Are you confused about who you are or where you re headed? Does your life seem cluttered and chaotic? Do you wish you understood God s plan and purpose for your life? Do you want to uncover your God-given strengths? If you said yes to any of these questions, you ve come to the right book. The first step is to know who you are. Remember, you re a child of God---created by him with your own unique heart, abilities, personality, and spiritual gifts. God brought all those elements together in you so that you could serve him and the world in your own unique way. Inside the pages of this book, you ll discover the place where your God-given passions and strengths intersect, and you ll find the way you re designed to serve. With interactive exercises and questions for you to answer, you ll learn more about your: * Spiritual Gifts * Heart * Abilities * Personality * Experiences Understanding each of these areas of your life, you ll begin to see who you are and how you re designed to serve. You ll stop serving because that s what you re supposed to do, and start serving from the depths of your heart and soul because it s what you were created to do."

Whether you're an old hand at youth work or you've just signed on, Help! I'm a Volunteer Youth Worker! gives you the basics for successfully reaching teenagers. These fifty, bite-sized suggestions are easy to remember and put into practice. They include tips on: - How to build relationships with students - How to recruit and train other volunteers - How to get along with the pastor and youth director - How to model Christian love to your students -- If you're a professional youth worker looking for new ways to encourage and empower your volunteer youth workers, just hand them a copy of Help! I'm a Volunteer Youth Worker! And don't forget to consult this book yourself -- because you're guaranteed to find great ideas for youth work that maybe even you hadn't thought of.

If you've always struggled with the stereotypical quiet-time, don't give up hope

As a Christian, you know you need to have devotions. You've heard it from your pastor; you've seen the study guides; you may have even made a dent in the One Year Bible. Some of you have valiantly set your alarm clocks back an hour for morning quiet time, only to find that life creeps back in to steal your resolve. It isn't because you don't love God. You quit because you "bought into" someone's unsustainable habit at an unreasonable pace.

But you don't have to keep running on empty. Bestselling author Doug Fields offers an uncomplicated, practical plan that you "can" carry out. This book won't teach you how to "cram God" into your already-full schedule. Instead, Doug will show you a practical, doable way of setting God first, and then letting everything else in your life fall into place. You "will" experience the fullness God has for you-just take some time to refuel.

If you had the chance to change your life for the better, would you? All it takes is a decision.

Trapped by harmful habits, behaviors, and attitudes, we struggle to become the person God has created and called us to be. Saddleback Church teaching pastor Doug Fields says it's never too late to get a fresh start. With personal stories and youthful writing, Doug challenges readers to recognize that they may say they want God in their lives, but they really don't want to change. They are stuck. He says, "It's not about trying harder, it's about plugging into God's transforming power and submitting your entire life to Christ. Age doesn't matter; fresh starts are for everyone." Topics include:

• Dealing with pride
• Defining success
• Living with guilt
• Struggling with conflicts
• Finding true friendships
• Overcoming discouragement
• Facing rejection
• Attacking anger

You are a student leader for a reason. Maybe you chose to be, maybe someone else chose it for you---no matter how you got here, God has a plan to use you in ministry. You and your youth worker know that you re new at this thing. You have leadership abilities, but you re still a student---so how do you do it? Doug Fields has been a youth pastor for a long time, and he has helped a few students here and there figure out how to be leaders in his ministry. Now he s here to help you. You may be afraid or overwhelmed, or you may feel privileged or even a little cocky ... whatever the case, the tools in this book will help you get the most of your time as a leader. Here s a little bit of what s inside: * Learning how Jesus led others * Lightening the load of your adult leaders * Discovering the secrets of getting others involved* Deepening your own faith by serving others * Balancing your schedule---family, school, faith, leadership * Becoming an encourager You ve been entrusted with leadership responsibilities, and Help I m a Student Leader is full of hands-on leadership ideas and guidance that ll help you discover the leadership role that you were created to fill."

