You may remember a few months ago when two female high school teachers were accused of having group sex with a male high school student. I was concerned because 1) I’m a human, 2) I work with teenagers, and 3) this is the school Elle (my 14-year-old daughter) attends.…
How did the world come to be? You either have a quick response to this question, or find yourself a bit more pensive and contemplative about that questions these days. Students also seem to be stuck between what they’re hearing at church and what they’re finding at school or online.…
My son calls them, “Awkward conversations with adults.” In an attempt for adults to make conversation with a teen boy the first question they often ask is, “What’s your favorite video game?” It becomes uncomfortable for him because he finds himself saying, “Umm, I don’t really like video games.”…
There are different types of tragedy that strike our ministries. Sometimes they happen to students under our care, other times it is an illness or accident or a devastating choice a student makes that ends in pain. the scenarios can vary, but in my experience the feelings that follow almost always are the same: grief, hurt and a helplessness that there is nothing you can “do” to “fix” the situation.…
Full Disclosure: Because today’s technologies have a forming influence on our spiritual, emotional, and psychological “shape,” I’ve stubbornly resisted getting a smartphone, preferring instead my now-ancient flip phone. We’ve decided to not have cable TV in our home, “screen time” in general is limited, and I have a teenage daughter who saw such profound impact on her friendships when cell phones entered the picture that she refuses to use one.…
****Warning: Spoiler Alert**** If you haven’t seen it, or don’t want to know details, avoid reading on. There has been a lot of controversy in the Christian community as whether or not to see the “Noah” movie. I thought we were prepped and prepared for what we would see and feel.…
There’s nothing more daring than showing up, putting ourselves out there and letting ourselves be seen. -Brene Brown I should be an alcoholic. Just as much as I was born with American Indian blood flowing through my veins, I was also born with a heritage of substance abuse.…
Homosexuality is a hot topic in my church and in THE church right now. But it has been a hot topic in my life since a family member came out of the closet when I was a teenager. This is a personal conversation for me.…
So… your mind is “made up” about homosexuality. So is mine. Can we just admit that? I will, even if you won’t. You may consider yourself open-minded. Still, where you are today is “made up” of several deep questions, ideas and experiences you’ve gleaned over time regarding the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender community.…
I live in a land of perpetual spandex. Everywhere you go women seem to be on their way to or from a workout wearing yoga pants or something of the like. On top of this we seem to be bent on resurrecting the 80’s as leggings and tights have made their way back on top once more.…
