Hugh Hefner Wrecked My Life. . . Sort Of. . .
Hugh Hefner, the founder of Playboy magazine, died last night. Based on your age, you may or may not be aware of just how significant a cultural figure the man known as “Hef” actually was. . . or perhaps I should more…
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The NFL. . . Thoughts Today. . .
First off. . . four things. . . I love football. I’m a life-long die-hard Philadelphia Eagles fan. . . which means I’ve been dying-hard once a year for my entire life. Our culture is spiraling around in a head-spinning…
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A Letter To Senior Pastors. . . .
Dear Pastor, I’ve asked your youthworker to forward this letter on to you. It’s about the kids in your congregation and the powerful role that you play – as their pastor – in their spiritual nurture. I know that you’ve…
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Youth Workers. . . Will You Mobilize Students For Hurricane Aid?
By this time tomorrow we’ll have a fairly good idea of the extent of damage that will be done due to Hurricane Irma. Add that damage to what’s happened already from Hurricane Harvey, and as they said on the news…
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Youth Workers – Are You Giving Parents Bubbles?
When scuba divers are down deep, it is easy for them to become confused and disoriented. Since water diffuses light, divers often find themselves surrounded by illumination, making it difficult to discern which way is up. Feeling weightless and without…
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The Power Of Teachers. . . It’s Back-To-School. . .
I’m like Pavlov’s dog. Since today is the first day of school in our community, the school bus went down the street bright and early. . . and I began to “salivate.” In this case, salivation takes the form of…
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Social Media Eclipse. . . .
Yesterday’s solar event clearly points to the amazing realities of Creation, Providence, and the order that God has placed in our world. The eclipse and all the emerging science also points to the reality of the imago dei. . .…
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What Is The Goal Of Your Youth Ministry This School Year? . . .
Okay. . . . this one might get me in some trouble. And it’s all because I’m increasingly convinced that we’re doing something wrong in youth ministry. . . and perhaps in ministry in general. We’ve been chugging along thinking…
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The Empty Promise of Stuff. . .
When you’re a kid, the prospects for happiness and fulfillment seem endless. There’s a yearning for the accumulation of experiences and material things. . . all of which, at some point, we believe will allow us to rest our heads…
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Praying For Our Kids. . . Beautiful And True After 400 Years. . .
When the nexus occurs, it brings great joy. It happened again yesterday. . . and it always leaves me excited. Yes, God still speaks. I reached the milestone of 61 years on this earth yesterday. (The birthdays seem to come…
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Scripture. . . Not What You Think It Means. . .
One of my morning companions over the course of the last 25 years is Scripture Union’s Encounter With God. For the last several days it’s been taking us through the latter half of Genesis. What I read this morning prompted a…
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Watching Gender. . . Kids And Media Stereotypes. . . A Helpful Infographic. . .
Our media mantra here at CPYU has always been this: Media serves our kids as a map. In other words, it shapes the way they think about and live their lives. And, with teenagers engaged in 9 hours of daily media time.…
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