Self-Exposure. . . Yep, We Show & Tell Too Much. . .
I have not read Lena Dunham’s best-selling recent memoir, Not That Kind of Girl: A Young Woman Tells You What She’s Learned. In all fairness to Dunham, perhaps I should. It’s not, however, even close to the top of my priority list.…
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Youth Ministry, Youth Culture, and The Comics! . . .
Some of the most insightful and thought-provoking cultural commentary can be found in the comics section of your daily newspaper. When you take the time to intentionally listen to both Word and world (starting your day, as Karl Barth once said, with the…
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Papelbon And Harper. . . A Reminder About Sport To The Glory of God. . .
Perhaps the most-viewed sports “highlight” video of the last 48-hours is the clip that captured Washington Nationals’ players Jonathan Papelbon and Bryce Harper going at in the dugout during the late innings of the their team’s game last Sunday afternoon. Ironically,…
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#shoutyourabortion. . . A Tragic Sign Of The Times. . .
Last night I saw this post from a Facebook friend: “As a woman conceived in rape and incest, I am so very grateful that my 14 year old birthmother didn’t join the voices of #ShoutYourAbortion. My life has been incredible…
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Teens And Media: The Last 20 Years. . . A Fascinating Infographic. . .
Like frogs in a kettle of slowly boiling water, we are sometimes so immersed in the world around us that we fail to see just how much and how quickly things are changing. That’s certainly the case with media. Remember…
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16 Minutes Of Social Media Insight. . . “The Anti-Social Network” Short Film. . .
The other day I ran across this short sixteen-minute film from Australian film-maker Shae-Lee Shackleford. The Anti-Social Network offers a snarky commentary on how social media addiction shapes our lives. Take a few minutes and give it a look. Then, ask…
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Teen Depression: A Helpful Infographic. . . .
This week I’ve had some conversations with friends who are engaged with teenagers they know and love, all of whom are dealing with depression. That’s prompted me to share this infographic from Rawhide.org. In addition, I want to mention two…
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Why We Need Demanding Young Females. . . .
“MISSING GIRL”. . . that’s a headline in this morning’s Lancaster newspaper. Beneath the headline are two selfies taken from the 15-year-old girl’s Facebook page. A short article names the young high school freshman, and indicates that she was last…
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Ashley Madison, A Suicide, And A Call To Transparency And Hope. . .
Two days ago, a startling news story popped up on my phone. It was another in what’s sure to be an ongoing string of stories about the Ashley Madison website hack, the revelation of who had accounts, and the heartache…
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Scarlett Johansson And The Liberation Of Body-Image Pressure. . . .
This is the stuff I love. And, it’s the stuff worth showing to and talking about with our kids. It’s those crazy “with” and “without” “before” and “after” photos of celebrities. They’re the photos that expose the lies of the…
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“Never Seen Anything Like It” . . . Assault On The Gridiron. . . .
The college football season began in earnest over the weekend. This week, the pros hit the field. High school football players played their first game here in Pennsylvania last Friday night. But the football story that’s getting the most attention…
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If I Was Nicki Minaj’s Pastor. . . Please Don’t Thank Me. . .
Two night’s ago, Nicki Minaj won the VMA for “The Best Hip-Hop Video.” The moment (watch the video here), was filled with all kinds of talking points. . . from Rebel Wilson’s much-criticized tasteless bit on police brutality, Minaj’s posterior-posturing for the…
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