Tag: help

Quick Tip: Ask for Help

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I’ll never forget the first time I used the coffee pot in our church office hallway. I’ve drank coffee for most of my life and I’ve brewed coffee in more coffee pots than I can count. And how hard could it really be? Well, harder than I thought. There were two buttons and I hit the wrong one which actually cycled the machine off and took an exceptionally long time to restart and reheat to make the coffee.

The worst part: I was with another staff member who was showing me around and rather than ask for help I asserted “I know how this works.” And as they were trying to explain what not to do, I hit the wrong button.

Now, hopefully, you can laugh along with me at the absurdity of this true story, but let me pose a question. Have you ever tried to do something on your own without asking for help? Have you ever done that knowing you should ask for help?

From my experience, it can be extremely difficult for those serving in ministry to ask for assistance. I believe this is rooted in a variety of reasons including being told we are part of an elite group after graduating from college or grad school. We know how to function in isolation, we have learned to trust ourselves and our motivations, we have become fairly self sufficient, and perhaps there has been a lack of effective and helpful guidance.

Regardless of the reason why, many ministry leaders are hesitant to ask for help and that is extremely problematic. When we try to go on our own, when we refuse to seek help, when we simply try to push through, these responses will inevitably lead to burn out, anger and frustration, hurt, bitterness, and further isolation. I’ve seen this too many times to count and I’ve been there as well. Trying to do it on our own and not asking for help is a recipe for disaster.

When we live and work in isolation we aren’t just hurting ourselves, but also building ourselves into isolation and potentially causing harm to others by not allowing them to thrive. When we go at it on our own we are not actually giving our people what they need because we are often leading out of emptiness. Leading out of emptiness is not helpful to anyone and is destructive to yourself and those you’re leading.

So what are we supposed to do?

Ask for help. It sounds simple, but it is also incredibly hard because it means admitting we cannot do it all on our own. This can feel like failure, but it is actually life saving. Asking for help feels incredibly difficult and near impossible in the moment, but doing so will actually help you flourish, refresh, and release the weight you shouldn’t be carrying.

Here’s what I would suggest: find someone you can be authentic with and share how you’re feeling. After you’re done sharing how you’re feeling progress in one of these ways: ask them for help and give them permission to do so, ask them to go with you to the person (i.e. a supervisor) to help advocate for you. Be willing to listen to their suggestions and implement them. Part of being authentic means owning what is happening and not suffering in silence. But in order for that to be beneficial, you also need to be willing to hear and receive help.

Admitting you need help is difficult. Being willing to receive help is harder still. However, when you admit and receive help, you are removing the weight you’ve placed on yourself or the weight that has been placed on you, and allowing for the body of Christ to truly be the body as they walk with and care for you.

If you need someone to talk to, or an advocate, know that we are here for you. We’d be honored to hear your story and to walk with you.

Be the Supervisor You Want to Have

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Have you ever worked under a great boss? What about a not so great one? Have you ever wished a supervisor would do something a certain way for you or care in meaningful ways? Have you had a boss who wasn’t just a good supervisor but also a good shepherd?

I’ve been in ministry for a long time and I’ve worked in a variety of jobs outside of ministry. In every single one of those jobs I had supervisors. Whether it was a lieutenant, a board of elders, an executive or senior pastor, managers, or an account supervisor, I’ve always had someone to whom I reported. With in each of those settings I can point to good and bad moments.

But here’s the thing: we often tend to remember the bad moments, the moments we weren’t cared for well, the moments our supervisors didn’t do something we wished they had, or times when those supervisors just weren’t good supervisors. And if you’re like me, you probably have focused on that way too much. Now understand, I’m not saying people shouldn’t be held accountable and I’m also not telling you to just knuckle under.

Instead, what if rather than focusing on the disappointment and discouragement that can and will come from faulty leadership, we utilized that passion and tension in a positive way. Imagine if we leveraged that as a growth opportunity for ourselves to be the best supervisor we can be! I’m not saying there’s no accountability for those in authority over you and I’m not saying that you’re the problem. Instead, I’m challenging each of us to be the supervisor we wished we had.

