Youth Worker On Fire Podcast

In this segment, youth pastors will learn tips on how to choose churches. Although you're being interviewed for the youth pastor position, *you need to have a list of questions to ask, also. *Churches also need to learn how to choose a youth pastor that's right for them and not just fill a vacant position. *Another key tip is to separate the middle school students, high school students and college...

Irma was the biggest hurricane in Florida, 400 miles across. It brought back a memory of our student ministry taking 55 people to volunteer after Hurricane Andrew, 7 days later. A student, Jason Mages, decided we had to do something. He said the right things to the right people and the next thing I knew, we had a caravan of motorhomes, vans and trucks heading south from Eustis, Florida for a 2 nig...

DJ Verkaik at the age of 19 sold his truck and a lot of other things to get his 1st pro video camera! He later bought a $50k 1st of its kind digital computer video editing system and became famous. But he started by volunteering with me as an 8th grader producing mammoth video shows for pep rallies, church and massive events all through his high school career. He and his buddy, Matt Johnson, worke...

Coach/Teacher/FCA Huddle Coach/Wife/Mom was NOT a great softball player but her dad worked with her everyday even when friends went to the beach, she cried, but she practiced. And she went D1 to Auburn University as a softball player and became the 1st female athlete to go to FCA with the football team, and then she brought her team as well to start an Auburn Legacy. She is still building Legacies...

He has always been a champion, raised by champion parents! Being forgiven was his only way back! He had hurt his wife, himself and his relationship with God. Now he is Fellowship of Christian Athletes Director in his home county. How in heaven's name did he get to do that when his failure was so painful. Matt Matulia is a bigger Champion now than ever before. But, how? Find out in this episode!

How can a person get arrested for drugs while in college, go to a rehab facility and later become a youth pastor for one of the largest churches in the Orlando, Florida area? And who is this person? Well his name is Matt Williamson. Listen to how this story unfolds. Further more, how does he score an amazing wife and start a great family with 2 little boys? You will hear the answers to all of thos...

Coach Jack Cole is a self employed missionary to Jamaica where he and his wife adopted a daughter, raised their own children, and was called by a principal in a public high school, "a man of great integrity and influence." He is what every coach, youth pastor and teacher should be. He puts Faith 1st, Family 2nd and others 3rd while making all feel and believe they are blessed to be with him. Coach...

Mike, who?  MichaelTheSoundGuy.com on his website!  Michael Helms, was a junior in high school when we met. He was a regular student, but brilliant, laughed and joked a lot.  His dad was an international accountant and decided Michael, "Mike", needed to travel so he sent him to his company in Brazil where Mike met the love of his life, but he didn't know it yet. But, this young Brazilian lady, Sil...

Three children, John, Michael and Rebecca, in that order. Yet, for 24 years they have been working with Michael to control his seizures which are located all over his brain. Jim has been a 20+ year student ministry volunteer, community volunteer and church board member. He and his wife Marilyn own a major screen printing business and have traveled to different parts of the globe trying to find a c...

In 8th grade she joined us on a mission trip to the Appalachia poverty mission. She has been a world changer ever since. Alex went on 4 Colorado trips with our student ministry, she was FCA student leader at her high school for 4 years because she initiated it. Pat Williams, Manager of the Orlando Magic NBA Team, spoke to the 2013 senior class because she decided it needed to happen.  She is a stu...

My Travel Agent to date is Don Holme's in Texas! I have taken 18 plus years of Colorado trips booked and arranged by Don! When you travel with students and volunteers you want the guy who thinks ahead of you and cares about you and your people. That's why Don is one of my Consistent Heros. He has been working with High Point Travel in Dallas, Texas for 30 years. In Don's words, "And they said it w...

Blake Appleby was saved as a teenager and has been reaching and teaching young people as a pastor and evangelist to students for 9 years. He has a beautiful wife named Meredith and two boys, Micah and Wade. He is the Student Pastor at First Baptist Church of Umatilla, Florida. He enjoys sports, bass fishing, playing the drums, reading, and a good cup of coffee. 

