Youth Ministry Unscripted: The Rooted Youth Ministry Podcast

While visiting Ellijay, GA for a speaking engagement with Autumn Ridge Community Church, author and speaker Becket Cook sat down with Davis Lacey to share this conversation with the Rooted Youth Ministry Podcast. Listen to hear Becket share insights from his book, A Change of Affection: A Gay Man’s Incredible Story of Redemption: his embracing of a gay lifestyle, his radical conversion to Christianity, and his thoughts on how best to shepherd students with respect to issues of human sexuality.

Hosted by: Danny Kwon, author of Teenagers and Mental Health; Becca Heck, M. Div. from Reformed Theological Seminary; Isaiah Marshall, Rooted's Director of Ministry Development; and Josh Hussung, M. Div. in Pastor Studies from the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary.

As summer kicks off, many teenagers will experience heightened pressure surrounding body image, leading to disordered eating for some. Thankfully, the gospel provides good news for bodies: They are created by God for good, redeemed by the Incarnation of Jesus, and awaiting a resurrection like his. In this series, Rooted writers discuss how we can help students navigate identity struggles in light of this gospel of grace. 

Licensed professional counselor Alice Churnock recorded this podcast episode immediately after National Eating Disorder Awareness Week. In it, she discusses a variety of eating disorders, how males are uniquely impacted by eating disorders, and how the gospel offers good news to those who experience eating disorders.

Please also see Boys, Body Image, and A Better Story.

This podcast is made available to you by the Rooted Ministry for educational purposes only, not to provide specific therapeutic advice. The views expressed are the personal perspectives of the author and do not represent the views of all counselors or the profession. This podcast does not create a counselor-client relationship and should not be used as a substitute for competent therapeutic counsel from a licensed professional in your state.

Hosted by: Danny Kwon, author of Teenagers and Mental Health; Becca Heck, M. Div. from Reformed Theological Seminary; Isaiah Marshall, Rooted's Director of Ministry Development; and Josh Hussung, M. Div. in Pastor Studies from the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary.

This week of the Rooted Youth Ministry Podcast, Davis Lacey interviews pastor Scott Sauls about his timely new book, A Gentle Answer: Our Secret Weapon in An Age of Us Against Them. Scott Sauls is a longtime friend of Rooted, a veteran conference speaker and lead pastor of our 2018 host church, Christ Presbyterian in Nashville, Tennessee. In an age of hostility expressed in “unfriending” and “cancelling,” among many other things, Sauls see this contentious climate as an opportunity for Christians to demonstrate the gentleness of Jesus in a harsh world.

Scripture references: Proverbs 15:1, Luke 18:9

Scott Sauls on Rooted:

The Holy Spirit Within: Our Hope for Change (plenary from Rooted 2017)

Hosted by: Danny Kwon, author of Teenagers and Mental Health; Becca Heck, M. Div. from Reformed Theological Seminary; Isaiah Marshall, Rooted's Director of Ministry Development; and Josh Hussung, M. Div. in Pastor Studies from the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary.

In this episode the guys discuss their favorite character-arcs throughout the MCU movies. Mike and Clark square off about Captain America staying with Peggy. We wrap up by highlighting ways we help students learn from storytelling in comics. Especially in a “you-do-you” culture, there’s a lot of value in discussing how superheros reveal the tension between self-denial and self-fulfillment. And we discover how helpful it is to think about this not just for our students, but for ourselves as youth leaders too.

We would love your feedback, input, or questions for future episodes.

Contact us on Twitter @ThanosToTheos or email us at [email protected]

If you want to respond to any of our hosts, you can reach us on Twitter:

Mike McGarry: @revmcgarry

Clark Fobes: @fobesman

Kevin Yi: @kevinhyi

Hosted by: Danny Kwon, author of Teenagers and Mental Health; Becca Heck, M. Div. from Reformed Theological Seminary; Isaiah Marshall, Rooted's Director of Ministry Development; and Josh Hussung, M. Div. in Pastor Studies from the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary.

In this inaugural podcast, veteran Nashville counselor David Thomas introduces us to himself and his family and shares with us the aim for this exciting new Rooted podcast. Designed to help anyone who loves and works with or lives with boys, All About Boys will explore the mental, physical, psychological and spiritual lives of the young men in our care.

