Greg Stier over at Dare 2 Share just emailed me about a YouTube video he just saw... fascinating!

I don't know if you are familiar with the comedian Penn, of "Penn and Teller." They are quite popular. Penn is an atheist and is always quick to point out phonies. In this particular video... he surprised me. He had an experience with a guy in his audience who kindly gave him a Gideon Bible. Penn was very complementary of this guy's attitude and methodology. That's huge!

Penn, a self-proclaimed atheist, goes on to argue that if we think someone is going to Hell, we should definitely warn them. He argues that we shouldn't keep our religion to ourselves. We SHOULD prosthelytize. After all, he says, "If I believe beyond a shadow of a doubt that a truck was coming at you and you didn't believe it. There's a certain point where I tackle you. And this is more important than that."

Yeah. Very cool.

It takes him a couple minutes to set up his story (he's very artsy)... but it's worth the wait. Watch what he says. Good stuff.

(Click here to see the video if you received this via email)

Wow! Good job Mr. Gideon Bible dude! Very cool.

Greg blogged about it as well on his blog today: http://www.gregstier.org/

I'm trying to take a little time off with the family the next few days before I fly off again... so I'll leave you with a list of my 5 resolutions for next year.

1. Yell less. I'm a parent, I'm Irish, and I've got teenagers in the home... there's usually some yelling involved. I'm going to try to handle situations more like Clint Eastwood. Instead of yelling at my son, I'm just going to ask him, "Do you feel lucky... punk?"

2. Read more of the Word with my wife. This resolution will probably help the first one. In the last year Lori and I have spent some time studying the Bible and praying together, but not nearly enough. Lori loves this time, and I do too... when I actually do it. I'm wanting to have more of these times, so I'm resolving to make it happen.

3. See the 160's on the scale. Some of you remember me talking about my weight before. I LOVE food. It's my vice. That's why I hit the 200's a few years back (not a pretty picture). In the last year, I've really been working out hard and got down to the low 180s, I even hit 179 for a few days (before the holidays). But I really want to see 169 at least once. I'd be happy to settle in the low 170s... I just want to see my old friend 169 just for a day!

4. I want to bench-press 300. Call it what you want, but part of my getting back in shape has been hitting the weights again. Realize, in high school I was a lightweight (135 poundish), but I always liked lifting. I got close to benching 200 in high school, but never hit it. A few years ago I hit that mark. Now that I'm trying to get into shape, I'm up to about 235 on the bench... and trying to increase. Yes, 300 is a pretty lofty goal. Can I up it 65 pounds in one year and hit the 300 mark? I have no clue. But I've gotta have something to strive for.

5. I want to see our Training Tools page come to fruition. Most of these goals have been personal goals... but I'm pretty dang excited about this ministry goal. David and I are working on a training tools page that would offer youth workers two needed resources: online computer-based training for all youth workers, and "ready-made" power point  and training outlines for youth leaders. We've already started this, we hope to be launching three of the training outlines with powerpoint in the next couple months. This resource is gonna rock. And like all the other stuff on our site... it will be free.

How's that?

Wow... that would be cool if I could look back and have accomplished those 5 things by the end of 2009.

Yesterday I went into the kitchen to see what all the clamor was about. The sound of pots, spoons and mixers... my spidey sense was telling me that cookies were being made. Sure enough, there was Lori (my smoking hot wife) in an old pair of jeans, looking as beautiful as ever... baking my favorite kind of cookies.

I get to see my hot little lady daily (although those old jeans had her looking particularly steamy). But I only get to taste these cookies once a year. I'm not sure why, now that I think about it. These cookies rock! They are amazing. Maybe one step from a Giordanno's Pizza (that's huge by my standards). I should barter to see if we can make these cookies more often. They are Oatmeal Chocolate Chip. They aren't a recipe I've seen anywhere else... only from my wife's friend Dixie. And every time someone tries them, they say, "Oh my GOSH! I've got to get that recipe."