We all know what we have desired in a supervisor. Maybe you have had a great one and want to model your leadership after them. Perhaps you had one who didn’t afford you what you needed and now you know what a supervisor should do. What we must do as leaders is take a look at our history of supervisors and use that to cultivate the supervisor we need to be. Take the good, the bad, and the indifferent and learn from it. Be willing to discern those moments and use them to transform how you lead.

Some of my greatest strengths as a leader have come from learning from those who led me. And some of the ways I lead flow out of a desire to lead differently. But in all of those moments, I ask myself if I am leading in a way I would want to be led. Am I listening? Is my team being empowered and released to utilize their strengths? Have I been a good encourager? Have I helped my team grow and flourish? Am I willing to engage, even the hard moments, when needed? Do I have my team’s back? Am I okay with my team succeeding even if it moves the spotlight off of me?

These aren’t all the questions a good leader should be asking, but they are a starting point. Whether you’re supervising staff, leading volunteers, shepherding students, or preparing to lead, thinking through these questions and gaining insight from good leaders and mentors will help to shape you as a healthy leader. By leading others well, we are cultivating not only our own abilities but shaping future leaders to also be healthy and beneficial.

Planning Ahead: Empowering Students to Participate in Lent

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If you’re like me, you grew up in a church tradition that did not incorporate participation in Lent. It wasn’t until I was in college that I learned Lent wasn’t just something for Catholics, and that many of my Protestant friends also participated. Still, Lent wasn’t something I considered participating in until I heard a podcast on the topic, and felt challenged to join.

For the past several years, I’ve found different ways to participate, each one bringing more depth and understanding to my relationship with Jesus, and my yearly journey toward Easter. I’ve learned that Lent is about so much more than just “giving up” something. It’s about engaging in rhythms that prepare our hearts for the Christian life and our calling to follow Jesus wholeheartedly.

I think Lent can be meaningful for our students, too, if they are empowered and equipped to participate well. If this isn’t something your ministry is already doing, let me encourage you to consider it. I also want to share some ideas, which I hope are helpful whether you’re already doing Lent as a student ministry initiative or considering it.

Reimagine intentional fasting.

Fasting is typically the “big” aspect of Lent that we think of, and it can be a beautiful rhythm to engage in intentionally. When it comes to our students, I think we have to treat fasting with care as some students’ relationships with food can be complicated.

Rather than simply focusing on fasting from food, I would encourage you to challenge your students to ask themselves, “What thing has the potential to be, or has become, an idol in my life that I can give up during Lent?” Help your students drill down on the things that most often draw their attention away from God, or that they use to self-medicate, that they can feasibly fast from for over a month.

Students might be tempted to list things like school, friends, sports or other activities, which they can’t realistically take a break from. So you may need to offer guidance and help them determine what can be removed. Maybe it’s social media and using that as their primary way of connecting with friends. Maybe it’s intentionally stepping away from homework for 15 minutes each day to read the Bible and pray in a quiet space.

If a student does want to fast from a food item, encourage them to choose something that isn’t good for them, or has the tendency to become an “emotional support” food. This could include fasting from desserts and candy, soft drinks, or junky snack foods.

While they’re fasting, students should be encouraged to turn their thoughts to God, especially if they’re struggling with it. The reminder in fasting is that we desperately need and depend on God, more than the thing we’re fasting from and missing. In those moments of struggle, they can choose to engage in a spiritual rhythm. (More on that below.)

Include an intentional “feast day.”

When I was learning about Lent, I liked the idea of making Sundays a “feast day.” And while that meant indulging in something I was fasting from, more importantly, I loved the idea of celebrating the goodness of God. So rather than just having a day of indulgence, I wanted it to be intentional.

If students are creatively fasting, feast days may look different for them. Maybe it makes sense for them to fast the whole Lenten season, or maybe they can intentionally allow engagement on Sunday.

