"A survey of 1,280 teenagers (users age 13-19) and young adults (age 20-26) conducted by the National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy and CosmoGirl.com has revealed that one out of five (20 percent) teens overall have posted nude photos or video of themselves on the Internet—that number goes up to a third when young adults are included. While 71 percent of teen girls and 67 percent of teen guys who have sent these photos say they've sent them to a boyfriend or girlfriend."
Friday, December 12, 2008
20% of teens say they've put nude pics of themselves online
"A survey of 1,280 teenagers (users age 13-19) and young adults (age 20-26) conducted by the National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy and CosmoGirl.com has revealed that one out of five (20 percent) teens overall have posted nude photos or video of themselves on the Internet—that number goes up to a third when young adults are included. While 71 percent of teen girls and 67 percent of teen guys who have sent these photos say they've sent them to a boyfriend or girlfriend."
Thursday, December 11, 2008
Wednesday, December 10, 2008
4 Warning Signs of an Abusive Teen Relationship
"Having a teen dating in today’s world is quite a challenge! Because so many
teens are accepting some level of abuse as 'normal' in relationships, knowing
the warning signs of a potentially abusive relationship become critical."
He goes on to list and discuss 4 signs that parents should be aware of. These are:
1. The relationship becomes very serious quickly.
2. Controling behaviors are very aparent in the relationship.
3. One begins to isolate the other from friends and family.
4. Veberal abuse
He talks more in depth on his blog about these 4 red flags.
Monday, December 8, 2008
Wednesday, December 3, 2008
Tis the Season for Spending
Came across some staggering statistics about Christmas time economy at the local Starbucks.
- 2007 Holiday Retail Sales = $474.5 Billion
- 30 to 35 million real Christmas trees are sold in the U.S. every year.
- $9.3 billion in jewelry-store sales during November and December, 2007.
- 20 billion cards, letters and packages are delivered by the US Postal Service between Thanksgiving and Christmas.
- $19.8 Billion in computer and video game, console, and accessory sales during November and December, 2007.
- In November and December of 2007, consumers accumulated an estimated $12.8 billion in new debt, according to cardtrack, an organization that tracks credit card use. That is 16% of the total debt accumulated that year. (According to a 2007 survey, 1/3 of consumers were still paying off debt from the 2006 holiday season.)
- In 2007, the average consumer planed to spend more that $800 on Holiday related shopping and more than $100 on themselves.
Crazy stats.
Tuesday, December 2, 2008
Students Cheat, but STILL See Themselves as Ethical
Found this article on Drudge Report. You can read it here. Here are some of the most concerning points of the article.
“American teenagers lie, steal and cheat more at "alarming rates," a study of nearly 30,000 high school students concluded Monday.
The attitudes and conduct of some 29,760 high school students across the United States "doesn't bode well for the future when these youngsters become the next generation's politicians and parents, cops and corporate executives, and journalists and generals," the non-profit Josephson Institute said.
Boys were found to lie and steal more than girls.
Overall, 30 percent of students admitted to stealing from a store within the past year, a two percent rise from 2006. More than one third of boys (35 percent) said they had stolen goods, compared to 26 percent of girls.
An overwhelming majority, 83 percent, of public school and private religious school students admitted to lying to their parents about something significant, compared to 78 percent for those attending independent non-religious schools.
Despite no significant gender differences on exam cheating, students from non-religious independent schools had the lowest cheating rate, 47 percent, compared to 63 percent of students attending religious schools.
Despite these high levels of dishonesty, these same kids have a high self-image when it comes to ethics."
Some 93 percent of students indicated satisfaction with their own character and ethics, with 77 percent saying that "when it comes to doing what is right, I am better than most people I know.”
Monday, December 1, 2008
Vision, Purpose and Values
It's always important for volunteers and staff to know the vision, purpose and values of the ministry. Keith keeps this in front of us all the time so that it is something that we never loose sight of.
Vision and Purpose
*Love God (Passion for God) = Great Commandment
*Love People (Passion for People) = Great Commandment
*Go Tell (Passion to Serve) = Great Commission
AMP’D Student Ministry Core Values…
*God loves lost people, therefore we love lost people.