Anthony Sabatini was a sophomore in high school when his principal sat him down and said to him calmly, "You have some potential and you're going to be one of two things, either you're going to end up in the United States Senate or you're going to end up in prison. And you have to make that choice." Anthony recalls, "No one had ever talked to me that way before." It could have gone either way. But...

Bryan Totten is currently teaching AVID, which stands for Advancement Via Individual Determination. This program helps prepare students who are in the academic middle for four-year college eligibility. These are students who are capable of completing a college-prep curriculum but may be falling short of their potential. Bryan has been in public education for 7 years and has taught both middle and...

What if you found out your child was a cutter and later on drugs? What if soon after that child turns 18, moves out, and leaves you wondering night after night if they are alive or dead? Tom and Dena Yohe (Parents of Renee Yohe, To Write Love On Her Arms ), have lived that life and still live on the tentative list. In Dena's book to parents, " You Are Not Alone: Hope for Hurting Parents of Trouble...

Ryan Schmitz was a rebellious teenager with a tough home life. With no boundaries, he dropped out of high school and got into a lot of trouble. Doug Edwards talks to Ryan about the positive adults who influenced his life and how his life was transformed through the grace of Jesus Christ. 

A drug and alcohol addiction recovery program, Teen Challenge is the focus of this week's episode.  Doug interviews Joe Batlock, who works for Teen Challenge, a drug and alcohol addiction recovery program.  Teen Challenge USA works on a holistic model of drug and alcohol recovery. This means they are concerned with the body, mind, and spirit of those who come to their addiction recovery centers. T...

Carey Baker is a man among men. He and his wife Lori have 3 children and the oldest is 14 years old. That makes him qualified to talk to youth workers among many other things. He comes from a history of soldiers. In this episode, he speaks of 3 of our recent fallen young soldiers in the Middle East and Afganistan. His dad served in WWII and Carey joined the National Guard at age 18 and served for...

I met Julie at the NRB, National Religious Brodcasters Convention. Great person and author. Fun interview.

Tim Latiff - Washington DC, was a young man I met while working at the NRB, which is the International Broadcasters Convention, in Orlando, Florida. •Tim grew up in Maryland,  •His parents are pastors and Tim followed suit as a youth pastor at New Life Worship Center in Capital Heights, Maryland.  •Tim also works at the Center for Urban Renewal and Education where he oversees a clergy outreach pro...

Casey K. Shannon is a friend of Rick Eldridge from Youth Worker On Fire - Episode 043. While Casey, a Charlotte grown, North Carolinian was managing a hotel in Scotland, Rick and his film crew stayed at that hotel while filming part of The Bobby Jones Story movie. Rick and Casey, having the Charlotte area in common, met and have remained friends for many years. Casey was influenced by people in hi...

Rick Eldridge has over thirty years in the entertainment business as a musician, producer, director, and entrepreneur, and he knows how to make projects happen.  Whether sports programming, live production, animated series, or feature films, Rick has been involved in every facet of creative development and production management in the entertainment industry. Rick talks with Doug about his early da...

Tim Hancock was a youth worker for 3 counties in the Orlando, FL area for more than 25 years in Fellowship of Christian Athletes. To raise funds to get students to camp, Tim ran 55 miles from Winter Park, Florida to New Smyrna Beach, Florida. Who does that? An Ironman! Thats my nickname for Tim "Ironman" Hancock who finished the Hawaii Ironman at one point in his life. He has raised a family, iron...

Greg Larson is a 6'8" pitcher. He played basketball but he thrived in baseball. Lake Brantley High School, GatorNation UF, then to the pros with the Red Sox. Now Greg is in his home area of Seminole County, northern suburbs of Orlando, Florida. He is the head coach for Fellowship of Christian Athletes, FCA, for Seminole County Schools. He raises his own salary to do the work he is passionate about...

Doug speaks with Juliet Oppong-Amoako and Reverend Abdoulaye Sangho from Trans World Radio in Africa (TWR). Their organization uses media to reach Africa for Christ. Speaking fluently in more than 60 languages and dialects, their outreach in Africa engages millions in more than 40 countries. Together with international partners, local churches and other ministries, TWR provides relevant programmin...