Another way to look at feast days is doing something as a group if you gather on Sunday mornings. Open up the floor to a time of sharing what students are learning, how they are celebrating God, and what they are thankful for. You could also provide treats that provide a physical feast element for students to partake in.

Do a group study.

I have loved doing daily studies throughout Lent that help me focus on the themes of the holiday season. Doing one as a group can help students engage on their own, but also feel part of a larger community participating in Lent together.

The YouVersion Bible app often has a Lent study or two available, which can make it easy to participate as a group if you initiate the study and invite the students to join. Another option if you have time is to create your own study, which affords the ability to cater it to your specific group. Just make sure to give yourself plenty of time to create it if you go this route.

Focus on spiritual rhythms.

Lent is also about engaging in other spiritual rhythms, not just fasting, though they can go hand-in-hand. I grew up hearing that prayer was an integral part of fasting, as it helps us remain strong. Lent is also an opportunity to pray for something consistently for a set period of time and watch for God’s answer.

Another spiritual rhythm I love to engage in during Lent is meditation on Scripture. I frequently choose one verse to focus on or memorize. Before I get out of bed in the morning, I read the verse and pray to start the day.

Another traditional part of Lent is giving. This can be monetary, and you can find a ministry, organization or person to support as a group. Or, if your students don’t have money to give, you can help them identify needs of others and find creative ways to participate. Maybe they can give of their time to help with childcare or service projects. Or they can give of their talents to play music or create art for homebound seniors.

These are just some of the rhythms you can direct your students to engage in during Lent. They can also journal, practice intentionally sitting in silence, or create something based on what they are learning (art, poetry, a story, a song, photographs, etc.).

Incorporate observances into your weekly programming.

If you’re doing Lent as a group, can you tie it into weekly meetings? Think of lessons that dig into the themes of Lent, or a series that follows Jesus’ ministry and journey to the cross. Maybe you want to incorporate communion into one or more of your meetings.

You can provide unique ways for students to engage during lessons with quiet time to meditate, pray in color, or memorize a passage as a group. You can also turn Sundays into a time of celebration where students worship, sing, and create art together.

Or you may decide to create an Easter experience for your students as Lent draws to a close. We’ve written a couple of posts along these lines, one about creating an Easter encounter and another about helping students engage with the holiday. This could serve as the conclusion to your students’ observance of Lent.

Planning Ahead: Teaching Calendars

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Welcome to a brand new series called “Planning Ahead.” This series is intentionally designed to help youth workers think through strategically planning for specific events, dates, and bench markers in ministry.

We will talk about fall kickoffs, Christmas parties, Lent, training sessions, and more. Our hope with this series is to provide you with practical steps to help you succeed in ministry by setting benchmarks in planning and sharing insights we have learned along the way.

If your experience starting out in ministry is anything like mine, I wasn’t taught strategic planning. I didn’t know how important it was to plan ahead or build out a teaching calendar. I didn’t see how intentionality wasn’t just intended for teaching and preaching but also in how we structure, prepare for, and implement important events and key programmatic pieces within our ministries.

I’ve learned how important planning ahead is not just for my own sanity but also for our students, families, and volunteers. When we plan ahead we show intentionality, communicate value and worth, help everyone to understand what we are doing and why. We are able to unify under a shared vision and goal.

So with that in mind, today I wanted to share about intentionally building out teaching calendars by answering some common questions surrounding them.

How far in advance should we plan?

When it comes to a teaching calendar, I plan a semester ahead and I typically don’t plan for a whole year. We curate our content for a semester at a time and try to have it finalized months before the next semester rolls around.

That means we typically have our fall teaching calendar finalized around May or June and our spring teaching calendar finalized around October or November. When you plan this far ahead, it allows you to start recruiting teachers, planning for different events, and strategically choosing teaching series.

How do we pick what we will teach?

When I first started in student ministry, I picked topics that I thought were relevant or that sounded cool. Curriculum with catchy titles and graphics were always a win. But we need to think beyond just what will be relevant or “cool” and instead plan with intentionality, purpose, and vision. That means when you are choosing what you will teach, you do so in light of those things as well as choosing relevant and necessary topics.

