Practically Honest with Kaye Wolfinger

As youth leaders, it's difficult to say goodbye to our graduates. Especially as life takes them in new and exciting paths, but often away from our local churches. It is difficult to help guide each one of them individually to find their next place for them to grow in their faith. In this podcast, we talk about the transition to college ministry and the unique opportunities it offers as we highlight Ohioi Northern University and talk to their Chaplain and a student.

Tim Beck and I are joined by Deena Wolfe as we talk about how being youth leaders has impacted us as parents. We share our honest experiences with you in this podcast.

The pandemic as shifted ministry all together. As churches made the difficult decision to not meet in person in order to protect their most vulnerable members, many lost the connections with one another. We have discussed this in podcasts in the last few months. While we can grieve for what is lost, we need to find ways to move forward. In this podcast, I talk with a pastor/dad/youth leader about what youth ministry looks like in his church and home. Joe and his wife have seven children that range in age from eight to twenty one. I admire their approach to ministry. They just do life and welcome those around them into their daily routine. I believe this the future of ministry.

Tik Tok App took off during the pandemic. Most adults try to stay away from it. However, it is important for those of us that live and work with young people to be where they are and paying attention to what is influencing them. In this podcast we discuss the fall Tik Tok challenge called "Devious Licks" and how to stay connect to the world of young people.

As October begins, and we contemplate ministry this fall/winter, we are still faced with the difficulties of living during this pandemic in a very devasive political climate. For many church leaders, especially youth leaders, not much has changed in twelve months except the number of children and teens who are suffering from this virus. So, where does that leave us? How do we navigate a ministry when so many factors are in play? While being out talking with youth leaders, many are struggling with similar roadblocks. Here are just a few:It is difficult to know who is even a part of the youth group. Volunteers are gone or those around do not want to give of their time anymoreFeeling weary and tired. Being creative and finding new ways to reach teens is exhausting There has not been a break in 18 monthsDo we meet face to face? Outside or inside? Wear masks or not? Social distance at youth group?What does the future look like for youth ministry?We address these questions and give some thoughtful advice in this podcast.

Chasity and I discuss the book we are currently reading in our book club this month. It's a great one! John Mark Comer takes us through his own struggle in finding quiet, peace and sabbath in his own life. He talks about hurry is not from God and how it can in face separate us from God. Take a listen, even if you haven't read the book. You may be inspired to reflect on this hurried life we all lead and actually do something different.

The story of Eli and Samuel (1 Samuel 3) is still very relevant today! Eli guides Samuel and encourages him to listen for God who is calling Samuel. It is important for us to remember our own Eli(s) and challenge ourselves to be sure we have Samuel(s) that we are sharing our faith legacy with throughout our life. Take a listen as I talk to one of my Eli's, my Jr. High Youth Pastor.

This is our reaction to Tim Elmore's book, "Marching Off the Map." Ironically, he wrote this prior to the pandemic; however, it speaks even more into our situation today. Elmore does an outstanding job laying out the "Why, What, and How" for educators, coaches, youth leaders, parents and employers of the younger generations. With all the research and insight in this book, those of us leading young people are hard pressed not to change the approach we take to connect with those we seek to lead. Take a listen and let us know what you think about the book, what we highlight or your observations about the shifts in the way we need to lead these younger generations.

We talk about reframing ministry post-pandemic and share about a coaching cohort we are leading. We also talk about our dogs and dog dementia. Lots of laughs. Enjoy!

Three of my friends sit down with me as we look back over the last year. We talk about what advice we would have given ourselves as well as how to move into 2021 as different people still needing connection.

In this podcast we talk about the history of Black History Month, the purpose and why we still celebrate it today. Take a listen, like, follow, comment and share with others. You can find the blog at www.practicallyhonest.org

Take a listen as we define and talk about diversity and inclusion of all kinds, race, gender, age and the importance of having representation of all voices at the table.

We talk Post Truth what that means and how it has impacted our lives.

