With summer fast approaching, many parents and youth workers are considering which summer activity options are the best ways to promote spiritual growth in children and teens. I believe one of the most valuable experiences we can give to our kids is time away from normal life and a chance to unplug and power down. Perhaps the perfect place to see this happen is at a Christian camp. Here at CPYU we are so excited about the benefits of Christian camping that today, we talk with two long-time camp directors, Greg Anderson and Nate Parks, on this episode, of Youth Culture Matters.

Suicide is one obvious sign that things are not the way they’re supposed to be in our world. For a growing number of our kids, the sad reality is that they come to believe that suicide is their only means of escape from a life that seems darker than the darkness of death. As parents and youth workers, we need to guide our kids into building their lives on the foundation of being known and loved by God, a foundation that will provide them with hope in the midst of difficulty. Today, I’m talking with counselor Julie Lowe about teens and suicide, recognizing the signs, and sharing Gospel-centered hope, on this episode of Youth Culture Matters.

This morning as I left my house, I grabbed three things: my car keys, my wallet, and my smartphone. Chances are, you did the same. And if you’re like me, you check your phone and social media early in the morning, before going to bed, and who knows how many times in between. It’s so much a part of daily routine that we don’t even realize we’re doing it. Not only that, we have little or no idea about what our smartphones and social media might be doing to us. Today, I talk with author Chris Martin about how to push back on the hold the technology has on our hearts and minds, on this episode of Youth Culture Matters. 

I recently saw a meme that featured this very familiar desire shared by parents everywhere: What I want more than anything else is for my kids to be happy. As a parent, I always wanted my kids to be happy. In today’s culture, the pursuit of personal happiness is at the foundation of our beliefs and behaviors. But what happens when we emphasize the pursuit of personal happiness to the extent that it derails our kids from faithfully following Jesus? Stick with us as I chat with Crystal Kirgiss and Duffy Robbins about the most healthy ways to think about happiness, on this episode of Youth Culture Matters.

After each of my four children were born, I spent time wondering about the course their lives would take. What did God have in store for their futures? What would God call them to vocationally? Would they be called to singleness or marriage? And if it was marriage, who would they choose to marry? As a youth pastor, I asked the same questions about my students, especially as marriage has declined in our culture. I would oftentimes pray for my own two daughters, asking God to provide good husbands if in fact marriage was in His plans. I also knew that I shouldn’t just sit back and let nature take its course, but that I had to prepare them to choose well. Tom Stein has written a very helpful letter to his own daughter about choosing a Godly husband, and that letter is what we’re talking about, on this episode of Youth Culture Matters.

There’s little chance that we are able to discern biblical truth from the spirit of the times until our roots go deep through washing and delighting ourselves each and every day in the Word of God. Sadly, many of those called to nurture children and teens in the faith today are misleading the young by never faithfully teaching the truths of God’s Word. And without a knowledge of the truth, the enemies lies are more easily believed. Even what seems like an innocent Christian children’s book can put kids on a fast road away from the true Christian faith. That’s why I’m chatting today with Elizabeth Urbanowicz about how to train our kids in biblical discernment, on this episode of Youth Culture Matters.  

It was over three-hundred and fifty years ago that Richard Baxter wrote, “Study hard, for the well is deep, and our brains are shallow.” Baxter’s words are timely for life in our world today, as we tend to feel around for what is good, true, and right, rather than engaging our brains to find what is good, true, and right. This shift has created challenges to our efforts to always be ready to give an answer for our Gospel hope. That’s why we’re chatting with Dr. Steve Nichols and educator Graham Dennis about the place and practice of apologetics in a post-truth world, on this episode of Youth Culture Matters.

Parenting and youth work these days hasn’t gotten any easier. Both involve relating to and leading kids who have to navigate a difficult and confusing world. This means that as leaders, we have new challenges to navigate as well. Counselor and author Julie Lowe is no stranger to these difficulties, and we’ve found her to be a source of great wisdom and guidance as we encounter tough situations. Stick with us as Julie answers many of the questions facing parents and youth workers in this rapidly changing youth culture, on this episode of Youth Culture Matters.

Remember Kevin Malone from The Office? The sitcom character once said, “I work hard all day. I like knowing that there’s going to be a break. Most days I just sit and wait for the break.” I laughed when Kevin said it. But for the Christian, work and our attitude toward it is to be something different. Sadly, most of us don’t know what that something different is. Too many of our kids are growing up without a working theology of vocation, calling, and work. And if we want to see our kids liberated from the cultural narrative of seeing work as a necessary evil, we need to educate them properly. Stick with us as I have a paradigm shifting chat with Dan Doriani about his new book, Work That Makes A Difference, on this episode of Youth Culture Matters.

There’s absolutely no way we can ignore it. The Netflix nine part series Squid Game is a big hit across cultures and generations. It’s especially popular among our kids. Since pop culture artifacts like Squid Game serve as a worldview forming and reflecting map for our kids , we need to pay attention. And that’s what we’re doing today as we chat with our friends Clark Fobes and Kevin Yi about Squid Game, it’s message, its meaning, and how to respond, on this episode of Youth Culture Matters.