So plan your teaching around your vision, themes that you’ll focus on in your ministry, and key dates or momentum seasons. You can also begin building a 3, 4, or 7 year curriculum track based on how your program functions. You could choose a 3 year curriculum for middle school and a 4 year curriculum for high school that repeats (with updated changes as needed) to help students move through key life phases and seasons.

What should be included?

This is a question I used to wrestle with when I was younger because I would second guess myself. But here’s the thing: you know your students best and that means you know what they need to hear and be guided in. Trust your instincts and lean into your group dynamics.

But I would also encourage you to pay attention to culture, what Gen Z and Gen Alpha are searching for, and what students are grappling with overall. You can do this by talking to other youth workers, joining online communities, stepping into various cohorts, and following organizations like CPYU, FYI, Barna, others. If you utilize those key pieces to think about what is being taught, you will have a solid teaching calendar.

How many calendars should you have?

Sometimes I see ministries with multiple calendars and frankly that can get confusing. Instead of having multiple calendars, look to simplify down to one. Yes, you may need to have a calendar for families and one for leaders, but trying to simply the amount of calendars also allows your communication to be simplified and concise which provides clarity for everyone.

I won’t lie to you and tell you that if you do all these things that you’ll always hit it out of the park. We all swing and miss at times. But I will tell you that you will see more success and you can fine tune the necessary areas to fully pour into your community.

The Importance of a Personal Mentor

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Recently our church has been undergoing a big change. We are in the midst of a search for only our third senior pastor since the church was founded. When we heard the news, there was a piece of me that entertained the thought of applying for the position, but also a piece of me that strongly resisted applying.

As I processed with Elise, we both knew we felt similar tensions and that we needed the voice of trusted individuals and mentors in our lives to speak into this moment. So I reached out to some of them to hear their input and advice. They all resonated with the feelings and tensions we were feeling. After talking with them, we confirmed that we were not going to pursue the position (unless God made it clear that we should) and instead were content with where God had us.

I don’t know where you are in your ministry career or what you were taught about serving in ministry, but in my experience I was not encouraged to have a mentor until I had been in ministry for years. When I first started in a tiny church as their pastor, I didn’t have anyone who was shepherding and guiding me. No one was speaking into how I was leading, what could be improved or changed, how to navigate conflict, self care, and so many other vital aspects of ministry.

Looking back, I made a lot of mistakes as a young and naive twenty-something stepping into their first paid ministry position. I made decisions quickly, I was harsher than I should have been, and acted out of naivety and without thinking through how things would be received. If I had a mentor during that time, I know I wouldn’t have made all of the same decisions. I am not saying I wouldn’t have still messed up, but having someone guiding and challenging me would have helped to shape how I led, engaged, and reacted.

A personal mentor is one of the best things we can have in our lives. A personal mentor is someone that you trust and can go to with questions and doubts, and for encouragement. They are individuals who know you, can speak truth into your life, challenge and correct you, and also be a sounding board for choices and decisions you need to make.

A mentor is someone who cares about you and helps to form and shape you as you walk through ministry. This isn’t something just for young or new youth workers, but something we should incorporate throughout our careers. Even now, having been in ministry for over two decades, I’m so thankful for the mentors in my life who help to shape me. Whether it’s being encouraged during challenging times, being pushed to step out of my comfort zone, empowering me to lead well, or simply listening to me as I process. A mentor is something everyone should have in their lives.

A great place to start looking for a mentor is within your current context. Is there someone who has gone before you, a supervisor, a career volunteer, a friend? You can also connect with other established youth pastors who can help guide and shape you as you grow in your career. We are willing to be in your corner and to walk with you. There’s also professional coaching programs through a variety of organizations. The question is simply this: are you willing? Are you willing to have someone pour into you and walk with you as you lead in your context?

So, what’s stopping you from having a personal mentor in your life?

