Friday Review (6/21/24)
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
Wondering What to Teach at Youth Group? Give Teenagers God’s Word, by Josh Hussung (Rooted)
When you start with God’s Word, and teach it faithfully, you give your students a gift. This gift has power. Power for the present, to transform their hearts and conform them to the image of Jesus, and power for the future, to strengthen and encourage them in times of need. Thankfully, your deep thoughts and ideas don’t have to carry that kind of power. Give them God’s powerful Word.
Teaching God’s Design for Sex and Gender: Truths #6 to #10, by Walt Mueller (CPYU)
Conversations about sex and gender are front and center this month. Consequently, our children and teens. . . and even ourselves. . . are swimming in a directive cultural soup that maps out what to believe about sex and gender, along with how to live out our understanding of sex and gender. Is the culture getting it right? Sadly, not usually.
Biblical & Theological Studies
The Uselessness of Prayer, by Trevin Wax (The Gospel Coalition)
So what’s the point? Why spend time on our knees meditating, talking to God, or reciting psalms, when afterward we don’t have anything to show for it? Surely there must be a better use of our time, a different route to achieving and accomplishing something good.
Is the Story of Jonah and the Whale a Historical Account or a Parable? (Jonah 1 and 2), by Jay Sklar (Crossway)
Throughout the centuries, the most common approach to Jonah was to read it as a historical account. In more recent times, however, many have read Jonah as a parable: a story that is not true but is meant to convey a certain point... But is “parable” the best approach to Jonah?
Cultural Reflection & Contextualization
How I Respond to Pride Month, by Alan Shlemon (Stand to Reason)
June is when many companies celebrate “Pride Month.” I’m often asked how I respond to stores that celebrate and/or promote homosexuality and transgenderism. Since I routinely navigate these situations, I’m happy to share my approach. Here’s what I do.
‘Inside Out 2’ and the Need for Outside-In Wisdom, by Brett McCracken (The Gospel Coalition)
To be sure, emotional awareness and self-knowledge are part of a healthy identity. But so are convictions, beliefs, and worship oriented away from the self and accountable to truths far bigger than us. In the end, a healthy sense of self is formed not only from the inside out but also—and arguably more powerfully—from the outside in.
Pastoral Ministry
3 Benefits of Being the Pastor, by José Vazquez (Lifeway Research)
As a Hispanic pastor in Tennessee, I can say nothing can truly prepare you for the experience of being a pastor of a local church. A recent study from Lifeway Research offers a look behind the curtain into the life and ministry of Hispanic pastors.
We Pastor Better Together, by Nathan Knight (Desiring God)
Of all the amazing feats of the Holy Spirit in the apostolic age, surely one of them is the fact that the team who led the early church was comprised of once-confused, “uneducated, common men” (Mark 8:14–21; Acts 4:13). What might we learn from them as we seek to build healthy leadership teams in our churches?
3 Simple Time Management Tips for Pastors, by Mark Dance (Lifeway Research)
Time management is time stewardship. Regardless of our respective responsibilities, we all have the same, limited amount of time to spend. Here are three time management tips for stewarding it well.
Family & Parents
How Can I Be a Godly Father?, by Joel Smit (Ligonier)
Beyond the to-dos and not-to-dos of fatherhood, let us always rest in what is done—accomplished and finished—in Christ, who perfectly obeyed His Father even unto death. From that Father-Son relationship comes all the grace, mercy, and strength for us as fathers as we grow in godliness and desire for our families to do the same.
From YPT this week
Book Review: Knowing God, by J.I. Packer by Tim Franks
J.I. Packer’s book “Knowing God” is a modern classic for good reasons. This book review highlights it’s strengths and why it’s a good book for youth workers to read.