There is this book on my shelf and I love it, but I haven’t been able to complete it.

It talks about pastoral work, in particular the work of Prayer-Directing, Story-Making, Pain-Sharing, Nay-Saying and Community-Building.

The author is brilliant! The book is compelling.

I just have a hard time because I struggle with what it means to do all of these elements of my “work” with the teenage soul. In fact, I guess that last line is only one fifth true. See, I don’t finish the book. I get through the first part of the first section and I realize that my job starts with a teenager and the art of Prayer-Directing.

Somewhere there I get a glimpse of the magnitude of what it is I do and the words on the page fuzz out.

The teenager years, what a cool and awkward stage of life. Many of us remember how hard these years were and we look back and understand that the problems we suffered through weren’t exactly the crises we thought they were at the moment. The same is still true with teenagers today. They come to talk to me and they are in the middle of a “crisis” and most of the time it just isn’t that big of a deal. Of course, to convince them that their problem is minor is so not the right approach. Instead, these crisis moments are growth moments!

Growth here means wholeness; gradually becoming everything it means to be fully human. No one gets there without considerable pain and more than a few scares and in these moments teenagers need to have approachable parents. Young people rarely approach a parent they only hope will care about their problems. However, they’re drawn to those who have demonstrated approachability and willingness to help no matter what. That is a scary statement! Anyone your teenager feels connects with them and cares for them has an open forum to give advice to your child. I hope that fact confirms the importance of parents and churches working together to influence the next generation. Famous Youth Ministry creates an environment that tells students this is a safe place to bring your cares, your concerns as well as your celebrations. We strive to be fully approachable.

How can parents be approachable? Here is one tip.
Check out of work a few hours early. Pick up your teenager from school and give them your undivided attention. You can worry later about what you’re not getting done or the money you’re not making. For most kids, nothing says you care like taking time away from your work.

Just so you know, much of the above blog is taken from a book titled, “A Parents Guide to helping Teenagers in Crisis.” I have it in my office and you are welcome to come take a look at it. There are sections on suicide, eating disorders, cutting, sexual issues, drugs, violence and sixteen other common plagues of teenagers. Give me a call or shoot me an email. I would love to talk with you about anything related to your teenager.

Have you ever been confused by God?  Have you ever started heading one direction knowing that God was totally directing you that direction only to find that by the time you fully devote yourself to moving that direction the direction has been changed?

Can you trust that God is at work even when all confusion breaks out? I know that God is not a God of confusion, but have you read Genesis 11? Humanity attempts to invade God and the result is, “…the LORD confused the language of the whole world. From there the LORD scattered them over the face of the whole earth.” But get this, a genealogy concludes chapter 11 and chapter 12 starts like this, “ The LORD had said to Abram, ‘Leave your country… and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you!’ ” The story of ultimate confusion leads to a promise of ultimate blessings. Are you confused by God’s direction for you or the seemingly endless changes of that direction? Friend, what a blessed place for you to be.

The rule is, “Spend one hour in study for every minute you are at the pulpit.”

The first time I heard that I thought the guy was crazy. As I have grown, I realize that it is easy to spend 40 to 50 hours crafting a sermon. Every week, I have a sermon for Famous Jr High students and another for Famous High School students and often I am only able to put in 10 to 15 hours of prep per sermon and then I read that studies indicate we forget 95% of what we hear within three days!

So, what is unforgettable? Young people remember experiences and if it’s a big experience, they will remember it for the rest of their lives. I remember preparing a young girl named Mayra to preach a sermon. We were going to be in Mexico and I was supposed to preach but I would have needed a translator, she was fluent in Spanish. When it was time to preach, she looked out at four hundred plus people who had gathered and realized she was the main event and she was about to deliver the gospel in her native tongue. She wouldn’t forget that. The other students with me wouldn’t forget it either. They were with someone who would give up his spot and let students shine because he really believed in them.

I believe in teenagers. I believe in missions.

I believe the combo of teenagers in missions is unstoppable.

I pray that this week, that the Crossroads Missions conference stirs students beyond measure.