If you are in youth ministry and feel that the theological landscape is barren, then I can say with some certainty that you haven’t discovered Andrew (Andy) Root. I first encountered Root around 2010 while working under a good friend in Kansas City. My friend informed me that Barefoot Ministry was hosting this great mind in youth ministry the next day and that I should go. My friend went as far as to hand me Revisiting Relational Youth Ministry (RRYM) and told me to read it pronto. As a seminary student, I hardly felt I had the time to add to my reading list, but that night I opened the book and honestly couldn’t put it down. His story of how youth ministry was formed in America and how we might share place with students resonated deeply with me. At around 3 am that night, I finished the book and fell asleep eager to see Root in conference the next day.

Root noted in RRYM his fascination with Bonhoeffer;  I had read Discipleship, Life Together, and Creation and the Fall and was encouraged by Root’s endorsement and engagement with Bonhoeffer to read more. [Read more…]

Wordsmiths, we are. If preachers are to be good talkers we must first be good listeners and voracious readers  William H. Willimon, “Pastor” p.147

Those of you who know me know that you will rarely see me without my Kindle or a book in hand. For most of my life, it has been this way. I love to read. There was a time, however, where I lost this passion. As a theology major in college, reading wasn’t much of a choice, and the assigned reading at times seemed overwhelming. It wasn’t the subject matter nor the texts; my professors assigned good reads. I think it may have been the due dates and reflection papers that came with each text that began to turn me off to reading. In my own twisted logic, I figured if I didn’t finish the book then I wouldn’t have to write the reflection paper. It was genuinely a source of anxiety and stress. With pages of assigned reading, I couldn’t dare justify leisure reading, and so came an odd pause on reading in my life. Most instances I would cram read the assigned texts the day before they were due and turn in sub-par reflection papers (assuming they were turned in at all). I began to hate reading ( 12 hour cram session are hardly a way to fuel a passion). This was a crisis moment for me. A passion of mine was being squashed, and I wasn’t sure what to do. [Read more…]