Can Social Media Kill Our Kids? . . .
So maybe “kill” is too strong a word. It might be better to use words like “derail,” “suck the life out of,” or “horribly misdirect” when it comes to social media’s growing effect on our kids. Never would I say…
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Thanks For Tracking With Us! . . .
Yesterday I learned that your ongoing interest in CPYU and this “Learning My Lines” blog resulted in our inclusion in the “Top 30 Youth Ministry Blogs of 2015.” In fact, we landed at #4 on the list! We know that…
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Teen Dating Violence. . . A Helpful Infographic To Spark Discussion. . .
For today’s kids, the word “dating” and the realities of “dating” bear little resemblance to what those of us from past generations understood and experienced as we “dated”. . . even if were teenagers just ten short years ago. It’s…
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The Mall, Body-Image, Manipulation, Our Futile Quest. . . And A Sobering Video. . . .
A few years ago an advertising exec pulled me aside after sitting through one of our “No Parent Left Behind”seminars where I spend some time unpacking how marketers tap into our unfulfilled desires in order to dupe us into buying…
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Youth Workers and Homeschoolers. . . .
This might be the topic that sets me up for the most pushback. . . but bear with me here. I’m writing this because of the one questions youth workers have been asking me more than any other over the…
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Teen Suicide. . . A Helpful Infographic. . .
A recent cluster of teen suicides in Palo Alto, California has brought what continues to be a disturbing and alarming trend front and center for those love and care about kids. The developmental and situational pressures that are part of…
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Messed-Up Parenting. . . and What Might Be My “Book of the Year”. . .
I watched a fight take place in an airport concourse a couple of days ago. It’s the kind of fight that’s becoming so common that we’ve all seen it happen in one public place or another. “It’s” those parent/child confrontations…
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Kids, Sports, and Perspective. . .
Last night, Ohio’s Gilmour Academy girl’s basketball team had a playoff game. . . which they won. . . big. They beat Northeast Ohio Prep by 107 points. Yep. . . 107. . . that’s not a typo. The final…
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Getting Love Right. . . .
Happy Valentine’s Day. As I was eating my breakfast this morning in a hotel lobby, I was reminded that this is the weekend we celebrate love and fill the pockets of the folks at Hallmark. A fifty-something husband enthusiastically called his…
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What To Pray For Your Kids. . .
On several occasions in the past, I’ve mentioned how my prayer life has been deepened through the use of a variety of printed prayer books. One of these resources that I treasure the most is Scotty Smith’s Everyday Prayers: 365 Days…
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Exercising Selfie-Control. . . Or Not. . . A Helpful Infographic. . .
I’m not sure I’ve seen what used to be called a “candid” photo posted on social media for a long, long time. Oh, I know they’re there, but they seem to become scarcer and scarcer as we primp, pose, and…
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Framing Love, Sex, and Marriage. . .
Later today, I’ll be doing something in a more organized and formal manner for the first time. Up to this points, my discussions on this particular issue have come in personal conversations or in response to on-the-spot questions during seminars.…
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