When are we coming out of this? The answer, I think, is gradually. It will be a gradual re-emergence into stores, restaurants, and public in general. And perhaps, for you, that will begin sooner than later. And while there will inevitably be some measure of trepidation at this re-emergence, in that we will certainly not want to jump on a mosh pit on day 1, surely there are places you know you want to go. Restaurants you want to eat at. Friends you want to see in person. We are hungry for these things, and because we are, it … [Read more...]
Don’t Waste a Good Crisis
“Don't waste a good crisis.” That’s the line my executive pastor quoted a couple of years back when we were dealing with another hard situation in our church, and that’s one of the phrases that’s been coming to mind as I think about how to love and shepherd people well in this Covid-19 season. There are opportunities to be taken advantage of in the midst of every crazy situation. As a young adult pastor, I’ve been looking forward so much to the time when I can get back together with the different young families, young … [Read more...]
4 Thoughts for Strategic Re-Opening for Young Adult Leaders
God has always leveraged crisis moments. Historically, God leveraged the Egyptian captivity to install a theocracy in the nation of Israel. God used the Babylonian exile to expedite Israel’s longing for the Messiah (and according to some historians, spark the synagogue worship system from which Jesus would later teach). And of course, God leveraged the greatest crisis in the history of mankind—the God-Man on the cross—for the salvation for sinners. But while maximizing crisis for His purposes is nothing new for God, it may be … [Read more...]
Losing Normal, Gaining Jesus
“Normal is a setting on your dishwasher.” The whole of my undergraduate psychology class raised a muffled chuckle. Our professor was replying to a question asked in all sincerity about a particular personality type. He wasn’t being snarky or cruel. In fact, his tone was just as serious as that of my classmate who asked the question. He was making a point. Yet, back then, my youthful cynicism was unsettled. I went home that day to check if he was right. Sure enough, there was normal, right between pots and … [Read more...]
What Young Adults Need to Know from Their Ministry Leaders Right Now
Life has felt like a rollercoaster since the beginning of March. Honestly, I still haven’t fully adjusted to all the changes happening. My emotions have been a mess, and my attitude has been flip-flopping between hopeful and apathetic. The word “disappointment” perfectly describes my life since early March. With the shock of finding out I wouldn’t be returning to college this semester, I didn’t know how to respond. Of course, I was glad about getting to be home with my family for two extra months of the year. But I knew I’d … [Read more...]
To Plan or Not to Plan?
If you are anything like me, one of the biggest challenges for ministry leaders during this season is centered around planning for the fall. We want to do our best to minister to young adults, but we don’t know what the future realities, new regulations, and bank of resources will be by the time September rolls around. We want to create a plan, but it is frustrating when we feel like there isn’t enough certainty to confidently move forward with the plans we have. I think none of us would say the best thing is to do nothing, but … [Read more...]
5 Reasons to Read Habakkuk Now
"Look among the nations, and see; wonder and be astounded. For I am doing a work in your days that you would not believe if told" (Habakkuk 1:5, ESV). Habakkuk prophesied in a time when things were going from bad to worse. The Assyrians, a cruel and ruthless empire, were on their way out and the Babylonians were on their way in. Habakkuk probably could not remember a moment in his life that was not filled with the suffering of God’s covenant people. Through his entire prophetic ministry, he never saw it come to an end. If there … [Read more...]
4 Reasons Why Disappointment is an Opportunity for Discipleship
When you grow up in Texas, as I did, you were schooled up in the stories of the Alamo. It’s legendary—a small group of freedom fighters who took their stand against incredible odds in the small mission in San Antonio (of course, I only later found out that these “heroes” were not quite the upstanding patriots I thought they were as a kid. But, I digress…). Stories of Davy Crockett, Jim Bowie, and William Barrett Travis were the stuff of legend. I’m sure I wasn’t the only kid who petitioned his or her parents to, at some point, jump … [Read more...]
Where Do You Cast Your Burdens?
“Sheep are not burden-bearing animals.” A godly woman said this to me recently in response to my sharing with her the feeling that I bore a great weight on my shoulders. To be sure, the weight I bore was something I had picked up and put on myself. Though, if you asked me, I would have said it had been placed there by a hand other than my own. In 1 Peter 5:6-7, the apostle says, “Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God, so that he may exalt you at the proper time, casting all your cares on him, because he cares … [Read more...]
Are you Grieving Well?
Two weeks ago, I was voicing my frustration about this current situation to my wife, when it dawned on me what a dominant emotion sadness had been for me. It was a corner-turning moment for me. It was the moment I realized I was grieving. I was grieving the loss of “what was.” I was admitting it for the first time, and it brought necessary self-awareness. Author Henry Cloud once defined grief as “accepting the reality of what is.” In this post, I make a case for why we must grieve well. But first, here’s why I don’t … [Read more...]
