4YourMinistry

Best-Ever Games
Les Christie
Youth Specialties
The Game Guru has tossed a great book at those of us looking for a game book, but he delivers more, too. Christie briefly covers a history, philosophy, and theology of games, giving us just a glimpse of the thinking that goes into games programmed for students. And, yeah, he also includes game ideas—good ones. There’s even a section covering the “Worst Games Ever,” where Christie reminds us that dangerous, racially insensitive, or humiliating games are damaging to kids. Worth buying.
—TB

Gimme Five
Les Christie
(Youth Specialties)
You’ve probably seen the other books in this series, but if you haven’t seen this one, I think you’re missing out. Yeah, it’s typical…simple layout, a few questions on each page, etc. But the questions here got beyond “Would You Rather…?” or “What If…?”—challenging the reader to think. I failed the “Gimme five countries on the equator” one, and totally related to the “Gimme five things teenagers’ parents worry about.” The great aspects of this book are Christie’s follow-up questions that help you search deeper into a few of the answers. This would be a great addition to your programming library.
—TB

High School Confidential: Secrets of an Undercover Student
Jeremy Iversen
(Atria Books)
Absolutely terrifying. Iversen, a twentysomething high school graduate, went back to school to take an objective, adult look at the academic and social culture of one small California school. His unique perspective is eye-opening in a new way, demonstrating the damage of adulthood’s accelerated pressures on today’s teenager. This is a must-read for any anyone involved with youth culture. Sit somewhere comfortable; in all likelihood, you won’t be putting this one down.
—KA

Letters to a Young Evangelical
Tony Campolo
(Basic Books)
Based on the framework of the pastoral epistles, Campolo continues his efforts to gently explain how an evangelical life should be lived. His desire expressed through these letters is to arrest the gradual theft of the term evangelical, which commonly brings to mind either political agendas or harsh, judgmental attitudes. Campolo instead calls young evangelicals to return to living lives changed by a loving God—called to share that love with others.
—KA

Ministry Mutiny: A Youth Leader Fable
Greg Stier
(Tyndale)
Ministry Mutiny is an out-of-the-ordinary youth ministry tutorial, set in the context of a fictional story of a young, burned-out youth pastor named Ty. Through divine intervention Ty meets an older and wiser youth pastor named Tony who convinces Ty to not resign from his church and let Tony walk him through several discipleship principles. This story won’t win any literary awards, but the thoughts and principles expressed through the conversations between Ty and Tony are worth the investment. Those hungry to add spiritual depth to their youth ministry will find the scriptural foundation, friendly feel, and easy flow refreshing and challenging.
—TG

Revisiting Relational Youth Ministry
Andrew Root
(IVP)
Root provides a rich history of relational youth ministry over the past century. Adopting Dietrich Bonhoeffer’s view on the incarnation he writes, “The incarnation is not about influence but accompaniment.” He contends that the normal pattern for youth workers is spending time with students so they may influence them to do something. Instead, he urges readers to adopt a “being with” ministry to students, encouraging them to stand with people in need. The result is a youth worker who accompanies students through all that is wrong with them so those students may rest in the embrace of God who loves them. Put this on your “buy now” list.
—LE

Samson and the Pirate Monks
Nate Larkin
(Thomas Nelson)
Larkin narrates his own struggles with addiction and his subsequent formation of a society for men who discover they’ve been trying to make it on their own, can’t survive that way, but through consistent companionship and accountability with other men, can recover. The group serves as part-accountability, part-Bible study, and part-recovering addicts’ meeting—and a place where individuals can support each other.
—JS

Small Group Strategies
Laurie Polich and Charlie Scandlyn
(Youth Specialties)
These two youth ministry veterans have assembled an easy-to-use, well-written book on the basics of leading a small group. There’s good philosophy here, but the authors don’t stop to talk about that much. Instead, the practical small group ideas are clearly built on solid foundations. At times, this book feels a little like a glorified version of Polich’s “Help!” book, written under the same topic. But the practical stuff here (e.g., how to actually have a small group, how to get students talking, ideas for service, group goal ideas for the leader) makes the book essential for every group leader. Worth checking out.
—TB

Speaking to Teenagers: How to Think About, Create, and Deliver Effective Messages
Doug Fields and Duffy Robbins
(Youth Specialties)
Fields and Robbins have delivered a phenomenal resource. Drawing on their decades of combined experience, the two authors take the reader through all the steps in preparing for any speaking opportunity. Topics covered include understanding the audience, thinking through preparation, illustrations, delivery, and using your space effectively. The authors’ fun style comes through in their writing, making this quite an enjoyable read. My favorite parts are the personal stories and experiences they share. Definitely worth the time and money.
—MM