These aren't normal cookies... they have an 8 oz Hershey bar crushed into the mix. (drool... slobber). When you get to the final stages of the recipe... you almost have to break a few wooden spoons (we have) to stir them. I had to step in and do my part yesterday. Lori needs my huge biceps to stir the mixture every year.

An hour later, I was on the couch, eating the cookie dough. Oh! Amazing!!!

My favorite cookies and my hot wife... a great Christmas memory. It doesn't get better than that.

Oh... I guess I should share the recipe.

Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies
Dixie’s Recipe

2 cups butter
2 cups sugar
2 cups brown sugar
4 eggs
2 tsp. vanilla
4 cups flour
5 cups oatmeal
1 tsp. salt
2 tsp. baking powder
2 tsp. baking soda
24 oz. chocolate chips
one 8oz. Hershey bar
3 cups chopped walnuts (optional)

Cream together- butter, sugar, brown sugar, eggs, and vanilla. Set aside.

Using a blender, grind all of oatmeal into fine powder (do a small amount at a time). Pour into a LARGE bowl. Next, grate chocolate bar and combine with oatmeal. Now add flour, salt, baking powder and baking soda to same bowl and mix well. Combine creamed ingredients and dry mixture (here’s where the stirring takes some real strength… and a big bowl!) After well blended, add chocolate chips and nuts. (and this is where I eat a bunch of the dough!)

Make golf ball size cookies. Place 2” apart on an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake at 375 for about 9-11 min.

You are soooooooo lucky I shared this recipe with you!!!!

Enjoy!

I'm always amazed at the "perceived" value of things. Things like... a snot filled tissue.

Yeah, that's right. Currently, a snot filled tissue is on Ebay selling for over $2,000. Not any snot filled tissue, mind you. This is the mucus from the snout of the one and only Scarlett Johansson. And the tissue was handed to her by Jay Leno on his show. She blew her nose... and the rest of history.

Check out whole story in this small USA Today article.

I wonder where the highest bidder will keep it? Will they buy a plexiglass case? What will they label the case?

As I look back at the most popular music of 2008, I can't say that I'm happy with the content that found its way into kids' iPods. Most of it was highly sexualized and foul. Unfortunately, sex sells. This year's Top 10 downloaded songs are, by majority, no exception.

In our last Youth Culture Window article of the year, David and I reviewed the Top 10 Downloaded Songs as charted by The Nielson Company. I find this list fascinating, not only because it reflects some of the most popular music of the year, but also the fact that downloaded songs offer explicit lyrics... and most parents have no idea what is on their kids' iPods.

Do you know what's on your kids' iPods?

In this article we quickly review what kids have listened to in the last year and a little about each artist. Then we encourage parents and youth workers to dialogue with their kids about this music and this content.

Last night I got a chance to see a screening for the new film coming out Christmas Day, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button. If you've seen the previews, it's the peculiar film with Brad Pitt and Cate Blanchett where Pitt plays Benjamin Button, a person who ages "backwards." He was born old and wrinkled, and "grew" younger each day of his life.

The film was truly remarkable. It started with a very "Forest Gump" feel, with plenty of humor and heart. Unique creative storytelling... like nothing I've ever seen. Then it transitioned into a romance much like "The Notebook."

I really enjoyed the film, and I can see why it's getting so much Oscar buzz. Pitt was amazing. But Pitt is always amazing. Don't discount his talent because of his pretty boy appearance or his reputation in the tabloids. Pitt has proven himself over the years with a range of roles and accents (think of the range from Kalifornia to 12 Monkeys, Meet Joe Black, Snatch, etc.).

Blanchett was equally good. It took me over half an hour to recognize her under the makeup of an elderly woman- the makeup and special effects in this film were mesmerizing. (You've seen films where you could tell that someone young was playing someone old. Not in this film.)

