What’s the difference between a youth program and a youth movement? Programs are often launched quickly and with a plethora of promotions. We’ve all seen the youth group flyers, posters or social media posts promoting a new teen bible study, activity or event. The church or youth group hypes it up, crosses it’s fingers and […]
Read more "How to Triple your Youth Group in 13 Months: Lead a Youth Movement"What we allow into our minds will affect who we are and what we become. We can’t forget that our thoughts influence our actions, our actions form habits, our habits shape our lifestyle, and our lifestyle determines our destiny! We must memorize life’s algorithm (below). Our destiny depends on it! THOUGHTS —> ACTIONS —> HABITS […]
Read more "Porn Addict: How I Broke Free (part 4)"Fight back! “For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places.” — Ephesians 6:12 (NLV) Satan is our enemy. More than anything, he and his dark hoards of fallen Angels want […]
Read more "Porn Addict: How I Broke Free (part 3)"What is pornography? According to the World English Dictionary, pornography is “writings, pictures, films, etc, designed to stimulate sexual excitement.” Another dictionary defines it as, “films, magazines, writings, photographs, or other materials that are sexually explicit and intended to cause sexual arousal.” In other words, Pornography is something used to arouse sexual lust. Lust, according […]
Read more "Porn Addict: Jesus, on Porn"Sex seems to be everywhere in culture. You can’t even go to the mall without seeing all of Victoria’s secrets! Access to the most hardcore porn, is just a click away on the Internet. “Hook’n up,” “friends with benefits,” and all forms of casual sex are becoming more and more common. Nearly, all (99.9%) of […]
Read more "Porn Addict: How I Broke free (part 2)"Like most guys I was exposed to pornography when I was a child. When I was about 9 years old, a family member showed me a few pages pulled from a porn magazine. As I grew older and more curious about sex, I started experimenting. I don’t want to get to detailed, but by the […]
Read more "Porn Addict: How I broke free"I just got home from our Vertical Winter Retreat (for 7th-12th grade students) a few days ago. While on the trip I tried to stick with my “21 Day Fix” eating plan (mentioned in the previous post), but after a day of snow boarding I was ravenously hungry. Honestly, there wasn’t many heathy options at […]
Read more "My Secret Addiction (part 2)"Everyone has a weakness. Everyone is prone to seek comfort in something that isn’t the Comforter (God). Whether it’s alcohol, sex, work, entertainment or porn, humans turn to things that give them a taste of transcendence, but are not transcendent. That’s how addictions begin. One keeps returning to something that once gave them a feeling […]
Read more "My Secret Addiction"In my early 20’s, I (Joel) received a simple, yet powerful revelation during a time of prayer and fasting. It’s been a guiding compass ever since. Here’s the gist of what I experienced: In my mind, I saw a sports car racing up a freshly paved mountain road. The car quickly ascended the twisting highway with […]
Read more "Character & Capability"“Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God . . .” (Matthew 5:8) The first step to tripling our youth group in 13 months was internal, not external. God cares about our hearts and intent more than results alone. In other words, God not only cares about WHAT we do, but WHY […]
Read more "How to Triple your Youth Group in 13 months: HEART"
Joel Johnson 