VY Blog
Written by vineyard youth workers,
for vineyard youth workers.
Faithful Presence: A Testimony of Discipleship
When I was eleven I started going to youth group at our new church, The Yakima Vineyard. I remember my first visit vividly because I was so anxious about not being old enough. I had visions of someone asking my age and kicking me out! That didn’t happen, obviously,...
YP Fail: What I Learned at Puke Camp
Hi there, Melissa Lee here to share with you a time I have failed in youth ministry. I am all for vulnerability but I have to admit it took me awhile to come up with something for this post. Most of my youth leader failures are times that I truly, truly failed and it...
Discipled by Weakness: Leadership Through Vulnerability
There are some great words that have taken on a negative connotation in our culture; to the point that the treasure of their meaning is robbed of worth. In some cases, the opposite of those words enjoys the effect of this robbery by seeing its meaning raised to point...
Aim at the Red Dot: An Encouragement for Preachers to Youth
Last year I shot a rifle for the first time in my life. This particular rifle had a special red dot in the scope that would come on if you pressed a button. My instructor decided it would be important for my growth as a marksman (ha. ha. ha.) to learn to shoot...
Life in Ministry is More Rhythm Than Reason
I have felt drawn to serve the church in a pastoral/leadership capacity for the better part of ten years now. I started out voluntarily leading the youth group at the church that I had grown up in as well as playing in the worship band each week. At 19 years...
Transformative Teaching: Communicating What Matters
I don’t think that I’m the only one who’s been sitting at my desk 45 minutes before a youth service scratching my head and wondering what I am going to share with the students that night. A lot of youth pastors (guilty) are wired to be last minute and have learned to...
Be Still (And Prepare for the Fall!)
I don’t know about you but my summers are FULL. Overflowing with laughter, coffee, special parties, up late, lazy mornings and being outside. When I have a moment to think about fall (usually once it’s already here) I can feel overwhelmed at the prospect of starting a...
Balancing Act: Constant Adjustments to Achieve Health
A year after Betsy and I got married, she got pregnant with our daughter, Jessica. She had a miserable pregnancy and we waited 4 more years to have our son Jaden. That pregnancy was worse. She swore that if i got her pregnant again, she would kill me, so we decided...
Flirting With Disaster: Learning to Honor God’s Boundaries
You are free… to choose the right path! How do you know when you are on the right path? Are there any signs and markers on the roads of life that help you navigate this crazy world? Can you imagine a series of well-marked boundaries that indicate your growth as a...
Supernaturally Silent
Anyone a talker? I can control my talking, but if you give me the time and space I can talk for a long time (just ask my wife). If you combine the fact that I like to talk with the fact that I am in charge of our youth group’s schedule, that makes for a bad...
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