Week of Thanks: The Youth Ministry Community

I am sure you have noticed by now that Thanksgiving is upon us. As we enter into this season I have noticed that Thanksgiving has taken a back seat in our culture; this holiday is no longer about giving thanks but about buying stuff at a discounted rate.

Instead of spending a few posts ranting about all of this, I want to do the opposite. I am going to give thanks, and I invite you along with me on this week long journey. I plan to post once a day for the next week, each day describing something I am thankful for in my life. These are not in any specific order – I am thankful for all of them (mostly) on an equal level.

I am thankful for the Youth Ministry community

So far all my thanks has been directed to those closest to me.  Today, I am giving my thanks to some people that I know really well, and others I only know by a screen name or twitter handle.  The youth ministry community quite literally includes some of my oldest and dearest friends to perfect strangers, and everything in between.  No matter where you fall on that spectrum, if you are a youth worker I am thankful for you.

I am thankful that more teenagers fall in love with Jesus Christ every day.

I am thankful that I am not alone in my calling.  Ministry can be a lonely place, but if I feel alone it is my own fault.

I am thankful that I don’t have to re-invent the wheel.  There is a flood of great resources to help us all do ministry better, made mainly by us.

I am thankful that so many people are willing to invest into me.  From blogs to books to conferences to phone calls to one-on-one conversations I have learned so much from so many of you.

I am thankful that many of you have let me invest into you.  I am still amazed at all the opportunities God (and the YM community) have provided for me to share my opinion on this whole youth ministry thing, and that many of you actually read what I write.

I chose to post this thanks on Friday, mainly because my book is the sponsor of the Simply Youth Ministry show today.  In honor of that my book is FREE on kindle today, so check that out and get your copy!