Rebuked By Adele! . . . Putting Our Phones Down And Seeing Life. . .
Did you happen to catch a perturbed Adele’s interaction with a fan at her Sunday night concert in Verona, Italy? She called out a woman who was filming the show. And the woman wasn’t the only person watching the show…
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A 4-Year-Old, A Gorilla, and Us. . . .
A four-year-old child and a gorilla at the Cincinnati Zoo. It’s quite telling that this is even a discussion. What it’s quite telling about is who we are as a culture and what we value when it comes to life.…
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Body Image Issues. . . A Helpful Infographic. . .
No, it’s not just the girls. Yes, it seems like it used to be. But in recent years, a growing number of boys and men have fallen victim to body image issues and disordered eating. That shouldn’t be at all…
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Monotonous Formulated Musical Foreplay. . . The Billboard Music Awards. . .
Culture is a map and a mirror. That’s a mantra of ours here at the Center for Parent/Youth Understanding. As a map, it defines life. It tells us what to believe and how to behave. As a mirror, it reflects back to…
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Their Hurt Is Real. . . .
Last weekend I took some time to ponder this large display that had been set up where Marv Penner and I were presenting our “Tackling The Tough Stuff” seminar. We were in Longview, Washington. The youth ministry crew that brought…
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A Powerful Reality To Start Your Week. . .
I’m on my way home from a wonderful yet difficult weekend spent in Longview, Washington. Thanks to my friend Chris Lyons and his team in the Longview community, Marv Penner and I were able to spend yesterday presenting our “Tackling The…
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Youth Workers, Pastors, Churches. . . And The Misuse of Authority. . .
This week I’ve had several conversations with youth workers who are struggling with authority issues in their ministry settings. The conversations have been frustrating. When I’m on the listening end of these stories, I typically default very quickly to a…
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“Scripts”. . . This Year’s Commencement Address. . .
We’re in graduation season. This week, I’ve been thinking quite a bit about the institutions, faculty, and friends who shaped my life. Both my undergraduate college (Geneva College) and seminary (Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary) are holding graduation exercises this weekend. I…
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The Fluidity of Identity in Today’s World. . . A Thought-Provoking Video. . .
A friend sent me a link to this video yesterday. I understand it’s been around for a few days so my apologies for getting to it perhaps a little late. I found it incredibly enlightening and incredibly disturbing at the…
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Who’s In The Rest Room? . . . First Steps In Framing The Issue. . .
Last week at our annual CPYU Banquet, our emcee Greg Anderson offered a few words of introduction right out of the gate. “Who could have imagined when we were here this time last year the changes that would take place…
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A Prayer About Depression. . .
This weekend it’s my privilege to speak at the commencement ceremony at Simpson University in Redding, California. I’ve done this before in a few different places and it’s a difficult assignment. So, I’ve been thinking, praying, and studying through this…
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Thoughts On Crisis Response. . . 17 Years Post-Columbine. . .
There are certain days that stay stuck in our head. It’s always something out-of-the-ordinary that drives the memories so deep into our heads that we just can’t forget. It could be an exciting event like your wedding or the birth…
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