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WE’RE TEACHING THIS Road trips are awesome. Whether you’re heading to the mountains with your family or driving to the beach with your friends, the idea of packing up, grabbing your favorite snacks, planning the perfect playlist, and hitting the road just sounds like an adventure. And it is! Maybe that’s because new places are always exciting, or maybe it’s just that, more than anywhere else, the unexpected seems to happen on the road. Flat tires. Detours. Surprisingly great lunch…

We’re Teaching This Have you ever been to a concert? Maybe you had tickets for great seats. Maybe you were in the nosebleeds. Either way, you probably noticed that everyone had the same goal in mind, to get as close as possible. There’s just something about being near the band or near the artist that makes a great concert even more fun. But there’s a limit, right? No matter how good your tickets are, you can only get so close.…

We’re Teaching This Have you ever seen one of those really crazy celebrity headlines or photos on social media and thought, How embarrassing?! Maybe you’ve thought, I would never do that! Or, I’d never say that. Or, I’d never wear that in public. But the truth is, we’ve all done things that we wish we hadn’t. We’ve all had a most embarrassing moment…or a few of them. There’s nothing wrong with feeling a little red-faced every once in a while,…

WE’RE TEACHING THIS “Are you in?” It’s a question we all answer over and over again. When there’s a party, when our coach says it’s time for tryouts, when we’re offered a summer job, when our friends go to the movies, or when someone invites us to church, we all have the chance to decide if we’re “in” or “out” for that particular activity. Sometimes the answer is an easy, “Count me in!” Other times it’s tougher. There are good…

We’re Teaching This It’s Christmas. Nativity scenes are everywhere. You know, Mary, Joseph, shepherds, angels, and the drummer boy (who wasn’t actually there). Maybe you grew up seeing these scenes and wondered what they were all about. Or maybe you’ve heard the story a million times. Either way, there’s another story we bet you haven’t heard, characters you barely know, scenes you don’t see in the plastic nativity on your neighbor’s lawn. As we explore two often-untold parts of the…

WE’RE TEACHING THIS Have you ever seen something go viral? Maybe you saw one of those videos from a singing competition show where a candidate everyone expected to be terrible ended up being amazing. Or maybe you saw a meme with the president or the pope or Kermit the frog that was totally hilarious and you just happened to notice that it had been shared over a million times. Or it’s the GIF of the weatherman reporting from the middle…

We’re Teaching This: Have you ever felt a little crazy? Maybe you cheer for a sports team that no one else likes. Maybe you’re the only person who doesn’t love the new band everyone else is talking about. Maybe it seems like everyone understands what’s going on in Spanish class expect you. When you’re in a situation where it seems everyone agrees or understands—and you don’t—it can feel like you’re losing your mind. You wonder, “Am I missing something?” Honestly,…

October 2, 9, 15 at Sunday School and UMYF We’re Teaching This: Social Media is awesome. It’s brought us some of the best inventions in modern times. Like the selfie, or even better, the selfie stick. Maybe you’re a fan of the hashtag or the GIF or weekly holidays like Throwback Thursday. All of those were all made popular by one social network or another. And, maybe one of the best things these apps have given us is the filter.…

“Your Move” is the theme for Sunday School and UMYF for September 11, 18, and 25 We’re Teaching This: Nothing can bring out the crazy in you quite like family. Am I right? Deep down you know they probably aren’t plotting to make your life difficult, but some days it feels like that is exactly what they’re doing. Maybe that’s why we tend to respond to our family the same way we respond to sports or a video game—we strategize. You make a move to…

Over Time was the theme of our Kickoff Retreat at Camp Agape on August 19-21. Check out how you can plug into some of the practical teaching that was shared there. We’re Teaching This: Fast. It’s how our culture likes to do things. Because we lead such busy lives, we have become masters at finding the quickest way to accomplish nearly everything. And it’s awesome. This need for speed has lead us to some of the best inventions ever—things like the drive thru, the microwave,…

On July 31 and August 7 we’re taking a look at Paul’s letters to Timothy and teaching the youth that what they think and do matters. That they are not just the church of tomorrow but the church of today! Click below to read the Parent Link for We Are Young ParentCue_WeAreYoung_XP3HS

WE’RE TEACHING THIS Have you ever had a moment where you knew you needed to step up? Maybe you always sat on the bench during the basketball game, and your coach finally called you in to play. Or maybe you got selected to take a really advanced course in school. Or took a really important and high paying summer job? No matter the situation, you knew that you had two choices: either step up to the opportunity or step back…

JUDGMENT CALL -UMYF April 17 and 24 We’re Teaching This: When was the last time you had to make a tough call? Was it when deciding what to eat for lunch? To drink Coke or Pepsi? Go to the gym or skip it? The truth is, we make judgment calls all day long, from what we watch on TV or who we hang out with to more complicated decisions like whether to attend a party or stick with a tough friendship. And, in…

In April we’ve got a two week series April 3 and 10 called – “Now What?” We’re Teaching This: There are some moments in life that leave us all thinking, “Now what?”. Maybe it was when your teacher handed you a huge assignment and you didn’t even know how to start. Maybe it was staring at the blank screen after that assignment accidentally got deleted. Maybe your “now what?” moment came while sitting on the side of the road with…

In March we’re doing a three week series at UMYF called “Shadowland” – it’s serious stuff and we hope you’ll continue the conversations at home! We’re Teaching This: Have you ever turned on the news only to wish you hadn’t? Or answered a phone call only to wish you could un-hear the news on the other end? Whether it’s a global disaster, a school shooting, our parents’ divorce, or the death of a friend, there’s nothing fun about learning of a tragedy. It…

For the last two Sundays in February we’re doing a quick two part series on Dating and Relationships called “Datable” We’re Teaching This: Do you want to be dateable? Of course you do! All of us want to know that we are desirable to some other person. That there is another person out there somewhere who not only finds us attractive, but also finds us interesting, and smart, and funny, and strong, and inspiring, and did I mention attractive? We…

Here is our theme at UMYF for January and how you might be able to work with it at home – We’re Teaching This: When you were a little kid, did you ever try to light something on fire using a magnifying glass? Did you love sitting around a campfire? Or dream about the day when you’d be old enough to light the fireworks yourself? It seems there’s something in all of us that is fascinated by the power of…

Our UMYF Programs for December are based on the theme “Christmas… behind the scenes” We’re Teaching this. We’ve all seen the nativity with perfectly positioned characters, well-behaved animals, and a holy glow surrounding it all. We see everyone in the scene as if they are one big happy family celebrating the first, and probably the only, perfect Christmas. Contrast this perfect picture with our own lives, our own families and holiday drama, and we may feel the Christmas story looks…

For the month of November we’re focusing on a theme of “Game On!” 1. We’re Teaching This In any kind of competition or event, the winning is almost always connected to the amount of preparation. The practice and the skill building may not seem necessary in the moment, but when it’s Game On, those skills are what take us all the way. Daniel was a young Jewish boy who encountered his “Game On” moment over and over. Ultimately it was the preparation of…

If you’re reading any of our Youth Ministry communication this year you’ve seen references to “Orange” so What Is Orange? It’s a Strategy – Orange means combining two influences in a youth’s development – the church and the home. It means making sure that we are working together and not against each other. That parents know what we’re teaching and how to plug into it at home and that we provide multiple ways to plug into church beyond just Sunday…