Author

About the Author
I am a Youth Ministry veteran of twenty four years, and currently serve as the Student Pastor at High Desert Church.  I help equip and encourage Youth Pastors through this blog and podcast The Longer Haul.  My passion is helping Youth Pastors create a ministry of longevity that they truly love.  I am the grateful husband of Sarah and the dad of Emma, Anna, Lizzy, and Jack.  I am a speaker, lover of vintage VW’s, and the owner of one 1972 VW Westfalia Bus.

The Question Your Youth Need An Answer To

What do your students think about when they think about God? The longer I am in ministry, the more convinced I become that students in our Youth Ministries simply do not correctly understand the character and the nature of God.  This has major ramifications. In fact, almost every situation I seem to find myself counseling students…

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100 Reasons I LOVE Youth Ministry

This post marks my 100th post on The Longer Haul.  In honor of 100 posts, here are 100 things I lOVE about Youth Ministry: 1. I love seeing faith become real and owned 2. I love that fun often accompanies ministry

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Overcoming Discouragement

So you are discouraged, how do you overcome it? In the previous post I gave you several observations about discouragement and ministry.  In this post I am giving you five ways to fight and overcome discouragement. Whether you find yourself discouraged now or not, you will face discouragement often in Youth Ministry.  If you are not…

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Are You Discouraged?

Find yourself discouraged? You are not alone, and it will not be the last time. So, now that I’ve brightened your day with those words of encouragement… If you have been serving in ministry leadership for more than a day or two, you have likely experienced discouragement.  It is a reality of life, but I have especially…

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If I Could Say One Thing To A Youth Pastor

I am often asked for advice from Youth Pastors who are fairly new to the ministry.  If you and I were to have coffee (I love coffee) and you were to ask me what ONE piece of advice I would give you what would I say?

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Dear Youth Pastor, Stop Fighting For Balance

How are you doing at balancing family and ministry? The demands of ministry on a Youth Pastor can be never-ending.  In many ways you are expected to be on call 24/7. Throw in the time it takes to prepare each week, plan that next event, go to that ballgame/middle school band concert (yikes)/water polo match/etc.,…

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