Podcasts about teenagers

Achtung Triggerwarnung!! Höre die Folge nicht, wenn du mit dem Thema Suizidgedanken oder Selbstverletzung ein Problem hast! In dieser besonders ehrlichen und tiefgehenden Podcastfolge spreche ich mit Martina – Kinder-, Jugend- und Familiencoach – über ein Thema, das viele Familien betrifft, über das aber viel zu selten offen gesprochen wird:

Stefan Molyneux looks at how mysticism, philosophy, and communication overlap, in response to a listener's question about higher powers, emphasizing the use of reason and precise definitions to cut through vagueness in talks about belief. The discussion covers ideas like consciousness, love, and attachment, with him arguing that genuine moral love goes beyond basic instincts. He points out the problems vague terms create in society and pushes for common definitions to improve how people communicate. On dreams, Molyneux sees them as straightforward experiences from life, not as sources of mystical insight. He wraps up by noting the role of clear thinking and rational talk in dealing with complicated aspects of life, and encourages people to express their thoughts with care.Emails:Hello Stefan,Following your most recent, as of today, FDR podcast.(6292). I wanted to hopefully offer you some perspective that may or may not be helpful. As before, I understand that your time is valuable. I do think though that my perspective, linked to IQ and seeing things very differently to you, might be of aid. The reason I have added this onto an existing email is just for familiarity because I will mildly use this backdrop for additional thoughts. I did talk to you briefly on podcast 6147. But I wanted to offer you my thought process here because it might offer you some insight into your value in a way you had not considered. Firstly, what I believe is important background as to my perspective on this entire mysticism thing. I do believe in the existence of something higher and more powerful and that has communicated with us. Certainly, a little through the bible. But mostly not through the bible. There is channeling, including the human design chart, to back this up. So I do believe the new age at its core has some good concepts. BUT, I also believe that there is a huge, and incredibly powerful toxic element of the new age. There is a mix of non complete understandings and such. For this reason, I do think that your perspective and that of many who have similar perspectives is valuable. In that keeping things to objective reality. To challenge said toxicity. There is more to this understanding. But I think that explains the core of my thoughts. People that are truly inclined to the spiritual stuff I look at will find it. But people that don't really commit and use the bare minimum of it to justify madness. It is good that that is challenged. it is similar in some ways, if you imagine a society that has innovators and Socrates following philosophers. The innovators want to do innovating and the Socrates people want nothing to exist or be real or whatever. Even though philosophy as a discipilne is extremely useful and powerful. Some of those innovators might be best served in dismissing it as the ravings of lunatics and just getting on with Innovating. So I want to describe the dream I had that stopped me talking further about mysticism. I fully acknowledge none of this makes sense since I have no following. But it still might offer an interesting perspective. It is of course not likely that if I offered a genuine challenge to your view on that that evildoers would pick it up and run with it. But apparently the dreams thought it was a suitable fear to highlight. So I went with it. My argument on mysticism would be as follows. This is not something I am committed to or care about but it was what I was thinking. It is now the story in something else I want to express. Firstly, your original statement is that mysticism is the gateway to mental illness. Firstly of course, I wrote to you on the definition of mysticism. Which I would use my own after having defined it due to the problems with yours that I highlighted. I would further refine that now by defining a primary and secondary faith. But anyway, per your argument, I would say, if mysticism is a gateway to mental illness. Then that would assume it would not in general, be used to solve mental illness. I would further refine the use of symbolic things to reach understandings. Such as tarot cards. By asking why do we dream. Why does our subconscious communicate in such a way? I would answer this by saying what is the alternative? The alternative being that without the subtlety and indirectness. The subconscious would