So, was it one of my favorites of 2008? No. It was a little long, and slow at parts. And I have nothing against long films. Several of my favorite films of all time are over three hours long (i'll share those in my podcast tomorrow). This film was 2 hours and forty five minutes. In its defense, I didn't look at my watch once until an hour and forty minutes. After a 10 minute lull, it had my interest back for another 35 minutes and I looked at my watch again.

It was good... just not the best of 2008. I'll be sharing my top films of 2008 in our podcast coming out tomorrow on our podcast page.

It's not for kids. Sensual at times (like The Notebook), and very much reflecting the world's values and philosophies.

I'll be giving my complete take on the film on our movie review page the day before its release Christmas Day.

We've seen a bunch of articles lately about teenagers and cell phone use. The biggest concern... teenagers browsing porn or forwarding racy pics to each other.

Call me biased, but my favorite article I've read about this topic so far is David's informative summary about many of these concerns in this week's YOUTH CULTURE WINDOW article titled, Mobile Porn.

Here's just a snippet:

Recently, the National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy conducted a study on exactly what kind of pictures (and messages) teens have stored on their cell phones. Here are a few of their disappointing findings:

• 20% of teenagers say they've sent (or posted) naked or semi-naked photos or videos of themselves, mostly to be "fun or flirtatious,” (33% of 20-26 year olds have done the same)
• 33% of teenage boys say they’ve seen nude or semi-nude images sent to someone else (about 25% of teenage girls have done the same)
• 39% of teenagers say they've sent suggestive text messages (59% of those ages 20-26 admit to it as well)
• 48% of teens have received sexually suggestive text messages (64% of young adults also have)

In spite of these risqué behaviors, most of those surveyed (73%) said they knew sending sexually suggestive content “can have serious negative consequences.” Several teenagers already know this to be true; just ask these 15 year old cheerleaders who are facing child pornography charges for snapping nude pics of themselves and sending them to high school friends.

I love this article because it combines research with youth ministry experience. As always... we link every source so you can see the research yourself.

This is the second time our YOUTH CULTURE WINDOW articles have covered the topic of cell phones. Earlier this year David wrote an article about when texting becomes "Sexting."

As the year comes to a close, we're starting to see a lot of lists posted about the best movies, the most popular TV, music, websites, etc.

Last year we jumped on the bandwagon and launched a podcast where Todd and I shared our favorite films of 2007. This podcast episode was one of my favorites... that's why we did it again this year. It launches this weekend. Check out the cool pic we took.

Todd really looks evil in that picture!  (Do you think that bowl makes my butt look fat!)

Todd and I are both movie geeks, but we don't get caught up in all that artsy Oscar buzz. In other words... 1977 was a catastrophic year for us (Annie Hall won best picture! Come on... what film did you really enjoy more? Annie Hall, or Star Wars?) On our movie review page, Todd and I review films based on "enjoyability." (and we also try to provide a little commentary on what we as parents should let our kids see)

This year, we not only reviewed a film together and came up with our personal five favorites of the year... we also came up with our favorite movie clip discussions from the past year. We know that many youth workers enjoy using movie clips to springboard discussion. That's why our website provides an entire page of these ideas, most of them with small group questions, transition statements, scripture and a wrap up.

I can't give away our favorite films of the year... but I'll drop a hint: comic book characters were very big in both our lists this year. :)

Something else we did was each share our favorite films of all time! Fun stuff.

If you like movies, be sure and catch that free podcast this coming weekend on our podcast page.

There's not much to say about our newest FOUR MINUTES video on our YouTube page... other than it's a lot of fun!

For all the dads and husbands out there... we put together what should be advertised as The Top 10 Christmas gift ideas NOT to get your wife! I'm giving you a sneak peek at it before it is put on our front page and gets mailed out to our EZINE list. It's poking fun at clueless men this Christmas (and ironically, it will be sure to bring in complaints from numerous women!)  :)

Enjoy.

 Click here if you don't see the YouTube link above. Or here for the high res version.