Two years ago today, we sent our son off to Marine boot camp. Join me and my son today as we talk about our personal experience with transitioning from having a college student to a Marine. You will still hear my raw emotion as I talk about what it was like as a mom, and he will share what was going through his mind. College isn't for everyone, and it was a lesson I learned personally.

Mark Oestreicher is our guest on this podcast as he talks with us about his newest book, "Youth Ministry In This Season Of Disruption." Join us as we talk about youth ministry in this pandemic.

Kathy Dickriede and Jason Hockran, two people I admire, join us this week on our podcast talking about their experiences in the mission field. They share their calls, passions and their personal stories of why they are passionate about mission work. Take a listen and find the links: www.practicallyhonest.org

If you are looking for a way to reach older children and younger teens, this school based community organization may be your answer. Male and female adults and older teens can volunteer to work with girls while teaching them life skills that are actually Christian-based.

EEK! Here we are, already in the Advent Season and we are tapped out. If you are still searching for something to do with Children, Teens or Family Ministries for Christmas Tide or after the New Year, we share lots of ideas on this podcast. Check out practicallyhonest.org for direct links to resources and to leave your own ideas for others.

We can't tell the future, but we do know that we are not "going back to normal" once we are on the other side of this pandemic. A few youth leaders talk about what they see as the future of Youth Ministry, post pandemic. What do you think?

Youth Leaders chat about our experiences serving in youth ministry during this time in a pandemic. We share practical ideas and ways to reach teens and young people especially now while we can not allows physically be together.

This week we talk with I Promise School teacher, Kay Low, about her calling to serve in education, her experience at I Promise, and how we can support teachers always, but especially during this fall.

Two moms talk about what it's like to say good-bye to our kids as they leave the nest to soar on their own. It's not easy, but we manage!

Are you a parent, teacher, or youth leader who is wondering how covid/quarantine, etc. is affecting your teen? We are in unchartered territory. Never have we lived through times like this, so how to we help young people through? In this podcast we talk with a mental health expert (and mom) to get her best ideas and techniques.

This is the third podcast/blog post in our series on racism.  Pastor Sheena Cameron and China Williams join Tim Beck and Kaye to talk about their experiences as African American females. We talk about white privilege, kneeling during the national anthem and how we, as white Christians, can show our support and compassion.

What do the facts say? This podcast addresses the facts that are shown through the history of our country. We (white, black and mixed race) walk through the information openly and honestly, sharing our experiences and thoughts learning from one another. You can find more information at practicallyhonest.org.

In order to understand racism today, we need to review the history as it has lead us to this point. In our blog, you will find a few helpful links and other resources to help individuals who want to educated themselves and who are leading others: www.practicallyhonest.org Be sure you listen to the podcast as well for more thoughts and information.

This podcast was recorded weeks ago and is the final in our Bible series this school year. While the events in the last week have seemed gut wrenching, this podcast and blog can be a beginning of some discussion on how God is still speaking.  Pentecost is a time for us to celebrate the Holy Spirit uniting us together in ministry. Use this as a spring board for your devotion, education and conversation that is needed for the Holy Spirit to move us into a place of unity and understanding of one another. 

People have been obsessed with the end times pretty much since Jesus left this earth. Every generation has thought they were living in the "end times," including this very moment. This blog/podcast addresses this topic head-on. Take a listen and dive a little deeper with us. 

This blog and podcast will cover later New Testament writing (pastoral epistles) We discuss a popular verse that addresses gender roles.

The Class of 2020 will go down in history. They will be forever bonded because of their experiences this spring. As the parents of these young people, we, too, share a special bond that others can't understand. In this blog and podcast, three moms talk about our different experiences being in the same situation.

We are taking a look at Paul this week and one "side" of the Pauline story. This also introduces some of the attributes of the early church (communal, house churches, etc) and controversies that developed early on.

We are talking about the new church and what the followers of Christ were going through after his death. It's interesting to take a look at bodily resurrection, ways to understand and interpret Jesus' various appearances and the words he shares with followers post-resurrection.

This particular podcast does not specifically address youth and young adult ministries, although it does affect these ministries. We are talking about how being in quarantine and relying on technology has impacted our lives and our ministries. This discussion also addresses how we will live into the future given these experiences.