The Year of Living Biblically: One Man’s Humble Quest to Follow the Bible as Literally as Possible
A.J. Jacobs
(Simon and Schuster)
Esquire editor A.J. Jacobs sets out to live biblically for a whole year, much to the chagrin of his wife, Julie, and sometimes, to the detriment of their two-year-old son, Jasper. A non-practicing Jew, Jacobs encounters God over and over again within the context of his project and finds that living the Bible means more than just obeying the laws. Many of the stories in this book were so good, I ended up reading them to my family and coworkers. Full of wit and anecdotes, The Year of Living Biblically kept me laughing, especially with stories of disciplining his son with a Nerf bat or learning that sitting biblically requires a three-legged stool (which Jacobs carried everywhere).
—JS


4 Your Head

After the Baby Boomers: How Twenty- and Thirty-Somethings are Shaping the Future of American Religion
Robert Wuthnow
(Princeton University Press)
The professor of sociology at Princeton University asks the questions, Why have young adults left our churches en masse over the past three decades? and What is gradually bringing them back? Although this book is jam-packed with data from an array of studies (some of which can be mind-numbing at times), Wuthnow offers the church some alarming implications that are sure to shape the future of young adult ministry. A good read for any pastor, youth worker, or individual who cares about what’s happening to a generation the church has largely ignored.
—JBS

Breathe: Creating Space for God in a Hectic Life
Keri Wyatt Kent
(Revell)
Keri Kent reminds the reader that breathing spiritually is something we often forget. Simplifying our lives and refocusing on what matters to God is the key to allowing ourselves to truly breathe. This book doesn’t contain a “recipe for success,” such as “adding this to this equals peace and tranquility;” but it does clearly point to the benefits of slowing down and reducing the stacks of tasks that can weigh us down. Following Kent’s godly guidelines allow us to make spiritual breathing a natural part of living.
—RE

Building a People of Power
Robert Linthicum
(Authentic and World Vision)
Linthicum believes the key to social ministry is not meeting people’s needs, but rather empowering them to meet their own needs. The idea is ingenious, but his communication and support is weak. On several occasions I struggled to see the validity in his biblical claims or the spiritual impact of the social changes he discusses. There’s no denying that his principles are successful in bringing about social reform, but because of Linthicum’s concern over turning people away from the gospel, there is little social ministry. Linthicum’s principles coupled with a sincere and appropriate gospel would present a powerful tool for social ministry.
—DN

Evangelical Ethics
John Jefferson Davis
(P & R Publishing)
This book sheds light on issues such as war, homosexuality, and abortion. Davis tackles these typically divisive topics, unapologetically revealing biblical truth and applying it to them. While the topics are dense and often difficult to navigate, Davis views them as necessary for Christians to digest in order to strengthen our witness. Evangelical Ethics is not only a powerful resource for leaders and students but also a bridge that fills the gap between what Christians say they believe and why they believe it.
—DN

Everything Must Change: Jesus, Global Crises, and a Revolution of Hope
Brian McLaren
(Thomas Nelson)
If you’ve read McLaren’s other books or have heard him speak, you won’t find many new thoughts here. Still, McLaren puts his wit and depth of thinking into issues such as poverty, war, terrorism, and the environment in ways that are understandable without oversimplifying the complex issues. Throughout the book, McLaren emphasizes on the idea that one who follows Jesus should care about everything God has created. It’s a valuable read for all those high school-aged and older who want to understand their roles as Christ followers in the world. Full of stuff that leads the reader to deep, critical thinking.
—MLK

How We Make Our Kids Angry: Suggestions for Parents Who Want to Change
Roger Cross & Ed Stewart
(IVP Books)
A practical book helping parents learn how to diffuse negative emotions in their angry kids, Cross identifies ten behavioral traps parents fall into that provoke their children, as well as ten “anger minimizers” parents can practice to improve understanding and communication with their kids. He explains that parental inconsistency will result in anxiety and anger in your kids because they don’t know what to expect from you. Suggestions such as communicating with your spouse and consistent discipline and honesty are offered, in addition to tips on creating a secure environment for your kids. Highly recommended.
—LW

