Youthworks College blog feed

Tribal Challenge

webmaster@youthworks.net (Youthworks Webmaster) — Mon, 24 Jan 2011 14:26:00 +1000

When our children were younger we read them Shel Arensen’s 'Rhino Tales'. They are a series of stories about a group of missionary kids growing up on a mission

Give Children a Voice

webmaster@youthworks.net (Youthworks Webmaster) — Sun, 16 Jan 2011 14:23:00 +1000

In Season 6 of the TV series The West Wing, there’s an episode (‘A Good Day’) when a group of teenagers from the ‘Future Leaders for Democracy’ visit the White House to argue the case for child suffrage. The leader of…

Winding UP for the Year

webmaster@youthworks.net (Youthworks Webmaster) — Tue, 23 Nov 2010 11:45:00 +1000

Things start winding down for me at Youthworks College at this time of year. Classes are complete, exams are finished, and though there’s some marking left to do we’re gradually cleaning up and packing up and getting ready for…

Giving Young People the Tools for the Job

webmaster@youthworks.net (Youthworks Webmaster) — Fri, 12 Nov 2010 12:46:00 +1000

Kenda Dean’s new book, 'Almost Christian' caused a bit of a splash with its recent release. CNN,…

Time to take a punt on a young leader

webmaster@youthworks.net (Youthworks Webmaster) — Mon, 01 Nov 2010 11:26:00 +1000

On Sunday morning at our church Tim preached his first sermon. The passage was Matthew 17:1-13. Through Tim the Holy Spirit taught us about Jesus’ glory. We were encouraged to see the glory in Jesus’ crucifixion as well as in his…

Nabal’s Story

webmaster@youthworks.net (Youthworks Webmaster) — Fri, 29 Oct 2010 14:11:00 +1000

Nabal is introduced as a very wealthy man. The way his wealth is mentioned before he is even named suggest that this is what is important to him. The word nabal means fool. Nabal is a fool. The narrative states this (1Samuel…

Adult Connections Key to Youth Retention

webmaster@youthworks.net (Youthworks Webmaster) — Tue, 19 Oct 2010 15:15:00 +1000

Whenever you organise a youth ministry event or camp it’s important to consider the ratio of adults to young people. Needs will vary depending on the nature of the activity but one adult for every five young people…

Shaped By the Story: A Book Review

webmaster@youthworks.net (Youthworks Webmaster) — Fri, 08 Oct 2010 14:46:00 +1000

Michael Novelli (2008), Shaped by the story. Helping students encounter God in a new way (Grand Rapids, MI, Youth Specialties)

Letting children think

webmaster@youthworks.net (Youthworks Webmaster) — Tue, 05 Oct 2010 16:16:00 +1000

Recently the ABC show Compass did a special report on the ethics trial that has been causing such controversy in relation to SRE (Scripture) in New South Wales. What I found particularly interesting from this program titled ‘Schools…

Identity Formation Creates Gospel Opportunities

webmaster@youthworks.net (Youthworks Webmaster) — Mon, 06 Sep 2010 07:21:00 +1000

We are all involved in processes of becoming. We are being formed as we grow and develop and as we respond to the changing environment around us. The challenge we all face is to become increasingly aware of these processes and to take whatever…

The Value of Stories #5

webmaster@youthworks.net (Youthworks Webmaster) — Sat, 22 May 2010 01:38:00 +1000

The seer’s goal is transformation, and while we can see these things throughout all of Elisha’s ministry they are especially evident in 2Kings 6. As a prophet, Elisha’s knowledge comes from the Lord. The Arameans suspect…

The Value of Stories # 4

webmaster@youthworks.net (Youthworks Webmaster) — Sat, 13 Feb 2010 03:48:00 +1000

In a beautiful episode in 2 Samuel 23:13-17, we see David at his best as sovereign, but we also get a chance to see what is meant by the masochist, one of the shadow forms for the warrior. Courage, self-discipline, self-sacrifice, protecting…

Youth Ministry - Ego + Equipping others = Sustainability?

webmaster@youthworks.net (Youthworks Webmaster) — Thu, 21 Jan 2010 22:26:00 +1000

