As the streets get lit up, the sidewalks, shop windows, everything gets decorated with scenes of the nativity, we see it all around us, and these symbols carry deep meaning for us. But something we don’t realize is how insignificant they were at the very first Christmas.
INSIGNIFICANT CHRISTMAS?
I took a burden to the Lord
To cast and leave it there.
I knelt and told Him my plight,
And wrestled deep in prayer.
But rising up to go my way
I felt a deep despair,
For as I tried to trudge along,
My burden was still there!
Why didn’t you take my burden, Lord?
Oh, won’t …
What is Spiritual Mentoring?
Our words are very powerful, especially when speaking to youth who are forming their sense of identity and self-worth. They have the power to build up, and to tear down, the power to inspire and to dishearten, the power to encourage or discourage. Whether you are a parent, a teacher, a youth minister, or just a friend of youth here …
I sometimes wonder if there is a place for grace in the church today? Churches get berated for “cheap grace.” But grace was anything but cheap. It was costly. it doesn’t matter if you are a youth that doesn’t know better, or a seasoned youth worker that should know better. We all fail and we all need grace. It is …
Focal Passage: I Samuel 2:18-21; 26 A brief sermon outline prepared by Ken Sapp Introduction
Friar Michael Hayduk, pastor of St. Mary’s Byzantine Catholic church in Cleveland Ohio visited the churches preschool and day-care center one day. A new group of little ones had started at the center, and one boy, about 3 years old looked at the priest …
Self-Esteem and Self-Image are issues that all youth have to address. During the teenage years, the primary developmental task for youth is discovering their identity, their life purpose, their mission in this world. Youth are asking the question, “Who am I?” and “Why am I here?”
One step to helping your church youth deal with these critical questions is in …