On Feb 7 and 8, the Youth Cartel is once again hosting Open Boston. For the first time, they’ve added a pre-conference intensive to the program for those who want to get even more money’s worth out of their 25 bucks for the entire conference.

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We all make mistakes. That means we all need to apologize at some point. But some people really suck at apologizing. They’ll say a lot without actually saying anything, they’ll fumble and stumble and have everyone wonder what they’re trying to communicate or they’ll joke around and treat it like a big joke.

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This is a question I know many youth pastors who are leaving their youth ministry struggle with. Common wisdom seems to be that when you leave, you have to sever all ties with your former students. But does it really work that way?

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I enjoyed The Vampire Academy Series by Richelle Mead and Bloodlines Series is more of the same. The world where the these books takes place is the same and some of the main characters appear here again. If you haven’t read the first series, the world and the story may be a bit hard to follow. Three books have appeared so far in the Bloodlines Series with the fourth coming out this month and supposedly one more book after that.

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When reading through the Top 100 of teen fiction, it’s really clear how much the supernatural appeals to readers right now. The Bartimaeus Trilogy) is another example of a supernatural fantasy series, consisting of three books (of which I’ve only read the first). The main persons are 12-year old Nathaniel, a magician apprentice, and 5,000-year-old Bartimaeus, a djinni (spirit, or demon).

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I am once again saying goodbye to a youth ministry. Because of our move from Germany to the States, I have to say goodbye to the teens I ministered to as a volunteer. This is the fifth time I’m leaving a youth ministry and I’ve learned some lessons along the way.

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I really had to make myself read on in the first two books of the Fallen Series and after that, I decided I’d had enough. It’s not just that there are many elements in the story that I have an issue with, it’s also that the story itself is very drawn out and downright boring at times.

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There are books in the top 100 of teen fiction where you can debate whether you should recommend them to teens or not and there are books where the case is crystal clear. The House of Night Series falls into the second category and the answer is a resounding no. There is a lot wrong with these books, but let me start by giving a very brief plot summary.

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I’m not a bitter person by nature. If someone wrongs me, I just get upset or angry, I blow off steam and then it’s gone. Usually I have no problems forgiving people and I don’t hang on to hate or resentment long. But you know where I’ve had the hardest time ever forgiving?

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I know, I’m a little behind the curve on reviewing The Twilight Series. I have actually read them years ago, but they are part of my Top 100 of Teen Fiction reviews, so I’ll get to it.

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