The Enemy would love for us to live our lives as if there were no "contender," as if neither he nor spiritual warfare existed. To live in that manner, however, would be foolish, especially given that two-thirds of Christ's ministry before the cross involved the devil or the demonic world. That, my friend, is a substantial percentage!

In this Source, "The Contender," we pull back the veil on spiritual warfare by exposing the Enemy and examining our weapons of choice. Our goal is not to spook our students, but to convince them not to take this whole thing lightly. It really is a big deal in the eyes of Jesus. The people who make Hell laugh are those who act as if it is not.

Fortunately, while the battle is real, if we have Christ in our lives, the Bible makes it clear that we will be the ultimate victor. Despite that fact, the Enemy still wants to engage us in battle and derail our lives, even if only momentarily. We cannot allow that to happen! Learning how to put on our armor and draw our weapons will prevent it!

Fighting with you,

About 5 years into full-time youth ministry, I remember saying, "I think EVERYBODY deals with insecurity!" Now, more than 35 years later, I am even more convinced of that fact. Insecurity is a controlling factor that the teenagers in your youth church deal with almost every hour of their lives. Often, it stays masked behind facades of pride, sarcasm, or quietness. But I promise you that insecurity is one of the most dominant emotions most of today's youth culture is impacted by.

Years ago, I heard someone say that "Whoever we most fear...we will eventually serve." Isn't that true? Proverbs 29:25 says it a little differently. It reads, "The fear of man creates a trap." Right again, King Solomon! So enjoy this Source, "The Curse Of Insecurity," and know that it is powerfully relevant to about every teenager (and youth minister) you know. Who knows? You might even hear something in the message for yourself!

Lovingly yours,

Deep hurt in life is often hard to talk about. How do we relate to someone that we have no idea how they feel, even remotely? And we also, sometimes think no one will ever understand our levels of pain and heartache in life. We all know that pain makes us stronger...and that's great...but that doesn't always make it ok. Things like rape, divorce, accidents, sickness and death can leave us wondering, "Where were You, God?" If that question hasn't ever gone through your own head, I can guarantee it's gone through some of your students'. And, if we don't give them a safe place to process and disarm those thoughts, they can prove to be spiritually lethal. In fact, they are probably the reason for some of the empty chairs in our youth ministries today.

In this Source, I talk about how Jesus was the ultimate victim when He died for our sins. He was mistreated and abused, just as many of us were in our lives. So what do we do with that? Helping students to understand our God hurts when we hurt, He cries when we cry and is painfully aware of all that we are going through...well, that can help.

Bottom line, my heart's desire is for our students not to have an "If only things had been different" mindset, but choose instead to live "Even if..." lives. Even if I don't understand, the Christ inside of me is big enough to see me through. Even if I don't get it, I will follow Him.

Serving a God who collects my tears,

With this edition of the Source, "Christ's Answer To The Fear Factor," we give you a "can't miss" event. This is an outreach-based message that we did for two weeks. While this Source isn't long enough to include the audio from both nights, we've given you both sets of notes to use. We've also loaded up this Source with all the games, tech notes, and more to execute this event flawlessly. So take what you want, adapt it for your gang, and if you only do it for one week or stretch it longer than two, I know this will be a hit with your team!

On a personal note, this message deals with two of the biggest fears that people in our society struggle with: "the fear of rejection" and "the fear of insignificance." Our own students and ourselves, if we're honest, fight these fears daily. As you listen, you'll hear me often speak of my own battle with these fears. Remember, "you will lead people with your strengths, but you will connect to people with your weaknesses."

So sit back, relax, and give me a few minutes to be you "long distance cheerleader."

Lovingly your "Big Sis,"

The church world was recently shocked with the devastating news of Senior Pastor Andrew Stoecklein, who took his own life. His suicide is bringing attention to all the pressure on men and women in the ministry. One prominent senior pastor wrote about his death, "Depression is real and pastors are not exempt or defective who experience it. In this generation, pastors are expected to be business savvy, Instagram quotable preaching celebrities, fully accessible, deeply spiritual, not too young, not too old..."

Though in this Youth Leader's Coach, I don't focus on suicide...I talk about something I have dealt with myself that led to Pastor Andrew's tragic decision, depression and anxiety, which is experienced by many of God's finest in ministry circles. Listen in as I share three root causes of depression and anxiety, why we in ministry circles deal with it so often, and then give you ten ways to help, if you or someone you are counselling is dealing with this issue.

So listen in. Even if you've never had to deal with depression or anxiety, I promise someone in your world probably does. Never underestimate the importance of learning to be a caring friend who is willing to simply listen.

Lovingly,