Cellphone Addiction. . . A Helpful Infographic. . .
Tethered to our devices. . . that’s what we are. Do we really need to be this connected to our digital tools. . . especially when our digital tools steal our attention from the people in our lives and noble…
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Another Tragedy. . . Beginning the Day After. . .
It’s all over the news. . . and it should be. And as is always the case in the minutes, hours, days, and weeks after, social media is overflowing with finger-pointing and arguments over solutions. We’ve heard that before, as…
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Fifty Shades Freed. . . A Plea To Christian Parents And Youth Workers. . .
Thirty-nine million dollars. That’s the gross for the weekend’s #1 film. . . the just-released Fifty Shades Freed. . . the third installment in the Fifty Shades series. We all know what the movie is about. No need to go see it or…
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Youth Ministry. . . Addressing The Sad Reality of Sexual Abuse. . .
This morning, I stumbled upon an article I had written almost 10 years ago for Youthworker Journal. At the time, the issue of sexual abuse of children hadn’t yet assumed the oh-so-necessary place that it increasingly holds in our culture. Yes,…
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Football, A Parade, And Perspective. . .
If you are a fan of the Philadelphia Eagles, how did you feel in the days leading up to the Super Bowl? And what have you been thinking in the days since? How would you answer the same questions if…
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Crazy Love. . . A Valentine’s Preview. . .
There was a father-son conversation that several times left me scratching my adolescent head. I kept coming back to my dad’s words over the course of my teenage years for the simple reason that they were so contrary to my…
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Only A Game? . . . Thoughts On What Spectating Tells Me About Me. . .
Last night I watched a panel of pundits on ESPN ponder and debate what’s going through the heart and mind of Nick Foles in the days leading up to Sunday’s Super Bowl. Over the course of the last week, I’ve…
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Big Game. . . Big Marketing $. . . Big Ministry Opportunity. . .
Does marketing work? You bet! If it didn’t work, then why are companies willing to fork out $5 million for a 30-second commercial spot during this year’s Super Bowl? If you’re one of those parents or youth workers who plan…
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Kids, Cutting, and Self-Injury. . . And a Helpful Handout. . .
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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Kids And Self-Harm. . . A Helpful Infographic. . .
An epidemic. That’s what its become. It is now estimated that 105 of kids in the U.S. deliberately engage in self-harm. Far too many are cutting. I’ve blogged on cutting in the past. We’ve had a “Youth Culture Matters” podcast…
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Reminders For Parents Of Questioning Kids. . .
Yesterday I sat with a group of parents concerned. . . and rightly so. . . about the challenges they face in communicating the biblical narrative to their children and teens when the cultural narrative is so loud, so pervasive,…
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Dr. Larry Nassar. . . And A Culture of Enablers. . .
The story coming out of a Michigan courtroom this week is sobering, horrifying, and one that cannot be avoided. Dr. Larry Nassar’s systemic serial abuse of more young ladies than we probably know is frightening. More than 150 brave girls…
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