Last weekend my little Ashley knocked the proverbial "ball out of the park." We were so proud.

Ashley is my 11-year-old... my youngest... the craziest of the three! Ashley has no inhibitions at all (yes... scary at times). But that made her perfect for the lead role of this year's annual Christmas program at our church. The role usually goes to an adult, but the director thought Ashley would be perfect.

She played a talk show host who interviewed different missionary kids from around the world. She hammed it up big time.

Lori and I caught glimpses of her at practices and practiced lines with her... but it was hard to know how she'd do in front of a big audience. Ashley had never done anything like this at all. She shows no fear in daily life (she regularly goes to the mall wearing striped kneehigh socks, patterned soccer shorts and a spotted shirt)... but I didn't know what standing in front of 1,000 people would do to her.

It didn't even phase her.

My dad and mom (her "Papa and Nana") came out to see her, along with the whole family. Ashley did remarkable. I don't think she was nervous at all. It was really amazing. Then she had a short little solo singing... she did beautiful. My wife was so happy she was in tears.

It was a great moment.

One of the funniest moments was getting her costume together in the weeks prior. You have to understand Ashley. In daily life Ashley wears oversized soccer shorts and a ragged t-shirt. It's hard to get her to dress up. If you mention the word "dress" ... she shudders. She gives new meaning to the word "tomboy." I don't think she thought that one through when she happily accepted this role. Because about one month into practice she learned that she would be dressing up in pantsuit or blazer. She almost popped a capillary!

After much wrestling, we found a little dressy red jacket and nice pair of dress slacks. She wasn't happy. I had to put the smack down and just told her to quit her whining and tough it out!

Funny... she wasn't worried about the lines, the audience... any of that. She just didn't want to "dress up."  :)

The end result? She was amazing!

Pretty good for a little squirt! Daddy was really proud.

"I applaud her."

That's what CNN correspondent A.J. Hammer said about Jennifer Aniston's new naked photos in GQ Magazine (I'll just show you the cover photo, because that's what you'll see on the news tonight or while standing in line at the grocery store) where Jennifer poses wearing only a tie. Inside the magazine she is seen in a risque group shot, lying between several semi-nude male models... with only a few inches of her "real estate" not showing (the inches that would have made the layout a Penthouse layout, not a GQ layout).

Side bar: Why do our young girls base their self esteem on looks? Why would they be quick to discard modesty if the price was right?

Because that's exactly what we have taught them! After all, in this CNN report, all three correspondents applaud Jen for doing this.

Their exact words:

"I applaud her speaking out like this. I think it shows a great deal of self confidence." - A.J. Hammer, CNN correspondent

"It is brilliant on her part. She looks beautiful at 39, she looks like she's 23. I applaud her for doing this and I pray that she does it more often."-Carlos Diaz, correspondent for Extra.

"I think she wants to get out there and show that she looks amazing. She looks better than ever. She is in this relationship (John Mayer). She's got a movie coming out. I think she should just go for it! If I was her, I'd be posing with a tie on... on the cover of every magazine out there. -Kim Serafin, Editor for In Touch Weekly Magazine.

Hmmmmm. Maybe our teenagers should all go do this... since adults applaud it.

Yeah... I thought it was a joke too. But apparently not. Twentieth Century Fox is making history this Friday by beaming the brand new remake of THE DAY THE EARTH STOOD STILL into space.

I got a chance to interview the film's director Scott Derrickson this morning and asked him how it felt to be the director of the first film to be beamed to space. He felt privelaged. (Good interview. You'll be hearing that soon in an upcoming podcast. He's a really sharp guy. If you missed it, you can read my last interview with him here.)

I gotta give Fox props for their movie choice. I just saw a screener of the film yesterday and thoroughly enjoyed it (I blogged all about it). And the message of the film is all about redemption- whether humans are redeemable. So I guess this film isn't a bad choice of films to send... the message is solid.

