Youth Pastor Mug Shots. . . It Could Be Any Of Us. . . .

Go ahead. Do it. Do a Google image search for the term "Youth Pastor". . . and see what happens.

I ran that search the other night while working on my seminar "Wisdom for a Young Youth Worker" for this week's National Youth Workers Convention in San Diego. I was simply looking for a graphic to use in a slide. But what I discovered served as a powerful reminder of our need for wisdom. You see, scrolling down the page of results offered a small peek into the dark under-belly of both our youth ministry world and our horribly fallen and broken human condition. There were far too many mug shots.

I hate mug shots. They stare at me every morning in our local newspaper. The stories that accompany them are never good. Just last week, I opened our local paper and my eyes settled on a familiar face staring back at me in a mug shot. This time, it was a young man whose life has taken some difficult turns over the years. The latest turn landed him in prison. All I could think about was the years of coaching him in baseball and watching him grow up. I've had that same sinking and heart-broken feeling in my gut on too many occasions where I know someone who's gotten their face in the paper for doing the wrong thing. Locally, it seems that not a week passes without another youth pastor, pastor, counselor, youth worker, or school teacher getting caught in some kind of inappropriate conduct with kids.

Mug shots of people who do what we do should serve as a sobering reminder. While we may self-righteously look down on those who find themselves on the wrong side of the jailhouse lens (usually because of some impropriety or sexual indiscretion), we would be wise to turn our backs on such foolishness and instead pause to take a look at the face in the mirror. There's not one of us who is immune to traveling down that same path. In fact, taking that route is our default setting as people who battle the soul-eating "bacteria" known as "sin." Grappling with that fact is both humbling and wise.

As I pondered the results of my Google search, I rewound almost seven years to the moment I learned about the lid being blown off of Ted Haggard's now infamous dark side. It was the night I had arrived at one of that year's National Youth Workers Conventions. I was sitting in a restaurant with some of the Youth Specialties' staff. The TV on the wall caught our attention as the story was breaking. In a matter of a few days I was back in our office with our staff, encouraging them to heed the warning inherent in Haggard's story rather than point fingers (as tempting as that always is and certainly was). We read and talked about Gordon MacDonald's article reminding us that all of us needs to be aware of the assassin that lives inside. . . waiting to take us down. We talked about accountability, boundaries, and the fact that each of us is just one bad decision away from being "that guy."

This morning I happened to read the New Testament book of Jude. In the last of the short letter's twenty-four verses, Jude puts forth a doxology that I'm guessing is familiar to us all. The first line reminds us not only of our sinful bent, but of our Rescuer and Redeemer: "Now to him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you blameless before the presence of his glory with great joy. . . "

God. . . help us to be wise. Help us to both truly know ourselves and to truly rely on you. Keep us from assassinating our selves.

Teens and Social Media Infographic. . .

From time to time I post a helpful infographic that I believe you will find to be helpful. Today, an infographic on teens and social media. Youth workers, give it a look. . . and pass it on to parents!


Social Media Intelligence via Right Mix Marketing

Cheating. . . Deep and Wide. . .

When thirty-five Colorado high school students figured out how to break into their teachers’ computer system to change their grades earlier this year, we were reminded of just how pervasive cheating is in today’s culture. Cheating is a huge problem in our schools. And with the advent of digital technology, cheating has moved beyond stealing a quick glance at a “neighbor’s” quiz, concealing “cheat sheets,” or paying someone for a paper copy of last year’s final exam.

According to recent news reports, cheating has moved to new levels in our schools. It’s not just virtue-minded teachers who have to look over students’ shoulders to prevent plagiarism and cheating on tests. Increasingly, someone needs to keep an eye on the teachers. . . which means that our teachers are not only living out values they’ve learned and embraced somewhere along the way, but they’re modeling those same values and resulting behaviors to classrooms full of kids. Last spring, two Philadelphia school administrators surrendered their credentials to the state as a result of cheating to inflate student scores on standardized tests. Authorities know that more guilty parties will be identified soon. At about the same time, thirty-five Atlanta school administrators – including the former Superintendent – were indicted by a grand jury in a similar cheating scandal.

How is it that our culture’s collective heart is marked by acceptance of a behavior which the dictionary defines with the words “deceive, defraud, violate, mislead, dupe, and delude?” And why are our emerging generations so quick to assimilate cheating into their lives with little or no thought? While the reasons are many and complex, a few stand out from the rest. . .