During this Holy Week, as we prepare for Easter, nothing is the same as before. We can not prepare to gathering in one building for Easter services, or plan Easter dinner with extended family. But we can still celebrate. It may take digging a little deeper this year to search for the blessings, but they are still there. Please take a few minutes to listen to the podcast and challenge yourself to look at the Easter story in a new way.

We typically only think of palm branches and celebration. But this study will dive a little deeper into Palm Sunday.

Judas was the one who betrayed Jesus to the Jewish leaders. He had a key role in the story of the arrest and eventual crucifixion of Christ. Was Judas a pawn in this event? Was it free will or predestination? What if he had made a different choice? We dive into these questions and more in this podcast.

We spend a lot of time as humans wondering and talking about afterlife. There have been movies and books created to offer renditions of what things may be like after our time on earth is done. But what does the Bible say? What do you think? Take some time to listen to the podcast and read some scripture, and see what conclusions you draw.

The gospel of John takes a very different approach to telling the story of Jesus, putting it in a category of its own (not a synoptic gospel). It was long held by scholars that John did not use any of the source material (Mark, Q) that was available to Matthew and Luke. Some now think that the author(s) had access to Mark and possibly also Luke but felt very free to deviate in both style and content. Take a listen to learn more about this unique Gospel.

Today is a holiday in the church. One that not every Christian, especially protestants, observe. It may be one that seems a bit different, even a little odd. And even if we understand it, we may not know the history. This blog and podcast should help you as you reflect today, preparing for the Lenten season.

The Gospel of Luke was written for ALL people. As we look at the parables and stories shared, we see that no matter who you are, Jew, Gentile, poor, man, woman, child, diseased and ill, Jesus came with a message for EVERYONE. This message is still very relevant to us today.

This gospel is the first in the new testament but is actually written a generation after Mark. Remember, these stories were not written down in journals while the disciples were with Jesus. The stories were shared verbally for a couple of generations before they were actually written. Take a listen to this podcast to find out some more interesting truths about this book of the Bible.

It is interesting to know that the four gospels were not written in the order they appear in the Bible. Mark is also an interesting book to look at, especially the last 10 verses that were added in the past century. Nonetheless, it is important that we approach this book like we have been reading the rest of the Bible in this series of blogs, as the truth. Searching for God to find His messages and how we fit into it even today.

Jesus talked much about power dynamics, money and violence, but yet those topics are not things we tend to discuss in church today. It's interesting to look at 1st Century Palestine to see the similarities and difference of the time when Jesus walked the earth.

We will spend the next couple of weeks looking at the gospels and the beginning of the New Testament or Christian Testament.

Talking to young people about hot topics can be a bit difficult. However, those of us that live and work with teens and young adults can not avoid these conversations especially if we are in the church. Today we talk about immigration with Letty who is a US citizen and has just recently had to say good-bye to her husband of 13 years because he is an undocumented immigrant from Mexico. Be sure to listen to her story in our podcast.

We sit down with "Anna" an 18 year old from Generation Z (born 1999-2015, according to Barna research) who is open and honest about safety, isolation, anxiety, depression, faith, church and religion for her and her peers.

In our last week of Advent, we take a look at some verses from minor prophets as well as Mary's song in Luke. We are using a traditional picture of the nativity for our blog. This may also be a good opportunity to talk about how often times we misrepresent Jesus' birth with people who look like us, with kings present or even snow! But also talk about how when we relate to Christ's birth personally, we can see the importance of the story in that He came to free us all of our sin. Enjoy the podcast and discussion. Have a very Merry Christmas!

This is the third week of Advent, and we continue on in our readings in Isaiah. We have to ask ourselves as we read about Isaiah's prophecies what is the message God was sending and how is it relevant to us today? Be sure to read the scripture, listen to the podcast and ask yourself, or your small group these important questions as we wait and anticipate the celebration of the Birth of Christ.

Week two of Advent brings us to a discussion around Exile. What was the purpose of the Exile? How do we feel like we are in Exile in our lives today? Also, we will look at the promise of peace that Isaiah shares.