communicate more like a dictator. Even giving the information without veil would have this effect. Since once we know the right thing to do we have more responsibility and consequences than before we know that. So what does this sound like? This sounds like schizophrenia! I would then talk about how a possible theory for it, is that if the problem gets too serious. If the subconscious mind is screaming too loudly. It busts through the conscious/ subconscious barrier too loudly, and that's where this comes from. (This is roughly what I think happened with my schizophrenic break, some of my ideas come indirectly from the psychologist Elinor Greenberg who talks about how dreams help low level schizophrenics)This would then correlate schizophrenia, and that kind of non objective, symbolic understandings. More with the symptom of other problems than with it being the cause. I would also define mainstream faith based Christianity as mysticism. As per my earlier example. And show times when this has been used to help people. Such as when the Ukraine war used to go a bit crazy women on Gab used to put loads of Christian sayings out. Women cannot biologically deal with war, but they still have fear, so a tool like mysticism to reduce the fear is perhaps highly positive. So now I get to the point. Like I said and strongly believe. It is unlikely evildoers would take such a reasoning as this and run with it to dent your power. But the dreams still responded like this was the case. The dream I had, (I do not like to tell others my dreams I prefer to interpret but I am making an exception here). I was about to make a few youtube videos on this. But I had a dream with Pearl Davis being aggressively tortured. She has mentioned a few times over the years how she has been sued and things. It was a pretty shocking dream. It felt kind of real. But what I think it could mean, is that your platform and output in this kind of social war, was significantly impacting people like Pearl by pushing back on intensely female and active toxicity we are currently witnessing (Taking us back to the point on mysticism and the Socrates philosophers analogy).I realise you might not interpret it the same way. Like, you might believe that all individuals in our dreams are parts of ourselves along a Family Systems therapy line. But I just wanted to provide that feedback in case it does provide some perspective or help in some way. Best Wishes,Joe ---It has been some years since I listened to your last podcast, 'Why animals can't love.' At that point, I quit Molyneaux. It has occurred and re occurred to me that you continued to make consciousness or choice the mandatory when it comes to capacity to love.This thinking backs exactly into a contradiction. We know that infants have neither consciousness nor choice, yet, any parent knows the infant loves. Toddlers are compelled to love, but they love nonetheless. Teenagers, etc. Not only compelled to love, but can be. Of course, Molyneaux would say, 'But that's no real love.' But some of it is. The child still wants to love the parent even when virtue (lack) seeks to negate. Some part of that child does still love. I always believed that your false philosophy on animals and love conditions backed directly into the right, even obligation, to abort children. The threadline of your 'philosophy' justified abortion. Since the infant has no choice or consciousness. He is more animal, less human. The right to kill seems elementary. That's always deeply concerned me that something is off center in your work. Mean spirited. Resentful. Death-loving. A hint of Crowley, even though 98% of your takes are good. I know you made your cash on bitcoin. Congratulations. Make an atheist like yourself proud. Your constant promise that you'd go down as a philosopher great, today and/or in 400 years from now, shows no evidence.GET FREEDOMAIN MERCH! https://shop.freedomain.com/SUBSCRIBE TO ME ON X! https://x.com/StefanMolyneuxFollow me on Youtube! https://www.youtube.com/@freedomain1GET MY NEW BOOK 'PEACEFUL PARENTING', THE INTERACTIVE PEACEFUL PARENTING AI, AND THE FULL AUDIOBOOK!https://peacefulparenting.com/Join the PREMIUM philosophy community on the web for free!Subscribers get 12 HOURS on the "Truth About the French Revolution," multiple interactive multi-lingual philosophy AIs trained on thousands of hours of my material - as well as AIs for Real-Time Relationships, Bitcoin, Peaceful Parenting, and Call-In Shows!You also receive private livestreams, HUNDREDS of exclusive premium shows, early release podcasts, the 22 Part History of Philosophers series and much more!See you soon!https://freedomain.locals.com/support/promo/UPB2025