First, they’ve lived with and watched the examples of adult cheaters. For some, they’ve grown up in homes where mom and dad cut ethical corners on the “little” things - for instance, telling a “white” lie. For others, life in our media-saturated world means that they can’t help but see leaders, heroes, and role models who stretch the truth or engage in deception - usually without conscience or consequence. Now, some kids are even learning how to cheat from their teachers.

Second, kids are growing up in a world where matters of right and wrong are determined personally on a case-by-case basis. If it “makes me feel good” or “get ahead,” then it’s “right.” This moral climate is perfect for growing new rules of morality where the chasm’s growing wider between what we say we believe with our lips, and what we show we believe through our actions. A few years ago, the annual Who’s Who Among American High School Students survey of the nation’s best and brightest 16 - 18 year-olds revealed that 80 percent of our nation’s top students admitted to cheating! Among that same group, 87 percent believe “honesty is the best policy” and 75 percent say it is “always wrong” to cheat on an exam. But those same students say the number one reason students cheat is because “It doesn’t seem like a big deal.”

A decade ago, researcher George Barna found that while teenagers respect “integrity” in other people, they aren’t willing to make the sacrifices necessary to develop integrity in their own lives. Barna found that “in many instances, integrity is taken to mean doing whatever furthers one’s personal advantage without being caught.” (Generation Next). Sadly, Barna discovered these findings held true for Christian and non-Christian kids alike.

In his book Educating for Character, Thomas Lickona relates how the folks at Random House realized the enormity of this chasm when they were preparing to publish the book Telling Right From Wrong, an “absolutely brilliant” book on ethics and everyday life. Random House changed their plans after they received a personal letter of high praise for the book from the chairman of Harvard University’s Department of Philosophy. . . or so they thought. The problem: the book’s author had forged the letter. Instead of being apologetic, he defended his action as “vigorous gamesmanship.”

And finally, kids say cheating is unavoidable and even necessary in a world where the pressure to succeed is enough to make them crack. Too many are growing up in homes where they perceive their value and worth in mom and dad’s eyes to hinge on the grades they bring home from school. Competition for grades, the race to get into a good college, pressure from instructors, large workload, and juggling a heavy schedule of activities all figure into the picture as well. In this kind of world, cheating is incredibly easy to justify and very difficult to resist. Yale University’s Stephen Carter, author of a book on integrity, says that “we adults are establishing a climate in which we show through our behavior and through what we emphasize that the thing that matters most is me, myself, (and) getting ahead. . . . what they (our children) learn is that the key to being a successful adult is making sure that nothing like a mere law or moral principle gets in the way of getting what they want” (MSNBC).

The good news on kids and ethics is that there seems to be a decline in lying, cheating and stealing for the first time in ten years. In their latest edition of their annual survey of high school students, the Josephson Institute of Ethics tells us this:

· In 2010, 59 percent of students admitted to cheating on an exam in the last year. In 2012, that rate had dropped to 51 percent.

· Students who said they had lied to a teacher in the past year about something significant dropped from 61 percent in 2010 to 55 percent in 2012.

· In 2010, 27 percent of the students said they had stolen something from a store in the past year. In 2012 that number dropped to 20 percent.

On the one hand, this good news should make us happy. But are these numbers reflective of an increase in conformity to the highest level of unchanging ethical standards, or are they a reflection of conformity to lowered/changing ethical standards? In other words, has the definition and understanding of what constitutes lying, cheating, and stealing morphed and been drained over the course of the last decade? If that's the case, then our kids (and the rest of us) could actually be lying, cheating, and stealing at a higher rate. I don't at all mean to sound skeptical, but these are questions we should be asking.

In spite of what really sits behind the statistics one thing is for sure: that is, that we need to embrace, teach, and live out the highest standards of ethical behavior in order to both glorify God and teach our kids. As parents, pastors, youth workers, and educators, we can play a powerful role in leading our kids and our culture back to Godly standards, where any kind of cheating or deception is seen as nothing less than wrong. Our words and example can and must combine to send a loud statement affirming the timeless and unchanging truth that cheating is always wrong. In addition, they need to know that they have been born into this world with sin-bent hearts that will default towards all kinds of immoral behavior, including cheating. As we minister to them, we need to remind them of and nurture them towards the kind of character Jesus calls his followers to embrace, develop, and exhibit in their lives.