*God’s Word is our authority for faith and daily living.
*Life-Change best occurs through discipleship.
*Excellence honors God and inspires people.
*God’s unconditional love and grace transforms lives.
*Christ-followers pursue spiritual growth.
*Uncompromising integrity reflects God’s character.
*God uniquely gifts Christ-followers regardless of race or gender.
*We are culturally relevant without compromising God’s Word.
*Loving relationships permeate through every aspect of AMP’D.
Lunch with Brent Crow
Brent Crow over lunch at Orlando Airport a week ago. Brent is Jay Strack’s main man on the Student Leadership University front. He sees a lot of student ministries all over the world, so it was cool to get his take on what’s on the horizon for studnet ministry.
Here are some bullet points from our time with Brent:
-Do what no one else is doing.
-Students are looking for an experience.
-You have to let students lead and they must have ownership. Students love to create things and experiences and opportunities.
-“The greatest things going today are student created. Youth Ministers aren’t coming up with the new things, because it’s coming from the students.”
-Students want to be challenged like adults.
-“We treat a lot of our students like kids and we don’t tackle the deep things of God.”
-Teach them the Word of God. They can handle the Word, they have algebra, chemistry, etc.
-Give students a cause. Students are hungry for the Word and for a cause, something to believe in and run with i.e. social injustice…
-They have passion for these “causes” so you have to give them an outlet.
Keith and I keep getting reconfirmed on this thought that I have posted on before: the students of this generation are a cause oriented generation. They are more plugged in to the world affairs than any other generation.
Sunday, November 23, 2008
Sometimes I Wish I Was Stupid
Thursday, November 20, 2008
Jay Strack Dropped Some Knowledge On Me Over Some Coffee!
Here's a couple things that he said to us "young guys."
- "Remember that promotion comes from above. God has you in the place you are for a reason, so have confidence in that."
- Have a passionate commitment to keep growing. Stretch yourself. Personal development is key.
- Churches that are growing usually out grow leadership. You have to keep growing personally.
- Time management and event management can make or break you, so learn to do that effectively.
- You’re building a "brand" with what you’re doing today. That brand is you. Everything you do from youth camps, to d-nows, to bible studies and how you interact with others is apart of how people perceive you. Work hard and grow to be better.
- His book recommendation: The Lunar Men .
- The future of youth ministry will be what he called “incarnational ministry”. Students want truth, and they want to know that you care about homeless, and the environment and the AIDS epidemic etc. and how they fit into those bigger stories. How can you get them to be apart of these larger stories?
I was blessed to be at the table with two youth pastors from a couple of the largest baptist churches in America, and Jay Strack, probably the most connected man in the evangelical world. Not many people can say they got to do this.
Time With Alvin Reid
Dr. Alvin Reid spoke for an hour to us and here’s some notes that I took from that.
“Don’t let your kids graduate high school without going to a 3rd world country. Let them see the world that is out there.”
Acts 11:22-26 22News of this reached the ears of the church at Jerusalem, and they sent Barnabas to Antioch. 23When he arrived and saw the evidence of the grace of God, he was glad and encouraged them all to remain true to the Lord with all their hearts. 24He was a good man, full of the Holy Spirit and faith, and a great number of people were brought to the Lord. 25Then Barnabas went to Tarsus to look for Saul, 26and when he found him, he brought him to Antioch. So for a whole year Barnabas and Saul met with the church and taught great numbers of people. The disciples were called Christians first at Antioch.
**this is a significant turning point in the scriptures.
**there was a movement that was beginning with lay people (verse 19).
Barnabas gives a great model for what the leader must have or exemplify:
1) Vision- verse 23- Barnabas saw the vision because he was looking for it.
2) Faith-you have great faith because of the vision.
3) Encourage- he rejoiced and encouraged them
4) Example- verse 24- Be a Godly example to others. “I want to plant trees that I never sit under”-Dr. Reid
5) Life on Life- verse 25- mentoring. Barnabas took a guy named Saul and mentored him for a year.
