Posts Tagged ‘Culture’

Only 16% of teens want on iPhone, compared with 22% last year.

Apple might be worried, but I think that’s probably good news.

I love my iPhone. I actually prayed a lot before we bought it because it’s not exactly cheap. But it’s made life and ministry so much easier, especially when I’m on the road.

The technology is shockingly awesome. I mean, I can browse any website in the world with ease. And download all sorts of cool apps.

That’s the scary part. The Lord rescued me from porn years ago and I’ve never turned back. But I know that struggle would have been ten times worse if I had an iPhone back then.

If you struggle with porn in any way, hear me loud and clear: Do not get a any type of smartphone. “It is better for you to enter life maimed than with two hands to go into hell” (Mark 9:43, NIV). It only makes things worse. I’ve watched it happen.

That’s why part of me worries so much when I see a student with the Internet in their pocket–whether it’s an iPhone, Blackberry, Tanberry or Palm. It makes sin so terribly easy, so accessible.

I’m a big believer in technology’s ability to make life easier. I’m also a big believer in technology’s ability to tempt and corrupt.

With recent studies like this one that found 20% of teens have posted or sent nude or semi-nude pictures of themselves, it’s obvious that sexting is no longer just a fringe occurance.

For those that haven’t heard, sexting is the new term for personal cell phone pornography. Several court cases illustrate how more and more teens are sending nude pictures of themselves to a their boyfriend or girlfriend, only to find that their image has spread like wildfire all over their school and town. Many of them find themselves facing jail time on pornography charges.

Considering how prevelant it is, many teens must still consider this as acceptable behavior. Either the potentially severe consequences, such as criminal charges and extreme embarrasment, are not enough to keep them from doing it, or they just don’t know the consequences!

As one youth pastor reports, this problem is already leaking into youth group meetings, so it’s one we can’t ignore much longer. The study I mentioned earlier has some great tips on how to address it along with videos of teens discussing the issue.

For discussion: Has this issue sexting impacted your group? How did you respond? Have you had a frank discussion with your students about sexting?

Does the word “abstinence” truly reflect what we’re trying to teach teens about sexuality? Some suggest the word “postponement” as a substitute–thanks for the tip Joyce!

I like the new term. It suggests that abstinence now is only one piece of the bigger puzzle of human sexuality that God has given us. And it’s less politically-charged.

What do you think?

Secular universities, and now even “religious” ones, consistantly push a secular humanist worldview as the only “logical” belief system. Here’s just the latest example.

For discussion: How do we prepare students for this onslaught after they leave home?

Never in history has there been a more technology-ridden, hyper-connected, entertained generation. So how in the world do we tell them about Jesus?

You can’t keep up! If you try to compete on the “world’s” level, you’re going to loose. Youth group will never be as entertaining as the latest movie, and your personality will never be as enthralling as the next American Idol. I know that’s hard to hear for some of you, but someone had to say it! ;)

So how do you connect?

Be yourself. Students can smell a fake, and if they see you trying to be something you aren’t, they’ll turn away. At the same time, they thrive on authenticity. Confidence in yourself is the name of the game.

Find that unique personality that God put in you, temper it with Christ’s call to love and sacrifice, and live boldly. Ministry is not striving to be who you aren’t, but learning how to use what God has already given you and letting God use you.

Be a friend. Less and less of our students are sticking with the faith through college. When those that do look back at what made a difference in high school, they never talk about the games. They rarely talk about their youth pastor’s messages. But they always talk about the relationships that made an impact on them.

Make a habit of taking time to connect with your teens personally. If you’re not sure how, just start by asking questions and listening. Then prayerfully (and patiently!) watch for that moment of ministry that could impact the rest of their life.

Go deeper. Studies show that teens are hungry for spiritual meat. Don’t be afraid to open up those cans of worms and deliver. Would you rather be known as the “youth group with the grossest games,” or “the youth group that really has answers”?

Some say America walked away from Christianity decades ago when church turned into habit and Christ became a religion.

For many, being a “Christian” is the family they were born into and simply why they try to live a “good life.”

The reality is that reaching this generation is more complex than trying to “get them back into youth group.” Teens are falling away from the saving knowledge of God’s love, and this trend has been happening for years, so we must be well equipped in our response.

So what can we do?

I believe that there are several principles that we need to follow in this rescue operation:

• Direction: Finding guidence and strength in the Lord
• Understanding: Knowing what makes this generation completely unique
• Relationships: Why we cannot rely on “programs”
• Turning points: Creating meaningful moments with teens

I’ll be addressing each of these in future blog posts. If you haven’t already, I encourage you to subscribe so you won’t miss a thing.

Update: All of the follow-up posts are now available–see links above.

I’ve seen something happen in literally hundreds of families. Parents have all the best intentions for their children. They want to raise them well and give them a great future.

But kids are hard to please. They whine, cry and complain–and above all that makes good parents feel guilty. So what do we do? We give them what they want.

By the time they’re teenagers, all they know is getting what they want from their parents. They’re experts at entertaining themselves and doing whatever it takes to be happy. They don’t get it all, of course, but they sure do get plenty of it. Most of their life so far has been centered around getting what they want. And they obviously don’t know much about sacrifice–suffering for the sake of others.

I’m curious for your feedback. Have you seen this same trend? How does this affect your youth ministry?

Apparently there’s a “greater” debate out there between whether today’s teens are the smartest or the dummest generation America has ever seen.

I’m not going to lie: There are a lot of things to worry about. To put it plainly, this is the most ADD generation we’ve probably ever seen. Attention spans range from 3-5 seconds, and if they’re not entertained, they’ll leave you in an instant.

How should that affect our youth group meetings? Many times we scramble to keep teens’ attention and draw them into the message or Bible lesson with games and other entertainment. But let me warn you: Entertainment is a slippery slope.

When you entertain a young person, they only want more. One video game, TV show, movie, or iPod is never enough. It’s always about the next one, the latest and greatest, what’s hot and what’s new.

The same happens in youth group. Make them laugh this week and they will ask for more next week. When we use “entertainment” to draw them in, to some degree, that’s what they’ve come to expect. Then they fall into their usual cycle: That was fun, but what’s next? I want something better!

The truth is that we just can’t keep up. We’re competing against MTV, Apple and Hollywood. So many teens leave youth group because it’s just not cool anymore and there’s more fun to have other places. We tried to keep them entertained didn’t take them deeper.

Entertainment cannot be our foundation. It must be something more: The forgiveness and peace of the Lord, and the excitement, passion and purpose that comes only from Him. Now that’s something the world can never compete with! When a young person truly catches on, they’ll never leave. (Dear Lord, help us! Work in our students’ hearts!)

Entertainment is a great seasoning, but it’s nothing without meat. This can be the greatest generation in history to make a stand for Christ, and we’re in the perfect position to help them get there.

I recently came across the Barking Robot blog and found several helpful posts, including this one:

Social Networking Safety Tips for Parents & Educators

In it, Derek talks about several quick and easy steps parents can take to protect their kids from online preditors and other risks of social networks.

One issue he didn’t address (and I wish he would have) is how to also protect your kids from the objectionable content you can sometimes easily stumble into on these sites.

We are living in an incredibly fast-paced world, and we can’t even imagine the world we are preparing our students for (that is, as my pastor always says, if Jesus tarries).