Youth Worker On Fire Podcast

Happiness is something we need in order to be smarter and a clear state of thought. According to research, when we are happy, we become 31% more productive. Some researchers even say we become smarter. The business world understands something’s about being “wise as serpents and harmless as doves” as Jesus talked about to his disciples. As the church in student and adult ministries, I think we often make things more complicated than God ever intended. The topic of this episode came to me after watching a certain entrepreneur in one of her messages on quick tips: Codie Sanchez - 2 things I wish someone had told me before starting a business! 1. Make a list of 3 happy places. 2. In order to win, you must surround yourself with people  that are smarter than you and understand what it is you do… but better! These are things I found out the hard way after many years of ministry and just plain life.   EPISODE CREDITS: Email us at: youthworkeronfire@gmail.com Hosted by: Doug Edwards Theme Song: "The One and Only" by

PEOPLE PUT THEIR MONEY WHERE THEIR HEART IS! What’s inside this episode? Seems like churches think student ministry is less valuable than adult ministry. How can we change the tide from devaluing students and their families? If the world spends billions of dollars on winning over teenagers to buy what they advertise, then why does the church think they are not worth that kind of investment? How can we invest as the church in every effort to win, disciple, and sacrifice our lives with the Gospel of Jesus Christ to train young leaders to dream and serve now before another organization, group, or regime steals them away first? Louie Giglio, founder of the Passion Conference, challenges college students to give over $1 million for a world wide mission to save millions with clean water! Did they rise to the Challenge? Remember your Creator in the days of your youth, before the days of trouble come and the years approach when you will say, “I find no pleasure in them”. EPISODE CREDITS: Email us at: youthwo

Jim Halstead started Go and Tell Ministries after working with students and discipling them for many years. Jim is a man who started life without a clue about who God is. A young man who did not grow up going to church. When I first met Jim, I had been 5 years into a student ministry that would end up being my longest term student ministry position. We would meet together with youth pastors and volunteers as a district in ministry department for the southeast and helped to create one of three locations for Challenge 90 Evangelical Free Church of America. I found out just recently that Jim would pray specifically for our student ministry and family for many years, while he was located in Jacksonville, Florida and I was in Central Florida. Jim has discipled so many students that are now adults, supporting him to help other workers do the same thing. Go and Tell Ministries: Jim has a story that will inspire you to see far beyond the next few weeks and months into your student ministry. Maybe even a glimpse far i

“It’s later than you think” is a line in the movie “The Adam Project”, which is repeated several times. The movie is Sci-Fi, but even though it mentions time travel, the real story was about loving the people we are responsible for. God sees loving those we are responsible for as more important than the ministry he has called us too. In many cases, the ministry we have called ourselves to, may not always be where God was directing us. I personally have been involved in some form of volunteer or full time ministry since I was 15 years old. I found I was sold out to Jesus as Lord and spending time with Him above all else.  Not trying to do more, but trying to be in the presence of God more. By doing so, the people I love and am responsible for feel at peace and authentically loved by me. You may feel you have “missed the wave of opportunity” to love those closest to you the way Jesus loved. John Maxwell says, to not worry, “another wave is coming”. Stop grieving and start loving! Do the NEXT RIGHT THING. “It's

3 things that will change how others receive you and your ministry… Be Heard. Be Seen. Be Gone. I don’t know about you, but I spend a lot of time making sure to set a good impression with people. Is it that maybe in certain enviornments we spend too much time attempting to do so? I was a Campus Life director for an area in Central Florida for 6 years. One of the many valuable things Youth for Christ / Campus Life taught us was how to quickly make a good impression on people and leave before you over stay your welcome. Be Heard. Be See. Be Gone. This was something that would ring true for years. This piece of wisdom allowed me to be in places I needed to be and add valuable. You will bring excitement, encouragement, and a bit of mystery if you follow these tips! People will say good things about you, because you gave them impact without disrupting their environment. Be Heard. Be Seen. Be Gone. This phrase will take you a long way in public as a ministry leader… use it to build influence! _____________________