Do you want to teach solid Biblical truth to your kids without their eyes glazing over as soon as you say 'open your Bibles'? Now you can, with Creative Bible Lessons on the Life of Christ. Veteran youth worker and Bible teacher Doug Fields has crafted 12 lively, ready-to-use lessons that actually make it fun to dig into Scripture. Fields utilizes creative learning techniques to spark your kids' interest and keep them actively involved in each lesson, including: - Learning games . . . - Hilarious handouts - Art projects anyone can do . . . Challenging simulations - Thought-provoking worksheets . . . - Skits and role-plays These techniques are built into clear, easy-to-use lessons that keep your kids active as they absorb the Biblical truth of each lesson. Fields also provides you with a brief teaching outline in each lesson that you can present to bring the message home. Best of all, these lessons are so complete, they require very little preparation time. You'll be able to build quality, creative Bible teaching into your busy schedule -- with Creative Bible Lessons on the Life of Christ.12 lessons.

You loved Would You Rather...? and asked for more. In the tradition of the Quick Questions line, More Would You Rather...? offers another 465 provocative questions that will get your students laughing, debating, and thinking (and they'll learn a ton about each other in the process). Get ready for more fun as you ask: Would you rather... Live without your thumb or your big toe? Be famous or inspirational? Flip burgers or deliver pizza? It's amazing what can happen when you ask a silly question. Most of the time, a student's answer has a story behind it. Explore the answers as you learn about students' values, fears, and faith. And the book's convenient size makes it easy to stick in your pocket, your backpack, or your car's glove compartment. Whether you're a veteran youth worker or new to the field, a paid professional or a volunteer, you'll find More Would You Rather...? to be an indispensable part of your ministry resource library.

The lights are dim. The crowd is hushed. And a dozen teens start laughing hysterically, piling into a human 'boat' that helps set up the mind-blowing miracle of Jesus walking on the stormy Sea of Galilee. Maybe you re after a booster shot for midweek youth group meetings that feel 'same old, same old.' Or you ve just been asked (last minute, of course) to run the service at the shelter during your mission trip, and you need a jolt of energy that ll draw kids into your lesson. Whatever your creative need, Spontaneous Melodramas 2 will fill the bill. Continuing where its predecessor--Spontaneous Melodramas--left off, this volume offers another two dozen tales from the Old and New Testaments that bring the biblical accounts to life . . . with distinctive, contemporary twists Although these no-rehearsal skits will leave your students in stitches, the humor never buries the message of Scripture. So you can be confident when bringing your kids--whether or not they re familiar with the Bible--into sketches like: The Sumptuous Spare Rib (Adam and Eve) Touched by an Angel (Jacob s wrestling match) Love on a Threshing Floor (Ruth and Boaz) The Wizard of Eyes (Jesus heals the blind man) The Great Pool Party (Healing at the pool) Dead Man Walking (Jesus raises Lazarus) Spontaneous Melodramas 2 is full of flexible skits that youth workers, Sunday school teachers, camp counselors, and retreat directors can use for discussion starters, icebreakers, or talk intros. And they re natural fits for Bible study programming, all-nighters, mission trips, camps, retreats, parent meetings, and many other events. More than a year s worth of slapstick, pratfalls, and fun, Spontaneous Melodramas 2 will make the Bible--and its unforgettable characters and adventures--extra memorable for your students."

Hollywood has become our culture s dominant storyteller. So turn Hollywood to your own purposes. With Videos That Teach you can use clips from 75 of the best recent movies on video--already collected an organized by topic and Bible reference, complete with start and stop times--to illustrate your lessons and launch provocative discussion among your students. Discussions that get kids talking about themselves and life, about God and the Bible. Browse the book to find the movie clip you like, or use one of the Quick Clip Locators (by topic or Bible reference) to quickly find the perfect reinforcement for your lesson. Or build your entire lesson from a clip--with each clip are summaries of the movie and the clip, start and stop times, Bible references, and discussion-starting questions. And given the breadth of movies in Videos That Teach, you re almost guaranteed to find what you want for a topic to teach or a discussion to lead--Forrest Gump, The Spitfire Grill, Michael, City Slickers, Romeo and Juliet (1996), Grand Canyon, Mrs. Doubtfire, Naked Gun, Fried Green Tomatoes, Mr. Holland s Opus. And lots more. Whether you re a youth worker, Bible study or small-group leader, or Sunday school teacher, with Videos That Teach you ll get your students thinking biblically instead of merely absorbing passively."

