A Prayer For Pride Month. . .
For those of us navigating life with our kids during this Pride Month, here’s a prayer I wrote that I trust we will pray with all humility as we seek to follow the way and will of God as contained…
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Youthworkers, Parents, and Pride Month. . .
As I write this, we are just nine hours into June. . . a month that in recent years has been designated as “Pride Month.” It’s a month set aside by our culture to celebrate the LGBTQ+ community and lifestyles.…
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Is Technology Forming or De-Forming Us? . . .
Move forward cautiously. That’s good advice as we blaze new trails on what’s been called “The Digital Frontier.” I can’t help but think about the wise words of Marshall McLuhan, spoken decades before the smartphone, about technology and its effects…
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Be Careful On Social Media Today. . .
Lord, have mercy. I’m throwing this out there as something to think about – as I am – on this, the day after. That which rattles us to the core must be discussed and acted upon. The Gospel demands it.…
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How Can Kids Change The World? Youthworkers, Take Note. . .
I’ve been in youth ministry and life long enough to have heard it said with enthusiastic conviction about multiple generations, “This generation of kids is going to change the world!” I heard it said of me and my teenaged Boomer…
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Marriage Is Truly A Mystery. . . 40 Years In!
Later this week Lisa and I will be celebrating our 40th Anniversary. Like all might say, “it’s been a blink”. . . or “where has the time gone”. . . or some other cliche that reflects the reality of just…
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Kids As Idols. . . What Does Social Media Say? . . .
If you picked up your smartphone at all yesterday, you know was happening on social media. It was Mother’s Day. God’s good gift of mothers and the power of Godly parenting is what we’ve come to celebrate. . . or…
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Understanding and Helping Kids Who Cut. . . Part 3
Self- injury. Cutting. Yes. . . it’s out there and it’s widespread. So, what should we do? First, we must come to an understanding of the path this trend looks to take. We can be sure that the stigma associated…
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Understanding Kids Who Cut. . . Part 2. . .
If we care at all about kids we should learn to recognize, understand, and answer these visual cries of a generation longing for spiritual truth, emotional healing, and answers. Self-injurious behavior (SIB) or self-inflicted violence (SIV) has been defined as…
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Understanding Kids Who Cut. . . Part 1. . .
As a culture-watcher, I sometimes like to “rewind” as a way to gain perspective on just how much and how fast youth culture has changed. The practice serves to wake me up at times when familiarity with what was once…
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American Youth Ministry: What Would Bonhoeffer See? . . .
This is probably more true than when I first wrote and posted it here back in July of 2011. I had been reading Dietrich Bonhoeffer at the time and I was struck by how his writing decades before offered a…
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Youth Min & Parenting On The Edge. . . .
Over the course of the last few days, I can’t help but be reminded of the seriousness, complexity, and head-spinning challenges of our times. When Bob Dylan sang to us way back in 1964, little did we or he know…
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