Youth Ministry Round Up #208

Greetings Awesome Person,

I have been a Notre Dame fan for 40 years. I can hear some of you saying, "Oh, you poor thing". Thank you. The last time I saw them play in a National Championship was 1988, 37 years ago.

Current head coach Marcus Freeman said something in answer to a question about the resilience of his team, he said, "They chose hard". I set myself to researching this and the quote comes from an interview he did in March 2024, he is the larger context,

"It all started a couple of years ago when I was in the Notre Dame weight room and was working out as our players were being pushed hard. And I remember thinking that you can choose to go through the motions or you can choose to go as hard as you can. And that's when I came up with this thought of 'Choose Hard.' We put up a sign you see when you walk into this building that says 'Choose Hard.' Because when you walk into Notre Dame football, you've got to have that mindset. - Marcus Freeman, interview with Entrepreneur Magazine

If you're like me, you may have started in youth ministry because it looked fun or you felt you had a gift and/or passion for the next generation. If you stay in youth ministry, you discover, like in video games, there is no "Easy Mode".

I have "gone through the motions', done sloppy youth ministry and paid the price for it. Not until I started to "Choose Hard" did I start to grow as a both a believer and a youth pastor.

So, I would ask you, what have you been choosing lately and is it time to start "choosing hard", putting the work in both publicly (the ministry) and privately (your faith) ?

Choosing hard every day makes the hard things, when they come, seem easier.

Choose hard, every day, and Go Irish!

Paul

P.S.

I recently finished writing and and am now teaching six week series called A.C.T.I.O.N Figures: Made by God, Made for Good and it's about challenging students to do, for many of them, the hardest thing, taking action on their faith.

Here's lesson one. See what you think and thank you for being a subscriber.

TRENDS AND CULTURE

Tik Tik ban could go into effect on Jan. 19.

Teens and Sports Gambling

What is the App TikTokkers are flocking to?

YOUTH MINISTRY ARTICLES (PODCASTS)

Parent Ministry Ideas

Digital Christianity - Episode 1: What Does It Mean To Be Present?

Youth Group Leader Mistakes and How To Prevent (or Solve) Them

Have you made your 2025 Wellness Plan yet? (Psst, I want you to 360 healthy this year)

SOCIAL/TECH

Nicky is on the cutting edge of AI and shares 5 AI tools that you could apply to your youth ministry/church.

Note: Tech and social are not replacements for prayer, fasting, Bible Study, etc. These are tools that, when used with godly wisdom, could help you reach more students, improve your job performance and save time so you can spend more time with your family or students.