Ask away . . . and get your students talking with these provocative questions. Would You Rather . . .? gives you 465 stimulating either-or questions that will get your students talking, laughing, debating, and thinking. Questions like Would You Rather . . . watch a soap opera or make fun of one? . . . be gossiped about or lied to? . . .get shot from a cannon or walk a high wire? . . . make a child cry or kick a puppy? . . . attend the Last Supper or discover Jesus' empty tomb? You can use these questions anywhere, anytime -- when you want to break the ice, spark a discussion, build community, get kids to wrestle with spiritual issues, or just have fun. And the convenient size makes it easy to stick in your pocket or in the glove compartment of your car. This is one resource you'll want for every member of your ministry team!

Since forever altering the course of the youth ministry world with his best-selling, groundbreaking book, Purpose-Driven (R) Youth Ministry, Doug Fields' mind-but especially his heart-has been focused on the many unique needs of new youth workers. Doug translated his passion, insight, and vision for his beloved "rookies" into what you're now reading, Your Fist Two Years in Youth Ministry-hands-down the most comprehensive companion to not only surviving, but also thriving, during the most crucial phase of youth ministry. Employing his renowned wisdom and humor-as if you and Doug were chatting over a long, relaxing meal-the author disarmingly relates stories and principles from his own successes and failures over 20-plus years in youth ministry. In the end, he offers treasure troves of practical advice, all in the hope that new youth workers can travel a smoother path and achieve real longevity in a church culture that all too often chews them and spits them out. Doug covers all-important issues such as: * Dealing with discouragement * Establishing a solid spiritual foundation * Building effective relationships with students * Resolving conflict * Ministering to parents and families * Trailblazing change * Working with volunteers * Defining a realistic job description * And many others! In addition, a chorus of insightful sidebar voices joins your conversation with Doug, among them ministry veterans Jim Burns, Steve Gerali, Mike Yaconelli, Helen Musick, Chap Clark, Marv Penner, Rick Warren, Jana L. Sundene, Bo Boshers, Duffy Robbins, Tony Campolo, and Richard Ross, all who've composed extensive, topical essays for each of the dozen chapters. Your First Two Years of Youth Ministry is a must-have tool for new youth workers, volunteers, seminary professors and students, senior pastors, elders, church boards-even veteran youth workers who've been ministering in unstructured environments and are now asking, "What did I miss? What can I still learn?" The first two years of youth ministry are never easy. But never fear. Doug fervently assures us: "Hang on. Hope's coming!"

Un libro que les habla a los hombres de la forma en que los hombres hablan

En este libro lleno de humor, sincero y altamente eficaz, el autor Doug Fields " "ayuda a los hombres a navegar en las aguas siempre cambiantes de un matrimonio significativo.

Despues de dirigir incontables retiros y conferencias para hombres, tanto a traves de su propio ministerio, como en su calidad de pastor maestro durante mas de quince anos en la Iglesia Saddleback, que pastorea Rick Warren, Doug Fields llego a dos conclusiones claras: la forma en que hablan los hombres y las cosas de las que hablan NO se hallan representadas en la actualidad en los libros que hablan de las relaciones cristianas, y los matrimonios tienen problemas porque los hombres no estan comprendiendo los sencillos pasos que necesitan dar para invertir en esa relacion. Este libro te ayudara a cambiar todo eso.

El amor es algo que se elige. Y para mantener lleno de amor a cualquier matrimonio, los hombres necesitan un PLAN. Asi que, amigos, aqui esta siete acciones muy factibles que mejoraran su matrimonio. Garantizado.