6) Instruction- verse 26- taught the people for 1 year
7) Impact- first called Christians. Understood missional living.
A Week with Brian Mills
He's the real deal.
It's been awhile since my last blog, and I kinda got convicted since Brian blogs 5 times a day(and they're all really good). So, I decided to add some entries. Here's just some of the stuff that I gleaned from my time with Brian.
Brian has been at 2nd Baptist for about 14 months now so I asked him, "what were some of the first things you did when you got to 2nd Baptist in Houston?"
He said that the first meeting he had with his youth staff he did 3 things:
1) Set the vision and purpose for the ministry. “Everything flows from the vision.”
2) Set expectations for the youth staff. He gave them goals and requirements to be apart of that staff.
3) He began meeting with 3 people every week. He would meet with a principal, a coach and a volunteer youth worker every week.
**He said that you have to be very intentional with what you do. It must have purpose behind it.
He also made an analogy about the direction of his youth ministry, but I felt it's true in all cases. He said that in his youth ministry they’re on a 8 lane highway headed to downtown Houston. “We’re headed the right way, but I want to get us into the HOV lane. We need to be more focused with what we are doing. We’re not going to teach 2 topics a week, one on Sunday and one on Wednesday, but 1 topic for the whole week on Sunday and Wednesday."
You've got to be intentional in everything you do.
Thursday, October 9, 2008
Coffey Anderson at Amp'd
This aired on Nashville Star.
This is his "Umbrella" Remix that he did for us at Amp'd.
Here's the Ampdcast he did for us.
Thursday, October 2, 2008
Amp'd Parents Podcast #2: Ben Trueblood
Thursday, September 18, 2008
Time Magazine: "The Truth About Teen Girls"
Wednesday, September 17, 2008
Communication with Parents
Video Podcast For Parents:
We're not sure what this will evolve to, but we want a way to be in front of our parents. Parents are so busy that it's difficult to have meetings that they can attend. So, we're going to try and answer questions about our ministries in a quick 10 minute monthly video podcast.
Parent Newsletter:
This is just a another resource to put in our parents hands. This newsletter has basic info and upcoming dates.
Website:
We're trying to keep the website updated weekly. This is probably the greatest resource for our parents, but getting them there is difficult at times.
Text Messaging:
We're in the process of getting a text messaging software so that our students and parents can be reminded of events.
Are there any methods of informing your parents that works well? And if you use any of these methods what is some information that you include in them?
Tuesday, September 9, 2008
MTV VMA's
Brand later apologized for his comment. Any thoughts on the resurgence of the purity ring? We've given away 600 purity rings in our ministry since April of 2007 when we had our last "purity conference".
The Common Catalyst
Thursday, September 4, 2008
1st Ever Ampdcast for Parents
The Gloves Came Off!
Wednesday, September 3, 2008
24 Hours in Texas: Unveiled Girls Conference 2008
Tuesday, August 26, 2008
Amp'd Students in Baptist Magazine
Saturday, August 23, 2008
Star Wars: Clone Wars Movie Review
Three months ago I was super pumped to see this movie.
I grew up on Star Wars. I had action figures. I dressed up as Darth Vader for Halloween (gasp!). It was series that had all the elements a kid with an over active imagination could want. Anything that I could turn into a light saber (or a light saver is what I called them) I would. Canes, poles, random sticks lying on the ground would transform me into a Jedi Knight. I loved it. Twenty two years after the first one came out George Lucas gave us the prequels to the original trilogies. I actually slept outside and waited with some buddies in line for my ticket to the 12 o'clock showing of Episode 1. I'm not a hater, but it didn't quite have the same magic as the originals. The rest were ok, with Episode 3 being the best of the prequels, but nothing captured the magic of the original trilogy.
So, what do you do with an animated Star Wars? In the prequels, Episode II ended with the Clone Wars beginning, and Episode III began with them ending. We never really were able to see Anakin, who later turns into Darth Vader, live up to what we have pictured in our heads for 25+ years. In Star Wars: A New Hope, Obi Wan Kenobi says that Luke's father was "the best star fighter in the galaxy and a good friend". We never were able to see that in its fullness. In the prequels we never get to see Anakin as a hero. We see Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan in that light, but we never get to root for Anakin. This why I really liked Star Wars: The Clone Wars.