When we were kids playing backyard baseball or shooting baskets in the driveway, our games were often interrupted with arguments over accusations of cheating. I can remember many times when the accused would get his way then go on to miss a shot, strike out, or lose the game. It wasn’t long before the accusers were chanting a taunt that I can still hear clearly in my mind: “Cheaters never prosper, cheaters never prosper, cheaters never prosper. . . . “ That’s a message we need to repeat over and over in our world today. You see, cheating is always cheating - even if you think you won’t get caught.

Hello Molly. . . Pure Drug Danger. . .

Medical professionals and law enforcement agencies are sounding a warning to parents and educators regarding the growing popularity among teenagers and young adults of a form of the club-drug known as ecstasy. This new drug-threat is known as “Molly,” a slang term for “molecular,” which is a reference to drugs with altered molecular structures created by “street chemists” in a an effort to dodge illegality.

Molly is the pure crystalline powder and more intense form of the club-drug Ecstasy, a man-made synthetic mind-altering drug with hallucinogenic and amphetamine-like properties. The chemical name for Ecstasy is MDMA (short for 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine). While MDMA in Ecstasy-form is typically mixed with other ingredients (caffeine, methamphetamine, PCP, cocaine), users are led to believe that MDMA in Molly-form is pure, however experts warn that the makers of Molly can add anything they want to the drug, thereby compromising its purity.

MDMA was first patented in 1914 by Merck and used as an appetite suppressant by soldiers during World War I. The drug was then tucked away until it was tested on animals as part of a series of CIA mind-control experiments in the 1950s. During the 1970s, therapists rediscovered MDMA and bean to use it as a “miracle drug” that would get patients to open up and release their emotions. Therapists touted MDMA’s benefits for patients who were depressed, anxious, suffering from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, or who were experiencing rape-related trauma. In June 1985, the DEA banned the drug’s manufacture, sale, and possession since it has no medicinal usefulness and a high potential for abuse. The DEA considers MDMA to be a Schedule 1 controlled substance, meaning that it has no accepted medical use and there is a high probability for abuse. In recent years, Ecstasy has become a centerpiece of the dance club, rave, and party scene. Now, Molly is finding its way into those places.

Once the drug (pill, powder, table, capsule at anywhere from $20 to $50 a dose) is swallowed, it takes roughly 15 minutes for the drug to enter the bloodstream and make it to the brain. Between 30 and 45 minutes after ingestion, users experience a three to six hour “high” that’s often referred to as “rolling.” The drug is particularly popular among teenagers and young adults as the effects include an increased feeling of happiness, a heightened sense of alterness and hyperactivity, increased sense of touch, a sense of loss of time, decreased inhibitions, impulsivity, empathy, emotional connectedness, and the ability to move and express oneself freely. Some users experience immediate negative effects, including anxiety, agitation, sweating, chills, and dizziness.

The DEA reports that the drug can be addictive to some users, and that it has numerous side effects. These side effects include confusion, depression and other mental health issues, anxiety, paranoia, sleep issues, drug cravings, muscle tension, involuntary teeth-clenching, cramps, uncontrolled body movements, racing heart, foaming at the mouth, nausea, and blurred vision. Molly (and other forms of MDMA) used in high doses (often called “bumping”) can play havoc on the body’s ability to regulate its temperature which can result in hypothermia. This, in turn, can lead to cardiovascular, liver, and kidney failure. While experts still don’t know if MDMA can cause long-term brain damage in humans, animal-studies showed that exposure to high doses of the drug produced brain damage that could still be seen seven years later.

Molly’s popularity has been fueled in recent months by the inclusion of references to the drug in pop music, including the music of Kanye West, Lil Wayne, Gucci Mane, Nicki Minaj, Rick Ross, and others. In her hit song “We Can’t Stop,” Miley Cyrus gives a nod to her affinity for the drug when she sings “We like to party, dancing with Molly.” Long-time music staple Madonna even asked the crowd at one her concerts, “”How many people in this crowd have seen Molly?”

In recent months, Molly has made the headlines due to an increased number of deaths attributed to overdoses on the drug. The Drug Abuse Warning Network reports that the number of MDMA-related emergency-room visits has doubled since 2004. As the drug continues to grow in popularity, it is reasonable to assume that these numbers will increase.

