Gospel.com Blog

The central point of youth ministry is, obviously, to minister to young people. But did you know that talking with and ministering to parents is also important to a healthy youth ministry? An article at the Understanding Your Teenager ministry looks at practical ways you can support and encourage the parents of your church’s youth:

Many youth workers spend years in a church without ever interacting with the parents of the youth. Perhaps its out of your comfort zone. Maybe you’re too busy. But if you want to be an effective youth worker in the postmodern world, you will need to learn how to communicate well with parents. It is not optional.

By talking regularly to the parents in your chuch, you can learn a lot about how best to reach the kids in your youth group–and in the process, you can keep those parents interested and involved in what your ministry is doing.

Do you know your “prayer basics”? There’s no “magic formula” for prayer, of course, but the Bible does have guidelines for approaching God in prayer. The Bible Prayer Fellowship site has an excellent series of short articles to help you understand and appreciate the act of prayer. They list out seven “basics” that you can incorporate into your prayer life–give them a read, and see how your attitude about prayer matches up with the Bible’s guidelines!

It’s Valentine’s Day, and many ministries from around the Alliance have taken the opportunity to reflect on love, romance, and relationships. We’ve gathered links to several of them at our Valentine’s Day page.

There’s plenty of material to read there, but you might want to start with the Christian History Institute’s story of Valentine’s Day. Also worth noting is Blaine Smith’s essay on “God as matchmaker,” in which he addresses the difficult question of whether or not God has a “special someone” chosen for everyone. (Blaine has written extensively about relationship questions like this–browse through his article archives while you’re there.) So whether you’re single, married, or unsure what the future holds, take a few minutes to read through some of these resources.

Is there any hope left for ministry to urban youth? Over the last several decades, the church has steadily lost influence and respect among inner-city young people. Jimmy Dorrell, writing at Youth Specialties, has some thoughts about the state of urban youth outreach. Describing one neighborhood, he writes:

The urban centers are hardly lacking for churches. In fact, four separate congregations circle the perimeter of this housing complex. But none of the four reach out to the subsidized residents, and certainly not to these bad-mouthing kids. Instead, the congregants come from outside the neighborhood and the pastor lives in the suburbs and rarely comes downtown except for church services. Despite the proximity, it’s as if the two worlds never meet.

But Dorrell argues that we shouldn’t give up hope just yet. In the article, he looks at several major factors that have pulled (or driven) urban youth from the church, and offers some thoughts about how the church can go about re-connecting with inner-city youth communities.

The Hollywood Jesus site has gotten a nice visual overhaul–the new look is cleaner and makes it easier to browse around the site. While you’re there, you might want to read Greg Wright’s new interview with Matt O’Callaghan, director of the new Curious George movie. Also new and noteworthy is their Da Vinci Code blog, where the HJ team is holding an ongoing discussion about the book, the movie, and the controversy surrounding it.

Sarah Arthur, author of Walking through the Wardrobe: A Devotional Quest into The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, has written a guest analysis at Hollywood Jesus’ Narnia blog.

In her essay, she takes a look at what may have been lost during the Narnia story’s transition from book to screen. According to Sarah, being faithful to the book requires much more than just getting the basic plot and characters right. So where did the Narnia film err?

The chief problem with this film is the absence of the narrative voice of “Professor Lewis,” our trusted guide. Without him, the story degenerates into something less than the fairytale it was intended to be….

This is what happens when a fairytale lacks a narrator, particularly a narrator as gifted as C. S. Lewis. Serious charges indeed, when one considers that many children who see the film without ever reading the story will miss out on a relationship with a trusted and beloved voice of sane authority in this insane age.

How important to the story is C.S. Lewis’ voice of narration? It’s an interesting critique, touching on an aspect of the film that seems to have been overlooked by other critics.

Stories–stories from the Old Testament, stories of miracles, and most of all the story of the Gospel–are integral to the Christian faith. But are we failing to communicate those stories to young people in the church?

Wayne Rice, writing at the Understanding Your Teenager ministry, thinks that we need to do a better job of sharing the “old, old story” with our children:

When I was a young youth pastor, it was hard to find a teenager who didn’t already know our most cherished Bible stories: David and Goliath, Jonah and the Whale, Samson and Delilah. Today, youth pastors report that less than a third of teens are familiar with these stories. Or what they know of them has been seriously distorted by the entertainment industry…

Recent studies have found that the vast majority of teenagers who call themselves “Christian” have a had time articulating their faith. They don’t know the stories. They don’t know why they believe what they do. They don’t know how to explain it or describe it.

How can you, as a parent or youth minister, help your kids grasp the stories of the Bible? Rice lists four concrete things you can do to encourage your children to learn and remember important Bible stories.

How does an affair happen in a seemingly healthy marriage? At Face to Face Ministries, Jerry and Judy Schreur relate the story of a “perfect” marriage that was broken by an affair. Not even “perfect Christian marriages” are immune to the power of temptation!

In Anatomy of an Affair, the Schreurs talk about subtle but unhealthy behaviors that can do serious damage to a marriage. They also offer some practical and Biblical guidelines for keeping your marriage affair-proof.

Would you like to spend extended time in prayer, but aren’t sure how to do it? Sometimes we find it hard enough to find time to say a just few simple prayers during the day! Nevertheless, spending a large block of time in prayer (a half-day, or even more) can be a powerful experience.

An article over at the Navigators site lists out some excellent practical suggestions for planning and carrying out an extended time of prayer. If the idea of spending that much time in prayer sounds intimidating, be sure to read through the piece–you might be surprised at the fresh spiritual perspective to be gained from a few hours of prayer!

Evangelist Max Lucado can now be heard via podcast! Lucado’s daily one-minute message is available in MP3 format from his website–there are several months’ worth of audio listed there, so you can actually listen ahead if you want. Add the podcast link to your podcast player, or browse the archives at the audio page.