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Category Archives: Blog
Blog
Can You Really Watch Your Language?
Is it just me, or is profanity becoming more and more acceptable in modern culture? I’ve had a few recent conversations with middle and high school youth about why profanity is not even seen as something bad! They told me that cursing isn’t a big deal because it pales in comparison to more destructive habits, such as drug addiction or alcoholism. The continued use of profanity can, in reality, lead to other types of destructive behavior.
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Transforming Youth Culture, Part IV of IV
Here are 7 points to focus on if you wish to transform Youth Culture and build the Kingdom of God. Be Holy. When asked what the greatest problem in the Church is, Pope John Paul II responded, “We don’t have enough saints.” Teenagers are starving for truth, but they live in a false reality and they do not know what truth looks like. They need people to witness to holiness. If you become holy, the youth will naturally follow you because you will stand above the lies of their world. Someone once asked, “Why is it that spending ten minutes with Mother Teresa can change someone’s life more than spending ten years with me?” We need to be holy if we want to transform youth culture. Youth ministers need personal prayer time, sacramental grace, spiritual direction and community more than teenagers need it. We need to make sure that we are pursuing holiness if we wish to make teenagers pursue holiness.
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Four Tips for Remembering Teens’ Names
God calls us by name. Our names, whatever the reason our parents chose, are important. Knowing our teens and calling them by name is an important part of youth ministry.
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Give It Away Now: Thirst for Change
In September 2008, Life Teen hosted the first global Life Night. As one family we donated more than 450,000 pounds of clothing to charity. In September 2009, we moved from clothing to food and were able to donate more than 200,000 food items to local food pantries and soup kitchens. This year we are at it again. This time we are joining together to “give drink to the thirsty” (another corporal work of mercy). We are asking all our Life Teen parishes to do the same Life Night and Edge Night on the same night – September 26, 2010. This time we are collecting change (and bills) to help bring clean drinking water to villages in Africa.
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Principles of Youth Culture, Part III of IV
If you have been following along with my previous blogs, I have discussed why it is important to study youth culture and what we can learn from the history and development of youth culture. In studying the current youth culture that we live in, here are 10 principles that can be observed: Youth are driven [...]
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Avoiding Burnout: Answers from I Love Lucy
Ever since I was a kid, I can honestly say that I Love Lucy. The television show, the woman (Lucille Ball), the lack of Technicolor on the TV set – I love it all! One of my favorite episodes, “Job Switching”, has Lucy and Ethel working at a candy factory while Ricky and Fred attempt housework. The most memorable scene is when the girls are placed in the wrapping department where they’re ordered to wrap every piece of chocolate on the conveyer belt in a wrapper. At first, the chocolates come out slowly but soon enough they speed past Lucy and Ethel as they shove pieces in their hats, shirts, and mouths to keep up the allusion of perfection. Looking competent, the boss orders them to “speed it up”, causing their unavoidable first day firing.
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JPCatholic University: Answering the Call of the New Evangelization
This summer I had a talk with Martin Harold from San Diego's John Paul II Catholic University after learning the school is kick-starting their MBA program. As an MBA student myself, I was curious to see what they're up to.
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Are You Recharging?
Being a father of seven children and involved in youth ministry brings many different demands and responsibilities. One of those small but very important tasks that I have to oversee is making sure that the wireless Wii remote controls are properly returned to the charger after being used. We all know that feeling of picking [...]
Blog
The History and Development of Youth Culture, Part II of IV
My wife and I were channel surfing a few weeks ago and we came across a television show called Criminal Minds. The television show is about a group of detectives who solve crimes simply by “profiling” the criminal mind. They study a crime scene and determine who the criminal is that they are looking for simply by looking at what the evidence of the crime can tell them about the person that committed the crime. This technique is applicable to youth ministry. The more we study youth culture, the more we will be able to determine how to effectively reach that disengaged teen that stands in the back at youth group and won’t participate. This blog will look at the history and development of youth culture and the impact it has on youth in our ministry.