TT: Logic and Prioritization In this show, The Teenagers (Deven and Ethan) talk about lessons like the importance of logic and prioritization in life. They also talked about a bunch of weird things that are going on in the world. There are theories about Jeffry Epstein still being alive, with possible evidence originating from a video game. There was talk about a supposed leak about Harris and AOC having a political add using gen Z Memes. They also brought up the truth behind Lemons, and much more. Sponsors: American Gold Exchange Our dealer for precious metals & the exclusive dealer of Real Power Family silver rounds. Get your first, or next bullion order from American Gold Exchange like we do. Tell them the Real Power Family sent you! Click on this link to get a FREE Starters Guide. Or Click Here to order our new Real Power Family silver rounds. 1 Troy Oz 99.99% Fine Silver Abolish Property Taxes in Ohio: www.AxOHTax.com  Get more information about abolishing all property taxes in Ohio. Our Links: www.RealPowerFamily.com Info@RealPowerFamily.com 833-Be-Do-Have (833-233-6428)

Megan Garcia's son Sewell died by suicide when he was just 14 years old. In the months leading up to his death he had been in a relationship with a chatbot on a platform called Character.ai. Megan was convinced it had something to do with his death, and set out to hold the company to account.In the third episode in this season, Cristina Criddle speaks to Megan about her story, and to Karandeep Anand, chief executive of Character.ai. Why has this technology been released to children before we understand the effects? Can chatbots capable of creating emotional bonds with users ever be safe for children?Check out some of Cristina's reporting on this subject on FT.com:Character.ai and Google agree to settle lawsuits over teen suicidesAI start-up Character.ai bans teens from talking to chatbotsUS regulator launches inquiry into AI ‘companions' used by teensArtificial Intimacy is presented by Cristina Criddle and produced by Persis Love and Edwin Lane. The executive producer is Flo Phillips. Sound design is by Breen Turner and Sam Giovinco. The FT's global head of audio is Cheryl Brumley.The FT does not use generative AI to voice its podcasts.If you have been affected by the issues raised in this episode, you can reach out to a mental health helpline, such as the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline in the US or Samaritans in the UK. Help for many other countries can also be found at Befrienders Worldwide.Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Ask Rachel anythingMattering is a deep human need to feel valued beyond achievements. It's something we all need, but are we getting it?The new book by Jennifer Breheney-Wallace focuses on "Mattering," discussing how societal pressures, particularly on teenagers, exacerbate this need. She emphasizes the importance of adults feeling valued at work to better support their children. Wallace suggests practical strategies like minimizing criticism, prioritizing affection, and fostering interdependent relationships. She also highlights the impact of social media on extrinsic values and stresses the need for parents to focus on intrinsic values to raise resilient, well-rounded children.FIND JENNIFER HERE:https://www.jenniferbwallace.com/BUY MATTERING HERE:https://amzn.eu/d/0fX3Q4KdFIND RACHEL'S SUBSTACK HERE:https://teenagersuntangled.substack.comMattering is a fundamental human need that drives behavior.The adolescent years are particularly fragile for developing a sense of mattering.Adults also struggle with feelings of not mattering, impacting their ability to support teens.Building connections and support systems is essential for both parents and children.Minimizing criticism and prioritizing affection helps children feel valued.Surrounding oneself with supportive families can reinforce shared values.Focusing on intrinsic values over extrinsic ones promotes better mental health.Social media exacerbates feelings of inadequacy and should be monitored.Parents can counter achievement pressures by communicating unconditional love.Support the showPlease hit the follow button if you like the podcast, and share it with anyone who might benefit. You can review us on Apple podcasts by going to the show page, scrolling down to the bottom where you can click on a star then you can leave your message. Please don't hesitate to seek the advice of a specialist if you're not coping. When you look after yourself your entire family benefits.My email is teenagersuntangled@gmail.com My website has a blog, searchable episodes, and ways to contact me:www.teenagersuntangled.com Find me on Substack https://Teenagersuntangled.substack.comInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/teenagersuntangled/Facebook: https://m.facebook.com/teenagersuntangled/You can reach Susie at www.amindful-life.co.uk

Teenagers with superpowers in a post-apocalyptic highschool setting. What could possibly go wrong? Join our heroic players Byll, Jorien, and Monica in their fight against the evil that Joaquin will unleash upon them. Intro Music: Aaron Kenny - Yonder Hill and Dale Outro Music: John Deley and the 41 Players - Ersatz Bossa (Sting) Check out our: Discord Chat: https://discord.com/invite/yRBnVqVm2F Twitter Feed: https://twitter.com/BoldCrewRPG LinkTree: https://linktr.ee/BoldCrewRPG

Truth and helps for teenagers

Hello, hello newsies!! Yes, we've taken quite the long Christmas, New Year, errrr, January break! Yes, work, school and life took over a bit (which happens more and more that Leela is a TEENAGER now, can you believe?!). But, we're back in time for the… new Chinese New Year, yay! Or should we say, neeeehaaaay! Because, yes, it's the Year of the Horse for 2026. We'll give you the low-down on what that represents and, as ever, what the zodiac calendar means. 

Following in the footsteps of Australia late last year, the Irish government are considering placing a ban on social media for children under 16. While politicians and experts discuss the correct course of action to take on this issue, Studyclix surveyed over 1,700 of its teenager users to get the opinion of those affected by the potential ban. Andy, Aisling and Erin got on the mic to discuss the results of the survey, as well as give their take on the whole thing.------What should we cover next on the podcast? Drop us a line at info@studyclix.ie, or reach out to us on social media. Our DMs are always open

