If you are working with students, then you must subscribe to his e-update and make a contribution to CPYU (Center for Parent Youth Understanding). He gathers good information about youth ministyry and allows you to process it yourself.
If you are working with Native Youth, then you must definitely subscribe. The trends he highlights will hit the reservations. They may have already hit. But for sure the native peoples in urban areas are already immersed. So take a hour and read one or two posts most pertinent to Native Youth and to your ministry experience.
Walt cites this article from Kara Powell and Brad M. Griffin, "Beyond 'Turn that Thing Off!' Elevating the Gaming Conversation" Kara and Brad provide helpful insight into connecting with students rather than merely condemning students. Discipleship is more than criticism for doing things wrong, it is constructive instruction for thinking first, before doing things.
Their overview states:
The first step of the Deep Design invites us to consider ways that adults are now trying to engage with kids and gaming. Having understood the strengths and weaknesses of our current approaches, the second step calls us to consider new and more effective ways of engagement. In order to flesh out these new ideas, the third step profiles parents and leaders who are already a few steps ahead in living out the new paradigms. Finally, the fourth step provides a series of prompts that help us identify how we will now interact differently with the kids we care about.So take time to care for our youth, Native youth or not. Please engage. Love. Pray for them. As I journey as a new parent of a teen, I appreciate the insight of others. As the Bible says, "Where there is no guidance the people fall, But in abundance of counselors there is victory (Proverbs 14:11)." May this help you be a better and more fully devoted follower of Jesus as a parent of teens.
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