Parents can suspect their kids are abusing Molly, Ecstasy, or MDMA if they show any of these signs: clenching their jaw, a sudden loss of appetite, high or low body temperatures, sadness and depression, and an inability to get out of bed for an extended period of time. Parents should err on the side of caution and seek medical help. In addition, if you find any drugs or drug paraphernalia intervention is necessary. In the case of Molly, it appears as a white or off-white powder, or in pill-form. Pills are often imprinted with logos, symbols, or letters.

As always, we recommend that you make your kids aware of the dangers (physical, moral, spiritual, legal), risks, and consequences of illicit drug use. 

For a FREE downloadable pdf handout of this CPYU Trend Alert on Molly, click here.

The Latest on Pornography. . . .

This morning, someone connected me with an interesting visual blog entry from the folks at Covenant Eyes, an organization committed to helping us understand and deal with the personal and corporate scourge of pornography. The blog is about "10 Surprising Pornography Stats."

If you are a parent or youth worker, I want to encourage you to not only take a minute to read and ponder these "10 Surprising Pornography Stats," but I want you to snoop around a bit on the Covenant Eyes website as there are loads of helpful resources that I'm sure you can utilize.

In addition, I want to point you to our Digital Kids Initiative here at CPYU. While we're looking at a variety of issues related to kids and emerging technologies, you will find the information on pornography particularly helpful. We've put together a handout (free pdf download) that you can pass on to parents. It's called "A Parents' Primer on Internet Pornography."

Grand Theft Auto V. . . A Big Day for Gamers. . . .

In case you haven't already heard, today is a big day in the video game industry. The much-anticipated new version of the successful game franchise, Grand Theft Auto V, is being released. I've watched several of the trailers and game play videos (see three below) to get a sense of what the game's about.

Game developers have created an amazingly complex virtual world. . . and gamers will get lost in it. Yes, we've come a long way from Pong. On one hand, the complexity and level of realism in the game is testament to the image of God that has been gifted to the crowning point of God's creation. . . humanity. I am amazed at what these very talented developers have created. The level of their creativity and expertise gives glory to God. But on the other hand, this God-given creativity has been used in a direction that does anything but bring glory to God. In fact, the game encourages indulgence in attitudes, values, and behaviors that bring glory to what the Scriptures call "the world, the flesh, and the devil." This is a dangerous virtual world in so many ways.

Remember. . . cultural artifacts both mirror and map our lives. They reflect who are and what we already value and believe, and they direct us into what we should value and believe. Grand Theft Auto V certainly does both in some powerful ways. We can learn a lot about ourselves by pondering this game. We can see who we are, and who we are becoming.

I would encourage you to give these relatively tame trailers a look. This is what millions of gamers will be purchasing today and playing tonight. And before you watch, take a minute to read through the game summary posted on the ESRB (Entertainment Software Rating Board) website:

Grand Theft Auto V
Platform: PlayStation 3, Xbox 360
Rating Category:
Content Descriptors: Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Mature Humor, Nudity, Strong Language, Strong Sexual Content, Use of Drugs and Alcohol Rating Summary: In this open-world action game, players assume the role of three criminals whose storylines intersect within the fictional city of Los Santos. Players can switch between each character to follow his storyline, completing missions which often include criminal activities (e.g., stealing cars, executing heists, assassinating targets). Players use pistols, machine guns, sniper rifles, and explosives to kill various enemies (e.g., rival gang members); players also have the ability to shoot non-adversary civilians, though this may negatively affect players' progress as a penalty system triggers a broad police search. Blood-splatter effects occur frequently, and the game contains rare depictions of dismemberment. In one sequence, players are directed to use various instruments and means to extract information from a character; the sequence is intense and prolonged, and it involves some player interaction (i.e., responding to on-screen prompts). The game includes depictions of sexual material/activity: implied fellatio and masturbation; various sex acts that the player's character procures from a prostitute—while no nudity is depicted in these sequences, various sexual moaning sounds can be heard. Nudity is present, however, primarily in two settings: a topless lap dance in a strip club and a location that includes male cult members with exposed genitalia in a non-sexual context. Within the game, TV programs and radio ads contain instances of mature humor: myriad sex jokes; depictions of raw sewage and feces on a worker's body; a brief instance of necrophilia (no nudity is depicted). Some sequences within the larger game allow players to use narcotics (e.g., smoking from a bong, lighting a marijuana joint); cocaine use is also depicted. Players' character can, at various times, consume alcohol and drive while under the influence. The words “f**k,” “c*nt,” and “n**ger” can be heard in the dialogue.

Letter to a Young Parent. . . And A Book For Everybody. . . .

I love it when I read something that touches my heart, challenges me, encourages me, and resonates with me. Most of you know that when that "perfect storm" of literary goodness decides to visit my life, I'm quick to pass on the recommendation.

Last week my friend Byron Borger down at Hearts and Minds Bookstore (the greatest bookstore in the world, by the way!), sent out his latest edition of his always-anticipated "Booknotes." This time around, Byron offered a review of Calvin College professor James K.A. Smith's Discipleship in the Present Tense: Reflections on Faith and Culture. I love the kind of thought-provoking stuff that is constantly coming out of Calvin College. Jamie Smith is a thinker and writer "for such a time as this." And anything that brings together "faith" and "culture," well. . . that catches our attention here at CPYU. So, I hopped in the car and headed on down to Hearts and Minds on Saturday to purchase my copy of Discipleship in the Present Tense.

This morning, I thumbed through this collection of thoughtful and accessible essays in no particular order. I wanted to see what was on the menu before starting to eat. One of the essays that caught my eye was the "Letter to a Young Parent," a piece that first appeared in Comment  magazine (highly recommended as well!). With two brand new twin grandchildren (our first!) entering this word just a little over two weeks ago, I've been percolating on my own letter to the young parents who happen to be our daughter and son-in-law. So, Smith's letter was timely. I read it. It's powerful. It's also a good read for not-so-young parents.

With Jamie Smith's permission, I've reprinted it below. I want to encourage those of you who are Baptists to read to the end, thinking about Dedications rather than Baptisms. Please don't miss the point because you get hung up on doctrinal differences you might have with Smith or any of the rest of us who come from Reformed, covenantal, paedobaptist traditions.

I trust this will make you hungry for more of what's in Discipleship in the Present Tense. If you want to purchase the book, you can click here and order it at a 20% discount from Hearts and Minds.

Dear Grace and Alex,

Congratulations! Thanks be to God for the safe arrival of what sounds like a packed little bundle of hope: my goodness, 10 lbs., 6 oz.! It must be the milk there in Wisconsin.

Well, on behalf of the rest of us exhausted, grateful, and terrified inhabitants, let me welcome you to a strange new world: parenthood. This is going to be the hardest thing you've ever done, and it's worth every bit of the blood, sweat, and tears that are to come. You can't imagine that now. I understand. Soak up every ounce of joy and elation and starry-eyed wonder at the miracle of baby Liam. I'll be watching as the terror sets in. It's usually when you're headed out the hospital door and it hits you: "They're actually letting me take this little creature home? But I don't know what the hell I'm doing!" Yeah, get used to that.

But also remember this: in a few weeks, you're going to bring Liam forward for baptism. In that sacramental act, he is going to be tangibly marked with the sign of God's promises. That should be a first reminder that you're not in this alone—that Liam is being claimed by a promise-keeping Father who is even more faithful than you. There will be days and seasons when that will be an unspeakable comfort to you.

In the sacrament of baptism, not only will you claim God's promises, you'll be confessing that you alone are not able to raise Liam. The baptismal ceremony is, I think, a wonderful gift to parents who rightly approach their task with fear and trembling. For while you, in response to God's promise, will make promises to God about how you will raise Liam, the congregation will also make a promise—to come alongside you, to support you and nourish you, to sustain you all within the household of God that is bigger than the three of you. So baptism is a sign that our homes are open, interdependent households, not closed, nuclear units. Baptism signals that all of us—married or single, parent or child—are part of a larger household which is the church of God, and together, that household has pledged to be one big community of godparents. When you run up against the challenges of parenting, don't be scared to remind the church of the promise it made to you.

