and our weekly poster both celebrate Malala Yousafzai, youngest recipient ever of the Nobel Peace Prize. The poster quote is from a speech at Harvard last year. (left click to enlarge, right click to print, save, or post it and share!)- Church giving dropped to 2.2 percent of members’ incomes, the lowest percentage since 1968. Are we asking enough of rich Christians on behalf of the poor? Meanwhile, do churches need a new giving model?
- In a post related to stewardship, we asked what we can learn from the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge and what might be applied towards our work in Discipleship.
- Have you seen the list of 15 youth group clichés? Hopefully, we are aiming for deeper than cliché level.
- Commonweal offers a review of Christian Smith’s Young Catholic America. Want it quick in dirty? “In this discouraging book, the future looks bad for just about every flavor of Catholic.”
- When the going looks to get tough, know as a youth minister that, for you, we ain’t got nothing but love, babe, eight days a week. Now, let the tough get going!
