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Tag Archives: Leadership

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What’s Your Kryptonite?

By | December 9, 2011
Kryptonite

Virtually every superhero has some weakness that makes them weak or unable to perform. For Superman it is Kryptonite: a rock-like green substance from his homeland that causes him to lose all super powers. A couple of weeks ago, on a flight traveling home from NCYC, I sat next to what the world would say is a highly successful businessman. We began talking about a lot of topics, including God and many other parts of life. I asked him what was the key to his success — without hesitation, he turned

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Parishnormal Activity

By | October 31, 2011

Is there Parishnormal Activity happening surrounding youth ministry at your parish? – do the Knights of Columbus accuse the teens of taking all their left over ketchup packets from last year’s Parish picnic? – is the key to the closet in the Parish Hall now attached to a Hockey stick because you as youth leader forgot to put it back at 11 o’clock one Sunday night after a 14 hour day? – do the volunteers no longer invite the teens to help stuff parish bulletins ever since “the incident” of 2009? -

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Have You Talked to Gladys?

By | October 28, 2011

Ever feel like you don’t know where to start? Youth ministry at your parish needs a boost, or maybe you are getting ready to kick off youth ministry and you don’t know the first step? Well – Have you talked to Gladys? You know her – the lady who organizes the rosary prayer group at your parish. She appears mild, meek and quite harmless. Only thing is, she and her comrades of the before “Daily Mass Rosary Crew” are prayer warriors and in reality are a big part the glue that holds many parishes together

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Following the Leader: The Struggle of Obedience

By | September 26, 2011

Obedience to God is one thing (sometimes difficult, but understandable); obedience to others is a whole different story. When it comes to submitting to other people we struggle. God is perfect; we are not. Yet, I think our discomfort with submission comes more from feeling like we are giving up control rather than a desire to actually do the disobedient or contrary actions. We want to be in charge of our world; when we are a called to function under authority, we think we are losing our freedom.

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What Are You Doing To Become A Better Youth Leader?

By | September 16, 2011

I was talking to a youth leader the other day and she lamented the fact that her parish staff didn’t respect her, in her own words, “They don’t think that youth ministry is a legitimate parish ministry.” The comment resonated with conversations with other youth leaders I have spoken with and it started me thinking. Are we as youth leaders doing anything to become better at what we are doing? Are we giving the people around us reason to believe that we are serious about being excellent at youth ministry? By

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You’re the Coach. And the Game is Life.

By | September 12, 2011

Last week, one of my favorite ministry opportunities started once again – Friday Night Football. I don’t know what it is about Friday Night Football that I like so much; I’m not even a major sports fan, but there’s something about it! As I stood on the sidelines watching the game, I had a unique perspective.

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Are You Planking?

By | August 28, 2011

The past few months people keep sending me planking photos. Planking is an activity or game consisting of lying face down in an unusual or incongruous location. The hands must touch the sides of the body and having a photograph of the participant taken and posted on the internet is an integral part of the game. Players compete to find the most unusual and original location in which to play. The term planking refers to mimicking a wooden plank. Many participants in planking have photographed the

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10 Reasons Why Youth Ministry is Going to Thrive at Your Parish

By | July 28, 2011

1.) You and your team are praying everyday for the teens you serve 2.) Hospitality toward teens and their families is overflowing 3.) Continually improving the teen Liturgy is a main focus 4.) There is a core team of adults who laugh, pray together, evangelize and spend relational ministry time with teens 5.) Each meeting you have with teens is treated like it’s another major event 6.) Teens are listened to 7.) Ministry is heading deeper rather than wider (your focused on taking what you are

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Are You Relying on Signs and Wonders?

By | July 26, 2011

I fly on jets, but still don’t know how they are able to fly with being so large and carrying so many people. I drove by an aircraft carrier the other day while on vacation and can’t believe that something that big could float. I walk down the streets of some of the world’s biggest cities amazed at how a skyscraper could reach so high. Standing at the rim of the Grand Canyon and I am in awe that water could have carved that wide and deep of a crevasse in the earth. Our world is filled with signs

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A Core Member’s Plea

By | July 25, 2011

Ever read something that immediately was a gut check for you? Perusing my email inbox, I came across a message from a core member that I felt not only her youth minister needed to read, but all of us in youth ministry could benefit from. Here is the core members unedited letter. I am a CORE member at a parish in California and this may be a rant but most of all it’s a PLEA! Our parish is huge and the life teen youth ministry is well known and established. The ministry has SO much potential yet.