Category: Church Ministry
-
Do We Really Love the Poor, or Just the Idea of Helping Them?
I love a good memoir. I’ve always been an avid reader, and my bookshelf is diverse– almost confusingly so. But hand me someone’s carefully crafted life story laid out in pages, and I’ll have it finished within days, barely stopping to come up for air. One of the best I’ve read in a long time…
-
The Church Needs Introverts, Too.
Fellow introverts: do you ever feel like the church worships extroverts? I’ve been an introvert for as long as I can remember. It’s not that I don’t like people or enjoy their company; I do. But I am energized by my alone time. I have a finite social battery, and once it runs out, it’s…
-
We Need to Talk About “The Talk”
It’s every parent’s least favorite conversation and every youth minister’s most awkward lesson. For the kids, it ranges from excruciating to titillating. It’s got cutesy euphemisms out the wazoo, like “the birds and the bees” or “the facts of life,” signaling our collective discomfort with the topic. It’s the sex talk. Because the Bible talks…
-
Christian Parents: Talk to your kids about their mental health.
Chrisitan parents, the kids are not alright. And they haven’t been for awhile. In 2012, I was 16 years old, and just beginning to deal with severe anxiety, depression, and suicidal ideation. At the time, I thought I was the only one because no one else was talking about it. Now, 10 years later, I…
Madison J. Caplinger 