The 29-page report was based on data from 9,000 smartphone and 1,300 tablet users from across the country from last July through September

Gen X spends nearly seven hours a week on social networks, a study finds, more than any other age group

…social media users can be pretty receptive—especially heavy users, who spend over 3 hours per day on social media

The drawbacks Of Constant Connectivity

Freeing Your Heart from the Need to Be Perfect

For many girls it starts early. The desire to be perfect. The need for approval. The longing for acceptance and being liked by a lot of people

by Greg Stier

If we are called to be missional, we must engage cultural contexts, and this requires a significant investment in educating stakeholders of its importance amid the risks of engaging in the culture.

Then we invite them to partner with their peers in mission and ministry opportunities so the culture of ministries is one of calling and service. There will be no concept of passive consumers.

The Five Growth Engines

Which includes “pre and DIY built gaming computers, upgrades, and accessories such as input devices and audio/communication systems

Minecraft education edition adds features for-teachers to use with students

18- to 29-year-olds are the age group most likely to have read a book in any format over the past year

After a writer for ‘Saturday Night Live’ has been suspended for tweeting a joke about Donald Trump’s son, Barron, the 10-year-old has found support from Chelsea Clinton

“After that point, increased screen time was associated with decreased well-being.”

By Rachel Blom

Rising earnings disparity between young adults with and without a College degree

The following is an exclusive excerpt from Jonathan McKee’s brand new book, If I Had a Parenting Do Over, released this week

The following is a report on the practical applications of Mark DeVries’ new book, Sustainable Youth Ministry: Why Most Youth Ministry Doesn’t Last and What Your Church Can Do About It,

by James Lankford

Encourage and equip your team with 5 Elements at the HEART of Every Children’s Ministry, from veteran children’s pastor Greg Baird

Unpacking the reasons behind childhood and adolescent anxiety—and the hope we find in the gospel

People are using Snapchat’s new Spectacles to film amateur porn

Advertisers can use Oracle’s syndicated list of 100 shopper segments to target any of Snapchat’s ads bought directly or through an API partner

A weekly listing of hot cultural items from the Internet, music, television and movies

The study found that alcohol use caused significant alterations in both electrical and chemical neurotransmission among the study participants

SNL Writer’s Tweet About Barron Trump is Beyond Unfunny–It’s Being Called ‘Vile’ and ‘Disgusting’

Here are some inventive ways to respond to the epidemic of distraction in our culture and minds

Watch the video to hear more about engaging and ministering to teens using social media

Monitoring The Future Study: 2016

Hypnosis Takes On New Focus…

by Rachel Blom

We began to communicate to students that the best way to help introduce their peers to Christ was to simply invite them to Church?

Moving Away from Coercive Power in Ministry Leadership

I am still learning how to do this effectively. But along the way I have picked up some tools and resources that have greatly benefited me, my relationships, my marriage, the ministry I work in, and ultimately my relationship with God

At the end of his life…‘I wish I had spent more time with my family.’

Here are 8 pop culture trends that we are happy to say goodbye to, once and for all.

Parents of Slenderman stabbing accused discuss their daughter’s role in the attack

There’s No Subtlety in These Sexy Requests

Increased reliance on technology might be to blame for the lack of knowledge, the results suggest

they r isolated @ home n use the apps 2 arrange sexual encounters 2 fill the void of intimacy that their lack of social interactions created

La La Land features just enough content to merit its PG-13 rating and to remind us that we’re living in the 21st century

Adele had the top-selling album in the U.S. for the second year running

Both were originally “family restrooms” that have since been redesignated

Social Media and the Secret Lives of Teenagers

The Fine Art of Face-to-Face Communication for Teenagers

Guiding Teenage Girls Through the Seven Transitions into Adulthood

If investment returns over the next couple of decades fall, as some experts suggest, millennials will need to save more — perhaps twice as much as they have been saving — to provide for their retirement years

The estimated average costs of raising a child born in 2015 through age 17 has risen to $233,610, a 3-percent increase from 2014

A weekly listing of hot cultural items from the Internet, music, television and movies

Download your free “Get Started Guide: 12 Steps to Thriving School Partnerships” today

Walt Mueller

Walt Mueller

I never knew how scary the world could be until I became a parent

What to say to girls trying to dress or dance in grown-up ways that they don’t understand

“I have a stepfather but he tried to rape me,” she said. “And he said I should go hang myself because I was worthless. I was a worthless whore.”

…it means that a child or teen being exposed to pornography is no longer a matter of “if” but a matter of “when.”

I have never heard of a growing ministry that did not focus on building relationships. It is easy to neglect the vital relationship between you and the parents of your students

Gender fluid, hyper-stressed, politically engaged, connected but lonely: what do we know about modern teens?

Father’s Defamation Lawsuit Dismissed…

How Screen Addiction Is Hijacking Our Kids-and How to Break the Trance

Fewer teenagers are using drugs and alcohol than ever before, but extreme screen time usage may be their preferred vice

A Guide…

Millennials report the decisions they have made about student loans was greatly affected by the socio-economic status of their parents who were hit hard during the recession. The post-recession legacy is impacting their career options.

Marijuana use increased and the drug’s perceived harmfulness decreased among eighth- and 10th-graders in Washington after marijuana was legalized for recreational use by adults

Teens who used screen devices for five or more hours daily were twice as likely to drink more sugary beverages and engage in too little physical activity, a new study suggests

“Mother Teresa said the problem with the world is that we draw the circle of our family too small,”

Planned Parenthood affiliates profited by transferring parts of aborted babies to outside organizations in violation of the law

Here’s the full list of winners, in the order in which they were presented

Fentanyl remains chief culprit in early 2016 data in several cities, states

Perfectionism leads to two common problems: anxiety and procrastination

Teens who face the juvenile justice system for the first time are more likely to re-offend if their mothers don’t participate in their legal process

On average, teens reported their stress level was 5.8 on 10-point scale, compared with 5.1 for adults

More likely… to drink, but less likely to binge

Don’t Let Kids Go It Alone

Insights family engagement expert

Social media sites help us stay connected, but for younger teens, the cost of online connectivity can be steep

by Steve Kozak

Doubt does not squelch faith; silence does

And new research tells us how to turn it around

In this device-driven culture, students are often tempted to pre-judge the character of a person before having really spent any significant time interacting with that person

Do you ever think about the ramifications of “constant connectivity” with our devices?
Do your kids?

Download, “Issues and Answers,” by Roland Boyce

Connecting with Our Kids in a Wireless World

Wired For Intimacy. How Pornography Hijacks The Male Brain

Examines the pornography viewing habits of adolescents and observes the way in which religious attendance significantly tempers such actions

Leneita Fix

Evernote is a great program to organize thoughts, meetings, agendas, sermons and even an entire youth ministry program

by Greg Stier

…more likely to report sleep disruption related to stress and illness and were more likely to fall asleep during briefings or on guard duty

Trulia found that almost 40 percent of young adults lived with their parents, step-parents, grandparents and other relatives last year, the highest percentage since 1940

Teen girls who reported higher-quality relationships with their mothers experienced a protective factor against early sexual initiation,

He got suspicious after the women, who cops say are pimps, started telling the scantily-clad teen what would happen when they got to their destination,

Pope: Help young people find purpose in the world, in “a culture that idolizes youth” and yet has made no place for the young

Why Do We Get Addicted?

Part Two

Part one

Goals give us something larger to work toward and a motivation for continuing to work

When has your ministry finally reached success?

What happened was that we ended up with, “Seasonal Givers,” which taught kids to give only during the holidays