I hope and pray that your labour as parents can be buoyed by these promises and this sense that your tiny, growing family will flourish just to the extent that you centre yourselves in the "first family," which is the church. You will need this, believe me. One of the terrible lies of our culture—and even the rhetoric of "family values"—is the crippling myth that our homes are self-sufficient incubators for child-rearing. If you buy into that myth, you'll be isolated by a constant sense of failure. For it won't take long to realize that you are not able to do this on your own, even though you're an intertwined team. If you've bought into the myth of the self-sufficient family, you also won't be willing to admit that you need help. Baptism is the church's way of signaling right from the get-go that we know you need help! We know you can't do this on your own. So we're not going to be surprised or disappointed or judgmental when you lean on us. We'll be there waiting. Why not get into the habit early?

Finally, while I don't mean to rain on the parade of your joy, I do feel compelled to share the bad news, too: Liam might break your heart. Actually, Liam is going to break your heart. Somehow. Somewhere. Maybe more than once. To become a parent is to promise you'll love prodigals. Indeed, some days parenting is exactly how God is going to teach you to love your enemies. Because there'll be days when a 17-year-old Liam is going to see you as the enemy, and all of a sudden you'll realize that the Sermon on the Mount is not about war and foreign policy, nor is it just pie-in-the-sky piety: instead, you'll hear those words anew and realize that in the command to love your enemies, Jesus is calling you to follow him as a parent, and sometimes even that task will look cruciform. It will require absorbing all Liam's misplaced animosity, all his confused attempts to figure out who (and whose) he is. At those moments, Jesus' call to lay down your life and take up the cross will have a mundane tangibility you could have never imagined. Some days, loving Liam is going to require you to turn the other cheek and absorb that heartbreak like a slap across the face. And it's then that you'll most want to remember the promises of a faithful Father that trickled down his little forehead years ago.

But those painful moments will be overshadowed by a million others. You're going to think it's incredible when Liam smiles, or says "Mama," or rolls over on his tummy, but let me tell you, that won't even compare to the afternoon when, in what feels like an out-of-body experience, you realize you're having a conversation with this man—you might be sitting on the front porch talking about Mumford & Sons or Andy Warhol or World War II artillery, and for a moment you can hardly believe that the little bundle you brought home from the hospital has grown into this beautiful, mystifying, wonderful young man. And you realize that, in your son, God has given you one of your best friends in the whole world, and you try to suppress your smile while thinking to yourself, "Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you."

It's all worth it,
Jamie

College. . . Not Just Where? . . . But Why? . . .

"Why are you going to college?"

If someone had asked me that question back in 1974 when I was graduating from high school and preparing to head off to Geneva College for the next four years of my life, I'm not sure I could have verbalized any kind of thoughtful answer. I might have mumbled something like, "Well. . . umm. . . that's what high school graduates do." I just assumed that college was the next normal stepping stone to adult life. The only choice I made was which college to attend.

While my college experience was incredibly positive and life-shaping, I still wish there had been someone in my life who was challenging me to think about this and other crucial questions during my last couple years of high school. In today's world, it's a necessity. Extended adolescence, crippling debt, vocational confusion, and a host of other forces are combining in ways that make it necessary for us to pause and prayerfully think with our kids about the timing and direction of the steps they will take post-high school.

If you're a regular listener to our daily on-the-air and on-the-Internet audio spot on youth culture - "Youth Culture Today" - you know that today's show on "College and Calling" broaches these issues. Take a minute and listen.

We've been working to think deeply, strategically, practically, and biblically about these issues here at CPYU for several years through the work of Derek Melleby and our College Transition Initiative. Derek's doing a fantastic job and is, I believe, one of best resources serving parents and youth workers on issues related to college. If you're not already familiar with CPYU's College Transition Initiative, take a few minutes to check it out.

I'm excited to let you know that in just about a month (Saturday, October 12), Derek and The College Transition Initiative will be hosting a seminar for students, parents, educators, and youth workers who are looking for resources for making better decisions about life after high school. The seminar - "The College Choice: Faith, Family, and Finances" - will be held here in Central Pennsylvania. You can learn more and register here.

This week, I asked Derek a few questions about the seminar. . . .

What motivated you to put together a seminar on college planning?

The mission of CPYU’s College Transition Initiative is to provide resources to help students (and parents) be more spiritually prepared for life after high school. Since 2005 I’ve been giving seminars for students and parents that address issues of faith, spiritual formation and how to make the most of college from a Christian perspective. Since the economic downturn of 2008, I’ve noticed a trend during the Q&A: parents are really questioning the cost and value of higher education; students seemed to be more and more unsure about what they want to do after high school; and so many students are graduating with excessive, crippling debt. New books are being published every month that call into question the worth of a college degree.