Business Wire reports:

The first deliberate deep space transmission of this highly anticipated science fiction thriller will begin this Friday, December 12, 2008, to coincide with the film’s opening day on Planet Earth. If any civilizations are currently orbiting Alpha Centauri, they will be able to receive and view the film approximately four years from now in the year 2012...

Commented Twentieth Century Fox domestic distribution president Bruce Snyder: "We at Fox always like to think big, and what's bigger than a 'galactic' release of a major motion picture event? We look forward to sharing THE DAY THE EARTH STOOD STILL with our galactic neighbors near Alpha Centauri -- and look forward to their feedback...eight years from now."

Interesting article. It even includes a list of spots in our own solar system where and when the transmission can be intercepted... in case you happen to be near Neptune 4.03236 hours from the film's release. (Neptune has always been Soooooo behind the times!)

I wonder what films got rejected from being sent into space? You could almost make a Top 10 List.

Starship Troopers
Independence Day
Signs
Indiana Jones 4
Alien
Predator
Alien Vs. Predator
Mars Attacks
etc. etc.

Wow... I'm wasting way too much time on this!

This morning I got a chance to see a screening for the new The Day the Earth Stood Still, Scott Derrickson's remake of the 1951 classic.

I like Scott a lot. I interviewed him when his The Exorcism of Emily Rose came out two years ago. This morning I received a call as I was going into the screening asking if I wanted to interview Scott again. I didn't have any of my stuff with me, so I had to pass. But it sounds like I'm going to get about 15 minutes with him tomorrow. I'll keep you all posted. That might make its way into a podcast or something.

Scott is an interesting guy. He's a Biola grad (a Christian school in Southern California) with films like Hellraiser on his director's resume. So when he tackled "Emily Rose," I was excited to talk with him about the horror medium. After all, a bunch of Christians would consider horror films pure evil. Right? Scott and I had an interesting dialogue about that very subject.

The thing I really like about Scott, besides the fact that he's a talented director, is the fact that he uses film as a "canvas" to bring up spiritual conversations. His films are GREAT discussion starters. The Exorcism of Emily Rose was basically a film that asked the question, "Does God exist." Now, in the wake of that film, Scott cleverly uses The Day the Earth Stood Still and his Oscar winning cast to bring up the issue of redemption.

I didn't know much about this film prior to the screening. As a movie buff, I'm not a big fan of the old War of the Worlds, The Day the Earth Stood Still, etc. (my love for films starts in the 70's, save a handful of films, mostly from Hitchcock). So as I sat down in theatre this morning, I really didn't know what to expect. I'll be honest. Keanu Reeves is not my favorite. His best line is a film was either, "Dude, that's your mom!" ("Shut up Ted.") or "Good noodles." (I'll give a free copy of my first book to the first person who tells me that second film reference). Let's just say that I was pleasantly surprised with this film.

The story is about the day that an alien visits our planet, casting judgment on humans for the way they live. The whole movie wrestles with man's lack of redeeming qualities. Helen Benson (played by Oscar winning Jennifer Connelly) basically begs the alien (played by Reeves... he actually did a good job), to spare humankind.

The film provides some great discussions. Our ministry will probably write up several and put them on our MOVIE CLIP DISCUSSIONS page on the film's DVD release.

Another bonus... the film was completely clean. I'd let my kids watch this before Shrek 3. Nothing objectionable at all. It got a PG-13 for some sci-fi disaster images and violence. i'd let my 6th grader see it with me without hesitation.

It comes out this Friday- I give it a "Theatre Worthy."

I guess one bisexual just wasn't enough.

Let me back way up. During MTV's 2007 Video Music Awards, a commercial ran for a brand new show called A Shot at Love with Tila Tequila. In this reality show, ex Playboy and Penthouse model Tila, a self proclaimed bisexual, invites 16 gorgeous lesbians and 16 studly straight guys over to help her decide whether she is gay or straight. The commercial for this show alone could have put Viagra out of business. The following day, in my annual recap of that "VMA Awards Show", I mentioned the commercial and predicted that Tila's show would be a big hit. After all, the commercial showed lesbians making out, girls in bikini's brawling with each other... all the stuff our great nation loves.

