tobyMac’s childhood memories of camp are joyfully cherished.

As he recalls his summer trips to basketball camps in the Poconos, golf camps in North Carolina, as well as various church-related camps, his face lights up and he smiles as the nostalgia sets in.

Longevity-something every rookie youth pastor strives to achieve in only one church during his or her lifetime.

Have you ever noticed how good memories always stick to your mind like glue? It feels like they are the strongest memories you have.

But they aren’t. Bad memories are stronger. That’s why I’ll never forget my experience with that youth group.

“What do you want to be when you grow up?”

My four children have a fairly wide age span: one in high school, one in middle school, one in elementary school, and one in preschool. All four of them have been asked this question, and I sometime cringe a little. I know the question is usually well intentioned, but I’m not sure I like the inherent limitations in it.

His college experience had become exactly opposite of what he’d hoped. Initially, like most high school grads, Landen was excited about meeting new people and entering his next phase of life; but also like many high school grads, feelings of detachment were creeping in.

Do you feel as though you’ve hit a roadblock in your life?

Perhaps it’s in your work or finances, in a relationship or responsibility, your health or a weight-loss challenge. Personally and professionally, we all face times during which the answers don’t come soon enough. During these times we must tap into a spirit of determination. If we don't, we may see our dreams wash away.

“Slipping through the cracks” is a cliché used for many things, but unfortunately it’s all too familiar in our churches. Mostly it’s come to define what happens to many kids as they transition out of high school youth ministry.

Just outside the George Bush Intercontinental Airport in Houston, youth pastor Brent Parker pulls up in his cherry red pickup, steps out, and greets me, “Welcome to our A.D.D. community!”

I had received a generous invitation from Glen Eyrie Castle and the Conference Center to stay at no expense in the biggest and nicest room at their Christian retreat center nestled in the foothills near picturesque Pike’s Peak. The property, a castle built by a civil war general for his wife, established the city of Colorado Springs in the late 19th century.