You are going to love this episode. Today we are going to dive into a teenager's emotional life. I think what makes parenting teens so challenging is dealing with their intense emotions. Sometimes you're the target of their emotional storms and sometimes they turn their emotions inward. You worry about them being depressed or anxious. How many times have we brought up a simple request to our teen, but it turns out to be not so simple because it triggers a huge emotional response? Moms can find themselves avoiding talking about important topics because they don't know how to handle their emotions. I invited Dr. Lisa Damour, the author of The Emotional Lives of Teenagers, to talk about this nuanced subject of teenage emotions. In this episode we focus on her chapter called Managing Emotions, Part One: Helping Teens Express Their Emotions and the following chapter called Managing Emotions, Part Two: Helping Teens Regain Emotional Control Recognized as a thought leader by the American Psychological Association, Lisa Damour, Ph.D., co-hosts the Ask Lisa podcast, writes about adolescents for the The New York Times, appears as a regular contributor to CBS News, works in collaboration with UNICEF, and maintains a clinical practice. She is the author of three New York Times bestsellers, The Emotional Lives of Teenagers: Raising Connected, Capable, and Compassionate Adolescents, Untangled: Guiding Teenage Girls Through the Seven Transitions into Adulthood and Under Pressure: Confronting the Epidemic of Stress and Anxiety in Girls. She and her husband have two daughters and live in Shaker Heights, Ohio. To find out more about the Emotional Lives of Teenagers go to ⁠https://drlisadamour.com/ ⁠ And while you are there go to the tab that says How Can I Help to get your downloadable bookmarks. Follow Lisa on Instagram at ⁠https://www.instagram.com/lisa.damour/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Vom Medikament, das Menschen helfen soll, zur Droge, die Menschen tötet. Dieser Weg verläuft oft gefährlich schnell über fließende Grenzen. Gerade bei Fentanyl. Ein starkes Schmerzmittel, das immer wieder als Droge missbraucht wird. In den USA sterben daran im Schnitt jede Woche mehr als 20 Teenager. Auch deshalb, weil Drogen gezielt mit Fentanyl versetzt werden, was ihre Gefährlichkeit um ein Vielfaches erhöht. Wie lässt sich verhindern, dass Fentanyl in tödlicher Zusammensetzung und Dosierung auch bei uns weiter um sich greift? Welche Rolle spielt es schon jetzt in der Drogenszene? Wo kommt es her? Wer ist davon bedroht? Und steht zu befürchten, dass Fentanyl auch in Partydrogen landet? Darüber spricht Oliver Glaap mit Christiane Holze, deren Sohn an einer Überdosis Fentanyl gestorben ist und die sich in der Tilman-Holze-Stiftung für Aufklärung und Prävention gegen Drogenmissbrauch einsetzt. Außerdem mit Bernd Werse, Leiter des Instituts für Suchtforschung an der UAS Frankfurt, mit Oliver Hasenpflug vom Konsumraum Niddastraße in Frankfurt und Tino Igelmann, Leiter des Zollkriminalamts. Podcast-Tipp: hr1 Talk Prof. Dr. Bernd Werse leitet seit 2024 das Institut für Suchtforschung (ISFF) an der Frankfurt University of Applied Sciences. Davor war er lange Jahre Leiter des Centre for Drug Research an der Goethe Universität, wo er zahlreiche Projekte im Feld der Suchtforschung betreute. Im hr1 Talk mit Klaus Reichert berichtet er über den aktuellen Stand der Sucht- und Drogenforschung in Deutschland, der speziellen Situation in Frankfurt und begründet, warum er eine kontrollierte Legalisierung von Drogen befürwortet. https://www.ardaudiothek.de/episode/urn:ard:episode:407db9fb60922f60/

Richard Nixon came within a gnats eyelash of being impeached over the Watergate scandal, but ended up resigning instead. Despite some of his positive achievements, he is generally considered a bad president. But what about Trump? Is he worse?In this episode of Lean to the Left, host Bob Gatty is joined by novelist and podcaster Laura VanWormer, creator of the serialized audio fiction podcast Class of '74.The conversation explores the dynamics of political power through a compelling comparison of Donald Trump and Richard Nixon, with VanWormer offering a provocative take on why Nixon—despite his flaws—represented a more functional form of leadership.Laura also shares her deeply personal journey following a devastating car accident that forced her to step away from writing novels—and how that loss unexpectedly gave rise to Class of '74, a podcast that blends 1970s nostalgia, political backdrop, and soap-opera storytelling into a modern audio experience enjoyed by listeners around the world.This episode is a reflection on:• Political leadership and historical perspective• Resilience after personal tragedy• Podcasting as a new literary frontier• Humor as a survival tool in dark political timesThoughtful, funny, and deeply human, this conversation is a reminder of the enduring power of storytelling—and the importance of laughter when confronting history and the present moment.