Tila's show not only became a hit, but her MySpace page became one of the most popular MySpace pages, with more than 1.7 million MySpace "friends." Young girls began emailing the ex Playboy and Penthouse model for advice on love, sex, and relationships (receiving quality answers, I'm sure). Season 2 of Tila's show returned with more of the same (read David's in depth January, 2008 Youth Culture Window article about that season here).

MTV keeps sinking to new lows each season, knowing that sex sells. Forget the fact that "teens who were exposed to high levels of television sexual content were twice as likely to experience a pregnancy in the subsequent 3 years compared with those with lower levels of exposure." (Journal of Pediatrics, November, 2008)

The question is... what does Season 3 of this "A Shot at Love..." show have in store for our kids?

It guess Tila didn't make the cut.

Enter the "Ikki Twins" stage left. That's right... lesbian twins.

The show launches on MTV tomorrow night (Tuesday, December 9th). The sad fact is, the show is probably gonna be a huge hit with this younger generation.

You've got much better things to do than watch this show, so David has provided us with another great Youth Culture Window article about what are kids will be seeing on this MTV reality series. David also includes some questions we can use, talking to teenagers who watch the show (because, yes, many of our kids will be watching it). David says it like this:

We hope you won’t be put in that position, but just in case you hear teenagers you love talking about the show, here are a few questions to help you engage them in conversation on the very important topic of love.

I'll be a little more blunt. We're fooling ourselves if we think that kids in our ministry area won't watch this show.

For a little more about what to expect... here's the preview from MTV.com. Be warned... the preview alone is more than I would want my kids to see.

(click here to see the video if you receive this blog via email)

And a quick note to the guy who is gonna email me and say, "Why are you providing the link to this preview? That will cause some of us to stumble." Let me just answer that guy right now. First, sadly, this preview is approved for television. I'm not linking you to something R-rated. Secondly, this is straight off MTV.com  Our kids know where to find it, and the guy struggling with porn knows where it is anyway and, sadly again, knows where the more graphic stuff is (and if you struggle with porn, hopefully you have set up some safeguards and accountability that keep you from going to those sites). I show this preview to you as parents and youth workers for one simple reason: Some of us really don't realize how bad TV has become. This preview gives you just a glimpse.

My son just got his driver's permit and will take his first "behind the wheel" lesson tomorrow.

Wow! I'm getting old.

I remember my first behind the wheel lesson. I was barely 15, I didn't have a permit, my parents were out of town... and my brother taught me how to drive our VW bug over to my girlfriends house at 2AM. (Yeah... I wasn't a very good kid. Don't hold it against me.) I'm sooooooo glad that my kids aren't like I was.

Thinking about driver's licenses... I found this in my scrapbook.

Yeah... take a look at all the mischeif behind those eyes!  (Ha... 143 pounds! And no, I don't live there anymore!)

"I'll just meet kids online!"

"I text kids... it's the best way to keep contact with them."

These both sound current and efficient... but is technology really the future of connecting with kids?

A few  months ago I turned in the manuscript of my newest book to YS/Zondervan, a book titled CONNECT, all about adults connecting with kids face-to-face. As I penned the book, my publisher and I quickly resolved that we would need to include a chapter about "the dangers" and in essence "the precautions" we need to take engaging in one-on-one relationships with kids.

Here's the dilemma. Adults who care for kids realize the effectiveness of mentor relationships, but the world has become a pretty "creepy" place. If you turn on the news and hear about adults contacting kids... it raises red flags. Something good has turned into something bad because of a few "sickos" out there who have developed inappropriate relationships. If you don't believe me, just jump onto BadBadTeacher.com and take a look at which teachers, adults, pastors or coaches got in trouble this week for texting kids inappropriately, or for talking inappropriately online, or even hooking up after school.