Seven Ways to Be Her Hero

Doug Fields helps men navigate the ever-changing waters of a meaningful marriage.

Love is a choice. And to keep any marriage filled with love, men need a PLAN. So, guys, here it is, seven very doable actions that will improve your marriage, guaranteed.

You know them as hilarious, boisterous skits that get kids involved, whether they're hamming up front, or in the audience cheering for the good guys, hissing the bad guys, and getting nearly as animated as the onstage actors. Better yet, these no-rehearsal skits are comic takes on 24 classic Bible stories, from Babel to Zacchaeus. Use these skits to take your students into or out of your Bible lesson -- for the humor never buries the central message of the Bible passage. Inside you'll find 12 Old Testament and 12 New Testament stories -- like these: - The First Tongue Twister (the Tower of Babel) - Josephine's Dream (Joseph and his brothers) - The Young and the Hairless (Samson and Delilah) - Dave, the Wave, and the Giant Kahuna (David and Goliath) - Dances with Lions (Daniel) - World Serious: The Empire Strikes Out (the temptation of Jesus) - Good Sam, the Levis, and Judas Priest (parable of the Good Samaritan) - Showdown at Tombstone (Jesus and the demon-possessed man) Unchurched teenagers who can't tell Samson from Solomon, or long-time youth group kids -- everyone will love not merely hearing or reading Bible stories, but doing them. Welcome to more than a year's worth of slapstick, pratfalls, and melodrama. These Bible-story skits are anything but solemn, but they'll make Bible stories memorable for your students.

A book that talks to guys in the way guys talk! "This book should storm into your living room, demand an audience, and become every husband's best friend!" -Rick Warren, pastor and New York Times best-selling author of The Purpose Driven Life "I love Doug Fields! I love how he lives, how he writes, how he makes me laugh, and how he challenges me to grow. You will too. Men, read this book and improve your marriage!" -Lee Strobel, New York Times best-selling author Having a pulse is all it really takes to fall in love. Staying in love is another matter; staying in love requires a plan and some learned skills. "My primary audience for this book is guys (sorry, sneaky ladies)," says author Doug Fields. "I am writing in a way that most men seem to talk and learn." In 7 Ways to Be Her Hero Fields gives, quite candidly, seven very doable actions to transform any marital relationship, guaranteed. It also includes a bonus chapter for guys to read with their wives. So if you want to understand some simple ways to invest in your marriage and be your wife's hero (again), this is the plan!

Jim Burns and Doug Fields wish you the very best for your wedding, but sadly, they won't be able to make it. What they are here for is your marriage. Jim and Doug have seen it all. They have worked with many couples and have studied extensively to uncover the essential elements for making marriages thrive. This book is their early wedding gift to you: a comprehensive, easy-to-navigate road map for beginning your union.
Filled with premium fuel for the journey--including meaningful excercises, hard truths, and conversations starters--this book will nourish and guide your relationship for the long haul.

For the past decade, youth pastors around the world have used the bestselling Purpose Driven Youth Ministry to help guide them as they build a healthy youth ministry that is aimed at impacting the lives of teenagers. Written by renowned youth ministry expert Doug Fields, this book is one that both lay and professional youth workers cannot afford to miss. Purpose Driven Youth Ministry doesn t present a program to be copied into any context. Rather, it presents foundational principles of youth ministry that help you develop the ministry that best meets the needs of the students in your unique setting. This classic will help you build a student ministry with purpose as well as provide examples and testimonies from youth workers around the globe. I believe PDYM will be the standard by which all youth ministry programs are judged for years to come. It is solid enough for the college or seminary classroom and practical enough for the novice. ---Chap Clark, Professor of Youth, Family, and Culture, Fuller Theological Seminary"