Wish you could change the outcome of a meeting or conversation before it even gets started? What if someone could teach you how to position yourself in order to positively enhance your interactions with others? Seems like we all should know these kinds of things. Well… someone does! This person has influenced me and many others. Even though this person has not been a guest on this podcast (...yet), in this episode I talk about her research and many other things I learned that have been extremely useful to my ministry interactions. Her name is Vanessa Van Edwards and she is a behavioral investigator with Science of People and the author of “Captivate: The Science of Succeeding with People”. In a previous episode I talked about being “…wise as serpents and harmless as doves.” - Matthew 10:16. There is more in each one of us that God has placed there to be like Him and He is the biggest influencer of all time and space. Be an influencer like Jesus. It’s in you already! ___________________________________________

Kevin is a former Fire Chief and trumpet student of mine back in my hometown. I was just out of college and he was a high schooler at that time. We have stayed in touch all these years later and he is now one of my go to prayer warriors. When Kevin prays, God moves into action. While on the job as a Firefighter he had encountered many miracles. In this episode, Kevin talks about a few of these miracles, as well as, the tragedy of his home being destroyed by fire at a young age. Firemen were there for him and his family. Ministry comes from places we don’t expect it! CREDITS: Email us at: youthworkeronfire@gmail.com Hosted by: Doug Edwards Theme Song: "The One and Only" by The 808 (Listen to more at: hypeddit.com/the808/thisisthe808) Edited by: Ryan James Edwards at Secret Roots Music House Recorded by: Doug Edwards

In our adolescents, we believe we can do anything! Then one day someone or somebody starts telling us to “be realistic”. They say we are not funny, not creative, not smart, not pretty, not likable, or not strong enough… and the list goes on and on. It grows on us and forms us into people who settle in all areas of life. We start believing the lies that we are not... And yet God has always told us WE ARE! We are made in His image! We are fearfully and wonderfully made. - Psalm 139:13,14 That if we just believe we can say to a mountain move and it will move, that in Christ Jesus, God has created in advance good works for YOU to do. - Ephesians 2:10 Not for someone else to do, but for YOU TO DO! How many tragic individual loses could have been avoided if we believed that “I Am Enough”? It took a secular therapist to teach people that the human mind is not complex, but very simple. The mind simply needs to remember that “I AM ENOUGH”. When a therapist could not help a certain suicide patient, the therapist called

If I had known about these certain key word changes in the beginning of my ministry, many of the conflicts I experienced would have had a much different outcome! Negotiate… seems like such a mean spirited word. Many people avoid it at any cost and for good reason. It used to mean that you could argue better than someone else or at least until you could wear them down enough to give you what you wanted. People who argue well are people many of us avoid, because they usually win. They leave those of us who do not like negotiating feeling like losers. We tend to see them as heartless thieves who steal our hopes and dreams. What if I told you the word “Negotiate” has become word of kindness, that with a couple of changes in your vocabulary, would make people want to hear your needs and dreams? What if people actually started listening to your thoughts and desires? Then with a simple word change…  make them want to give you the things you need and desire. Instead of using the word “WHY” (which is a fighting word),

As long as I can remember there being a Mission Discovery (student missions organization), I remember Jimmy Rivera being there. He was at every missions trip I took my students on with Mission Discovery along with Mission Discovery founder, Maury Buchanan. Jimmy is the guy you traveled with if you wanted to go to Tecate, Mexico. If you wanted to go to Kenya, Africa, you went with Jimmy. Among many other trips to other countries and through out the USA.  He is dedicated his life to helping adolescents and students get a closer look at what it is to serve those less fortunate to themselves. He has sacrificed along with his family many luxuries in life to make sure people around the world have homes, food, medicine, and most importantly a relationship with God. Jimmy is one of the kindest, toughest men I know! He definitely would not say this about himself, because he’s too humble and a true real servant along with his wife and children. He is Royalty in Heaven and believe me… Heaven knows his name. Please liste

