Friday Review (5/17/24)
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
Feed Them Jesus: Why Gospel Centrality Matters in Youth Ministry, by Kristen Hatten (Rooted)
Even as a sixth grader he was able to discern that the message given was not the gospel. In the same way law enforcement officials’ study of real dollar bills enable them to identify fraudulent money, my son’s knowing the gospel helped him detect a counterfeit gospel message. Youth leader, the gospel of the grace of Jesus Christ is what transforms a heart. Therefore, feed them Jesus.
Help Teens to Own Their Faith, by Steve Eatmon (The Gospel Coalition)
While there are no guarantees or formulas, the apostle Paul laid out a good pattern for the role parents can play: “I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God has been making it grow” (1 Cor. 3:6, NIV). Here are four ways we can do the work of cultivating.
Biblical & Theological Studies
The Tragedy of Separating Sex From Relationships, by Simon Van Bruchem (Written for our Instruction)
A great many people simply assume that sex and relationships are two completely different things. Sex is seen as only a physical act. For many decades now, from one-night stands to Tinder ‘dates’ to internet pornography, many seek out sex as a means to their own gratification. The connection between sex and a real relationship with the person you have sex with has been severed in the popular imagination.
Three Benefits of my Distance Learning Seminary Experience, by Nick Hartman (Baptist Press)
My seminary experience took place 1,995 miles from Gateway’s Ontario campus. Still, through the extension campus option, I could minister faithfully in Tennessee while obtaining my Master’s in Divinity.… Through my experience, I have discovered that the distance learning that Southern Baptist seminaries offer is a gift.
Cultural Reflection & Contextualization
How We Can Speak to Men in the Abortion Conversation, by Justin Mullins (Center for Faith & Culture)
As I reflect how men are affected by abortions, there is more the Church can do to help. There’s more that I can do. Specifically, here are a few things your church can do to help men who have suffered loss from an abortion.
The Distortion of Vulnerability, by Andy Hood (Mere Orthodoxy)
Many of us no longer live in a world where vulnerability accosts us as a basic reality of our existence. Indeed, the central thrust of the industrial project of science and technology is to extend human power into the world around us in such a way as to push back the forces of chaos around us, and create an ever increasing space of perceived invulnerability.
Pastoral Ministry
Biblical Priorities, by Beverley Moore
Just like we don’t have unlimited money to buy whatever we want, we don’t have unlimited time to do whatever we want. God has ordained that there are only 24 hours in a day. That’s 168 hours in a week. God expects us to be good stewards of our time and effective for His Kingdom.
An Unequally Yoked Small Group, by Sarah Eekhoff Zylstra (The Gospel Coalition)
It’s tricky to design a fruitful small group for unequally yoked couples. Especially when you’ve been leading a comfortable group in an established church for over a decade.
Family & Parents
Help! I Have Trouble Talking with My Adult Children, by Gaye B. Clark (Crossway)
Our adult children aren’t simply sponges designed to soak up our abundant wisdom. They are image-bearers of God who have much to share if we are humble enough to ask them questions.
Our Children Raise Us, by Sam Crabtree (Desiring God)
As moms and dads, the odds of being perfect parents are the same odds of being perfect human beings: nil. We’re not omniscient. The parent who thinks he has learned all he needs to learn and is finished maturing remains immature. We have much to gain, and our children can be a way for us to grow up.
Good Cop, Bad Cop in the Home, by Ed Welch (CCEF)
The good cop, bad cop approach may work well when eliciting criminal confessions, but it was never intended for the home. You might notice it when one parent says, “Don’t tell your father [or mother]” and then modifies or subverts what the other parent said. These parents may have any number of reasons for their actions, but they are rarely asking, “Is what I am saying wise and helpful for this family?”
From YPT this week
YPT Podcast ep.71: Teaching Students the Doctrine of God with Dr. Malcolm Yarnell
This conversation highlights some of the core aspects of the doctrine of God and why it's so important to talk about with teenagers.
The Omnipotence of God is Good News for Teenagers by Jack Fitzgibbons
The omnipotence of God anchors students during hardship and suffering, because their Father in Heaven remains in control and is filled with steadfast love for them.