Mark Matlock
Zondervan, DVD and Leader Guide, 144 pp., $29.99

Why Not Now? is a timely resource designed to help our teenagers see they don’t have to wait until adulthood to serve God boldly. By using six biblical examples, Mark Matlock unpacks what it means to make bold decisions and take smart risks to follow God’s call. This tool can be used by youth workers with their groups because it offers a challenging message, is supported by Scripture and allows enough structure for youth workers to follow the program word-for-word or add to the structure. The video helps address the needs of the sight- and sound- driven generation; however, the presentation is merely Matt talking in front of a screen. Watching the videos may not be impactful for students, but could be a great preparation resource for the teacher. The leader’s guide booklet is an easy-to-read resource with lessons that can be followed explicitly or used as an outline. In addition, the session reinforcements and teasers can sustain the lesson’s impact beyond the initial experience.
—Edward J. Young, a native of Charleston, S.C., and currently living in Charlotte, N.C., is a licensed minister with a heart to preach the gospel and help youth reach their full potential. He has served as a high school Bible study teacher for four years and is the former youth auxiliary supervisor for the Reedy River Baptist Association (Greenville, South Carolina). In addition to working as a college administrator, heenjoys spending time with his wife and two sons.

Why Not Now? is the newest DVD-driven curriculum from author, speaker and youth ministry guru Mark Matlock. It is a 6-lesson curriculum covering the lives of six young people from the Bible. The DVD is simple but powerful as Mark shares and speaks directly to students. There are no fancy effects or production; it just a straight-from-the-heart talk from a youth pastor in each 10- to 11-minute segment. The DVD is accompanied by a leader guide that could easily stand alone. The book is well-written and of high quality. As with the DVD, there is no extra fancy fluff or unnecessary elements; it is a solid back-to-basics teaching resource. Though at first glance some might dismiss this product as a quick repackage of some of the old, standby classic Sunday School stories, it is far from it. With insight and wisdom that only comes from years of experience ministering to and with students, Matlock offers a thoughtful and excellent new gift to youth ministry. I would give it a strong recommendation for those who are new to youth ministry, volunteers or in a small church setting. It can effortlessly be used to take some of the burden off of those who may not have as much time to prepare a full lesson each week.
—Dan Istvanik is a middle school/junior high youth pastor in Mansfield, Ohio, and has been in youth ministry for about 18 years. He shares his resources and “ran-dumb” ideas on his middle school/junior high blog TheJHUthGuy.

In their DVD lesson series, Why Not Now, Mark Matlock and Christopher Lyon offer a look into the lives of six young individuals in the Bible (three boys, three girls) who took great risks for God. The premise of this DVD series is to encourage teenagers to take risks that involve their faith in order to show the world how great, wonderful and loving is the God of all. Each individual is focused on a particular session of this lesson series and is characterized by the risk he or she took. From there, Matlock discusses how teenagers today can take the same risks. The DVD of Matlock sharing is very boring but informal. The study guide notes that the DVD is to be used if there is no one given a message or for preparation of the lesson. Therefore, I do not recommend the use of the DVD unless it is necessary because I contend it would not keep teenagers’ attention for very long. The study guide included is written very well; it’s easy to follow with challenging questions for individual or group use. I would recommend this DVD series for very busy youth leaders and/or churches that do not have a youth leader to provide a lesson.
—Chris Ensley, Professor for Tabor College in the Christian Ministry Program; Youth Pastor, Marion Christian Church, Marion, Kansas

Why Not Now is a great resource to have for students who need an extra push. Too often students feel inadequate and unprepared to go out and do what God is calling them to do. It is frustrating to me when people call this generation “the church of tomorrow,” when they could be the church of today. If you need a good six-week curriculum that is moldable to your specific group and challenges students to do something now, then this needs to be in your library.
—D.J. Pittman, Youth and Family Minister, Branches of Christ, Acworth, Georgia

This is a six-week series on risk-taking geared for the middle school/senior high age group. It is based around six character sketches. It has a DVD of Mark Matlock doing a brief lesson/lecture (10 minutes) and a leader’s guide with speaking prompts. The leaders guide (book) is very thorough This is a book I could hand to just about any adult, and it would walk him or her through leading the group. There are many things I don’t like: First, the video is mostly pointless. It is basically Mark Matlock talking to you as if he is in front of the class. It would be very easy to forego the video. Second, the subjects and character sketches are weak. They basically tell the Bible story and make two or three points from the stories. The points they make are a reach with the stories that are highlighted. Finally, there aren’t very many options for activities. They have a couple of exercises/quizzes but nothing much beyond that. This curriculum is made to be used in a discussion-based group. It can be used for groups that have weak leaders, but the DVD is superfulous. I don’t see myself using it.
—Chris St. Clair

Mark Matlock’s presentation style in the DVD series is natural, engaging and easy; it should be very accessible to kids from junior high to senior high. His delivery is direct, sincere and challenging, making it very helpful to the leaders using this series. The content of the six topics covers areas that will speak to the kids hearing them. While all of the episodes are good, two that stood out to me include 1) “Being Braver” (session 3, on David), with Mark’s discussion on two types of bravery—being assertive and standing firm—and 2) “Stand Stronger” (session 5, on Daniel and friends), with Mark’s discussion on peer pressure, how it works, what it does to everyone and how to contend with it creatively. Each session includes plenty of material in the leader’s guide to conduct a vibrant group study; none of the DVD’s session primers run more than 14 minutes, leaving ample time for group engagement, Bible study, application ideas and prayer. Somewhat surprisingly, this terrific resource is not age-recommended. While I appreciate being given the opportunity to determine what age group it will be relevant to, some leaders may prefer to have some suggestion for what age groups or grades to apply this resource. Good stuff, Mark and Youth Specialties! We’ll use this with our junior and senior high kids immediately.
—Joel Lund has been working with students, parents and youth leaders for more than 30 years. He’s the co-founder of Prepare for Rain, and recently a managing principal of a national investment firm. Joel is the author of The Ultimate Survival Guide for Youth Ministers, and Watson’s Way: Life Lessons We Earned from Our Brilliant Dog (coming out in November). He also is writing a YA-novel series that his 16-year-old daughter believes will become a best-seller. Joel lives in Idaho with his singer-songwriter wife, Janet (on iTunes), daughter and too many pets.

Helping teenagers understand they can make a difference in the world as a teenager is one of a youth worker’s goals. Why Not Now? provides six examples of biblical characters who were used by God as young men and women. This curriculum is filled with really good material on the DVD and in the book. You either can use the material as a starting point and develop your own lesson or use the material as is. There are questions included to help your students discuss the material and how it will apply to their personal lives. The curriculum comes with a DVD of Mark Matlock teaching on each lesson, but the material is not dependant on watching the DVD. You can decide what will be best for your group. One other positive in the material is a “between sessions” section at the end of each lesson. This section includes a few social media comments/questions to post after your group meets, as well as a few teasers to post before the next group meeting. If you are looking for some material to help your students learn about being used by God, then you will not go wrong with this curriculum.
—Mike Kupferer is a full-time youth minister in Northwest Ohio. He has been ministering to students for more than a decade.

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