Few ideas epitomize pop culture like music and nothing identifies musical trends of the times like the Grammys. If you watched last week as I did you saw everything from the beautiful—the incredibly talented Adele, Jennifer Hudson’s tribute to Whitney Houston, The Civil Wars—to the surreal (Niki Minaj). I’m convinced the acts by Katy Perry and Minaj were nothing more than a channeled Lady Gaga from her fishnet-covered face in the audience, but I could be wrong. The night began … →

In his book Real Teens researcher George Barna tells the following story: “Although her family was only nominally involved in the church, Jenny came to our youth group faithfully throughout her teenage years. She went on mission trips and attended Sunday school; she was a regular fixture in our program. We had been successful with Jenny, or so we thought. Jimmy, on the other hand, never quite connected with our youth ministry. We rally worked to get him involved with … →

If you minister to students in any manner, I could use your help. This spring writing a new book while on sabbatical remains my constant focus. The book, tentatively entitled Missional Students: Turning Millennials into Missionaries,includes stories of numerous students who demonstrate different aspects of living missionally. While I have most of the examples set, I could use a few more. So…. If you have a student in high school or college whose live has demonstrated any of the following … →