Friday Review (12/23/22)
Each week we compile a list of helpful articles from other sites, in a variety of categories, for youth workers to read, reflect on, and/or discuss with parents and volunteers. If you have any articles you’d like to suggest, we’d love for you to share those in the Youth Pastor Theologian Facebook group. That’s a great way to bring them to our attention and to discuss them with like-minded youth workers! (Inclusion in this list does not imply complete agreement with the publishing source, but we have found these articles to be beneficial.)
Youth Ministry
O Little Youth Ministry by Dan Montgomery (Rooted)
The culture and our hearts pressure us to feel that we need to “optimize”, “maximize”, and “unlock” all the potential in our ministry. But God’s way is different. Remember “how silently, how silently, the wondrous gift is giv’n!” You serve the God who does his biggest works in the smallest and quietest places.
Biblical & Theological Studies
Was Christmas Like This? by Eddie Arthur (Kouyanet)
It’s not a pretty story. It’s about a young couple who were forced to take on a difficult journey at the whim of a colonial power. It’s about poverty and tiredness and suffering. The amazing thing is that Mary had the presence of mind to remember everything that happened and to reflect on it.
The Pursuit of Us by Wendy Willard (Gospel Centered Discipleship)
Jesus’s birth testifies to God’s pursuit of his people—not the perfect people; there aren’t any of those. Rather the broken ones, like Saul, the murderer. Instead of leaving us to our own devices—particularly given our propensity to make a mess of things—he sent his Son to be a miraculously born human, humbly die in our place, and graciously save us from ourselves.
Cultural Reflection & Contextualization
Gaming Alone: Helping the Generation of Young Men Captivated and Isolated by Video Games, by Sarah Eekhoff Zylstra (The Gospel Coalition)
I could see parallels with the world of video games. In both, you create and maintain an online identity in an online world. In both, you can meet and become friends with people across the world you haven’t met—and might never meet —in real life.
This Christmas, Enjoy the Sweets, by Trevin Wax (Core Christianity)
What better way to celebrate the abundance of God’s grace than to feast together on all we love about this season? So, enjoy the sentimental movies, string the lights on that evergreen tree, create your playlist of best Christmas songs, and look out the frosted windowpanes for a glimpse of elves or reindeer. God is with us. Deck the halls.
Today’s World Cup, Football, and the Demon of Sport, by Walt Mueller (CPYU)
Ryken’s entire essay is worth reading... especially on this day where sport takes front-and-center in so many of our lives. Ryken addresses how sport has become an idol in our culture.
Pastoral Ministry
What Makes for a Good Musical Worship Experience? by John Piper (Desiring God)
The congregation is the worshiping body, with the help of people who are musicians or leaders from the front. That implies the question, What would that leadership be like? What would the good leadership be to make that happen, so that the people are singing, the people are praying, the people are reciting, the people are confessing authentically from the heart?
3 Ways Pastors Can Experience the Joys of Christmas Too, by Daryl Crouch (Lifeway)
So, while Christmas is great, it’s also a season that creates diverse leadership challenges for pastors. As we lead out in celebrating the birth of our Savior, these three pastoral practices will help make this season truly the most wonderful time of the year.
Family & Parents
An Encouragement to Young Husbands, by A.W. Workman (Entrusted to the Dirt)
Release the pressure you are both likely feeling and instead lead by helping your wife to simply rest in Christ’s love and your love for her. Help her to know in her very bones that this love for her is steadfast, no matter what. As Christ has welcomed you into his rest, so welcome her. Do this, trusting God with your futures – and then sit back and watch her bloom.
When We Don’t Know What the Future Holds For Our Children, by Meredith Exline (Rooted)
When we treasure tender moments with our kids, even as we live in not-knowing, God prepares our hearts for later moments that might otherwise be too difficult to bear. We, like Mary, can trust God with our children even when we don’t exactly know the outcome of every trial they will face.
From YPT this week
Christmas… When it’s NOT the Most Wonderful Time of the Year by Mike McGarry
If we only talk about Christmas joy and happiness then our students who are struggling will miss an important perspective on Christmas… why Jesus was born at all.
YPT Podcast Episode 21: Top Down & Bottom Up Approaches to Ministry with Gareth Crispin and Robin Barfield
Should youth workers prioritize their message preparation or should we become guides who empower students to grow by serving him? Gareth Crispin and Robin Barfield join the YPT Podcast to discuss "top down" and "bottom up" approaches to youth ministry.