Youth workers seem a little bit in the dark about these dangers- or maybe they just “don’t want to know.” Every time I teach my CONNECT seminar and ask the crowd to brainstorm effective methods to connect with kids, the number one answers are always cell phones and social networking.

I understand that these are good tools. But they are not the only tools. The question I have for youth workers is this: are these tools even going to be available (or legal) for us in the next few years? Because right now this is a huge discussion with lawmakers. Just a few weeks ago New York Times had an article about protecting children on the internet by providing age verification to “confirm the identities and ages of minors and then allow the young web surfers to talk only with other children, or with adults approved by parents.”

This is a pretty good idea. One, it would force youth workers and caring adults to dialogue more with parents. Two, it would obviously make it much more difficult for predators! And predators are making our job as youth workers much more difficult.

Here’s just a snippet of my “One-on-one Precautions/Boundaries” chapter from my new CONNECT book:

I just read a CNN article about a sudden increase of student-teacher sexual relationships that initiated crackdowns on social-networking friendships. According to this article, the state of Missouri has had enough. As I write this book, eleven teachers from Missouri have been disciplined, arrested and convicted of inappropriate behavior with students in the last two years. “State legislator Jane Cunningham is sponsoring a bill in the Missouri House of Representatives that would ban elementary school teachers from having social-networking friendships with their students.”  (Online Student-teacher Friendships Can be Tricky, by Mallory Simon, CNN.com, 8/12, 2008)

Texting is also being targeted as inappropriate. The same article sited an example where a mom thought a teacher was giving her child some needed extra attention, helping the child overcome shyness. The parents eventually checked the child's phone bill and found 4,200 text messages between the teacher and student.

Hello!

It’s sad to see some of these technologies abused. Last year I had a small group of junior high boys and I found that texting was by far the best way to keep in touch with them throughout the week. I used texting as a bridge to get me to face-to-face communication. Texting would help me check in with them throughout the week, and plan face-to-face meetings. It will be sad if texting becomes ultimately taboo between adult and teenager.

Social networking sites were similarly helpful. I didn’t make them the primary source of my communication by any means, but it helped me keep current with my small group and plan a time together with the click of a button. Facebook or similar sites are simply springboards I use to get face-to-face with my kids.

Even as this book is being published we are seeing legislation turn their attention to this subject more each day. We need to keep our eyes on the news and see what becomes of some of these decisions.

As you can see. Technology can be a great tool for connecting with kids. Unfortunately, it’s a tool in danger of becoming extinct, or at least heavily regulated.

So what do we do?
1. The most important things youth workers can do is take precautions to protect ourselves and the kids we minister too. Realize that the world is NOT a big fan of adult kid relationships. Make sure that we meet parents and keep open channels of communication with them. And NEVER text, IM, or chat with a kid about something that you wouldn’t want printed out in front of their parents, your head pastor and your spouse! David talked about this in our Youth Culture Window article about texting just a few weeks ago.

2. Secondly, DON’T give up on one-on-one relationships. One of the most powerful influences in the life of a kid is an adult who cares. Don’t throw out the baby with the bath water on this one. We still need to be hanging out with kids and communicating with them. Just follow the rules as you do this. Our face time with kids is far more effective than any program or any lesson we'll ever plan.

3. Segue from technology to “face-to-face.” Technology might be a great tool, just make it one of many tools. If kids seem more comfortable typing to a screen (as many do), use that as an open door to create more face to face conversations. In Chapter 1 of my book, THE NEW BREED, I discussed the seismic shift of Isolation: from Community to individualism. People have fewer close relationships than even a decade ago. Social network "friends" are not meeting the relational needs kids have. This has resulted in a need for more quality "face to face" relationships. Caring adults should use this. Slowly introduce more face to face time (safe public places, small groups, etc.) to connect with kids and be a listening ear.
 

"I'm very honest!