Quick Tip: Easy Four Square on Carpet

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I don’t know about your students, but my middle school students love two games: gagaball and four square. They go nuts over them. We have shared about our indoor/outdoor gagaball before, but today I wanted to share a quick tip for playing four square on a carpet floor.

Most everyone is familiar with four square. A large square is divided up into four equal squares. The final square (the king square) is where you serve from and getting to that square is the ultimate goal.

Players advance by getting other players out. This happens when the ball bounces twice in their opponent’s square, their opponent doesn’t return the ball to an opposing square, or their opponent hits the ball out of bounds. Sounds simple enough; but if you’re playing on carpet, how do you set up the lines?

For years we used painters tape hoping it wouldn’t leave residue for our facility team. But alas, it still did. We tried utilizing string or rope as the lines but they kept getting moved which led to arguments over fairness. And we were not in a space where we could paint the lines into the carpet or order specific carpet squares for the game because we are a multipurpose space.

Then came the solution! One of our facility team members came up to me and said, “Have you tried Velcro strips?” It was like a great epiphany! I hadn’t even thought of that before.

Velcro would work because it wouldn’t damage the carpet, it could be rolled up and easily stored, and it was inexpensive. What was even better was that team member went online and found the actual dimensions (I didn’t know there were such things for four square) and cut the pieces of Velcro to length.

Set up is now a breeze when we have programming because I simply put down six pieces of Velcro and all of a sudden we have a durable court ready to go. We’ve been utilizing the same strips of Velcro for years and have had no issues. Just make sure that when you store the Velcro, you roll it so it doesn’t stick to itself or other strips.

You can find all sorts of different varieties on Amazon or a local hardware store. My encouragement would be to not buy one with an adhesive backing because that will keep people from accidentally pealing it off and becoming sticky.

Hopefully this provides you and your students with a fun, quick, and easy to clean up activity. My encouragement when pulling up the Velcro is to be mindful of your carpet if it’s individual carpet squares. Pulling up too quickly can dislodge them depending on how the carpet squares are secured to the actual flooring.

I hope this is a great resource that allows you and your team to creatively engage with your students!

Trip Tricks: Mission Trip Interview Tips

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We just closed out our mission trip applications for this summer and are thrilled with the amount of students and leaders who want to serve this year. Part of our methodology for summer programming is to lean into mission trips as it correlates with our vision of disciplemaking.

An integral part of our application process is sitting down for an interview with each student who signs up. We discuss their application, work through their references, get to know them better, and discern if this trip is the right trip for them.

This process helps to ensure that the team going on the trip can work together, mesh well, and have the right philosophy for the trip. It also allows the trip leader to know their team, to begin to see how the team will integrate, and to begin to see pressure points that may develop.

Another aspect of this interview is that we are able to ascertain where students are at in their faith. I am a firm believer that mission trips are not just for the students who have it all “figured out” or even just for Christians.

Mission trips can be missional to the students who are going to serve. But in walking through an application that should have pertinent faith questions, you can begin to understand where each student is in their journey with Jesus.

In preparation for each of the interviews, I would highly suggest the following before you sit down with your student:

1. Read the application and take notes.

Write down any questions you have, underscore things you wish to touch on, and make notes about any themes, challenges, or encouragements that you see. Be prepared to follow up on those notes during your interview with the student.

2. Pray for the student.

Part of our application asks our students to list ways we can pray for them. These requests are then shared with our church through prayer cards when we do fundraising, but it also provides a way for you to pray for your students before, during, and after the interview process.

Take time to not just pray for the requests they shared in the application, but also ask if there are any other requests that they may have when you sit down for the interview.

3. Prepare any guidance or follow up that will need to be done.

One thing we ask each of our applicants to do is share their testimony. Sometimes we need to offer guidance in writing the testimony out or even in helping them to understand what their testimony is. Whether it’s the testimony or other guidance, be prepared to speak into specific areas during the interview.

4. Follow up with references if needed.

Part of our application process involves students getting a parental and personal reference. If concerns are raised by their references, or if there are specific aspects that warrant follow up, make sure to do so before the interview so you’re adequately prepared.

