D6 Blog
5 Things a Youth Pastor Will Gain from Seminary
You’re already busy and on the front lines of youth ministry, so why go to seminary now? Denise Muir Kjesbo, Bethel Seminary’s children’s, youth, and family ministry program director, along with Heather Flies, the program’s youth ministry advisor, weigh in on five benefits you’ll gain—perhaps unexpectedly!—from seminary. 1. Advocacy for those you minister. Although the list of skills and knowledge you’ll gain at seminary is lengthy, the young ones you serve also gain something:...
The Fastest Way to Overcome Any Misunderstanding
"Be devoted to one another in brotherly love. Honor one another above yourselves." - Romans 12:10 John, our teenager, was looking forward to a weekend event with his buddies at church. But he never got to go. Why? Because each of us thought the other had submitted the...
“Get off the floor, son.”
How many times have you seen it? The helpless, ragged mom in the store looking down at a flailing child on the floor who seems to think that Mom saying no to him is just not going fly. The fit is thrown. Awesome. What about your own kitchen floor? Ever seen one of...
Are Families Still Important to the Church?
I once heard a youth pastor say, “The reason you don’t hear pastors preaching about the importance of family is because we ourselves are not doing family very well.” Let that sink in for a moment. Has this been true of your experience? This post isn’t to bash the...
Will It Matter In College?
When she was about eleven years old, my oldest daughter wanted to dye her hair black. She wanted to dye it black. What? Black? Is she going goth? Is she going emo? Or is it emu? Regardless, I knew black wasn't going to be awesome. However, the whole color-your-hair...
Self-Worth in the Digital Age
If a group of friends hang out, and no one posts about it on social media . . . did it actually happen? Have we placed such a high priority on our online images that our real-life relationships begin to suffer? Sometimes, I wonder. There have been times when I have...
Connecting Church & Home
Tim Kimmel has long been the leading voice in what he has become known for—“Grace-based Parenting.” I will never forget hearing Tim speak for the very first time, we were Skyping him in to a small group of influencers having lunch together. Tim asked this question...
The Mess That Bears His Name
Social media. It shows the best of technology while simultaneously showing the worst of mankind. While flattening the world and connecting us in ways we never could have dreamed 30 years ago, it has also provided people an outlet to say anything and everything without...
Marriage Mentoring
“If you could give just one sentence of marital advice to these 200 students before you leave, what would it be?” It’s the closing question we pose every Monday evening to a guest couple in our Marriage 101 class at Seattle Pacific University. After our evening’s...
Marriage…It’s Worth Fighting For
You have to fight! Those aren’t the typical words of advice written in a card for newlyweds or engraved on His & Her coffee mugs. But I think those words should be in cards, on t-shirts, in frames, and in every conversation we have about marriage. Let me explain:...
Don’t Give Up on Godly Dreams
As a kid, I had big plans for what I wanted to accomplish with my life. I was going to be a missionary (and a ballerina in my spare time). I was going to change the world and have fun while I was at it. I wanted to be an active part in the lives of others. I wanted to...
Leveraging Social Media
I continue to hold onto and strive for my vision of a Student Ministry where our students are disciple-making machines. I can't wait to see a day where most, if not all, of our students are comfortable and proactive in sharing their faith, bringing their friends to...
A New Way to Think About “Parent Ministry”
Go to any children’s or student ministry conference today, and you’ll hear speakers hit the stage and talk about the idea of your ministry investing in families. Processing how to impact kids more effectively and then figuring out the parent issue also can be...