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Losing Someone Always Leaves A Hole

I lost my brother, Mike, to cancer in 2005. He had just turned 30.

That’s too young.

Mike and Titus

Mike with my son, Titus

Today, he would have been 37 years old.

Even though several years have passed, I still sometimes grab the phone to give him a call.

And then I realize what I’m doing. There’s a hole there that cannot be filled.

However, I do have a hope. I know that I will see him again one day. And I’ll be able to catch up on all the “Happy Birthdays” that I can’t give him right now.

I’m thankful for that.

Happy Birthday, Mike! Love you! Miss you!

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New Dad Resource Coming Soon!

This is part of the The Dad Toolbox series, providing tools and resources to be a great dad. Read more from the series!

There are certain things in life that are worth being passionate about.

One of those things is become an all star dad to my children. I believe that the calling to be, not just a dad, but a great dad is one of the top three calls God places in a man’s life, with only our calling to be God’s child and the call to be a great husband ranking higher in our list of priorities.

Father and Son on the Beach

God’s design places us in families. Every one of us has a mother. Each of us has a father. God wired us to be a part of a family unit.

Certainly, there are people who aren’t part of a family. Maybe they’ve passed away. Maybe there is some relational estrangement. Or even abandonment. But the fact remains, God designed us to be in relationships with other people, and the pattern he created is the family unit.

God has placed us in these specific families for a purpose. We should receive the love and attention that we need relationally here. And we should give love and attention in return. Regardless of what our job or career may be, I think our first level of ministry is within the family atmosphere. And I think dads are a critical element to the successful family.

Sadly, many kids in our world today are growing up without any great family relationships, especially from their fathers. Their father may be gone, leaving them in a single parent home. Or maybe their father is there, but he’s disengaged from his children.

Either way, as a youth minister, this grieves me.

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Memorize Scripture – Week 37

Right now, I am memorizing my way through what is called the Romans Road. While many of these passages are very familiar, and some I’ve memorized before, this experience is helpful because it puts several passages together in a cohesive sequence that helps us understand Paul’s letter a little better.

Last week, we looked at Romans 3:23-24. This week, we’ll move ahead to the fifth chapter, memorizing Romans 5:8:

Romans 5:8

Verses like this one reveal just how good the Good News is. God, who didn’t have to do anything for us, rescued us. Even in the midst of our sin, he sent his Son to die for us. That shows us just how great is his love for us.

How many of us would be willing to die for someone else? How many of us would be willing to give up one of our own children to save someone else?

I’m guessing that the answer is pitifully small. And that’s because, while we may make the sacrifice, it won’t do any good. It won’t save anyone.

But Christ’s sacrifice was different. Because of his sinlessness, he was able to take on our sin, restoring us to God’s favor.

God knew this was the only way to accomplish this. And, as hard as it had to have been, he did it… for you, for me.

That’s some pretty intense love!

How do you see God’s love for you displayed in your life daily? Are there any tangible ways that you can see it? You can leave your thoughts in the comments section below.

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4 Benefits Of Building Trust In Your Youth Ministry

This post is part of the Foundations Of Youth Ministry series. Check out the rest of the series!

Successful leadership communicates trust.

It’s that simple. If you want to be successful as a leader, so matter where you are, you must make sure your people know that you trust them.

While this is true for every workplace, this is especially true in ministry, with your students, and especially with your leaders.

If you don’t trust your people, there is no way that you can reach your potential.

Key and Lock

Here are a few of the benefits of building trust in your youth ministry:

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Memorize Scripture – Week 36

Last week, we started memorizing our way through the Romans Road.

This week, we move forward to the third chapter… Romans 3:23-24:

Romans 3:23-24

Most of the time, we simply memorize the first part of this passage, the “all have sinned” part. But that leaves us with a bad taste in our mouths. That’s bad news. We’re sinners. We fall short. Ouch.

But verse 24 gives us the good news side of the equation. We are justified through what Christ did on our behalf!

But many people, especially non-believers and new believers, may not understand what that means. After all, “justified” is a pretty churchy word. What does it mean?

Here’s how I explain it to the students in our youth ministry: Justified means that because of what Christ did for me, it’s “just as if I’d” never sinned at all.

You and I both know that I did sin. So did you.  And sadly, we still do. But God’s grace takes care of that, and presents us as holy before God, all because of Christ’s redeeming work on the cross.

That is good news!

What is (or was) your initial response to this good news? How do you share this with others? You can leave your thoughts in the comments section below.