eZine 03.02.2010

The Top 12 Resources That Youth Workers Want is your one-stop shop for Youth Ministry. Recommended by Chap Clark, Kurt Johnston, Jim Burns, and more!

Today’s generation has a new pied piper: the screen. Whether it’s a Hi Def, 60″ behemoth hanging on the wall, or a 3″ screen on a cell phone that fits in a pocket, kids are entranced by the glow from the tech in their lives.

But what kids can’t take their eyes off of…parents seem to hardly notice.

The Dominance of the Screen
In our series of articles based on Kaiser Family Foundation’s Generation M2: Media in the Lives of 8-18 Year Olds, we’ve given a (staggering) overview of kids’ media consumption. We’ve also talked about how much “entertainment media” kids consume each day through music, and how much they take in through print media, as well.

But in our final article, it’s time to turn our attention to the undisputed heavyweight: the screen.

For many hours each day, kids between the ages of 8 and 18 are entranced by the LCD screens attached to video games, computers, movie theaters, televisions, and cell phones. (In fact, knowing how crucial screens are to most kids, Samsung has been hard a work creating a virtually indestructible screen that will fit kids’ lives even better.)

Sure, those screens are very different in size and location, but the content they deliver to kids will ensure that kids keep their noses glued to them. In fact, photographer Evan Baden noticed such a deep dependence on screens by kids that he put together a telling portfolio aptly entitled, The Illuminati.

The evolution of the screen over the past century has been fantastically chronicled in this video. The gist is that entertainment was once confined to the Silver Screen, but now, all things entertainment are available on a screen that fits in a pocket or purse.

As we discuss the individual screens that have captured a generation, note two things. First, see how dependent upon the various screens most kids are, and how long they look at them each and every day. But second, notice how pass? many parents seem to be in regards to the screens in their kids’ lives.

Television
If there’s a sacred cow of media, it’s “television content.” Kids watch 4 hours and 29 minutes of television programming each and every day, which is an increase of…

This brand new MOVIE CLIP DISCUSSION can help you have a great conversation with students who struggle with temper, anger, or self-control. This resource has everything you need, including scripture, small group questions… and the video clip itself!

Main Point: Each one of us has character flaws and weaknesses that can destroy our relationships and even our lives, so we must give these areas of imperfection to God and trust Him to either take them away or use them to deepen our relationship with Jesus.

The Movie Clip: “Take this temper away!”
Gifted Hands is about a man named Ben Carson who didn’t have much of a chance. Growing up in a broken home amongst poverty and prejudice, his grades suffered and his temper flared. And yet, his mother never lost faith in her son. Insisting he follow….

Listen to it now for free on iTunes! (CLICK HERE) Or, if you don’t have iTunes already… jump on Apple’s web page for a free download, then click on our podcast page.

Episode Highlights:

• Learn five ways to train your adult leaders for free
• Find out what Todd is getting Jonathan for Christmas this year
• Learn ways to sharpen the skills of your adult leaders
• Discover how you can access full, professional PowerPoint training seminars for free!