The other day our youngest son had his mom's iPod Touch with him as he headed to the bathroom. Resting the device near the sink seemed safe. That is, until he started washing his hands. Moments later...

Recently, Seth Godin made this statement on his blog. I think if you're remarkable, amazing or just plain spectacular, you probably shouldn't have a resume at all. The reason is simple. If you are...

There have been a lot of newspaper articles about sexting lately. Example 1 Example 2 Example 3 Example 4 What in the world is sexting? Simply put, sexting is using your mobile device...

Many evangelicals find themselves on the wrong side of the gun control debate. Christians have no biblical justification for owning a weapon, yet believe it to be a right to own one.

When they first started building on the corner of M-53 & 32 Mile Road I hoped that they would either open a Starbucks or Tim Hortons at that location. The latter was realized this week.  For...

I love storytelling and I love podcasts. In this post I share a list of the best of the best when it comes to storytelling podcasts.

Since I first wrote about people stealing my content last November, "How to blog, write, and speak with integrity" I've gotten lots of contacts asking me how to properly repost or cite blog posts,...

Snapchat is popular photo sharing service among some segments of teenagers. In this post, Adam McLane points to some principles that should help navigate teenagers away from the service.

Each year I'm shocked that few Christians latch onto Saint Patrick's Day as a holiday to celebrate international missions. I think it comes from few people knowing Patrick's story. They have heard the...

Quick Bio of Adam McLane: A lifelong youth worker, Adam McLane is a Partner at The Youth Cartel and Principal at McLane Creative. He is a purveyor, connoisseur, trader, and collector of...

ATTENTION GOOGLERS! Here's a link to my 2012 list Let's face it. For many of my readers I am the geek in their life. I'm the nerdy friend you tell your IT guy about when you don't know what...

Sometimes I embarrass my wife. And on our July trip to Haiti I offered her one very embarrassing moment when I refused to go through the new backscatter TSA screening machines while opting for a...

Last night I got hooked on a Discovery Channel show called The Alaska Experiment. I found it fascinating that they could take a few people from all over the lower 48 and they would not only survive in...

The dark side of attractional ministry is that it's a short term strategy. True confession-- I was a perveyor of an attractional ministry model. It never permeated any youth group that I've...

How do I use Facebook to enhance my company, church, organization, or club? As a person who utilizes Facebook in the repetoir of how I make my living, I get this question a lot. With hundreds...

Editorial note: This is part 2 of a guest post from a local San Diego friend. (Part 1) I don't normally offer guest posts, but this point-of-view is important. Church and youth leaders need to hear...

You stole my house and you want me to accept $840? Here's my rant to share what I think about that.

This absolutely blew my mind. Check out what Bobby can do via audience participation. Not only is this facinating showmanship, it's fascinating science. How does everyone in the audience just know...

Walt Kowalski is a widower who holds onto his prejudices despite the changes in his Michigan neighborhood and the world around him. Kowalski is a grumpy, tough-minded, unhappy an old man, who can't...

I've heard this phrase to the point where I think people actually believe this is somehow a biblical concept. God has opened the door for me to ____. I was pursuing something I really felt called...

As they say, my dock is full. Kristen and I have been iPhone users for a couple of months now. So far we love it! One unintended consequence of using iPhone is that our monthly cell phone bill...

Every organization can measure success. It doesn't matter if you're running a non-profit, a government agency, a corporation, small business, or an educational institution... you need to have some...

A bottleneck is a phenomenon where the performance or capacity of an entire system is limited by a single or limited number of components or resources. The term bottleneck is taken from the...

It's June. Professional youth ministries most dangerous month. I've served in three churches and all the hiring, firing, quitting, and retiring with the youth ministry seems to happen in June....

I've got a bone to pick with men who describe their wife as "hot" all the time. To me, it's in the same category as the "I heart boobies" bracelets. It makes me cringe every time I see it or hear...

Don't apologize.... For being 39 and loving to hang with teenagers. For giving a student a hug, it might be the only hug they get all day. For pursing a career in something your parents think...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O5bfxGNMY9c& Kristen and I decided to introduce lent to our church hating, Awana loving kids. Our kids aren't game for anything. I get jealous when I go to my...

The other day I was reading Steve Dublanica's blog, Waiter Rant, in which he had a post entitled "Who are the worst tippers?" Essentially, Steve was querying his reading audience... people who...

If you don't have young kids, than you probably have no idea that social networking has really taken off for kids. In fact, I'd call these social play sites. Our kids are completely addicted to them....

Kidnapping Students? Really? Raise your right hand and repeat after me: I, , do solemnly swear, to never go to jail because of my role in youth ministry. So help me God.  Nothing in youth...