Student missions trips change students lives, their families lives, and will change your life forever! They give students a broader and better world view very quickly. They see the person of Jesus Christ’s teachings in action! It becomes real to them while building shelter for the poor, feeding them, clothing them, praying with them, and sharing the Love of God with them.   Student Missions can seem financially out of reach, but I will explain in this episode how you can make these life changing trips a reality for you with God’s help. Not easy… but easier than you might imagine!   In this episode, we discuss: The 1st missions trips our student ministry took. They were not perfect, but they set the foundation for the future of our student missions opportunities. Afraid to go? Seems to impossible to achieve? We will cover some of these fears and doubts. Hold on and take notes if you want to take action! It’s never to early to start planning a student mission trip.   Connect with Mission Discovery at: mission

Justin Cox is a brilliant musician, songwriter, and former youth student of mine. The band he is in, Fireflight, performed for student ministries in our area churches and later would become a worldwide name in the music industry.   He volunteered in our student ministry program, went on mission trips, and many of our other student retreats. All of this after he graduated from college. His story keeps going on but now, instead of Florida, he resides in the state of Michigan with his wife and 2 children… with another on the way! His parents were educators and his older brother is brilliant in his own right. Justin became a believer in Jesus Christ at a young age and was consistent in our student ministry.   He was so much fun and relatable with his peers that when it was announced that he was valedictorian of his high school, people were shocked! Students rushed to the school office demanding an explanation as to how that could possibly be, because surely this funny guy could not be as smart as them…but he was!

Warning: This episode contains movie spoilers. You might need to know this. If you do, it most probably will take you by surprise. When a student dies it’s unnatural… It’s unexpected… It’s unsettling… It shakes a community. It will shake you up as well, but you are who many will look to for comfort, answers, and strength. What do you say? What’s right to say? More importantly what are the wrong things to say? #1 rule… Pray!  #2 rule… Just show up and keep showing up! People seldom remember what we say unless we say something inappropriate. Mostly they remember who was there in difficult times for them. They remember if we were selfless, if we were kind, and if we LISTENED to them instead of talking over them. You don’t have the answers, but God does. Remember to ask for His wisdom as you face the unknown. Loving a family when they have lost their child and that child’s future and dreams is a place of honor… but it will not feel like it. It will be painful, scary, unnerving, and so much more. When it’s about

Not what I expected! We should never be surprised at how God shows up and shows off but I still get surprised. Margot looked like any churched student and she hung out with those who were. But at one breakfast meeting I got more than I expected. God doesn’t wait for us to be ready. He inserts Himself and His miracles at the right time and at the best we should expect a Holy Surprise at any moment in our life. There are students and adults like Margot all over the world and right in your presence wherever you are. They don’t have a sign on them that says “Hey, look at me!!! I have questions and I am ready to encounter God through Jesus Christ Right Now! Ask me anything about God because I know nothing, but I am desperate inside! Hey, over here…I don’t know what to ask or how to ask but I am RIGHT HERE!!! Please See Me!” They aren’t wearing signs. They blend in and they look like they have it all together. Margot was a senior at the top of her class, but she was desperate for an encounter with God. She asked me

Billy and Ashley are a boy and a girl that do not know each other. They are more than a decade apart in age, lived in 2 different cities, and from 2 separate ministries I was in charge of. They both had encounters with God in different ways, but the results were similar. The way they came to know Christ was more of an encounter with Jesus Christ and less about a conventional church experience. Jesus was about leading people to himself as he was on his way somewhere. What do you mean, you may be asking…Well, like the woman at the well, her whole community came to know Christ because of his unconventional, unacceptable conversation about water at the well. 10 diseased men called out to him, he healed them all, and only one came back to say thank you. Jesus is an “on the way” God and teacher. The best encounters with God are “on the way”. Billy and Ashley experienced this “on the way” Jesus in our ministry and I experienced these God sightings “on the way” as well. My hope is that God will inspire you to see cl