A week before this movie opened I read some early reviews that really chewed it up and spit it out as garbage. Those critics that I hold in high regard hated it. My eagerness to see this movie left quickly and so I waited 2 weeks before I actually took the time to watch it. That was a mistake.
For the same reasons the critics I read hated this movie, are the same reasons I think it works. From the beginning you realize this is a different take on Star Wars, and I'm ok with that. It needed some new blood.
I really enjoyed the relationship between Anakin and Ahsoka. Ahsoka is a new female character who is introduced as Anakin's padawan (student). She's a spunky young kid with a nickname for everyone and a quick remark for every situation. She adds a lot of fun and character to this series. I think that was the main thing that was missing from the prequels. I really enjoyed the brother-sister relationship that Anakin and Ahsoka begin to develop. But, the reason this movie works for me is because we FINALLY get to see Anakin as a hero before his fall to the dark side. You actually root for him. And you seriously begin to like the guy, which makes his turn to the dark side much more tragic.
This movie was a lot of fun, and the more I think about it the more I enjoy it. If this is the way the TV show goes, then we'll be in for a weekly treat. Final grade: B+
Monday, August 18, 2008
Rare Talents and the Olympics
Tuesday, August 5, 2008
Tweens and the "R" Rated Movie
Monday, August 4, 2008
Youth Evagelism Conference
X-Games
Thursday, July 31, 2008
Things You Learn at VANS Skate Park
-The skate culture that kind of went away in the 90's is back.
-No matter how hard I try. I'll never be able to grind a rail. Won't happen.
-Kids are fearless. I love that about them.
Sunday, July 20, 2008
Some Quik Thoughts on West Palm Mission Trip
-Even students that "don't like kids" can make an impact on kids.
-Getting out of your comfort zone always pushes you to re-evaluate areas in your life. And more often then not...change them.
-Most students that go on mission trips will have to answer this question at least once before they leave: "is He calling me to missions?"
-It doesn't surprise me when students do stupid stuff. But, unfortunately, it does surprise me when they do amazing things. I'm praying that the Lord changes that in me.
-Twitter is a wonderful way to keep parents in the loop on some little things that happen through out the week.
-Hearing testimonies of young men who grow up in the "hood" selling drugs, getting kicked out of the house; and then turning it around and using the story of their life for God's glory to impact those kids, always gets me choked up.
Friday, July 11, 2008
Noteworthy
Monday, July 7, 2008
"Buzz Spotters": Tracking the Trends of Youth
I ran across this article on the Sydney Morning Herald. They're reporting on a group that does world wide research on what teens are after and what they think is "in". A couple of the statistics are:
57% of teens prefer facebook to myspace
71% of teens prefer text messaging to IM
65% would rather use a Mac than a PC
93% of teens prefer Internet to TV
Nothing I read that's really all that surprising. One thing they did mention that made me say hmmm, is that 1 in 10 teens are happy with their tech gadgets. With the rate at which new tech gadgets come out, and the millions in marketing that are pumped into those products (which make you unhappy with your tech) it's no wonder how anyone could ever be satisfied with what they have. There's always the next model or the next upgrade waiting to be released before you can figure out how to turn on your phone. Crazy.
Thursday, July 3, 2008
Are You Serious?
Tuesday, July 1, 2008
Favorite Movie of the Year
"The picture is truly brilliant on several levels. The first half is virtuallySo do yourself a favor and get to the theatre and see this film. Don't walk....run.
wordless, and it has the spare, kinetic beauty of silent movies, tapping into pre-verbal pleasure centers we've half-forgotten we have. The characters' anthropomorphic qualities never lapse into simple-minded cuteness, but remain rooted in their mechanical nature. To watch WALL-E rubbing his clamps together in clinking concern is to be charmed beyond all resistance; and his marveling response to the vast, junk-free reaches of outer space makes your heart swell in sympathetic wonder. Pixar has once again burst the boundaries of the animation ghetto, creating a world so intricately worked-out, so ravishing, that we don't feel we're just watching it — we're visiting. And at the end, in that rarest of responses, we don't want to leave."
