Youth Culture Matters - A CPYU Podcast

Frederick Douglas once said, “Once you learn to read, you will be forever free.” And that famous philosopher, Dr. Suess once gave this directive for a flourishing life: “Fill your house with stacks of books, in all the crannies and all the nooks.” One of the greatest gifts God has given to us is the ability to read. But in today’s world, constraints on our time and our increased focus on screens h...

For many if not most of us, Superheroes played a significant role in our childhood. It was Adam West’s TV portrayal of Batman that I remember from my elementary school years. Since then, Superheroes, comic books, and an almost endless stream of superhero films have played a significant role in pop culture, not just for kids, but for adults as well. Because we have been made to love stories, we are...

One of main developmental tasks of the adolescent stage is the journey to forming one’s identity. In today’s world, some of the most compelling, dangerous, misdirected cultural messages are leading kids down wrong paths as they look for answers to the question, Who am I? Dr. Carl Trueman has written a great new book that helps us understand and address these issues. We love chatting with Carl abou...

As Christian parents and youth workers, our greatest desire for our kids should be to see them come to know and serve Jesus Christ in every nook and cranny of their lives. For those of us committed to this path for our kids it is discouraging when kids grow up to serve the cultural script for life rather than going deeper in their faith. I’ve always wondered if part of the issue is that our desire...

Abuse makes it’s ugly presence felt in all kinds of ways and places. Fortunately, the curtain if being pulled back to expose the secretive and destructive world of abuse in our culture. Alarmingly, there has been a secretive world of abuse in the church. And, it’s a good thing that this is being exposed as well. What forms does power take? How is power abused, particularly in the church? And, how...

When I was engaged in full-time local church youth ministry, it was obvious to me that my greatest youth ministry asset was my volunteers. They were nothing short of awesome. One of the mistakes we make in today’s youth ministry world is believing that the best youth workers are those who do it full-time with large budgets and lots of kids. That’s just not true. Here at CPYU, we believe that part-...

On my shelf sits a Bible concordance that was given to me as a Christmas gift by my parents back when I was twenty years old and getting ready to embark on a lifetime of youth ministry. I recently opened it up and saw the words of Proverbs 19:20 that my mom had written inside the front cover. “Listen to advice and accept instruction, that you may gain wisdom for the future.” That imperative has se...

On the night before his crucifixion, Jesus prayed for his disciples in all times and all places, that we would be in, but not of the world. He knew that in our sinfulness, we would be prone to forsaking our duty to be a counter-cultural presence in the world, by allowing the culture to establish it’s presence in the church. In today’s world, the culture infiltrating the church through what’s calle...

Recent research tells us that about half of our eleven to twenty-one year old girls regularly alter their photos to enhance their appearance online in order to find acceptance. Researchers also tell us that our girls are much more likely to experience anxiety and depression than their male peers. What are cultural forces that are shaping and even mis-shaping girls in today’s world? Why are more an...

I once heard someone say that judging from how Christians choose to live these days, the ten commandments God gave to Moses should be relabeled as the 10 suggestions. That’s certainly justified when it comes to the fourth commandment which tells us to remember and keep a Sabbath. Who does that anymore? Our kids have no idea what is means to Sabbath. The frantic pace of life in today’s world has co...

Have you seen the comical T-Shirt based on the 1985 movie Back To The Future ? It depicts the absent-minded Doc instructing young Marty McFly, “Whatever you do Marty, don’t go to 2020!” This has been a very strange year. All of us have had multiple challenges to navigate. In the midst of it all, youth culture marches on as does our responsibility to know what’s happening in the culture so that we...

Welcome to  Youth Culture Matters , a podcast from the Center for Parent/Youth Understanding. We’re taking a short break from recording new episodes, so for the next few weeks of summer we’ll be highlighting episodes from our archive. Today's episode is a discussion about intergenerational prayer and the "Pray For Me" campaign. Listen in to a replay of Episode 50: "Intergenerational Ministry Throu...

