Movies, Ministry, And Asking The Right Questions. . .
Later this morning I’m engaging in a fun and eye-opening little exercise that can yield powerful ministry opportunities, responses, and results. I’m going to be meeting with a group of local youth workers who have a passion for knowing Christ…
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Self-Injury. . . The Scream On The Skin. . .
As a culture-watcher, I sometimes like to “rewind” as a way to gain perspective on just how much and how fast youth culture has changed. The practice serves to wake me up at times when familiarity with what was once…
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He Makes Her Walk To School. . . This Dad Is Awesome! . . .
This morning, someone I know sent me a link to the video I’ve embedded below. It’s going to be very interesting to see what kind of response snowballs as people watch a 10-year-old girl walking 5 miles to school as…
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Detecting Body Image Issues In Teens. . . A Helpful Infographic. . .
We’re told that the average teen in America sees between 4,000 to 10,000 marketing messages a day. So many of those messages picture idealized human beings. . . defined primarily by appearance. These standards imprint themselves into the minds and…
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What Do Kids Brag About On Social Media?
I ran across this data on teens and social media bragging/boasting from Pew today. I’m reminded that our sinful/broken default setting leads us to try to assuage and eliminate our insecurities (we all have them) any way we can. Social…
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Youth, Faith, and Church. . . Will They Stay Or Will They Go? . . .
I’ve been around way too long to think that it really isn’t an issue. Sadly, my personal “way too long” includes way too many stories of kids who were a part of my youth groups. . . who then graduated…
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Navigating The Difficult Sexual Issues With Kids. . .
“Transgender” . . . “Pansexual”. . . “LGBTQ” . . . “Hook-Up”. . . every one of those terms was part of a foreign language for those of doing youth ministry in the 1970s and 1980s. I could have ventured…
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Thanksgiving Communication With Teens. . .
Happy Thanksgiving! Your kids are home for a few extra days of vacation, you spend more time around the table at meals, and you might even be spending extended periods of time together in the car as you travel to…
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The Deadly Path of Following Your Heart. . .
It’s the mantra for life in today’s world. It accurately reflects the spirit of the times. It’s a recipe for disaster, destruction, and death. It’s the advice we give, get, and follow so often in today’s world: “Follow your heart.”…
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Kids and Sleep. . . A Helpful Infographic. . .
If we are truly called as followers of Christ to do all things to the glory of God, then we’ve got to include sleep in that list. Yes. . . sleep is actually a form of worship. Who knew?!? And since…
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Teens And Dating Abuse. . .
If you start your day with the Bible in one hand and the newspaper in the other, you are aware of two realities in today’s world. First, relationships and dating among our teenagers are horribly broken. And if that’s the…
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Facing Grief And Other Difficult Stuff. . . This I Know. . .
A recounting of a 1962 interaction during a post-lecture Q and A session between a university student and the late theologian Karl Barth tells of the inquisitive student asking Barth, “Can you summarize your whole life’s work in theology in…
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