As Kristen mentioned, yesterday we had a Wii bowling competition in our family. 4 competitors, 4 controllers, boys vs. girls. The entire game Paul (4) is talking mega-smack to mommy and Megan...

@mclanea #MoodyPC is primarily intended for #pastors. #refocus #refresh #equip church leaders. Praise God for other conferences #Heprovides — Moody Conferences (@MoodyConference) May 15,...

If I were to plot out the average youth ministry attendance in a local church this is probably what it would look like. So when I say, "The way you are doing ministry is failing to reach...

I have a fervent belief that if we want to reach a post-Christian society, we have to be Good News before someone will listen to Good News. Here are 10 ways you can begin transforming your church...

How much cash do you typically keep with you?polling Maybe it's just me, but I'm shocked to see how many people carry $50-$100 in cash in their wallets. Just so I know if I'm weird or not,...

Editorial note: I don’t normally do guest posts. But in this case I am making an exception. The following post is from a friend of mine, a local San Diegan with an advanced ministry degree from a...

The YS offices have a mix of California and non-California people. On top of that, we often host guests from all over North America. So it's pretty common to here a debate that sounds like...

My kids don't get excited about going to church most Sunday's. That's putting a nice bow on it, isn't it? Let's take the pretty bow off for the sake of this post. They hate going to church....

You know me. I like to try out new things. One of the new things I've been testing out is Google Voice. I'll talk about it more in another post but let's just say it's solving a lot of problems for...

Right now there are a lot of people making a lot of money telling churches how they can grow. Along the same lines, there are a lot of church boards and pastors wasting a lot of time discussing church...

Earlier this week I started noticing the Facebook "like" button popping up on some of my favorite sites. And then, my co-worker Jonathan installed it on our site at work. When I saw that... I knew...

Christians have a weird history with celebrating Halloween. Not growing up in the church I was appauled when I heard church people refer to it as "Devil's night" and say things like, "Of course we...

Having spent 29 of my 32 year in the upper midwest, I am resolute that we will not need to turn on our furnace this winter. Seriously, it doesn't get cold enough in San Diego to even turn on the pilot...

It's kind of funny, isn't it? We live as though we are in charge. As if we decide and determine everything. Do we put the Bride of Christ into a cheap box and make it seem as though church is just...

This is more fun in person. As a good friend and SDSU alumni is quick to tell me, I joined the Aztecs fan-dome at just the right moment in history. It's been amazing to see this school go from...

Have you ever noticed that people who have reached the pinnacle, the elusive American Dream, are actually miserable? "That's just a Hollywood cliche." Really? Think about your own interaction...

"Fear is a short term motivator." That was the first lesson in my first class on managing people. As a 21 year old manager of a staff at a health insurance company in Chicago, this was a valuable...

One thing I learned when I was on church staff-- rarely does a person really want what they are presenting what they want. In other words, when a parent wants to come in and talk with you...

One of the many reasons I couldn't be a worship leader... I don't fit in skinny jeans. I'm not a worship leader. My butt is too big for skinny jeans. My high school piano teacher told me to quit...

While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no room for them in...

Here's a brief history of sexting. Some students got in trouble for sending sexually explicit pictures of another student around a school. Local news reported on it, after all it contained...

We have objectified the accumulation of facts and ideas. Likewise, we have marginalized the importance of applying learning to our everyday lives. Like any objectification, this endless...

The sign reads, "”In case of the disappearance of True Christians, there are instructions located in the above box to help those who are left behind." Kristen sent me the link to this from a...

Last night I watched a fascinating documentary on the National Geographic Channel called, "Alone in the Wild." It was difficult to watch. Here was this outdoorsmen named Ed Wardle. He wanted to...

One of the things you learn as you go in youth ministry is that teenagers are experts at sending off false signals that can be difficult to pick-up on. Here are five common ones I see newbies miss...

We have a fascination with the little guy. Foundational to American storytelling is the little guy overcoming adversity to make it big. Americans love happy endings. The movie credits roll when...

Here's a random list of things I learned about my trip to The Price is Right. #1 It's so clear that I've found a new tribe of people in the San Diego Tweet-up. Had a lot of fun and useful...

American Airlines, once the largest airline in the United States, declared bankruptcy. This is not surprising news for the beleaguered airline industry; what is different is what is emerging from the...

There's a growing movement within the American church that puts youth ministry under the umbrella of family ministry. There are youth ministry organizations, publishers, conferences, and lots and lots...

Each week I encounter a new story of a church worker that angers me. These are stories from youth workers who have been wronged by the people they trusted with their lives... their church...

