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Tag Archives: Bible Geek

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Teens Distracted at Mass? Reverence Begins with Relevance

By | August 27, 2009

My first year in Youth Ministry was painful. I had a few solid Core Members and our Life Nights were going well. I had a supportive priest and a decent budget. I had a talented music ministry and parents who would do anything for me. I developed strong relationships with teens; saw an increase in the number of teens coming to Mass and a heightened interest in potential Core Members. All this…and I was really frustrated. “Frustrated?” some of you reading this might say. “How could you be

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5 Ways that Talks Fail Before We Open Our Mouths

By | May 19, 2009

In the past seventeen years, I’ve given more talks than I can count in more states than I can seem to remember (senility is setting in) and in many dioceses and cities I can scarcely spell. Truthfully, I think I still have yet to ever give a “great talk”. I’ve gotten close at times…certain occasions when I really felt the Spirit moving unimpededly. Most of the time, it’s a tug-of-war within my self, trying not to get in the way of God’s Spirit. My spirit is willing, but my flesh is

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Somebody help! My Youth Minister is a Control Freak!

By | May 27, 2008

WARNING: The following blog is not written for everyone – only type-A, “control freak” Catholics (like myself) need read on. The rest of you (who don’t admit it), might seek out a priest for Reconciliation (see Exodus 20:16). Now, it’s important to note that I’m not indicting you; I’m indicting myself. My first several years in ministry (and sadly, sometimes still today) my frequent attitude was “If I want it done right, I’ll have to do it myself”. That perspective is a common

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Protecting Your Teens from “Event-Based” Spirituality

By | July 26, 2007

Like many of you reading this, it’s been a busy summer for me. I figured out that I’ve traveled over 30,000 miles in the past eight weeks, by plane, rental car, bus, boat and golf cart (great gas mileage). Since Memorial Day my life has felt like one “event” after another. The Life Teen Convention was a wonderful start to summer, a truly anointed time for me, personally. Life Teen Notre Dame was another powerful week in a very different way…seeing the young church really want “more”

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No Rest for the Weary: the anti-Gospel

By | June 25, 2007

Summer is here and that means it’s time to rest, right? (Dramatic pause to wait for the laughter drenched in sarcasm to die down.) One of the biggest misconceptions about youth ministry is that summer time is “down time.” Since many ministries in the parish stop for the summer, most people assume that youth ministry must slow down, as well. As most veteran youth ministers will tell you, however, that’s just not true. It seems like summers are busier than ever. Summer camps, Steubenville

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It’s all Greek to Them: The Dangers of Speaking the Church’s Language

By | May 16, 2007

I’ve had several conversations with people in ministry lately regarding possible liturgical changes, linguistic concerns, basics of Latin and, even, foundational hermeneutics. Basically, it’s been a lot of discussion over topics that I never in my wildest of dreams envisioned myself having when I got into ministry. I’m not a liturgist. I’m not a theologian. I’m not a Bishop (though I do look good in hats). And while the conversations are engaging and the “concerns” people have

Life Teen Bible Studies

Vocations: A Bible Study

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Written by God…brought to you by the Bible Geek® Begin with a Prayer. Ask the group to take out their Bibles and divide the group into three groups. Have each group (on their own) read one of the following Scripture verses: Acts 2:42, Acts 13:44, Acts 20:7. Once read, have one volunteer from each group rise and proclaim their verse. These verses all come from the Acts of the Apostles and they give us the background of what was happening in the early Church, following Christ’s Ascension and

Life Teen Bible Studies

Temptation: A Bible Study

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Written by God…brought to you by the Bible Geek® Have you ever felt that the temptation you faced was just TOO strong? Have you ever felt like you just couldn’t avoid a sin, that you were just too weak? Read 1 Corinthians 10:13. What is it telling us? What is the catch? It says we can survive it if “what?”

Life Teen Bible Studies

Real Presence: A Bibly Study

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Written by God…brought to you by the Bible Geek® The Catholic belief and understanding of the Eucharist is not restricted to the events explained and gifted to us through Christ in the Gospel accounts, or through St. Luke in Acts and St. Paul in his writings. To understand the Eucharist from a Biblical perspective, we need to have a deeper understanding of God’s entire plan of salvation, beginning in the Old Testament. It’s obvious that the Old Testament Scriptures “prefigured” (a

Life Teen Bible Studies

Humility: A Bible Study

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Written by God…brought to you by the Bible Geek® Open with a prayer. Ask the group to take out their Bibles and begin by reading (on their own) 1 Peter 5:5-7. After everyone has read it and meditated upon it, have one teen read the passage aloud. What struck you about this passage? Allow several teens to answer. If they are reluctant at first, ask them what words or images stick out in their mind as they read it. What insight does this passage from St. Peter give us into the mind and heart