Organic Church: Growing Faith Where Life Happens
Neil Cole
(Josey Bass)
Cole, a church planter, has created a book that gripped me from start to finish. Believing that few people are affected in a typical church service, he advocates going where people congregate and beginning meaningful moments where they can discover God’s Kingdom. Cole’s insight into the life and mission of Jesus is illuminating, and his ability to communicate and apply simple truths from God’s Word is culture changing. And even though Cole comes across as a bit arrogant, his work is having a powerful influence on kingdom growth. This book will challenge the way that you do ministry.
—DN

unChristian
David Kinnaman and Gabe Lyons
(Baker Books)
Finally, someone has realized that people don’t have a “bad perception of Christianity.” unChristian acknowledges that most outsiders (to borrow the authors’ language) have a crystal clear perception of what Christianity has become—decidedly un-Christian. Kinnaman and Lyons examine the places Christians have left the path of following Christ. Even good research makes for a clunky read at times, but the material is compelling, and unChristian sets the table for the church to move back to Christ and model his love to our communities.
—KA

4 Your Students

Every Teenager’s Little Black Book on Sex and Dating
Blaine Bartel
(Harrison House)
In a perfectly concise-yet-detailed way, Bartel guides the reader through the joys and pitfalls of sex and dating. The book deals with a wide spectrum of issues, such as “how Christian dating is different,” “reasons not to try too hard,” “arming your heart with purity,” and “steps to take before you get married.” Each topic is covered over a page and a half with questions, thoughts, and Scriptures designed in a simple, easy-to-use format. No “in your face” opinions; only focused principles.
—RE

Living with Questions
Dale Fincher
(Youth Specialties)
This book is a lot like a dictionary of the most important questions over which people passionately argue. In his own unique way, Fincher answers questions about the value of humanity, how God speaks, the nature of truth, the existence of God—and does so in an academically well written, honestly searching way. There is no shying away from discussing philosophy (which he does simply) or science (which he does effectively) or theology (which he does in a way that is easy to understand). This book could hold its own alongside many apologetic texts as well as a few current teen devotionals. Worth reading yourself and valuable to recommend to your students.
—TB

Videos

Power Play Volume 4: 20 Interactive Trivia Games to Engage and Involve your Students Simply Youth Ministry
www.simplyyouthministry.com
The SYM team has managed to take the basic PowerPoint game recipe and improve it for the fourth installment. The disc includes 20 all-new games ranging thematically from video games to counting calories, Star Wars to memory challenges. Editable PowerPoint versions of each game are included, as well as Quick Time versions of each game, which run smoother. Printable scoring sheets are customized for each game, as well as sound effects for the spelling bee. These PowerPlay collections are solid resources that provide great laughs and icebreakers. Another strong entry in the series and well worth the cost.
—MM

Igniter Videos Volume 5
Igniter Media Group
www.ignitermedia.com
This volume contains five video vignettes, ranging from two to six minutes in length. The DVD plays in a standard DVD player or in a computer. Leader guides can be accessed through a computer’s DVD drive. “99 Balloons,” the story of baby Eliot who was born with severe complications, left everyone in my congregation crying—but utterly inspired. “Smart” and “Teamwork” are great, humorous clips that make a point without being preachy. The last two videos, a contemplative piece on the cross and a humorous look at the relationship between husbands and wives are both decent, but the first three are the best of the DVD.
—MM



“Under the Covers” reviews do not necessarily constitute endorsements by The Journal of Student Ministries or any of its partners or affiliates. “Under the Covers” reviewers:
Rachel Erickson is the wife of the youth pastor at Calvary Community Church in Williams Bay, Wisconsin
Jacob Sahms is the music editor at hollywoodjesus.com and Fellowship of Christian Athletes campus minister at the University of Richmond in Virginia
Jason Santos is a youth minister, author, speaker, and doctoral candidate in practical theology at Princeton Theological Seminary in New Jersey
Len Evans is a writer/author and longtime youth pastor in Lubbock, Texas.
Ty Griffin is the youth minister at All Saints Church in Florence, South Carolina
Kevin Alton is the director of youth and young adult ministries at Ringgold (Georgia) United Methodist Church
LaSandra Wall is the women’s and children’s ministries director at Father’s House Church in Franklin, Tennessee
Dustin Nelson is minister to students at First Baptist Church in Ellisville, Missouri
Matt Kelley is associate pastor for young people at Crievewood United Methodist Church in Nashville, Tennessee
Matthew McNutt is an author, a consultant, and the youth pastor at Boothbay Baptist Church in Boothbay, Maine
Tim Baker is a writer, professor, and student ministries director in Longview, Texas
Dave Urbanski is a music, movie, and culture critic (all music reviewed by Dave unless otherwise attributed)