Navigating Adolescence

BACK. TO. SCHOOL! It's that time of year again. Summer break is over, and the bus is pulling up very early in the morning. Whether you're sad, excited, or both, we're here to offer some encouragement. In this (shorter) episode, Matt offers three encouragements for parents heading into the new school year.

Recently we had the privilege to host a conversation between Jeff Helton and Laura Glover. Jeff and Laura are both parents of young adults and have developed a friendship over the years through their common work. Jeff has been a pastor and counselor for years and Laura is an addiction counselor at Cumberland Heights, a non-profit alcohol and drug addiction treatment center. Jeff talks to Laura about what parents should know as they try to navigate alcohol and substance abuse issues with their adolescents. For more information about Cumberland Heights, visit CumberlandHeights.org.

After a short break, WE'RE BACK! Today's episode is a recording from a recent gathering where Matt shared some observations of what he's seeing in regards to drug use and underage drinking among teens. For more specific information in regards to vaping, be sure to go back and listen to episode 12. Next week, we'll share the second half of this gathering which was a candid conversation between a marriage and family therapist and an addiction counselor.

In this episode you'll hear from Nate Larkin, founder of the Samson Society. Nate travels the country speaking on sexual addiction. He shares with us his own journey of pornography addiction and offers some observations on this critical topic facing adolescents today. Pornography is one of the most under discussed crises facing our society today. With great humility and transparency, Nate shares his heart for this next generation and challenges parents to think about how we can be part of the solution. Check out SamsonSociety.com to learn more about Nate's work. Check out Nate's book Samson and The Pirate Monks on Amazon or other Christian book outlets. You can get his newest book, Beyond Accountability for free at Discipleship.org. For web/mobile based resources, check out FightTheNewDrug.org and the Fortify app.

We recently sat down with our good friend Curtis Zackery, or as many of you probably know him, CZ. CZ is a teaching pastor at Church of the City, but his first job with a church was as a youth pastor. In this conversation he shares about his life growing up and what he learned about parenting from his time as a youth pastor. CZ also just wrote his first book, Soul Rest. The book looks at God's invitation for us to find rest in him. With so many parents and students alike feeling stressed out and over-worked, we were excited for CZ to share some encouragement to the parent who is having hard time finding their own rest.

Christy Nockels is a well known worship leader, songwriter, artist, and podcaster. She is ALSO a mom to three adolescents. We recently had the opportunity to sit down for a wide-ranging discussion on all things parenting. We hope you enjoy this conversation as much as we did. The instrumental version of Christy's latest album Be Held: Lullabies for the Beloved is available now at all places digital music is sold. Follow her on social media @ChristyNockels. Listen to her podcast Glorious in the Mundane.

In this episode, we are again joined by marriage and family therapist Alicia Lewis. Matt spoke with Alicia about how we can help our kids navigate their journey of discovering their identity. She shares great wisdom on developmental stages, questions to ask, and tips for having important conversations. If you enjoy this episode, be sure to go back and listen to our first conversation with Alicia on episode 05.

This episode is a recording from a recent talk Matt gave to parents at Church of the City. All adolescents are on a journey to find their own identity. In this talk Matt invites parents to consider that all adolescent behavior finds its root in the two questions every child is asking. Do I matter and do I belong? If you enjoy the episode, be sure to rate and review it on iTunes. Check us out on Facebook and @NavigatingAdolescence on Instagram.

Matt sat down with Robert Beeson from the Solo Parent Society. After a long and successful career in the music and entertainment business, Robert recently left a company he founded to devote himself full time to his work with the Solo Parent Society. SPS is working to support the 1/3 of families in our country who are being led by a single parent. They create community, provide resources, and train churches to better support single parents. Regardless of what kind of parenting season you find yourself in right now, we think you'll find this conversation with Robert both encouraging and enlightening. His book Going Solo is available on Amazon. Check out soloparentsociety.com and the Solo Parent Society Facebook page as well.

Today we interview Patsy Clairmont. She is an author and a well-known speaker, but she is also a mother and a grandmother. Though she has been in the public eye for a few decades now, she struggled with crippling anxiety as a young mother. She offers hope and encouragement to parents in all seasons of life.

We are excited to host a series of gatherings beginning April 22nd. In this episode, Matt previews what we have coming up. If you're in the Franklin/Nashville area, join us! If you're not local, let us know if you'd like to talk about how we could help facilitate similar gatherings wherever you're at. April 22nd- Navigating the identity journey with Alicia Lewis April 29th- Navigating drugs and underage drinking with Jeff Helton and Laura Glover May 6th- Navigating Pornography with Nate Larkin All gatherings will take place at 11am at Church of the City Franklin. RSVP and request childcare if necessary at churchofthecity.com/citystudents

In this episode we take a look at vaping, which one survey found is twice as popular as the use of traditional cigarettes with 8th and 10th graders. A different survey conducted by the CDC found more than 10% of high school students had vaped or used e-cigarettes before. What does it mean to vape? Why should this matter to you as a parent? How can you start a conversation on this topic with your son or daughter? These are the questions we try to answer in this shorter episode. https://offspring.lifehacker.com/what-parents-need-to-know-about-juuling-1823376027 https://gizmodo.com/why-e-cigarettes-might-not-be-as-safe-as-you-think-1589485508 https://www.nyunews.com/2018/03/25/3-26-ops-crews/

In this episode, Caleb Farley and Jason Clairmont join us to talk about the work they're doing with Be Socially Smart. BSS is a website designed to resource parents with the latest information on social media apps and trends with how young people are using smart phones. Enjoy this conversation and be sure to check out BeSociallySmart.com and find them on Facebook and Instagram as well.

After a short break, we're back! One reason we haven't posted in a few weeks is our team led two retreats for middle school and high school students in February. In this episode, Matt shares some reflections on what he learned from those weekends and offers some encouragement to parents in light of those experiences.

Our guest today is Gabe Lyons, founder and president of Q. In this episode Gabe shares the best data we have available about about how young people in America view the Bible. After explaining this information, the conversation shifts to talking about how we can shape a Biblical worldview in our children. We conclude by sharing some of our favorite resources and practical tips for helping families engage Scripture together. Resources shared are listed below. To see more about what Gabe and his team are working on, visit QIdeas.org. Books authored or co-authored by Gabe///Good Faith: Being a Christian When Society Thinks You’re Irrelevant and Extreme (Baker 2016); The Next Christians (Doubleday 2010); UnChristian: What a New Generation Really Thinks About Christianity and Why It Matters (Baker 2007) Resources mentioned in episode///TheBibleProject.com; SheReadsTruth.com; HeReadsTruth.com; YouVersion Bible app; Faithlife Study Bible app.