An Introduction Into Comprehensive Youth Ministry

This is part 1 of a youth minister training session I did with my team at Ablaze Ministries. I lay out what comprehensive youth ministry is according to the US Bishops document on youth ministry, Renewing the Vision. I go through the 8 components the bishops say all good youth ministries have and analyze how we often fall short of fulfilling the vision and more importantly, how we can get there.

I edited out Part 2 because it got into specifics with some of the parishes we work in and it would have bored you. If you would like to receive youth ministry training/coaching to apply these concepts and vision to your parish youth ministry, we have partnered with Next Level Ministry to be available to go more in depth with this material to transform your ministry to be able to better grow the Kingdom of God in your parish.

Abandoning Our Selves To God, Even When It's Hard

This is the recording of a talk I gave to my fellow missionary youth ministers at Ablaze Ministries on the spirit of abandon...giving ourselves fully over to the Lord, even when it is difficult to do so.

So often, we who have been around the Church for a while have given our lives to the Lord generally but not in specific areas of our lives. God wants all of us. The more we give to Him, the more we can receive from Him.

In this session, I offer a challenge to give the parts of your life that you have been holding back from God up to Him. We often want to treat Jesus just as Savior and not as our Lord. I also offer encouragement for when life gets tough by looking through the story of David, a man after God's own heart, who struggled with the Lord. We will learn from him how humility is the key to abandoning our will to God's.

Becoming a Holy Family: Jesus in our Midst Keynote Session

I was honored to give the opening keynote at the first annual REC-C Family Retreat. The theme is becoming a holy family, Jesus in our midst. I dive into 10 stories in the history of salvation to see what we can learn about growing closer to God from families in the Bible and early Church.

Note: This session was geared towards adults. Two sections may not be good for children(i.e. I talk about certain Christmas and Easter parenting secrets and about a story in Scripture that children may not be ready to hear).

Even So Come

The big joke among musicians during Advent is that there is only one song we can play.....O Come O Come Emmanuel. While it is only partially true, it is the one song everyone associates with the Advent season. O Come O Come is one of my favorite songs of the year but I did set out to find a new song that could be my "Advent Song of the Year" and I found it. 

"Even So Come" by Kristian Stanfill and the Passion Worship Band became an instant favorite of mine in this season. The lyrics are beautiful(I have provided them below) and it is a great song to pray with and is frankly enjoyable to play. 

I wanted to share with you my cover of the song in this last week of Advent so that it may be an encouragement to you in these closing days of the Advent season. For a more in depth look at the lyrics and why I love the song so much, you can check out my recent podcast where we listen to the song and dissect it. 

I am praying that everyone who reads and listens to this may have a blessed Christmas. Enjoy!

All of creation
All of the earth
Make straight a highway
A path for the Lord
Jesus is coming soon

Call back the sinner
Wake up the saint
Let every nation shout of Your fame
Jesus is coming soon

Like a bride waiting for her groom
We'll be a Church ready for You
Every heart longing for our King
We sing
Even so come
Lord Jesus, come

There will be justice
All will be new
Your name forever
Faithful and true
Jesus is coming soon

So we wait
We wait for You
God, we wait
You're coming soon

Confession and Adoration

Here is a talk I gave on Sept 17, 2016 for the St. Joseph's Confirmation Retreat leading in to confession and adoration. It was an amazing retreat experience and I was very happy to be a part of it! 

Listen in as I teach on confession, share the story of my first confession and compare and contrast our relationship with Jesus and our relationship with famous celebrities.

Go Forth I Will Be With You (Audio)

Over the past few weeks, God has placed a burning desire on my heart to minister to youth ministers. I have been amazed at the opportunities God has put in my path to do just that. All those who work in ministry or know people that do, know that it can get tough at times. My goal is to encourage you by reminding you of the call and promises that God has given you.

This is a recording of a sending forth for those who work or volunteer in ministry. We walk through the stories in Scripture of many who were called and sent to share the good news of the Father. We also look at the beginning of Ad Gentes, the Vatican II document on missionary activity and what it means for those called and sent by God into ministry. We end with the overwhelming list of the promises of God that He is always with us.