Proper preparation for interviews will help to ensure they go well and you are building a unified team that will work well together. Being proactive and intentional in the interview process helps you to lead well and instill trust in your students as they prepare for the trip.

Quick Tip: Always Have a Wellness Policy

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It’s wintertime and that means illnesses are abounding. I’m not a scientist by any scope of the term, but I’ve worked with students long enough to know that this time of year sees a large uptick of sickness. There’s colds, stomach bugs, the flu, Covid, allergies, and more.

In the area we serve, doctors have been seeing a very large increase in illnesses and in how quickly they are spreading. Schools are seeing droves of students missing classes. Trips and gatherings allow for illnesses to spread quickly. And illnesses are not always being actualized until symptoms appear, allowing for many people to get sick faster.

The years 2020-2021 taught us a lot of things, and one of them was the necessity of having a wellness policy. Covid forced us to think about social distancing, how to better cover our coughs and sneezes, the increased importance of sanitary practices, and how important it is to stay home when sick and not spread illnesses. But the reality is Covid isn’t the only illness that can and will spread rapidly, especially in scenarios where large groups are gathered together.

As we began to reassess and think differently about how we did ministry post-Covid, an area we realized needed to be updated was our wellness policy. We decided to call it a “wellness policy” rather than “sick policy” because wellness highlights what we are seeking to achieve and it is more positive sounding. A sick policy seems punitive while wellness points towards a safe place where even immunocompromised individuals can attend.

So what does this look like? Well, I’ll be honest with you and share two key pieces about a wellness policy: it may change over time, and it will also depend on your context. Let me explain both of these in a little more detail.

A wellness policy may change as you understand more about the illnesses you are dealing with and how that pertains to your ministry and its setting. For instance, our wellness policy was originally focused on multiple symptoms but we adjusted that when we understood people could be asymptomatic. So we went more broad than narrow on our policy to work within that understanding.

Your context will also help determine how you shape your wellness policy. If you live in a setting where you can conduct ministry outdoors for a large part of the year, you will probably have a bit more freedom in how you shape the policy. If you’re indoors in a smaller environment that will also shape how you purposefully engage this policy. Another thing to consider is allergens and how prone your area of the country is to them as their symptoms can sometimes manifest in the same way other illnesses can.

So understanding your context and present setting should help you in shaping how your policy looks. I stated earlier that we went simple with ours as we believe clarity is kindness and simplicity helps us be direct and understandable. We focused on a few key points for our policy and have shaped it in this way: “If you feel sick stay home. We want you to rest up and feel better, as well as prevent any one else from catching anything.”

We have an addendum for Covid which states, “If you test positive for Covid, please adhere to the following guideline: you must stay home (i.e. away from the church) until you are symptom free for 24 hours without a fever.” We also encourage everyone to follow good hygiene practices.

These simple statements have not only helped our group stay relatively healthy throughout the years, but it’s also given people permission to take a sick day. This policy applies to our leaders who, like yours, are dedicated and wanted to always be present even to their own detriment. But now they are given the freedom to stay home and get better.

This policy is not guaranteed to prevent any type of sickness, nor stop the spreading of anything. But it does help in keeping our people safe and provides clear communication.

In months where illnesses are rapidly spreading, having a wellness policy helps you to care well for you people by giving them loving direction and seeking to ensure a safe and healthy place for your entire community.

Trip Tricks: Post Trip Follow-Up

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It’s the end of your trip. You’re preparing your group to head home. You and your team are saying your goodbyes to camp staff, missionaries, and new friends. You’re taking group pictures, thinking about the ride or flight home. And when you finally get back, you can’t wait for those first few minutes of silence and stillness before heading home to see your family, take a nice long shower, and sleep in your own bed.

Sound familiar? I know I tend to feel all of those things during the end of our trips. But what about intentional follow-up with your students?

Students usually encounter Jesus in new and refreshing ways during trips and come away with a renewed desire to follow Him and grow deeper in their faith. The question we need to ask ourselves is this: are we intentionally leveraging and engaging in these moments to best steward and grow our students’ relationship with Jesus?

