It is getting noisy out there and we are not just talking about the playground. This latest mandate from the federal government to the states for public schools to change common sense bathroom and locker room policies is confusing to kids. Confusion of course is the point. In this hyper-sexualized age lines have been blurred on sexuality and healthy relationships. Pornography has played a major role on this journey the past number of years especially as the Internet introduced a new level of accessibility, affordability and anonymity. The result is confusion running rampant in young minds.
He heard the familiar tune. From the first note it was recognizable and the volume got turned up to the max. The artist’s greatest hits were on the only 8-track tape he owned. That tape was played constantly in the old car with speakers mounted in the back window. His buddies knew what they would be listening to when he picked them up to go to school and when they returned home.
He was comfortable in his job. The pay was good, hours reasonable and travel minimal. His family’s needs were met but the wants – a second car, a bigger house and kids’ activities had the expenses out-pacing the income. He justified padding his expense account because the entertaining he was doing took away from family time. Over a few months of continued financial pressure, this manifested into falsifying invoices to funnel more money his way. He covered his tracks well for a couple of years until ...read on
His friends encouraged him to start using again. He was susceptible because they had been his “family” when his family was not around. They had become the primary influence in his life. The memory of being busted, the time in detention and even the positive experience with an organization committed to helping him get his life on the right track were not enough to equip him to say, “No!” to old friends. The strength of the past ...read on
The young men had troubled backgrounds in common. Each had been under pressure by friends and even family to drink alcohol, do drugs and/or deal drugs at a very young age. As a result, they were on a clear path to trouble and delinquency. Fortunately, their stories do not have to end tragically thanks to compassion shown by Christian ministries.
Youth-Reach Houston is a Christian ministry that gives troubled young men, 12-17, an opportunity to ...read on
It was noisy! He went to a KISS rock concert with some friends. The bass guitar and drums dominated the capacity of the speakers occasionally backing off just a bit for the lead guitar to blast through. The group was singing but the words were indecipherable. Between what was being amplified from the stage and the screams of the kids in the audience there was no discerning the song being sung. If this was the norm for live music, he preferred the radio!
Live bands have continued to increase the noise level over the years – it has become the norm. The noise level in other areas of life have been on the increase as well, especially around ...read on
Summertime meant a trip by train across the Midwest to Ohio to visit extended family. There was one train change required in St. Louis but from there it was a straight shot. The young boy tended to walk with his head down whether in a park or a train station. It was his preferred way of walking because folks did not try to talk to him if his head was down. And he certainly had no interest in talking with anyone. This particular summer when the family was walking across the concourse of the train station to the appropriate rail line, the young man was looking at his shoes as usual. As the family stopped, the boy looked up ...read on
Abandonment can rear its head in a number of ways. It can be experienced in grade school when you are the last one picked for the kickball game. It can show up for an executive in the corporate world who may find his “friends” in the workplace abandon him when he leaves the company. It certainly defines the first several years ...read on
One little lie. He had gone to a buddy’s house instead of the park as instructed and lied about it. His dad despised lying so much that he did not even use the word, “lie”. It was an “untruth” and discipline was in proportion with his disgust for the other word.
The young boy certainly learned his lesson and did not tell an untruth again. In spite of his confession and taking his licks, the family seemed to hold the incident over him with comments like, “You lied once. How can we trust you again?” The guilt button ...read on
Tennis had been an outlet, a way of dealing with frustrations even at a young age. He would practice against a backboard and serve buckets of balls on the city park courts enjoying every minute of hitting the ball as hard as he could. He developed a tenacity and endurance that allowed him to compete with boys across town that routinely received lessons from their club professionals. He received affirmation when he won the first tournament he played on their turf at age 11.
Shortly after that victory, one of the lead city professionals held a ‘day with a pro’ at the city park the boy always worked out at. The young man enjoyed the day on the courts learning more about the game he loved. Then he heard the pro ...read on
He heard the familiar tune. From the first note it was recognizable and the volume got turned up to the max. The artist’s greatest hits were on the only 8-track tape he owned. That tape was played constantly in the old car with speakers mounted in the back window. His buddies knew what they would be listening to when he picked them up to go to school and when they returned home.
He was comfortable in his job. The pay was good, hours reasonable and travel minimal. His family’s needs were met but the wants – a second car, a bigger house and kids’ activities had the expenses out-pacing the income. He justified padding his expense account because the entertaining he was doing took away from family time. Over a few months of continued financial pressure, this manifested into falsifying invoices to funnel more money his way. He covered his tracks well for a couple of years until 
His friends encouraged him to start using again. He was susceptible because they had been his “family” when his family was not around. They had become the primary influence in his life. The memory of being busted, the time in detention and even the positive experience with an organization committed to helping him get his life on the right track were not enough to equip him to say, “No!” to old friends. The strength of the past 
The young men had troubled backgrounds in common. Each had been under pressure by friends and even family to drink alcohol, do drugs and/or deal drugs at a very young age. As a result, they were on a clear path to trouble and delinquency. Fortunately, their stories do not have to end tragically thanks to compassion shown by Christian ministries.
It was noisy! He went to a KISS rock concert with some friends. The bass guitar and drums dominated the capacity of the speakers occasionally backing off just a bit for the lead guitar to blast through. The group was singing but the words were indecipherable. Between what was being amplified from the stage and the screams of the kids in the audience there was no discerning the song being sung. If this was the norm for live music, he preferred the radio!
Summertime meant a trip by train across the Midwest to Ohio to visit extended family. There was one train change required in St. Louis but from there it was a straight shot. The young boy tended to walk with his head down whether in a park or a train station. It was his preferred way of walking because folks did not try to talk to him if his head was down. And he certainly had no interest in talking with anyone. This particular summer when the family was walking across the concourse of the train station to the appropriate rail line, the young man was looking at his shoes as usual. As the family stopped, the boy looked up 
Abandonment can rear its head in a number of ways. It can be experienced in grade school when you are the last one picked for the kickball game. It can show up for an executive in the corporate world who may find his “friends” in the workplace abandon him when he leaves the company. It certainly defines the first several years 
One little lie. He had gone to a buddy’s house instead of the park as instructed and lied about it. His dad despised lying so much that he did not even use the word, “lie”. It was an “untruth” and discipline was in proportion with his disgust for the other word.
Tennis had been an outlet, a way of dealing with frustrations even at a young age. He would practice against a backboard and serve buckets of balls on the city park courts enjoying every minute of hitting the ball as hard as he could. He developed a tenacity and endurance that allowed him to compete with boys across town that routinely received lessons from their club professionals. He received affirmation when he won the first tournament he played on their turf at age 11.