From the many conversations I’ve had with parents and students, and from my own research into the contemporary landscape of higher education, I kept thinking that CTI was uniquely positioned to address “college planning” from a biblical perspective. The seminar tagline says it all: “Put faith first in college planning.”

I’ve written more about the motivation behind the seminar on CTI’s website. I had a tipping point experience after a conversation with a father in Houston. You can read about it here: “Houston, We Have a College Planning Problem.” And here is a short video message:

What do you hope seminar participants walk away with on October 12?

I should say upfront that I am not naïve enough to think that this seminar can prepare families completely for the college planning and admissions process. But from the beginning of CTI, my main focus and passion has been creating opportunities for parents and students to have more meaningful conversations about life after high school. We live busy lives. We need to be intentional about creating space to ask good questions, listen to each other and think through the best “next steps” in the process. My hope and prayer is that people who attend the seminar will (1) learn to ask the right questions about the college planning process, questions they might easily miss and (2) be pointed in the direction of helpful resources that can guide them along the way.

Who should come to the seminar?

Anyone who is thinking about or already planning for college. It really doesn’t matter if you are early in the process (family with a 9^th grader) or later in the process (family of a senior in high school). It’s never too early or too late to start thinking wisely about life after high school. Also, all of the advertising for the seminar says that “seating is limited.” This is not a marketing technique! We actually do have a limited space. If you are interested in attending, please do not hesitate to register.      

Johnny Cash. . . Ten Years Ago Today. . . .

Hard to believe that it's been ten years to the day since Johnny Cash, the "man in black," died.

Over thirty years ago, I literally almost ran into Cash in Pittsburgh. I was in an area off the lobby at the Hilton Hotel at The Point. I was a staffer for the Coalition for Christian Outreach and working at the CCO's annual Jubilee Conference.The lobby was empty and I was sitting on a bench. I got up to go meet someone and when I spun around there was Johnny Cash and his wife, June, standing with their baggage just a couple of feet away, waiting for a ride. He nodded "hello." I'm not sure what I said or what I did other than be surprised.

When I realized this morning that a decade had passed, I went online and watched what's become one of the most critically-acclaimed and greatest music videos of all-time. It's Cash's version of Trent Reznor's song, "Hurt." Recorded in 2003 shortly before the deaths of both Cash and his wife, the song is a haunting and powerful reminder of many of the realities of life that we tend not to talk about or afraid to face or address.

After watching the video, I pulled down my friend Dave Urbanski's 2003 book on Cash, The Man Comes Around: The Spiritual Journey of Johnny Cash. In his chapter on Cash's version of the song "Hurt", Dave writes, "Though interpretations are numerous, 'Hurt' seems to hit viewers at specific primal points of interest, namely: mortality and the fleeting passage of time - indeed how truly everything and everyone we know eventually 'goes away in the end.'" Just pondering how fast the last ten years have gone by is proof of that fact.

"Hurt" and the story of Johnny Cash remind me of how important it is to focus on what's really important in life. I am reminded that life is a gift, and as the Scriptures say, we are "like a breath; their days are like a fleeting shadow" (Psalm 144:4). Decisions we make, the people we choose to surround ourselves with, how we decide to spend our days, the ideas we embrace and entertain. . . it all matters.

This is a video worth reflecting on. . . and talking about.

Transformation Complete? . . . Miley Cyrus's "Wrecking Ball" and The Gospel. . . .

Once again yesterday, I grieved for Miley Cyrus and our kids. I've been going through my normal early fall routine as I update and add to all of my youth culture presentations. While clicking in and out of the MTV site, I noticed that a new video by Miley Cyrus, "Wrecking Ball," had been posted. Then, I watched. My grieving has carried over into today.

Seven years ago, Miley Cyrus became the role model for a generation of young girls through her portrayal of Hannah Montana. Imagine for a minute - very realistically by the way - that thousands and thousands of those young fans were five, six, and seven years old when that show debuted in 2006. If they've been following their role model since then, they've been treated to all kinds of lessons about who to be, what to believe, and how to live in the world. Those lessons include episodes of Hannah Montana, some creepy Vanity Fair photos taken when Cyrus was only 15, a rather rapid descent into music video vixenhood, the highly publicized duet with Robin Thicke at the recent Video Music Awards, and yesterday's release of the video for "Wrecking Ball."