Pregunta... y pon a hablar a tus estudiantes con estas preguntas. ' Preferirias...?' te da 465 preguntas estimulantes que haran que ellos hablen, rian, discutan y piensen. Son preguntas como Preferirias... ver una novela or burlarte de ella? Que murmuren de ti o que te mientan? Que te disparen de un canon o caminar por la cuerda floja? Hacer llorar a un nino o darle una patada a un perrito? Asistir a la Ultima Cena o descubrir la tumba vacia de Jesus? Puedes usarlas en cualquier lugar y a cualquier hora cuando quieras romper el hielo, iniciar una discusion, construir comunidad, hacer que los chicos se enfrenten a los asuntos espirituales, o solo divertirte. Su comodo tamano te permitira llevarlo en el bolsillo. Vas a querer conseguir un ejemplar para cada miembro de tu equipo ministerial "

Has deseado entender los planes de Dios y su proposito para tu vida? Si has dicho que si a estas preguntas entonces este libro es el correcto para ti. En el descubriras el lugar donde las pasiones dadas por Dios y tus fortalezas se encuentran para revelar la forma en que has sido disenado para servir. Con ejercicios interactivos y preguntas para contestar, aprenderas acerca de tus dones espirituales, tu corazon, tus habilidades, tu personalidad, y sobre experiencias que te ayudaran a identificar como puedes dejar una huella en el mundo. Sin lugar a dudas, encontraras la F.O.R.M.A. correcta para ser un joven que pueda marcar y dejar una huella imborrable en el mundo. Te atreves?"

Que es todo esto acerca de Jesus? Que hay en los Evangelios para los adolescentes del nuevo milenio? Que hace que los Evangelios sean el fundamento de la Biblia completa? Como puedes mantener la atancion de tus alumnos cuando dices: 'Abran la Biblia y repasemos la parabola de Jesus acerca de ..'? Las Lecciones Biblicas Creativas de la Vida de Jesus, Eso es Aqui encontraras 12 lecciones solidas y listas para usar acerca del breve ministerio de Jesus en la tierra. Estas lecciones haran que el aprendizaje sea mas divertido y llevaran a tus alumnos al punto central: Cuan relevante y oprtuna es la vida de Jesus en realidad. Con ayudas que incentivan la discusion de temas en pequenos grupos, juegos, guiones de humor, imitaciones y un monton de recursos creativos mas Tus alumnos veran a Jesus como: Dios Hombre Salvador Sanador Siervo Pastor Proveedor Perdonador Heroe Lecciones que no requieren tanta preparacion y que estan bien condimentadas con actividades de alto voltaje son una rica combinacion que hace de Lecciones Biblicas Creativas de la Vida de Jesus una herramienta ideal para los pastores y lideres de jovenes, maestrs de Escuala Dominical, pastores asociados y directores de educacion cristiana."

If you long to reach kids and see their lives changed by God, this comprehensive guide shows you how.
Moving to the fundamental purpose of evangelism, discipleship, friendship, ministry and worship, "Purpose Driven Youth Ministry" uses the experience of Saddleback Church to illustrate what a youth ministry can do. Here are nine basic principles that will help you:
-Connect the power of God with an enthusiastic and committed leadership
-Define the purpose of your ministry and communicate it effectively
-Identify your potential audience
-Create programs that reach your audience and fulfill God's purposes
-Implement processes that move students to maturity
-Enhance your ministry with clearly defined values
-Team up with parents to involve the whole family
-Find volunteers and help develop them into participating leaders
-Persevere through tough times and thrive in an ever-changing environment.
Balancing both theory and practice, "Purpose Driven Youth Ministry" can be applied to any church setting, regardless of size, denomination, facilities, resources, and existing leadership.
This book will help you develop a ministry that equips students rather than a ministry that coordinates events. Doug Fields says, "My goal for this book is to coach through a plan to build a healthy youth ministry that isn't dependent on one great youth leader and won't be destroyed when the youth worker leaves the church. It's not a book on how to grow your youth ministry with six easy steps; it's about identifying, establishing, and building health into your church's youth ministry."