Friday Review (1/14/21)

Each week we compile a list of helpful articles from other sites, in a variety of categories, for youth workers to read, reflect on, and/or discuss with parents and volunteers. If you have any articles you’d like to suggest, we’d love for you to share those in the Youth Pastor Theologian Facebook group. That’s a great way to bring them to our attention and to discuss them with like-minded youth workers! (Inclusion in this list does not imply complete agreement with the publishing source, but we have found these articles to be beneficial.)

Youth Ministry

What You Need to Know About Teenagers in 2022 by Brad M. Griffin (Fuller Youth Institute)

It’s easy to get so confident in our experience and familiar with our rhythms and routines that we don’t see important changes happening around us... The more we really understand our students, the deeper our impact will be, and the more they will truly flourish.

Body Image In the Image of God by Melissa Powell (Rooted)

We are lovely because Christ has made us lovely—and not just our bodies, but also the work and service we do with our bodies. As Christian parents and youth leaders, beyond simply feeding our kids more fruits and vegetables, we can feed them a message of hope with a Biblical language of body image.

Biblical/Theological Studies

The Grace of Warning by Lee Hutchings (Gentle Reformation)

And so, rather than being contrary to God’s love, His judgments and warnings are actually manifestations of His concern and mercy! May we as His covenant people come to see all His warnings about judgment and danger as great gifts of grace.

Words Kill, Words Give Life by Jeff Robinson (The Gospel Coalition)

Words kill and words give life—that’s what Solomon is saying. Remember that with every word you speak today.

Cultural Reflection/Contextualization

Venture Capitalists See Profit in Prayer by Daniel Silliman (Christianity Today)

Prayer and spirituality apps aren’t new. They’ve existed almost as long as smartphones. But they didn’t attract this much capital until recently.

What Ahmaud Arbery’s Life and Death Teach Us About Our Longing for Justice by Daniel Darling (ERLC)

The resurrected Jesus is pointing us toward a day without sin, tears, sorrow, and death (Rev. 21:4). Until, then, we work to make our societies more just, to make injustice less common, and to announce the verdict, “It is finished.”

Pastoral Ministry

Four Ways the Church Can Welcome Kids with Special Needs by Katie Blackburn (For the Church)

Helping a special needs family be at church does not have to be complicated or expensive, it simply has to be intentional, and grounded in the belief that families with special needs need to be part of a local church body, and the local church body needs them, too. Here are four simple ways a church can welcome kids with special needs.

The Grace of Pastoral Finesse by Nicholas Batzig (Feeding on Christ)

There is a dire need for pastors to develop the grace of pastoral finesse. Every true under-shepherd of Christ's flock feels his own insufficiency and lack of wisdom in handling difficulties and challenges. 

When the Tyranny of the Urgent Invades Missions by Elliot Clark (Crossway)

Over the last few decades, as our focus has been on reaching the unreached and finishing the task, we’ve increasingly prioritized rapid reproduction, with a programmatic and results-driven focus that looks more like Western capitalism and business franchising than genuine Christlike servanthood and faithful stewardship.

Family/Parents

How to Protect Your Children From Social Media’s Harms by Candice Watters (ERLC)

The pull of social media is strong on adults. How much stronger must that feel to the youth in our lives?

Your Best Parenting Is Done by Prayer by Elyse Fitzpatrick and Jessica Thompson (Crossway)

As parents, we are all on a mission from the Lord to announce the love of the Father to our children and to encourage them, as much as we can, to believe it… But this monumental task is utterly impossible for us to accomplish on our own. We need rescue; we need a Rescuer too. So we need to pray for help. 

From YPT this week

Ecclesiology and Youth Ministry by Mark Scanlan

Youth ministry and the Church often have an uneasy relationship. Here are three interconnected ideas to help navigate this challenging topic.

Making Cross-Generational Ministry a Priority by Nick Hartman

What is cross-generational ministry? It is a ministry that involves regular interaction, engagement, and discipleship between and across generations.