I was starting to wonder if this was just a Romeo phenomenon. But here's the deal. For every eligible single Christian man I meet there seem to be 20 eligible women. Seriously, Kristen and I talk...

I'm still thinking about this. And typically I don't carry on like this. But there were so many good comments that, in my mind, this deserved a follow up post rather than endless comments. Dave...

After a couple months of research we were finally able to purchase a great used minivan while getting a good deal from a reputable dealer. General used car buying advice Preface -- Download the free...

If Santa were a Calvinist, we'd all be on the naughty list! For non-church folks, here is a link to help you understand the Calvinism joke. Seeing that we now go to a Presbyterian church,...

Tonight on NPR's On the Media there was a segment that talked about the hot trend in politics to use antimetabole. For those who need a refresher from 11th grade english literature...

Last night my friend Gavin Richardson posted an interesting quandary on Twitter. To paraphrase, "Why is it that in some parts of the world people die trying to go to church while here in the states...

I love documentaries. I think it's the non-fiction narrative that gets me. But given the choice between a feature film and a documentary, I'll take a documentary every time. Now that we have...

I'm as excited about the Obama presidency as everyone else seems to be. But I have to say... all of the hype about Obama kind of scares me. I thought it would be good, 24 hours before Barack Obama...

I have an ultra-swanky Smartphone. You know, one of those devices you see people carry around and you think... I'd like to be surfing the internet too! It takes 2 megapixel pictures, connects...

Have you ever tried to teach Holy week? It can be confusing to nail down the chronology. Looking at the narrative and laying it out against what we celebrate reveals that we might not be counting...

The inevitable happened on Sunday. Tiger is officially over-the-hill. The once invincible has been defeated by the South Korean. There's a new sheriff in town and Tiger Woods needs a job. So,...

Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this," says the LORD Almighty, "and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much...

I don't know about you, but I'm growing a little tired of the lack of progress and new ideas coming forth for health care reform. I wonder if instead of making private citizens scream at their elected...

Spring firing season has begun. The end of the school year is a dangerous time to be in youth ministry. With the program year winding down it is prime time for church leadership to make a decision...

The second fastest way to make a church leader roll their eyes is to ask, "How do you minister to homeschool kids?" The fastest way to make a church leader roll their eyes is to ask, "Do you have...

I've been involved in youth ministry in one form or another since I was in high school. One thing I love about being involved with youth group is the cast of characters that each ministry seems to...

One of the things that golf has taught me about life is that you can turn a bad day into a solid day by being disciplined. In competitive golf, discipline and...

I am daring you and your staff to take this challenge. I promise you it isn't as dangerous as it sounds. In fact, I think it may just fundamentally change the way you interact with the people in...

O, Awana. How I've hated ye all of these years. I've hated your uniforms. I've hated the cult-like dedication adults seem to latch onto you, especially at budget time.  I've hated how you eat up...

Click here to view or download full-sized version Source: U.S. Census Data Challenge You cannot reach 427 10-19 year olds with 1 paid youth worker. We have 40 years of data which tells us...

You're a naughty one. I like that about you.   Like you-- I have contrarian tendencies. The crowd goes one way and I wonder what is happening with those going the other? There's a good...

Everything I'm doing from Thursday to Sunday is measured by the following questions: "What  time does ___ start and who is playing now?" I love March Madness! And all of those basketball...

Newsflash. It can sometimes be difficult to connect with a teenager at church. Our culture does a lot to communicate to us that teenagers and adults shouldn't engage with one another. As adults...

After not seeing Star Trek, even refusing to pay attention to the trailer, I have this simple review. Don't see it. It  just encourages them to make more. That is all. Here are five...

I've written a series of articles for Immerse Journal describing a digital ministry philosophy for youth workers. The first article, called "Be Consistent" brought a lot of questions because I...

Are people generally looking to do bad things in the world? Is the world full of evil people set out to destroy you? If you take some doctrine too seriously you fall into this heretical view of...

One reason youth ministry is flatlining is crappy theology. Kara Powell, executive director of the Fuller Youth Institute, was recently interviewed by Relevant Magazine about the present...

Most people are boring. Thirteen years ago, in our first apartment, Kristen and I lived on the 15th floor of a high rise apartment building. If you looked at just the right spot you could see...

Top 10 places you made out with your smoking hot wife. I know she's a stone cold fox. But keep your special sauce under wraps, OK? Top 10 iPhone apps you used on the can. There's a good chance...

Researchers at Missouri University of Science and Technology have linked depressive symptoms in college students to their internet usage. It's a small study, only 216 participants over 1 month,...

For as long as we've lived in this house I've tried to keep our wireless network open. My feeling has always been that access to the internet should be free and high speed whenever possible. And since...