Saturday, June 21, 2008
Lil' Wayne's Album Debuts at #1
Thursday, June 19, 2008
Pray for Darfur
Read the article here.
Monday, June 16, 2008
Goodbye MySpace/Facebook, Hello Stickam!
Sunday, June 15, 2008
The Next Big Thing
Tuesday, June 3, 2008
CAMP O 2008
Tuesday, May 27, 2008
Weezer
Thursday, May 22, 2008
46% of Teens Text While Driving
Wednesday, May 21, 2008
Just Cause It's Legal...
Monday, May 19, 2008
MTV's "Most Influential Show" Ever
Thursday, May 15, 2008
Marriage and Ministry
Sunday, May 11, 2008
Should You Be Worried About the "MONSTER"?
The Miley Cyrus Clean-Up
Thursday, May 8, 2008
2008 MTV Movie Awards: A Peek at Teen Culture
Wednesday, May 7, 2008
Summer Time!
K&C
Monday, May 5, 2008
Time's Most Influential List
Monday, April 14, 2008
Mean Girls more Popular?
Sci-Fi Stuffs
Sunday, April 13, 2008
Too Much?
Wednesday, April 9, 2008
Los Angeles Pictures
Press Play, Angelus Temple's worship band is on myspace.
The Dream Center is also on the web here.
John has cooked up some AMAZING video. He is a Jedi. That will be on the web soon!
Twitter?
Tuesday, April 8, 2008
Oprah's Church
Monday, April 7, 2008
Sunday, April 6, 2008
Back from the City of Angels
Yes, we're back from our second week of the Los Angeles Mission Trip 2008. It was amazing. The Dream Center, who we partnered with, gave us 2 weeks full of different mission opportunities. It was fun to hear the vision God placed on our students hearts for the people of Orlando. I think we'll see a lasting impact of these two weeks for some time....and hopefully Amp'd Student Ministry will never be the same.
Once John P., our spectacular video guru, gets the videos and pics uploaded I'll post a link to them.
Thursday, March 27, 2008
Just Text Me...
MTV sheds some light on Wiccan
Tuesday, March 25, 2008
Daily Web Hits
1. Drudge Report
(Just a plain jane news site that will keep you in the know...if it's happening in the world, then it is probably already on Drudge)
2. Center for Parents/Youth Understanding
(a culturaly savy site that is run by Walt Mueller, who is a long time youth pastor)
3. MTV.com
(if it's hot then this site will report it)
4. Internet Movie Database or Rotten Tomatoes or Plugged In Online
(these three are good movie sites. IMDB gives you a brief news wrap up of the biggest stories in Hollywood if you care. Rotten Tomatoes takes all the critics reviews of movies and equates them to a thumbs up or down, which gives you and easy to understand percentage of those who liked or disliked the film. Plugged In is from "Focus on the Family" which tells you the content of the movie in question.)
5. More than Dodge Ball
(this is Joshua Griffin's, the interim High School pastor at Saddleback Church, blog. He does a great job finding funny stuff that can relate to ministry. Plus, he's just seems like a neat fella.)
Hope this helps some of you traverse the culture. (I know this is really 7 websites, but who's counting?)
Friday, March 14, 2008
Teens/Students Rally to a Cause
Thursday, March 13, 2008
Shocking New Statistics....
Wednesday, March 12, 2008
The Trouble with Gnomes.....
Monday, March 3, 2008
All in....
This is our new blog for anyone involved in Amp'd Student Ministry. What we hope to accomplish here is another avenue for you to connect to the hearts and direction of this ministry. We'll discuss our thoughts on 1) Sunday mornings, 2) Wednesday nights, 3) cultural trends, and 4) things that we find funny!
Feel free to comment and what not! See you guys in the "blogosphere."
k&c