Adam McLane

What is Good News for Teenage Guys?

desert-trip

“Knowing Jesus isn’t just about when things go good. He helps you know you’re not alone when it hits the fan.”

“I’ve never heard that phrase, ‘hit the fan.’ What does that mean?”

“You’ve never heard someone say, when the **** hits the fan?”

“Oh yeah, for sure. That’s my life right now. Just never heard that phrase without the word ****. And yeah, I need this stuff to be true. My life is a mess.”

I don’t know about you. But the young men in my life are desperate for good news. It’s not just about going to church, doing happy clappy stuff, and making parents happy by going to youth group.

They need this **** to be true.

The Good News can’t just be about salvation. It needs to be good news in their life because they are desperate for good news.

Good thing it is.

Because I’d bounce too if it weren’t.

What does Good News Look Like for Teenage Guys?

The Good News is not limited to salvation. And I can’t speak for the teenage guys in your life… but the guys in my life need the Good News of Jesus Christ to really be good news to them.

Here are some things they need Jesus to help them with. If these things aren’t true, they’re gone. 

  • An identity. Everywhere they look someone is trying to tell them who they are. They are desperate to find an identity.
  • Freedom from bondage. Our culture is creating a culture of sex, drugs, and depression. They are desperate to avoid the pain those three things are causing them.
  • Friends. Not just a cool place to come, these young men need friends. They’ve got 99 acquaintances and no one to talk to.
  • Mission. For all the talk about busyness in our culture, the young men in my life are overcome by boredom. (And idle hands are the devils handiwork…) They are dying to find something to die for.

That’s a look at what good news looks like for the teenage guys in my life. What are the guys in your life looking for? 

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4 responses to “What is Good News for Teenage Guys?”

  1. Richard Jones Avatar
    Richard Jones

    Thanks. Great post. Do you think the article applies pretty much to girls, too? Or are their lives a lot different?

    Reply
    1. Adam McLane Avatar
      Adam McLane

      I guess I just don’t know enough to say yes. Right now, I primarily work with the guys in my small group. (The stuff above was a rephrasing of almost exactly what our small group talked about Wed night. I switched it around a little bit to protect their confidences, but that’s the gist of both what came out in our time together and what their prayer requests have been.)

      Reply
    2. Callie Avatar
      Callie

      From my corner of the world, I would say yes, definitely. I think that the girls tend to process these longings/needs in different ways, but the gist (and the good news!) is the same. Thanks for this list, Adam…I think it’s right on target.

      Reply
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    […] Adam McLane: What is Good News for teenage guys? – As the title suggests, this post by Adam explores what Good News actually looks like for […]

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