In my early years of student ministry I didn’t always focus on this. And it became painfully obvious that my students rode the “camp high” and then began to fizzle out as they simply went back to their old habits. But that doesn’t have to be the case.

We can avoid the “camp high” by helping our students to intentionally continue engaging in their relationship with Jesus and continuing in community with believers. We can help them see that there is more than simply settling for the mundane and typical life this world offers, and instead show them how amazing and grand it can be with Jesus.

One of the ways we can do this is by offering intentional steps our students can take to engage their faith and help them with follow up. Here’s what it looks like for us.

We sit our group down all together for ten to fifteen minutes at the end of the trip before we load up to go home and we take time to talk through intentional steps they can take.

We talk about continuing to be in biblical community, engaging with spiritual rhythms, next steps in their faith journey like baptism, joining a summer mission trip, serving in the church and their community, and sharing their story with others. Each of these steps are designed to eliminate the myth of the “camp high” and to help students continue to grow and flourish in their faith.

We also tried a new approach this year where we gave postcards to our small group leaders that were designed to give students a means of responding to their experience on the retreat. We realize that as our ministry has grown, the large group gatherings at the end are great, but with a discipleship format, having small group leaders engage in a different setting allows us to help our students grow and take steps of faith. The postcards can be fairly simple and should included space for contact information, and then some tangible check boxes. The check boxes could include things like, I followed Jesus, I want to get baptized, I want to serve, and I have questions.

We also try to be intentional in providing pathways for students to take after the trip that will help them grow in their faith. After our winter retreat we launch our summer trip sign-ups a week after returning home. We challenge students to serve by promoting opportunities during youth group in the weeks following our trips. We also try to provide thoughtful and intentional ways for students to share their stories throughout the year.

Providing intentional opportunities for follow-up with your students allows for continued growth and development of their faith. It also helps students to understand that their faith doesn’t simply ride the rollercoaster of jumping from event to event but is an ongoing journey they get to be a part of with Jesus. It also helps to ensure that upcoming generations don’t walk away from their faith after high school, but instead are committed to an ongoing transformative relationship with their Savior.

Trip Tricks: A Quick Dinner Option

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Last week we shared an idea for an easy breakfast you can serve during a trip. Preparing meals is often a part of trips and a part that can add significant stress and work to those in charge.

I have been on many trips where I’ve been in charge of meals and that usually means waking up early, which also means sleeping less. It means added work in an already busy and stressful environment. And it often results to mental and physical exhaustion sooner in those settings.

But, I realize that sometimes this is the reality we face as we don’t have another option and we need to make sure meals are prepared for our team. So if that is the case, we need to consider if there are easy, viable options that can be prepared quickly and are still filling and tasty for our group.

One of those options is a dinner or lunch dish that I happened upon out of necessity. We were running a mission trip that focused on hosting a VBS at an inner city elementary school. Our host site originally told us we’d have a working kitchen in which to prepare meals. Just days before our trip we were informed that there was in fact not a working kitchen so all our meal ideas had to be revisited.

We now had to prepare meals via crockpots, microwaves, and a grill. After spending time online and looking for options, I found this recipe for pulled pork that turned out to be a huge winner.

It’s super simple to prepare and it cooks throughout the day while you and your crew are out and about. Don’t let the reality that it only requires root beer and pork tenderloin cause any doubt. The pork comes out super tender and really tasty. I was hesitant at first with this recipe, but I was a quick convert after tasting it. You can choose to add some basic seasoning to the pork if you’d like, but you honestly don’t need to.

You can then choose how you serve it. It can be traditional pulled pork with barbecue sauce, slaw, and pickles on a hamburger bun. You could switch it up and do pulled pork tacos. It could be the main dish with beans, a baked potato, and/or salad as sides. Or you could layer the pulled pork on salad for a different spin.

Pulled pork also keeps well for leftovers the next day so this is a huge win as it could also be used for lunch later in the week. This is one of the easiest meals I have ever prepared and cannot recommend it enough.