I’m Surrounded. . . And We Should All Be. . .
One thing I’ve always loved about the Old Testament are the passages of remembrance. These are the times when the leaders of Israel would call all the people around to remind them of what God had done in their midst.…
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Ed Sheeran, Body Image, and New Rules For Dating. . . .
It’s been on the charts for 18 weeks. It peaked at #1. Today it sits at #4. “It” is Ed Sheeran’s single “Shape of You,” one of two lead singles from his third studio album, ÷ (divide). The video (embedded below)…
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Culture In The Comics. . . .
My grandmother used to call them “the funnies.” I can still remember a few occasions when she read me comics from Philadelphia’s “Evening Bulletin.” For me, the best comic strips are those that capture some aspect of reality, twist it…
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Kids, Caffeine, and Now Death. . .
If you’re under the age of 35, you probably didn’t notice it. If you’ve been around longer than that, you may have picked up on it. It was the role caffeine played in the recent Netflix hit, “13 Reasons Why.” It seems…
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The Cultural Mission of Youth Min and Parenting. . . .
Because I grew up in a Pastor’s home, we oftentimes had missionaries visit and stay with us. I remember listening to the stories and watching the slide shows they’d deliver during the all-ages Sunday School hour. These encounters shaped my…
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Parenting and Idols. . . Truth? Consequences? . . .
I was curious about what was happening on social media yesterday. 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 at least should be celebrating.…
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Youth Workers and Public Schools. . . Some Helpful Resources. . .
Over the course of my last 28 years of studying youth culture full-time, one of the best and most helpful exercises I’ve engaged in is taking the time to listen to the hearts, cares, and concerns of public school teachers and administrators.…
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Youth Ministry Is. . . .
Youth ministry (really any ministry) is not about building a personal brand, a following, a resume of product, and an admired presence. It is about stepping out of the way, quietly following Christ, faithfully bearing fruit to God’s glory, and seeking…
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Marijuana and the Teen Brain. . . A Helpful Infographic. . .
So the good news from the annual Monitoring the Future Survey is that teen drug use is trending down. But the title of a press release from the University of Michigan’s Institute for Social Research reports on an additional finding…
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Youth Ministry. . . And Pushing Back On Evil. . .
It’s been a week since the start of the NFL draft. Are you feeling good about how your favorite team fared in the annual event? As an Eagles’ fan, anything is a step up. And this year we drafted a…
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Bill Nye The Science Guy. . . Sex Junk Education. . .
If you’ve been paying attention at all to those elements of the rapidly changing culture soup that have been talked about online over the course of the last week, you’ve probably heard some rumblings regarding the latest venture from long-time science educator,…
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This Question Changed Youth Ministry For Me. . . .
I’ve been engaging in a little back and forth over the last couple of days with a guy who was providentially placed in my path a couple of days before I left seminary and moved to Pennsylvania for a return…
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