This month, we dive into an issue that we all know is at the forefront of child and adolescent development: the question of identity. Kids, teens, and even parents often struggle to embrace an identity that is rooted in their relationship with God. Instead, we frequently feel like we need to perform, achieve, or earn any love or acceptance, and we have great difficulty settling into an identity rooted in our relationship with God. In this episode, Sass, Kerry, and Amy discuss this struggle for identity and how we can help the kids, teens, and parents in our ministry embrace an authentic identity that will sustain them for a lifetime.

Our digital world can be complicated, frustrating, and even incredibly dangerous. But one thing is certain: it’s not going away anytime soon. The constant innovation, proliferation, and saturation of technology in the lives of our kids and teens is why ministry leaders must know how to better lead and equip parents to navigate this ever-changing space. On this episode of the M2P podcast, the team is joined by our friend and parent ministry expert, Brian Housman, to discuss some of the specific issues that arise in parents navigating technology alongside their kids and teenagers.

Brian is an influential voice in helping ministry leaders and parents discern how to guide their kids and teens to have a good perspective and healthy habits. He has traveled the world to teach and equip families since 1993 and currently serves as the Director of 360Family in Memphis, TN. Brian is also the founder of Screen Smarts, which is a revolutionary tool designed to help encourage and equip parents each week in just six minutes. Brian is a prolific writer for parenting magazines, most notably Parenting Teenagers, Homeschooling Today, and Parent Life. He has written four books: How You Always Meant to Parent, Engaging Your Teen’s World, Tech Savvy Parenting, and Raising Responsible Teens in a Digital World. Brian has been featured as a “parenting expert” (whatever that is) on more than sixty radio shows and TV programs, including FOX, ABC, and NBC affiliates. You can keep up with Brian and all he has going on through Instagram (@brianhousman) or Twitter (@BWHousman).

In this episode of the Ministry to Parents Podcast, the M2P team has a great conversation with youth ministry veteran of 35+ years, Jaymes Curran. Jaymes currently serves as the Director of High School Ministry at St. John Neumann Catholic Church in Austin, TX, and uses MinistryToParents in some truly inspiring ways. Our discussion with Jaymes centers around how he is utilizing M2P’s resources to equip the parents of his parish and, specifically, his creative use of M2P’s grade-specific family experiences on the church’s website. Jaymes has a great story and some great ideas about how we can equip and encourage parents as they seek to lead their kids and teens.