I have been thinking a bit more recently about some ideas from Mark DeVries’ book, 'Sustainable Youth Ministry'. One of his most interesting ideas…

Happy New Year

webmaster@youthworks.net (Youthworks Webmaster) — Mon, 11 Jan 2010 22:06:00 +1000

The start of another year. Today is my first day back in the office for 2010. Full of optimistic enthusiasm! …

God’s Reflection in Pet Affection

webmaster@youthworks.net (Youthworks Webmaster) — Sat, 12 Dec 2009 01:47:00 +1000

We started up the car to take our cat to the vet. By accident or by providence the USB-drive was still connected to the car audio system. The next track played: How great the father’s love for us…

Some thoughts on Culture in conversation with Walt Mueller

webmaster@youthworks.net (Youthworks Webmaster) — Fri, 04 Dec 2009 03:42:00 +1000

I’ve just finished reading Walt Mueller’s book on youth culture (Engaging the Soul of Youth Culture: Bridging Teen Worldviews and Christian…

It’s a Scam!

webmaster@youthworks.net (Youthworks Webmaster) — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 00:13:00 +1000

Warning to those who are listed on the Youthworks recommended speakers page (http://www.youthworks.net/index.php?c=24&d=880&w=7000&r=Y) - there’s an email scam targetting you as it has targetted others overseas (google London youth…

The Value of Stories # 3

webmaster@youthworks.net (Youthworks Webmaster) — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 22:43:00 +1000

As we continue to think about the significance of the narrative sections of the Old Testament we turn our attention to David. David gives us a rare glimpse into the role a lover. David made Saul feel very threatened but elsewhere he generates…

The Value of Stories # 2

webmaster@youthworks.net (Youthworks Webmaster) — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 01:25:00 +1000

The stories of the Old and New Testaments help us to engage with others by offering us examples or ‘archetypes’ to follow (see entry#1 on 3rd Sept). Everyone wants to live a significant life. We all want to be mourned when…

‘Twitter is permissible, and may even be beneficial; but I will not be mastered by anything’

webmaster@youthworks.net (Youthworks Webmaster) — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 19:40:00 +1000

In an article I wrote for the Buzz e-news I gave the self-justification for giving in and joining the growing number of twitterers. Paraphrasing 1 Corinthians 6:12, this post shares some of the dangers I’ve discovered, and my current strategies…

A Thesis Proposal

webmaster@youthworks.net (Youthworks Webmaster) — Fri, 18 Sep 2009 08:43:00 +1000

I’ve been working on refining the actual topic for my MTh thesis. Here’s what I’ve come up with so far - I’m presenting this to an Advanced Topic seminar at Moore College on Tuesday so it may well be changed significantly…

Some thoughts on Church and Culture – Thesis 3

webmaster@youthworks.net (Youthworks Webmaster) — Mon, 14 Sep 2009 06:29:00 +1000

My final thought (for now!) on this topic… Thesis 3: By equating ‘church’ with the hour and fifteen minutes we spend together on a Sunday instead of a community we load up the weekly gathering with…

Marriage Equality Bill 2009

webmaster@youthworks.net (Youthworks Webmaster) — Tue, 25 Aug 2009 04:52:00 +1000

I was forwarded this email today: Submissions on the Marriage Equality Bill 2009 close 28 August! You may have read our recent VoxPoint article on the Greens’…

Some thoughts on Church and Culture – Thesis 1

webmaster@youthworks.net (Youthworks Webmaster) — Fri, 21 Aug 2009 04:55:00 +1000

I’ve been thinking a lot about the interaction between gospel and culture recently, particularly in relation to church planting. The vibe I’m hearing around the place is that we need to discover the culture of the community in which…

Twittering

webmaster@youthworks.net (Youthworks Webmaster) — Thu, 20 Aug 2009 10:03:00 +1000

Jodie McNeill has convinced me to give Twitter a go for a month and see whether it can be a useful way of promoting the work of the College. We’ll see. I’ve set a challenge of 250 followers by this time next month. So if you’re interested,…