Show notes:

The Five stages of Male Development

Some of the things David touches on include: activity level, impulse control, rate of development, overstimulation response, learning styles, what a boy needs from parents (among other things, “brain breaks” are a great idea), conversation with boys, appropriate outlets, the complexity of male adolescence, supporting a young adult male- among other things!

Wild Things: The Art of Nurturing Boys by Stephen James and David Thomas

Hosted by: Danny Kwon, author of Teenagers and Mental Health; Becca Heck, M. Div. from Reformed Theological Seminary; Isaiah Marshall, Rooted's Director of Ministry Development; and Josh Hussung, M. Div. in Pastor Studies from the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary.

Episode 4 show notes

In this episode, we discuss NT Wright’s article in Time Magazine (Christianity Offers No Answer About Coronavirus) – what was helpful and where the article seemed incomplete. In the midst of the conversation, we reflect on the central roles of hope and suffering in comic storytelling and wrap up by sharing some ways to pastorally help students through grief by pointing them to the cross and empty tomb.

Articles Referenced:

Stop Looking for the Greater Good, by Chris Talbot (Rooted Ministry)

Have questions or comments or a topic for an upcoming episode?  We’d love to get your feedback – email us or @ us on Twitter:

Twitter: @thanostotheos

If you want to respond to any of our hosts, you can reach us on Twitter:

Mike McGarry: @revmcgarry

Clark Fobes: @fobesman

Kevin Yi: @kevinhyi

Hosted by: Danny Kwon, author of Teenagers and Mental Health; Becca Heck, M. Div. from Reformed Theological Seminary; Isaiah Marshall, Rooted's Director of Ministry Development; and Josh Hussung, M. Div. in Pastor Studies from the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary.

This episode of Ask Alice combines Biblical wisdom with practical help for families who are spending A LOT of time together. Alice likens families to ecosystems; when every part is healthy, the whole system thrives. But we live in a fallen world, and that means sibling squabbles and strife are inevitable, starting in Genesis 4.

Alice takes questions from parents, discussing what parents need to know about sibling relationships. She draws on family systems therapy to demonstrate the roles our kids come to play in families (the Hero, the Scapegoat, the Mascot, to name a few), and discusses the impact of birth order as well. She also gives concrete advice about how parents can help their children value and appreciate each other while they are still in the home together.

See also:

Summertime Blues: Sibling Love- or Lack Thereof by Katie Polski

Sanctification By Sibling: Seven Encouragements for the Parent Who Love Them by Anna Meade Harris

A Gospel Vision for Helping Your Students Love Their Siblings by Chelsea Kingston Erickson

This podcast is made available to you by the Rooted Ministry for educational purposes only, not to provide specific therapeutic advice. The views expressed are the personal perspectives of the author and do not represent the views of all counselors or the profession. This podcast does not create a counselor-client relationship and should not be used as a substitute for competent therapeutic counsel from a licensed professional in your state.

Hosted by: Danny Kwon, author of Teenagers and Mental Health; Becca Heck, M. Div. from Reformed Theological Seminary; Isaiah Marshall, Rooted's Director of Ministry Development; and Josh Hussung, M. Div. in Pastor Studies from the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary.

In this episode the guys discuss the Joker movie: what did we like, what did we hate, and are there…

Hosted by: Danny Kwon, author of Teenagers and Mental Health; Becca Heck, M. Div. from Reformed Theological Seminary; Isaiah Marshall, Rooted's Director of Ministry Development; and Josh Hussung, M. Div. in Pastor Studies from the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary.

In this episode of Thanos to Theos, Clark, Kevin, and Mike enjoy a hearty conversation about who is the most…

Hosted by: Danny Kwon, author of Teenagers and Mental Health; Becca Heck, M. Div. from Reformed Theological Seminary; Isaiah Marshall, Rooted's Director of Ministry Development; and Josh Hussung, M. Div. in Pastor Studies from the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary.

Introducing Thanos to Theos, the newest podcast from Rooted: Thanos to Theos is a podcast for youth workers who are…

Hosted by: Danny Kwon, author of Teenagers and Mental Health; Becca Heck, M. Div. from Reformed Theological Seminary; Isaiah Marshall, Rooted's Director of Ministry Development; and Josh Hussung, M. Div. in Pastor Studies from the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary.