Life and Faith

Tag: Reflections

  • Published: The God of The Last Dance

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    Jon
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    I had a couple of reflections about The Last Dance, the greatest sports documentary ever. I managed to form these thoughts into coherent words in an article for TGCA. You can read the article here. “In reflecting upon this series, I’ve been struck by how relatable it has been to faith. While there is no…

  • Australian Baptist Generational Ministry Research: A Recent Publication on Participation and Priorities

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    Jon
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    In the last month or so an important and interesting piece of research regarding generational ministry in Australian Baptist churches has been published. In the journal known as ‘Exchange’ Darren Cronshaw has written an article entitled ““Sticky Faith” in Australian Baptist Churches: Surveying Generational Participation and Ministry Priorities”. It is not often that research is…

  • Reflections On The Rooted Ministry Leadership Summit

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    Jon
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    In May just gone I had the privilege of attending a leadership summit organised by the US-based youth ministry organisation Rooted Ministry. I’ve written for their blog over the past couple of years and enjoyed many of the articles they produce. Unbelievably, I was invited to attend this small summit in Birmingham, Alabama with other…

  • 11 Things: Nothing Else Matters

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    Jon
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    A while ago I wrote a post about what I wished I knew when entering youth ministry. This is part six of a series dedicated to elaborating each of those eleven points. You can read part one, part two, part three, part four, and part five here. When in the guts of week-to-week youth ministry it is unlikely that…

  • When You’ve Been Writing For 8 Years And Your Blog Still Sucks

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    Jon
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    I’ve been writing on this blog, on and off, for about eight years. And yep, my blog still sucks. There are probably a number of reasons the blog sucks. The writing. The topics. The lack of consistency in publishing posts. The poor promotion, even though it is the age of social media. I don’t like…

  • 11 Things: The Grass Isn’t Greener

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    Jon
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    We are constantly comparing ourselves to others. From our material goods to our leadership skills to our parenting, we are always comparing ourselves to others. There is something about our fallen humanness that leads us to measure our uniqueness with the uniqueness of others. This also happens in the church, and in youth ministry. We…

  • Published: Ecclesiastes For The Student Minister

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    Jon
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    I’ve had a piece published at Rooted Ministry today. “Oh how comforting the Teacher of Ecclesiastes is when he reminds us that in a few years, no one will remember us! All that work and toil we’ve undertaken in our ministries will be long forgotten. The weeks and months and years of investing in people,…

  • We Like It, But Do We Care?

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    Jon
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    We all see the photos. You know, those photos that depict the perfect life someone else is living. Those photos of beautiful sunrises. Those photos of the legs on the beach. Those photos of nights out with friends. Those photos of perfect families, all smiling and joyful and happy. Those photos of food. Oh, those…

  • Growing Young – Fuel A Warm Community

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    Jon
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    This is post five in a series of reflections on the book Growing Young: Six Essential Strategies To Help Young People Discover And Love Your Church. For an introduction to the series please read part one and continue reading the reflections in part two and three and four. I’m not sure what comes to mind when…