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4 Reasons Core Members Quit
The model of having a team of leaders who are responding to a Baptismal call to serve teens can be a really effective model. In concept it potentially takes so much pressure off a single youth leader to do all the outreach, planning and relational ministry. In practice, it can help parishes reach more teens for Christ. So why is it that it is so hard to find and keep good Core members? Maybe it's time to look in the mirror and see what we may be doing that may be a roadblock to keeping Core members at our parish.
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Keeping Youth Ministry Fun & Alive
One of the worst things I ever hear out of my teens mouths is when they, speaking about a teacher, class, event, etc. say, “It was sooooo boring.” It sends shudders down my spine, gets me sweating and thinking, “Ohmigosh, was Sunday’s Life Night boring?? Is that what they told their friends on Monday at school?”
Having a “boring” youth group is the fear of every youth minister who is planning and making decisions about youth group for the teens and not for themselves (Let’s be honest - what adult REALLY loves the messy, wet game night? We do that for THEM!). The question, then, is how do we keep our youth ministry fun and alive even on Sundays that are not a Minute-to-Win-It night?
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2.23 – I’m Not Religious, I’m Spiritual
Religion vs Spirituality. What to say to someone who's "just spiritual" and doesn't need religion.
Our short answer comes from Father Paul Salemi from the Diocese of Buffalo. Joining him in the longer discussion is Life Teen's Executive Vice Preside...
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Gearing Up For A New Semester!
Well the summer has come to an end and just when you thought you would get a break, it is time for a brand new school year! Remember first things first, you cannot take care of anyone else until you are taking care of yourself. The teens will take the first couple of weeks of school to adjust to new changes in their lives. Freshmen are getting used to a new environment and a more mature world; sophomores and juniors are adjusting to the harder academics; seniors ‘think’ they are home free. As youth ministers this is an important time to be available to your teens so don’t over book yourself. Here are some tips to allow your teens and Core to gather, relax and start a great new year!
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Sunday Sunday Sunday: 08/15/10
Readings for the Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary: Revelation 11:19a, 12:1-6a, 10ab; Psalm 45:10, 11, 12, 16; 1 Corinthians 15:20-27; Luke 1:39-56.
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Understanding Youth Culture, Part I of IV
There is a tendency among Catholics who are frustrated with the poor quality of catechesis in the last few decades to look back on “better times in the Church” and say that we need to go back to methods that we used and the traditions that were emphasized back in the days when seminaries were full, youth were disciplined and children knew their catechism. The problem with this logic is that there has been an enormous cultural revolution since these days in the Church. In particular, “youth culture” has exploded in Western Civilization. Youth culture is a world that is entirely different from the world that the rest of us live in and it requires an entirely different approach to evangelization.
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5 Things That Teens Are Counting On
In the Northern Hemisphere, Teens will be heading back to school and heading back to a parish this fall. As a companion of teens on their faith journey, there are some basic things that teens are counting on you doing and being. Here are 5 things that teens are counting on from you.
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Sunday Sunday Sunday: 08/08/10
Readings for the Nineteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year C): Wisdom 18:6-9; Psalm 33:1, 12, 18-19, 20-22; Heb 11:1-2, 8-19; Luke 12:32-48.
Blog
Sometimes You Just Have to Help Yourself
Our band of 20 arrived at Cleveland Airport bright and early, super-excited for our first trip to Covecrest Life Teen Camp. After scouring Terminal D for a Starbucks, and coming up empty, I spotted a coffee kiosk. Bad news: no attendant in sight. Craving my first coffee of the day, I hung around the kiosk for several minutes, waiting for the barista to show up. Emboldened by the fact that the terminal was all but deserted, I decided to resolve the lack-of-coffee problem myself.
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Step 1 – Pray. Step 2 – Repeat.