This morning, this just-released music video lament about love lost is MTV's "most recent," "most viewed," and "most commented." It's got traction. It's also got Miley Cyrus straddling a wrecking ball in the buff, along with scenes of the role model fondling and licking a sledge-hammer that, in reality, clearly represents something else. I'm guessing that those viewers who are looking at this "most recent" include those five, six, and seven-year-olds who are now finding their way through adolescence and into the rest of their lives at the impressionable ages of twelve, thirteen, and fourteen. . . . and they are learning a lot.

I wonder if the transformation of Cyrus is now complete? You can see her here in 2006 as the relatively innocent and youthful role model known as Hannah Montana. And, you can see her in a still that I carefully chose (yes, she's clothed in this frame) from "Wrecking Ball." You can view the video if you'd like, but I've chosen not to post it here. If the transformation's not complete, I wonder where she will go next? And, I wonder how her transformation reflects the transformation of our culture, while it maps out the road to transformation for a generation of kids?

Following the recent Video Music Awards, bloggers were all over Cyrus and Thicke. As expected, many Christians seemed to write Cyrus off as beyond redemption. On the other end of the spectrum, other believers took a "who am I to judge" stance and were quick to cast blame on those who were quick to cast blame. Both extremes lack good Gospel sense.

As I pondered the spectrum of responses I was reminded of the need to strike a healthy God-honoring balance between law and grace. On the one hand, we need to remember that Miley Cyrus is not beyond redemption. Thankfully - for me, first and foremost - the grace of God is amazingly deep, wide, and generous. For that reason, we must humbly pray for Miley Cyrus. On the other hand, we don't want to have to be reminded by folks like Bonhoeffer that there is a crisis of "cheap grace." We are called to exercise deep discernment, humbly pointing out brokenness wherever we see it, while promoting the shalom that reflects life in the will, way, and Kingdom of God.

I thank God that the Gospel is big. I thank God that we can talk about this stuff with our kids.

Stimulant Abuse Among Students. . . A Helpful Infographic. . . .

If you've tracked with CPYU over the last few years you know that we are regularly warning parents and youth workers about the abuse of stimulants that have come to be known as "study drugs." Some of the most commonly abused stimulants are the drugs prescribed to treat ADD and ADHD. The abuse of these drugs is not limited to those who have been diagnosed with ADD and ADHD. In fact, many who have been diagnosed are turning around and selling their prescriptions to classmates who are looking for some illicit help when it comes to studying and staying focused.

We believe that parents need to be aware of this trend. Youth workers. . . do your parents a favor and give them this helpful infographic. In addition, you can listen in to today's one-minute "Youth Culture Today" on "Study Drugs." 


Source: BestMastersPrograms.org

Dear Dr. Kermit Gosnell. . . There's Something I Want You To See. . . .

Dear Dr. Gosnell,

I want you to see this picture. This is my newborn grandson Nolan. He and his twin sister Lucy were born last Saturday night. They were born several weeks premature. They are in a hospital unit with several dozen other premature babies.

That's Nolan's hand against my hand. His hand is tiny, just like everything else on him. He is so tiny that you can hardly believe he's real. . . but he is. So real that I can only stare at him and at Lucy with wonder and awe. They are miracles.

Nolan and Lucy have been breathing on their own ever since the moment they were born. They are kicking, crying, cooing, eating, pooping, breathing, living human beings. They have personalities that are already evident. They love being held, touched, and talked to. They love being loved. . . and they love right back.

Like all other human beings, Nolan and Lucy were knit together by a miracle of God in their mother's womb. I've been staring at them and pondering that miracle. . . the complexity of it all and the amazingly complex design of the entire process. God does incredible things.

That same God is a never-ending fountain of miracles. The greatest of all those miracles, I believe, is the miracle of making those who are dead alive. It doesn't matter how dead you are. . . there is redemption, forgiveness, and new life. When I'm holding the miracles named Nolan and Lucy, I know that Nolan and Lucy are being held by a miracle who doesn't deserve to be a miracle. God does incredible things.

Humbly,

Walt Mueller