If you need some encouragement in your ministry, give this a listen. If you know someone in ministry, share this with them. We can all use the encouragement.

In Christ,
Taylor Schroll/Forte Catholic

God Demonstrates His Love (Audio)

Howdy! I know it has been a few weeks but I am excited to be back! It has been a busy month with transitioning into a new role at work, running a Jr High Summer Camp, taking a group of teens to the first Steubenville Youth Conference in Texas and much more. 

This is an audio recording of a session from a youth minister staff training in which I speak on how God demonstrates his love for us. Using Romans 5:8 and the lyrics of the song, "God Demonstrates His Love" by Harvest, I walk through how God has show his love for me in the depths of my sin. God wants to share his mercy and healing with you through this message.

Let me know in the comments how God has demonstrated his love for you in your life.

If you enjoyed this clip, please like/share. Also, here is the song I referenced at the end of the session. It is one of my favorites and I hope you enjoy it! 

Share Your Presents

What is the best gift you have ever received? My favorite Christmas present ever was my Nintendo 64 way back when I was a kid the year it launched. Such great memories! In this audio clip of my talk at a Jr High Day of Reflection at St. Joseph's Catholic School in Bryan, Tx, I explore the greatest gift we have all ever received; the mercy of the Father. 

Like my Nintendo 64, gifts are better when they can be a shared experience with others. So often, we want to receive the mercy of the Father but struggle to share that gift with the ones around us. Tune in as we explore what God is calling us to do in sharing his mercy through two of Jesus' parables. 

In Christ,
Taylor Schroll the Forte Catholic

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Preach-A-Thon!

I LOVE speaking(I know…shocking from the loud Catholic), preaching, and sharing what the Lord has done in my life and has put on my heart to share. In December, I shared with God the desire of my heart. I realized in mid December that I had only given one talk in a month. I was practically going through withdrawals. 

But this past week is proof once again that God answers prayers! I was given the opportunity to give not one, not two, not three(Lebron James reference….if you don’t get it, I half-heartedly apologize) BUT SIX times to speak in four cities on five topics in seven days! And I have to say its been one of the best weeks I have had recently! 

So as always, I like to share these moments with you. The links below are many of the talks I gave this week! They are on a variety of topics and are easy to listen to at work, at home or in the car on the soundcloud app. Enjoy and blessings to you and yours!

In Christ,

Taylor Schroll

Year of Mercy Kickoff!

Happy Advent! Happy Feast of the Immaculate Conception! Happy Kickoff of the Year of Mercy as proclaimed by Pope Francis! ITS A CELEBRATION! 

So much excitement in one day that I couldn't contain it. I just knew I had to share something with you guys but I didn't know what. Then when I was driving in my car this weekend, with children screaming in the back seat, God sent me a moment of mercy. The song "Mercy" by Matt Redman came on and I knew it was just the thing to share with y'all. 

So today, I set out to record it in the Church. But all day, the LOL's(the term of endearment for the church Little Old Ladies) were decorating the Church for Advent/Christmas so I couldn't record in the Church as planned. So I set out to find a small room where I wouldn't bother anyone. As I thought of small rooms secluded from everyone, the best place I could think of was the confessional! What a perfect place to kick off the year of mercy! 

So here is the recording. I hope you enjoy it...and get to a confessional some time soon. Advent is a great time to return to the Lord and restore your relationship with Him. I am hoping and praying that He breathes new life into you and me this season.

Blessings!

Taylor

Faith and Technology

Preaching on the pros and cons of technology for our faith life and growth at the Ablaze Junior High Retreat on Nov 7th. This is one of my favorite subjects because it marries two of my favorite things: Faith and Jesus! I hope you enjoy this message as much as I enjoy those two things ;)

Spiritual Warfare

Heyyyyy! Well this isn't a blog so that's confusing. Buuuuut, I wanted to share this ASAP. Listen now to hear my most recent message from a night of Adoration and Worship at St. Martin de Porres in Dripping Springs, TX. on Nov 1st, 2015.