I’ve been engaged in various forms of social media since AOL chat rooms in 1994. And I’ve never seen a more dangerous application targeting teenagers, specifically girls, than SnapChat.
The premise of SnapChat is simple. You take a picture, send it to a friend, and they can only see it for up to 10 seconds before it’s deleted.
And that’s where the lie begins.
I want to be blunt. My goal for this post is to motivate you to delete SnapChat from your phone.
It’s Wednesday afternoon. I’ve got one eye on finishing up my work, one eye on the clock so I don’t forget to pick up the kids from school, and another eye on a lesson I’m supposed to teach at youth group.
The problem is that I only have two eyes. There’s only one of me. And as much as I love investing in the lives of teenagers– I mean that’s what my whole life is about– I catch myself muttering this phrase: This better be worth it.
The Saturday morning session at The Summit last year was the strongest single session of any event I’ve ever attended. (And I’ve been a part of a few events) I remember leaning over to Marko and saying… “I’ve paid way more money to attend events that weren’t nearly this good.” It was that good.
Ben Chestnut’s talk is so important for leaders. He’s not just talking about this stuff out of an ethereal or academic perspective, he’s talking about it as the CEO of one of tech’s most healthy, creative, and on constantly innovative companies: MailChimp.
He dives into one of leaderships most challenging questions: How do I foster an environment that is insanely creative, moves faster than the marketplace, and sustainable so it doesn’t burn people out or run out of cash.
I have heard some form of this phrase a million times. Go to any gathering of youth workers, ask about public schools, and someone will say it.
Guaranteed.
Researchers in Sweden have found a link between kids who get in trouble and kids who grow up to become entrepreneurs.
My daughter, Megan, starts middle school on Monday. When I tell people that they tend to make this crinkly face. Like, “Oh… middle school sucks.”
To the contrary I’m pumped for her to start middle school.
New school. New friends. New stuff at church. It’s a nice fresh beginning. It’s one of those rare restart moments that life provides. Yup, there will be bumps. But yup, that’s not filling us with trepidation.
I enjoyed teaching in Encounter, the high school ministry of my church, yesterday morning. I’ve taught a few times and this was really the first time I felt comfortable to teach fully in my style. That’s hard to explain… but I only mean I was comfortable to just be me.
There’s no scripted version of this talk but I thought I’d pass along my notes as well as offer my materials for anyone who’d like them.’
This song jumps out of the radio with it’s depth and quality. So many songs on the radio are just… songs. Maybe they feature a catchy beat or a chorus you can’t get out of your head. But they aren’t really about anything.
I’m not a big book reader. Sure I read a ton every day. But I really struggle to sit down long enough to read a book. I’d rather do something. Kristen pokes fun at me because I had Master and Commander on my nightstand for almost three years before I finally mercifully finished it. Each night I’d read a paragraph or two before falling asleep. Meanwhile, she devours 4-5 books per week.
But this year I’ve found myself on a lot of planes and reading is a good way to pass the time. Consequently, I’ve read several books from cover-to-cover.
Here’s what I’ve read: (from most recent to furthest away)
