LEARNING MY LINES . . .

. . . discovering what it means to follow Jesus, seeing my story swept up into his . . .

God's Story artwork

Decision-Making and our Kids

This morning, I logged on to my Google News Feed and checked out the stories that came up with the key words “Teen,” “Teenager,” “Youth”, “Adolescent,” and “Adolescence.” Sadly, the news that pops up is usually less than positive. While…
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The Latest on Teens and Social Media

Confession. . . and this one’s easy to admit. I watch “All Creatures Great and Small” on PBS. And, I like it. . . a lot. Earlier this week when this latest season of the show came to an end,…
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Discerning Culture. . . And Distress

It was twenty years ago this month that my kids had just about had enough. We had hunkered down together in the family room to watch Janet Jackson and Justin Timberlake’s halftime show during the 2004 Super Bowl. As a…
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Super Bowl Commercials: We Have An Idea!

Does marketing work? You bet! If it didn’t work, then why are companies willing to fork out $7 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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Six Marks Of The NYMS Youthworker Training Event

It was so good the first time around that we’re doing it again! The Northeast Youth Ministry Summit will be happening March 4 to 7 in the beautiful Laurel Highlands of Pennsylvania. So far, we have youth workers registered from…
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The Problem With “Nice” Youth Ministry. . .

There have been times in my life where all I needed was a good kick-in-the-pants, someone to “smack some sense” into me, and a serious conversation where someone isn’t afraid to tell me the truth. Maybe it’s a friend who’s…
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TikTok. . . A Message For Parents

Are you aware that in the rapidly changing landscape of social media, TikTok use is on the rise among our kids? The latest research from the Pew Research Center reports that two-thirds of our teens report using TikTok, making the…
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The Northeast Youth Ministry Summit Training Conference!

Did you ever hear what John Calvin said to churches considering sending their young leaders to Geneva for pastoral education? “Send us your wood and we will send back arrows.” That captures the heart of what we’ve curated with the Northeast Youth…
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Kids and Their Bodies In 2024. . .

Editor’s note: This post is reprinted from the lead article in our January 2021 CPYU Parent Page. . . a monthly subscription resource available for youth workers to distribute to parents. Why not resolve to get this monthly resource into the…
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A Prayer For This Christmas Day

They get an unfair rap. I’m talking about the Puritans, a group of people who in so many ways put us to shame with the way that they preached, thought, studied, prayed, and committed themselves to Jesus Christ. One small…
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7 Christmas Family Ministry Freebies!

As we jump into Christmas weekend, we know that families will be gathering together for the Holidays. In addition to all the joy that our family gatherings will bring, there’s always a dose of heaviness, discord, and heartache that will…
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When The Holidays Are Hard. . .

This week, many of us will lift our voices as we do each Christmas to sing these words from Joy To The World: “No more let sins and sorrows grow nor thorns infest the ground; He comes to make His blessings…
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