Chad stands 6 foot 3 inches and is built like a pro wrestler. When he walks in a room you know it! He is no nonsense and unconventional for a student ministry volunteer. He didn’t usually smile or just say hi to new students. He stood tall looked down at them and asked, “What’s your name?”… still no smile. The middle school boys would try to take him down every week without success. He was their discipleship leader, he was at their sporting events, their graduations from middle school and later on high school. Chad always showed up and the students he led knew it! Normally I would get to know a person interested in volunteering for at least a year before inviting to them volunteer with our students, Chad was 4 months! He soon became a very big part of our middle school staff team and remained a long term volunteer staff member. He would consistently let me know by signaling from the back of the room that I had spoken to long, which was ok with me. I wanted to know and sometimes I would stop… sometimes. (ha ha

To our listeners, you are the reason this podcast exists. We appreciate each person who listens and shares these episodes with others who need to know what they can do to love, coach, teach, disciple, encourage, lead, and volunteer to help teenagers grow in spirit and truth through Jesus Christ. Thank you for never giving up and always showing up when those in need of guidance are present. We hope you continue to find value and encouragement through this podcast. It takes a TEAM to produce and distribute this podcast. My wife who pays the bills, my son Ryan who edits, creates visuals, and assists with distribution through Libsyn worldwide. Thanks to Michael Helms (Michael the Sound guy Podcast) for introducing me to podcasting and editing for my first 2 years. Mike Ligler and his high school class videoing the first 2 years of episodes. In Memory of: My Mom, Joe Ann Edwards: Thank you for always Listening, Encouraging and Caring. Steve Troesch, 27 years of Student Ministry Associate Staff: Words can not ex

Top Pilot, “Vader One” Captain Chuck Mingonet considers himself a small town Florida boy, but if you know this Florida boy he is all Man. He entered into pilot training in 1984 with the United States Navy and was the distinguished graduate for his class. He received his Navy wings in 1985 and began a 25-year career with the navy, which included Commander of a combat carrier squadron 2004-2005, Electron Warfare Office for Central Command Head Quarters 2005-2006,  Congressional Navy Liaison for Naval Warfare Director 2006, Commander of a Naval Air Station 2007-2010. His awards include Air Medal, Defense Superior Service Medal, and the Legion of Merit. Chuck married the love of his life, Sandy. After a semester in Seminary, he and Sandy moved back to Eustis, Florida to take care of his dad after his dad’s heart surgery. He helped his mom with the family business while becoming a youth pastor for 4 years at a local church.  After retiring, he is a father to his 2 children. He and Sandy are grandparents to 12 gran

Ryan is my first born of 3 children, married to his wife Brittney of 10 years, and lives in Charlotte, North Carolina. He is a singer/songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, music producer specializing in the TV/Film industry, multi-business owner, and avid adventurer. His entire life from birth through his high school years were lived within the environment of a youth pastor’s home. Our family was based at one church for 29 years (which is very unusual). We chat about the good, the bad and the ugly of that lifestyle. We also dive into the  opportunities that came along with remaining in the same community all of those years. We navigate through some of his most memorable travel stories within the music industry, missions, and personal adventurers. Ryan toured musically both nationally and internationally throughout the USA, South America, Central America, the Caribbean, and Canada. He also has personally traveled throughout many regions of Europe. Including, leaving Spain the day the World was officially being sh

"Love makes the World go round!" is a saying I heard growing up. At least in Lisa and Chase's case it does make their world go round  along with their now teenage girl. God's Love for us created a world and a Universe whether it, "technically", made the world go round or not, Love has certainly been a main theme through out the Bible. Love was why God sent His only Son to earth to live a humble but powerful life. Love is why God let him die for your sins and mine. But, Love, is why he created us to Love him but also saw that Mankind needed a Love relationship. Add and Eve was God's idea. He intended for us to fall in Love. And Lisa and Chase fell in Love. Here is their story.