Paul Turner

Is this the kind of question you're asking yourself? School is in full swing but your youth ministry isn't, why? Unsure of what to plan? Attendance issues? Struggling for volunteers? All of the above? Welcome to Stream-tember where I will be going live every Tuesday and Thursday in September to answer your burning youth ministry questions and share how to plan like pro recruit volunteers draw more students to your youth ministry be more confident in your calling Here's the process, Send me...

WEBSITE SHOP PODCAST YOUTUBE BLOG Greetings Awesome Person, I started watching the new science fiction show Alien Earth because I’ve been a fan of the franchise ever since the first Alien movie in 1979. No spoilers, but here’s the setup: a boy genius, tech-bro billionaire, Boy Kavalier, is transferring the minds of sick kids into synthetic bodies so he can stop death. Nothing like small goals. Here’s what throws me off, watching adult-looking bodies with kid minds trying to navigate dangerous...

WEBSITE SHOP PODCAST YOUTUBE BLOG Greetings Awesome Person, Cliches - a phrase or opinion that is overused and betrays a lack of original thought. When God closes a door, he opens a window If God brings you to it, He will bring you through it God will not give you more than you can handle We've heard them, we've said them, but why? Is it because we just don't know the answer? I think a student would rather hear us say, "We don't know" that than anything else. Is it because we don't have or...

WEBSITE SHOP PODCAST YOUTUBE BLOG Hey Awesome Person, Feeling a little bit behind in your Fall programming? I get it. I’ve been there. That’s why I’m hosting a LIVE Q&A on my YouTube channel – just for youth pastors like you. We’ll talk planning, programming, and anything else you want to ask about making your youth ministry more effective (and less stressful). 📅 When: Tuesday August 12th at 8pm CST 📍 Where: Over on my Youtube Channel Bring your questions, your coffee, and maybe that idea...

WEBSITE SHOP PODCAST YOUTUBE BLOG Greetings Awesome Person, There was a heaviness when I walked into our youth room. Granted, some students had their first day of school that day and the school for everyone else started the next day, but this was different. I could feel the down spirits and hear muffled, semi-serious conversations as I went about straightening up the youth room before service. My mind went to "How do I fix this?" And I felt like the Lord said, "You can't". He was right. There...

WEBSITE SHOP PODCAST YOUTUBE BLOG Greetings Awesome Person, Have you ever read your resume to God? I have, but not straight through with dates from and to (I mean, I would do that If actually thought it would get me somewhere) but I have mentioned to God my experience and "all I've done for the Kingdom" and to be honest it sounds pretty pathetic. God knows my resume. He's the one that opened many of the doors so I could have a resume. Why do I do this? Probably desperation and fear, but it's...

WEBSITE SHOP PODCAST YOUTUBE BLOG Greetings Awesome Person, Is there anything you'd rather have than the real thing? Artificial flowers? Artificial crab? Artificial legs? Artificial church? Real is better. Am I right? It's possible for the real things in my life to be replaced with artificial (made or produced by human beings rather than occurring naturally, especially as a copy of something natural.) things. I have to stand guard. Paul warned the Romans about becoming artificial worshippers,...

WEBSITE SHOP PODCAST YOUTUBE BLOG Greetings Awesome Person, Has accountability become a dirty word? I used to think it was. Accountability was code, in my mind, for "you don't trust me" "you're just keeping tabs on me" "you're looking over my shoulder" Real accountability is different, if the heart of the person has your best interest in mind. Real accountability means a place to be honest, a place to learn and a place to show your work and ask, "How does this look?" "Failing to hold someone...

WEBSITE SHOP PODCAST YOUTUBE BLOG Greetings Awesome Person, I recently read an article that talked about magpies and their penchant for collecting shiny things and sticking them in their nest, never to be used again. The author makes the comparison of how humans, like magpies, collect things but never use them. This is the quote that stuck out to me and it may resonate with you too, As Christians and Pastors, I would change the last line to, "The clarity we're after is through doing" Youth...