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Motivation for Your Ministry: We’re All in This Together
Collaboration is defined as the act of working with another or others on joint project. If there is any context where this should be modeled, it should be in the work of advancing God’s Kingdom. Yet, what should be common is rarely happening. Perhaps it is the underlying messaging of the America culture, which encourages…
Read MoreDevotional: Charting a New Course for Your Youth Ministry
“The captain of the Costa Concordia was distracted by guests he had invited onto the bridge in the crucial moments before his cruise liner rammed into rocks off the Tuscan island of Giglio”, one of the ship’s senior officers has claimed. Perhaps all the details my never be disclosed but what we know for certain…
Read MoreDevotional: The Power of Sacrifice
Sacrifice is an intriguing term. The value of it’s meaning is hugely dependent upon the context of its use. When you first hear the word, what might quickly come to mind is loss. I give up something of value. If you are playing the game of chess, it defines a strategic move that will ultimately…
Read MoreVideo: Work on Your Defense
1 Peter 5:8 “Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.” RELOAD joins CCDA’s West Michigan Regional Conference featuring general session speaker Eric Tolbert, Lighthouse Church Battle Creek. Watch this quick clip by Eric Tolbert: “Work on Your Defense”
Read MoreDevotional: Two are Better than One
One of the forgotten truths outlined throughout Scripture is the value God and people placed on community. God has always had a heart for community, so much so that he is the Triune God. He dwells in perfect fellowship, God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. They exist in perfect harmony. This gives us a…
Read MoreProducing Young Leaders in Ministry
1 Timothy 4:12 “Let no one despise you for your youth, but set the believers an example in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith, in purity.” Share this verse with your youth ministry this week as inspiration for them to spread the radiance of God’s love, wisdom, and righteousness through all that they do.…
Read MoreDiscipleship: Leading Others by Following God
As a child, we used to play this game called “Follow the Leader”. The objective of the game was to mimic whatever the person that preceded you modeled. The person that was able to effectively mimic his predecessor would ultimately win the game. It is funny how elementary school games can lay the foundation for…
Read MoreDevotional: Making the Impossible Possible in 2013
The Gospel of Luke chapter 1 is an intriguing story. It opens with two prophetic miracles that would transform culture, the birth announcement of John the Baptist and of Jesus the Christ. The response of Zacharias verses that of Mary are somewhat paradoxical. Zacharias (a religious leader) upon being visited by the angel Gabriel finds…
Read MoreSelf Improvement: The Struggle to Change
We all desire lots of changes, but fail to execute them. Just ask Paul: “I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do.” (Romans 7:15). The authors of Change Anything argue that a lack of willpower is not our problem. They…
Read MoreChicago School-to-Prison Report
Project NIA is an advocacy center with a mission to address youth crime with restoration rather than incarceration. The study in Chicago found that 20% of all juvenile arrest were school-based; 27% of school-based arrests under age 20 were for minor battery (i.e. fighting); Black youth made up 74% of school based arrest followed by 22.5% Latinos.…
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