Ghosts in the Hollywood Machine
This article originally appeared in print journal Nov/Dec 1999.See, it was supposed to go like this. Humanity was going to become ever smarter and more evolved, science and technology were going to give us utop...
Suicide Awareness: The Difference Between ‘Spiders’ and ‘Fish’
May is Mental Health Awareness Month in the United States. I was thinking about this last night as I was giving my 3-year-old a bath. OK, I should probably disclose that I have ADHD and am usually thinking of m...
The Numbness After the Tragedy
This article originally appeared in print journal Jul/Aug 1999.Shortly before 11:30 a.m. on Tuesday, April 20, 1999, two teenagers terrorized their fellow students at Columbine High School in Littleton, Colo., ...
A Youth Minister’s Plans for Summer
This summer, we are starting several programs to propel us into the next school year. One of the first things I am doing is starting a bi-weekly study in theology. Yeah, I know, teens and theology supposedly&nb...
Interview with Melody Carlson
Most teenage girls are interested in secrets. Whether it's a friend's secret, a family secret, a personal secret or even a secret crush, teens understand reasons for secrecy. But what if a secret is harmful, hu...
Shattered by Melody Carlson
As a woman named Marsha talks to me, I feel like I'm not really here. I'm sitting on the couch in my living room, but it's like I'm not. She's been talking to me about grief, but I feel like she's speaking to s...
For White Teens, Rap Rules
This article originally appeared in print journal May/June 1999.Ever since Elvis Presley helped transform rhythm and blues into rock ‘n' roll during the racially segregated 1950s, adults have worried abou...
Becoming Conversant with the Homeschool Community
"Parents who homeschool are of the devil."I'm sure most youth workers never would say this out loud, but having been to a few youth ministry conferences and talked with youth workers that hail from all parts of...
Humanitarian Leadership Symposium
Outstanding leaders are invited to participate in the Second Annual University Scholars Leadership Symposium hosted by Humanitarian Affairs, United Kingdom. The Second Annual University Scholars Leadership Symp...
Love Wins (A Review)
Love Wins: A Book About Heaven, Hell, and the Fate of Every Person Who Ever LivedRob BellHarper Collins, 2011, 224 pp., $22.99In the midst of a sea of sensationalist headlines and tweets, trying to figure out h...