Family

Be Intentional

My Collision Course With Burnout

I was on a collision course with burnout that was inevitable. Those close to me would have seen it coming. I didn’t. I knew I was skirting dangerously close to an unhealthily load and pace, but I just kept telling myself I could handle it all. I kept saying that is was only for a little while…

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The Legacy We Leave

Confession: I often think of the legacy I will leave behind me. If you will allow me to be transparent and simply share for a moment… I wonder often what my wife and kids will remember of me; what the students who came through my ministry, the churches that I’ve invested in; those my life…

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Things I Love About Having Kids In Youth Ministry

This past Sunday I had the privilege of baptizing two of my daughters along with other students from our ministry.  It was an amazing day and a tremendous privilege.  A definite benefit to me being in ministry. In my last post I shared hard things about having kids in Youth Ministry.  While there are things…

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Hard Things About Having Kids In Youth Ministry

Having children and being a Youth Pastor has both advantages and disadvantages.  I’ve previously written about events that changed my ministry forever.  Having children was definitely one of those. There are though some things I don’t like and worry about when it comes to being in Youth Ministry and having children.  These particularly seem to…

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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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Top 25 Posts From the Last Year

I thought it would be helpful to share with you the top 25 posts of The Longer Haul.  These are not just the posts that have had the most views over the last year.  These are the top 25 posts that have had the most engagement and reads. In other words, people read these like…

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