By the way... can I copy your homework?"

A revealing report has just been released about the ethical standards (or lack there of) of U.S. high school students. In the past year, 30% of U.S. high school students have stolen from a store and 64% have cheated on a test, according to a recent survey of 29,760 randomly selected students at 100 randomly selected high schools.

The results conclude that today's young people are less honest than previous generations. Some educators are speculating that it is because of the intensified pressures, "prompting many students to cut corners."

Here's just a snippet of some of the survey findings:

• Cheating in school is rampant and getting worse. Sixty-four percent of students cheated on a test in the past year and 38% did so two or more times, up from 60% and 35% in a 2006 survey.

• Thirty-five percent of boys and twenty-six percent of girls stole something from a store.

• Twenty percent said they stole something from a friend.

• Twenty-three percent said they stole something from a parent or other relative.

• Thirty-six percent said they used the Internet to plagiarize an assignment, up from 33% in 2004.

• Forty-two percent said they sometimes lie to save money — 49% of the boys and 36% of the girls.

Despite such responses, 93% of the students said they were satisfied with their personal ethics and character, and 77% affirmed that "when it comes to doing what is right, I am better than most people I know."

In our podcast this past May we interviewed some student leaders about the subject of integrity, asking them about the temptation of cheating. Their candid responses were quite revealing. It's evident that even our "best" church kids struggle with this.

David and I both have talked about this in various speaking venues in the last year. More than often we'll do an "on the spot" survey and ask the audience of kids to raise their hands if they've cheated in the last few years. The numbers of hands raised are always above 90 percent (these are church kids, mind you). Last weekend David did this with a smaller group in his home church and 23 out of 25 students raised their hands (that they have cheated in some way in the last few years).

But I like the study above, especially the fact that it examines the numbers of "current" cheaters (cheaters who cheated in the last year), as opposed to those who have cheated "ever." We've seen a lot of those "lifetime cheaters" reports and their numbers are much higher. I think it's revealing (and depressing) enough to see that 64% have cheated this year alone. We don't need to rely on alarmist stats. The situation is already dire (I like the Center for Disease Control's methods they use in their surveys- providing "lifetime" and "current" stats. For example: they report how many people have "ever" taken a drink, compared to "current" drinkers- those who have drank in the last 30 days, and "binge drinkers," clearly defining the difference).

I think the most revealing part of the above study is the fact that 77% affirmed that "when it comes to doing what is right, I am better than most people I know." This sounds like the quote from "the voice of this generation" Kanye West: “I definitely have conflicts. Am I able to walk like I’m Jesus Christ? No, but I do a lot more right than wrong.”

Hmmmmmmm.

(here's the link to the actually study from the Josephson Institute. ht to David, Ypulse and YS for the links to that USA Today article and the Associated Press article. )

That's the show's sound byte: "Bad just got good! " The Bad Girl's Club.

It's hard to even imagine that TV could be any worse than Tila Tequila or sexually charged programming like the Pussy Cat Dolls' reality show. But I think the Oxygen's Bad Girl's Club is pretty dang close.

(for those of you who receive this blog via email/RSS, here's the YouTube video link)

In an article last year, Media Life Magazine calls The Bad Girls Club "the show that defines Oxygen." It goes on...

“The Bad Girls Club,” the nasty, sex-filled reality romp that follows seven party girls living in one house, including a hustler and a stripper.

In one episode a housemates throws dishes and fruit at the wall in a rage. In another a girl tosses bleach on her roommates’ clothes after a perceived betrayal. All the while, the girls are hooking up with a long parade of men.

"Bad Girls" is raunchy and it’s ridiculous, for sure. But it’s also become the most-watched show on the cheeky women’s network.

This year it seems that Bad Girls has kept in the race as one of TV's top draws on Tuesday night (see the table on the bottom of this Media Life article).

I guess this is what should be expected in a world where the lines between good and bad are slowly disappearing.

Sigh.