Last week I met with the single dad of one of my students. After talking about a few things I asked him what seemed to me to be a simple, natural question, but an e-mail the next day revealed that it was in fact a powerful question that had deep significance for him. The question I asked? "How are
you doing with all of the things that you have been through?"
Here's the e-mail he sent me the next day:
PK, Thanks not only for hearing me out, but especially for asking how my life is going. That question is rare. It means a lot to me. What an interesting statement and a sad commentary on our culture - even within the church. Questions are a powerful tool that we have to help others. That's why I wrote a book of questions (
What Would You Do? 500 Questions to Get Teens Talking).
What good questions have you asked this week?
What are some good questions you can ask in your encounters this coming week?
Lord, help us to demonstrate our care for others through asking good, open, powerful questions. Amen.
Simple Words ... Powerful Impact
This evening we had a lot of fun with many of our friends who are members of our Adult Leadership Team as we got together for our annual Christmas Party. Our party was scheduled before Christmas, but we got whacked by a snow storm and had to postpone it. We enjoyed lots of food, a white elephant gift exchange, and at the end we presented them all with a small gift as a token of our appreciation for their partnership in youth ministry. It was a wonderful time of celebration, laughter, and friendship. Thank You Jesus for being able to do ministry with friends!
Received this Stranger Than Fiction Article from the e-Journal of Student Ministries: 
I have been pondering, studying, and thinking a lot about heaven, life after death, and "life after life after death" (as N.T. Write calls it). I have been studying the Scriptures, early church beliefs, church tradition, as well as more recent understandings. 
10 Minute Moments is a new devotional book by Kurt Johnson designed especially for Jr. High students. I decided to put the book to the test by giving it to Olivia, a 7th grade students who has been following Jesus for about a year. After a few weeks I asked her for her honest feedback. Here it is ... raw, unedited, and straight from the mouth of the target audience:
