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Instagram Will Kill Your Youth Ministry

Daniel Beckworth Tuesday, May 21, 2013
Social media has swept across this great nation like wildfire. Facebook is on its way out. If you still use Myspace you’re most likely a stalker—or very lonely. Twitter is still rocking along quite steadily and has yet to be completely infiltrated by preteens...
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Culture

Discussion Starter: Model Touts Imperfections, Disses Photoshop

Steph Martin Friday, May 31, 2013
New York—Gisele Bundchen, the world’s highest-paid model, is encouraging all women to embrace their natural beauty. After posing for a BLK DNM ad campaign without any makeup, professional hairdressing, or Photoshop touchups, she said, “We are women; we are so different. Our imperfections are what... read more
Leadership, Programming

Go-To Games: A Response

Scott Tinman Thursday, May 30, 2013
So glad these came this week, as I needed a game for Wednesday night! I think we’ve all been there, trying to come up with that game that will help kids get connected to one another—but one that won’t be the whole thing they remember from the night. I figured Josh would give us a technology type... read more
Leadership, Programming

The 3: Go-To Games (Josh)

Kurt and Josh Wednesday, May 29, 2013
Crisis! You’ve got 10 minutes to come up with a great youth ministry game for your students. What do you do? Chances are, you reach into your back pocket and pull out an old standby game that works time and time again. Here are a few classics that can be ready in an instant. Cell Phone Shootout... read more
Leadership, Programming

The 3: Go-To Games (Kurt)

Kurt and Josh Monday, May 27, 2013
Crisis! You’ve got 10 minutes to come up with a great youth ministry game for your students. What do you do? Chances are, you reach into your back pocket and pull out an old standby game that works time and time again. Here are a few classics that can be ready in an instant. The Look-Up Game... read more
Families, Leadership

Interview With Craig Gross

Kurt and Josh Tuesday, May 21, 2013
Our longtime friend, Craig Gross, founder of XXXchurch.com has a passion for helping men and women break free from the grip of pornography. XXXchurch.com has helped thousands of people develop a deeper level of personal accountability as well as providing some safeguards for the ever-increasing... read more
Families, Culture

Discussion Starter: Teen Actor Mulls Emancipation

Steph Martin Friday, May 17, 2013
Hollywood—Celebrity gossip sites buzzed with news that Jaden Smith, son of A-listers Will Smith and Jada Pinkett-Smith, wanted legal emancipation for his 15th birthday. “He really wants to have his own place,” Will Smith said. Jaden later dispelled the idea, joking that he’d be staying at his... read more
Leadership, Discipleship, Middle School, Missions, Small Groups, College

Jesus' Invitation to Followers - Expecting More from Students

JCorn Monday, May 13, 2013
Luke 9:21-23: I like to call this passage (and its parallel in Matthew) the “Sledgehammer” because it strikes like a massive mallet at the heart of false “Christianity.” The passage may be so familiar to you that you don’t even need me to quote it for you to know to which passage I am referring. In... read more
Families, Culture

Discussion Starter: Long Ordeal Ends for Kidnap Victims

Steph Martin Friday, May 10, 2013
Cleveland—The miraculous rescue of three women missing for about a decade dominated headlines last week. Amanda Berry, Gina DeJesus, and Michelle Knight are now reunited with their families after surviving a nightmare ordeal. Berry, 27, staged a daring escape Monday from the home of Ariel Castro... read more
Leadership

Youth Ministry Handoff: A Response

Scott Cohoon Thursday, May 9, 2013
Kurt & Josh continue to offer great topics and content with SYM Today. I was both challenged by the thought-provoking journal questions and encouraged by the practical transition suggestions. This week they have out done themselves by including a Football analogy. So, in keeping with the “... read more
Leadership

Youth Ministry Transitions

Kurt and Josh Wednesday, May 8, 2013
This is a season of transitions in our ministry. In just a couple of weeks the 6th-graders will be moving into our junior high ministry, our new freshman will be entering high school, and our just-graduated seniors will be moving up into the college-level program. It’s a bittersweet time of... read more