Parents work really hard to be intentional when their kids are young. In those early years we teach them so much: how to walk, talk, eat, have manners, to say they're sorry, to learn to play with others, to be grateful…all these things.

But the decisions our teenagers make in middle and high school have bigger consequences. The stakes are higher; the fallout greater. The decisions they make in these seven years set up their lives in college or young adulthood, and in turn can set the tone for the next forty years of their lives. So we want to do our best to take advantage of these seven years in middle and high school.

In today's episode of Locker Room, we circle up with members of Southland's Student Ministry: Connor Hall, Casey Whitehead and Peter Sohn to talk about some of the unique challenges facing our teens as they navigate our current culture.

DISCUSSION GUIDE

What were you like in your teenage years?

"Parents are primary, student ministry is secondary." What encourages you about the partnership between you as a parent and the church's role in ministry to your son or daughter?

This age range is where so much happens in a students' life. How do you think you'll react or how did you react to your son or daughter being in that age range?

Scott and the student team went through "dysphoria" specifically "gender dysphoria" and "transgender" and the definitions of those. Obviously a lot is going on in terminology for teenagers today but also for everyone. What has helped you as a Christian man to combat these topics?

There's a lot of truth from the bible about what God says about who we are and what God says about life and who we are made to be. What can you do practically to share this with your teenager?

Scott and the student team talked about sex, dating, and marriage and how important it is to "not be late to the game." How can you encourage a friend or yourself to do this before it's too late to speak biblical truth?

Asking good questions was mentioned. What does it look like to really take intentional time to ask the right questions to your teenager?

What else from the podcast spoke to you?

What did God/Holy Spirit speak/prompt/say to you? What's God asking you to do? What does He want to give you? What does He want you to lay down?

NEXT STEPS

• Join a Group at southland.church/groups

• Go to southland.church/volunteer to sign up to volunteer in student ministry

• Resources

• Parenting by Paul David Tripp

• Irreversible Damage: The Transgendered Craze Seducing Our Daughters, by Abigail Shrier

• Holy Sexuality and the Gospel: Sex, Desire, and Relationships Shaped by God's Grand Story, by Christopher Yuan.

• Out of a Far Country: A Gay Son's Journey to God. A Broken Mother's Search for Hope. By Christopher Yuan & Angela Yuan.

• Gay Girl, Good God, by Jackie Hill Perry.

• For any other questions or comments email [email protected]