Should We Be Surprised? . . . We’ve Set The Table For Spring Break Gang Rape. . .
If you track with the news, you’ve probably been seeing some of the many reports coming out of Panama City Beach, Florida about Spring Breakers gone wild. The latest is that a third young man has been arrested in the…
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Death by iPhone. . . . Sort Of. . .
OK. . . that was a dirty little trick, wasn’t it? But now that I have your attention, let’s talk about technology and what it does to us. Better yet, let’s ponder Gillian Share-Raab’s out-of-the-box thoughts on what her smartphone…
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Kids, Marijuana, and Reasoning Through the Dangers. . . .
I’m guessing we’ve all had these conversations with at least one young somebody. And reasoning with a teenager through the dangers associated with. . . well, it can be a host of things in today’s world. . . is only…
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Stuff That’s Good To Hear. . . Or, Busting Ministry Stereotypes. . .
Last Saturday, I got to spend a day doing what I love with a beloved friend. Marv Penner and I were able to indulge our life-long ministry passions at CPYU’s first-ever day-long “Tackling the Tough Stuff” seminar, an event that…
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Pitbull, Ne-Yo, and a Youth Worker Who Really Wants His Kids to Have the Time of Their Lives. . . .
So I received a Facebook message from Aaron Mamuyac, a youth worker living in Florida. Aaron has plugged in to our seminars on teaching kids to think critically and Christianly about music and media. . . about ALL of life…
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Pushing Back on Zeitgeist. . . .
The Germans have a word that each of us needs to not only know, but grapple with. I first heard the word when I was a sociology student at Geneva College. The word is Zeitgeist. It is translated “Spirit of the Age.”…
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Fatherlessness. . . It’s Costly. . .
I’ve been working for the last couple of days on some presentations where people have asked me to provides statistical updates on the current state of the family in America. Twenty-four years ago, I was introduced to the amazing work…
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“Thank You” Day. . .
Today is a day to say “Thank You.” Tonight, several hundred of our CPYU donors and friends will gather together to celebrate another year of God’s faithfulness to CPYU. Twenty-six years now. Hard to believe. It’s a time for me,…
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Battling Pornography. . .
Over the course of the last couple of weeks I’ve had several people ask me this question: “What do think is the biggest challenge facing children and teens today?” That’s a tough question to answer. Without a doubt, today’s “biggest…
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Amazing Grace. . . Disease, Suffering, Persecution, and Isis. . .
Sleep has not come easy the last few nights. The thoughts racing through my head in the midst of the horizontal darkness have been triggered by a series of difficult realities that have landed front and center in my mind throughout…
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Russell Brand on Pornography. . .
Common grace. . . general revelation. . . all truth is God’s truth. We talked alot about these things in theology class, didn’t we? Yes, even those who might not actively and consciously pursue a life under the way and will…
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“Boyhood” Thoughts. . . A Post-Oscar Pause. . .
Like most awards shows, the Academy Awards are worth the time of culture watchers. Filmmakers are the philosophers and dispensers of ideas. In addition, their work mirrors the values and attitudes that have taken root and grown in our culture.…
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