Hey Dan! Regarding time, I'm asked that a lot and I'm not really sure how to answer it. It just kinda seems to flow from my thoughts and experiences, maybe because it feels like a natural part of me and how I express myself more than a new project I undertook, ya know? Also, I don't do much of what other people do with their free time. I rarely go to the movies, I don't follow sports, we don't even have TV at our house, we eat out only once or twice a month, stuff like that. *shrugs*

There are a lot of middle school websites and blogs out there. You could search and find a lot of them, at least the top ones, and see what they're doing. The key is to not only be unique, but also for that uniqueness to be natural for you. Trying to be different just for the sake of being different is really hard and ultimately not sustainable. Being unique can't be a strategy you have for the blog -- it has to be a part of you.

I don't think've ever really tried to attach people to my stuff because when I got starte I primarily didn't write for anyone else, I wrote for me. Unfortunately, in the past year or two, I've drifted from that and have started to focus on the audience more and in shifting this site to something else, but I realize now that that was a mistake both for me and for my audience. So now I'm trying to return back to blogging for me and letting others listen in if they want.

Yup, I think that would be fine. :)

That's awesome, Daniel! Glad you're able to do that. A lot of us can't even explain what our vision is if we had all day to think about it first!

haha oh yeah, I remember when we were both using the same WordPress theme back in 2005-2006. I don't remember what it was called either. I remember what it looks like, though, back on WordPress 1.5.

Totally agree, J.D. I'm talking more about the youth leaders who do have good ideas and a message to spread, the next "Steve Jobs" of youth ministry, if you will. There are so many people lending their voices, which is great, but how does one voice begin to stand out? That's what I was asked to address for the youth leaders at this gathering. If you are one of the ones who has credible foresight and perspectives of youth ministry to share, how one goes about getting started is what I was trying to address. I think your observations are totally correct, though.

Sorry the link to the download doesn't work anymore. Apparently HCBJ took this resource down. Sorry!

I don't think so. You go where God leads, and if that's to the bus route, so be it! Don't feel bad about where God's taking you. :)

Maybe, and only as a result of God's grace, but the idea that we win kids with "stuff" and then tell them it's not about "stuff" and is about sacrifice feels like bait and switch to me. How we win kids to Christ will set the tone and a foundational understanding of what we're winning them to. We communicate our faith in more ways than just what is taught from a stage. In fact, they're watching what we do much closer than listening to what we say.

Sorry to hear that, Rebecca! Here's a couple videos I made on the subject of cutting and stress. Maybe they can help!

Help! My friend is cutting and suicidal!
How to handle stress

Personally, I didn't feel guilty about having nice things -- God has chosen to bless me and I am thankful for that. But if my focus shifts from God, the giver of those things, to the things themselves, then that's when I have a problem. Noticing when that shift takes place, though, is difficult because we're ingrained with "nice stuff," ya know?