Welcome to Youth Culture Matters , a podcast from the Center for Parent/Youth Understanding. We’re taking a short break from recording new episodes, so for the next few weeks of summer we’ll be highlighting episodes from our archive. Today's episode is an encouraging conversation with Pastor Scotty Smith. Listen in to a replay of Episode 29: "Prayer, God's Story, and Preaching the Gospel to Yourse...

Welcome to Youth Culture Matters , a podcast from the Center for Parent/Youth Understanding. We’re taking a short break from recording new episodes, so for the next few weeks of summer we’ll be highlighting episodes from our archive. Today's episode is a look back at a discussion with Dr. Virginia Ward on the topic of racial inequality and youth ministry. Listen in to a replay of Episode 13: "Race...

Welcome to Youth Culture Matters , a podcast from the Center for Parent/Youth Understanding. We’re taking a short break from recording new episodes, so for the next few weeks of summer we’ll be highlighting episodes from our archive. Today’s episode begins with some fun banter about baseball, appropriate with the 2020 season about to get underway, and concludes with a very helpful conversation wit...

Earlier this week I read this short and gut-wrenching Facebook post from a friend: Today she would have turned 20. All that we wonder and all the ache that we feel melding into one vast teardrop. It’s saltiness stinging the souls and staining the pages of the lives of those she left behind. My friends teenage daughter took her own life a few years ago. I’ve been reminded as well that life in our t...

I wonder how history will remember the first half of 2020? We would all agree that so far, one of the biggest stories centers on the Coronavirus pandemic, and our culture’s efforts to reckon major changes to everyday life. One aspect of our retreat from physical presence has been a movement into engaging with others in digital space, for everything from church, to government meetings, to business...

If all goes as planned, our nation should continue to open up over the coming weeks and months. We’ve been removed from being physically present at our jobs, our schools, our churches, and our familiar social settings. We all are longing to return to a more normal coronavirus-free life. One big question mark remains regarding schooling when the summer is over and the fall begins, particularly for...

I’m guessing that for all of us, these last few weeks have been filled with the hopeful expectation that we will soon be coming out of our quarantines and getting back to life as normal. For those of us in youth ministry, we can’t wait to once again meet face to face with our kids. As we get ready to head back, we can’t forget the many lessons we’ve learned about ourselves and our ministries durin...

We’re all looking forward to the day when the stay at home order is lifted and the country is opened again. The Coronavirus pandemic has changed everything in our lives, including the way that we do youth ministry. As the pandemic has unfolded, more and more youth workers are dialoguing on what youth ministry will look like when this is all over. What changes should we make? And what changes shoul...

The Coronavirus quarantine has changed just about everything in our lives. That’s certainly true for our kids as well. While they have already been spending several hours a day engaged with their smartphones, the stay-at-home order and school shut-downs have given them more time to fill with their eyes on their screens. One of the dangers is that this gives them more time to find pornography, and...

Over the years I’ve learned that difficulty and suffering serve us in positive ways when they peel away the layers of distraction that keep us from thinking about the things that really matter. Suffering and difficulty are great teachers. Dr. Carl Trueman believes that our current pandemic is doing us a favor by offering us a window into realizing that very few of us have been prepared well to fac...

As we navigate the unfolding realities of the COVID-19 epidemic, many are raising legitimate concerns about how well our kids and their families are dealing with the associated fears and anxieties. Mental health experts are developing models regarding mental health curves once this crisis is over. Youth workers and parents are called and positioned to work together to guide kids through this crisi...

All of us find ourselves navigating some difficult and trying times. The current global health crisis has led to lots of soul-searching as we think about an uncertain future. No doubt, our anxiety levels are high. For the Christian, understanding and handling anxiety has to happen from the perspective of the biblical narrative as opposed to the cultural narrative. Youth worker and parents have bee...

We would agree that the past few weeks have been like none we’ve ever experienced before. The Coronavirus pandemic is changing everything about how we live. And while the coronavirus is a problem, it has also created huge youth ministry opportunities that we can’t miss. The fact that our kids are living in fear, anxiety, and uncertainty means that we have an unprecedented opportunity to point them...