Next Generation

Teen Resources

Today’s teens are bombarded with media that encourages them to live anything but a Christian life. Where can they find media sources that will challenge and inspire them to be more like Christ and that will connect them with other like-minded teens? The following resources include magazines, podcasts, websites and apps that provide Christ-centered encouragement, advice, and more. Magazines Susie magazine, from Susie Shellenberger, the creator of BRIO Magazine, features much of the same content as BRIO once did, including devotionals and advice about girls’ daily lives and spiritual walk. More info can be found at susiemagazine.com. FCA Magazine is published bi-monthly […]

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The Millennial Manifesto

It felt like a scene from the show The Office. The two-day diversity training had just begun in the lobby of the Philadelphia Marriott. It was nice to escape the cubicle for a few days, but as a white male, it was impossible not to feel just a little deficient in the diversity department. Our HR leader (a middle-aged man with the same general lack of charisma as Toby) announced the first topic of discussion: Age Diversity. Age Diversity? A quick glance around the room confirmed that I was the only one under 30 in the group. I was the […]

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People of the Second Chance

People of the Second Chance (POTSC) is a faith-based, non-profit organization fighting against the “Vulture Culture that celebrates personal destruction, humiliation and the division of people.” POTSC is an authentic community where people who are struggling with personal failures can share their hurts and find their own second chance moments. This is accomplished primarily through social media, media campaigns and the leveraging of tools and resources. This recent POTSC Facebook post summarizes their philosophy well: “Love most when people deserve it least because that’s when they need it most.” POTSC was birthed in 2010 from a blog Mike Foster and […]

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5 Myths about Homeschoolers

As the fifteen passenger van swings into the parking lot, everyone stops to stare. You’ve all seen them – bearing twelve-inch-thick Bibles, library books and math joke shirts, they march up, a mini-herd swelling around you. Dressed from head to toe in pajamas, with the exception of a Yoda-costumed child, Mom strides next to them wearing a “Super Mom” shirt. These are the few, the proud, the homeschooled. Everyone has misconceptions about homeschoolers, both the humorous, the ignorant, and the completely insulting. Regarded as a separate species by many public and private school students, as well as adults, volumes have […]

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A Freshman’s Fresh Start

Your first year of college is an exciting season of life, teeming with changes and new beginnings. Your first semester of college life will be a pivotal transition period leading into the rest of your college career and even beyond. You will be met with not only new challenges and sometimes overwhelming demands, but also with numerous opportunities and tremendous potential for success. If there is one word to describe college, it is this: opportunity. It is the opportunity for a fresh start. It is the opportunity to start over and become whoever you want to be and do whatever […]

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Losing it in School

It is not uncommon for Christian students to reject their faith while attending secular colleges and universities. Studies show that upwards of 60 percent of Christian students abandon their faith during those formative years. Unfortunately, the antidotal evidence of this often comes directly from our own families and church communities. This is a disturbing and real problem that concerns all Christian parents—especially those whose children are part of the upcoming freshman class. A 2007 study by the Institute for Jewish & Community Research expressed serious concerns about the overall climate on campuses for evangelical Christians after finding that faculty’s general […]

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College Do’s and Dont’s

Anxiety. Excitement. Happiness. Sadness. Dread. Fear. Expectation. Hope. The transition to college can be overwhelming, to say the least. It is that initial step out of the comfortable nest, the beginnings of adulthood, a taste of the real world beyond the previously-known smaller sphere. There are so many unknowns, so many possibilities. As you enter into this new season of life, here are a few bits of advice that can make the journey more meaningful and perhaps more manageable. Don’t overload your first semester schedule. Going off to college may be the most dramatic change you have been through up […]

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How to Pray Effectively

Have you ever wondered why God was not answering your  prayers, or at least not as quickly as you would like or not in the way you expected? I have on many occasions. There are several things to consider when praying. 1.God answers prayers in ways we do not expect. God’s ways are not our ways. God sees the end from the beginning and knows what is best for us. The Bible says, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you […]

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Would You Reach Out to Me?

You may be familiar with the story of Ashley Billasano – the shocking headlines and details gripped readers of print and online papers worldwide and left them asking “Why?” Billasano – a striking 18 year old girl from Texas – took to her twitter page on November 7, 2011 and poured her heart out to her 500 followers regarding allegations of sexual abuse and forced prostitution. In a compilation of 144 tweets, she described how her life had been forever changed by not only the abuse, but also the struggle she was encountering to see justice prevail.  After spending six […]

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