Two men are accused of shoving a 16-year-old boy to the ground and robbing him as he tried to get off a Red Line train at the Garfield stop.

Sebastian Meyer ist Komponist zeitgenössischer Musik und hat je einen Master in Musiktheorie und Komposition. Ausserdem schreibt er Musik für die Basler Fasnacht. Irgendwann hat er festgestellt, dass ihm das Komponieren allein nicht reicht. Darum macht er jetzt noch eine Lehre als Papiermacher. Sebastian Meyer ist ein musikalischer Senkrechtstarter. Schon mit zwölf Jahren entdeckt er die zeitgenössische Musik. Gleichzeitig lernt er Piccolo und begeistert sich für die Basler Fasnacht. Rasch beginnt er zu komponieren. Sowohl zeitgenössische Musik wie auch Fasnachtsmusik, die bei ihm weit über die traditionellen Piccolo-Märsche hinausgeht. Die Begegnung mit dem Fasnachtserneuerer und Komponisten Bernhard Batschelet bereits als Teenager und die mit seinem Lehrer Erik Oňa während des Studiums sind prägend und machen aus ihm einen Komponisten zeitgenössischer Musik und spezieller Fasnachtsmusik gleichermassen. Von seinen Prägungen und Begegnungen, von der zeitgenössischen Musik und den Möglichkeiten der Fasnachtsmusik und von seiner ganz anderen Welt als Lehrling des Papiermacherhandwerks an der Basler Papiermühle erzählt Sebastian Meyer am Vorabend der Basler Fasnacht 2026 im Gespräch mit Gastgeber Michael Luisier. Die Musiktitel: - Bernhard «Beery» Batschelet: Lumpensammler (Museumsgruppe) - Elnaz Seyedi: Felsen unerklärlich (The Monochrome Project; Marco Blaauw, Leitung) - Igor Strawinsky: Larghetto & Moderato, aus Cinq doigts (Idil Biret, Klavier) - Igor Strawinsky: Moderato & Larghetto, aus Eight instrumental miniatures (Canadian Broadcasting Symphony, Toronto; Igor Strawinsky, Leitung) - Erik Oña: Fünf Lieder (Thürmchen Ensemble: Truike van der Poel, Mezzosopran; Caspar Johannes Walter, Violoncello) - Morton Feldman: Crippled Symmetry (Ausschnitt) (Eberhard Blum, Flöte/Bassflöte; Nils Vigeland, Klavier/Celesta; Jan Williams, Glockenspiel/Vibraphon)

Two men are accused of shoving a 16-year-old boy to the ground and robbing him as he tried to get off a Red Line train at the Garfield stop.

Heute zu Gast bei KUNZES KOSMOS: Luiz Budach. Janine und ihr Sohn sprechen offen über Schulalltag, Leistungsdruck, Motivation, Zukunftsangst und das Gefühl, im System festzustecken. Frühes Aufstehen, Noten, Handy-Konsum, Lehrermangel — und die Frage, ob Schule wirklich aufs Leben vorbereitet oder nur auf die nächste Klausur — lassen Elternsicht und Teenager-Realität frontal aufeinanderprallen. Eine ehrliche Folge über das Erwachsenwerden heute, Generationskonflikte und den Wunsch, Jugendliche wirklich zu verstehen statt nur über sie zu sprechen.

Two men are accused of shoving a 16-year-old boy to the ground and robbing him as he tried to get off a Red Line train at the Garfield stop.

Guests:Dr Jennifer Reid, Clinical Psychiatrist and Assistant Professor at the University of PennsylvaniaNick Charalambous, Managing Director of Alpha WealthTony Griffin, author of ‘Teenagers' Book of Life'

Guest: Tony Griffin, author of ‘Teenagers' Book of Life'

Truth and helps for teenagers

映画『花束みたいな恋をした』に登場する印象的な台詞「社会は、お風呂みたいなもの」。でも果たして会社に勤める＝社会人になることは、お風呂に入ることと同じなのか？というかそもそも社会人って何？大学院生は？会社に勤めている意識はあるけど、社会に帰属している意識ってある？などなど。学部生を卒業し会社や大学などで自分たちの将来を模索しているRadio18sメンバーとゲストが、社会人という概念について徹底討論しています！！ゲスト：本田さんラジオネーム：本田さんと電話を繋ぐ/「おとな」という表現が指す意味/会社勤めすると社会に出ている意識があるのか、気になる/「社会人」という概念にしっくり来ていない/丸の内のハイブランドのお店には帰属意識が生まれようがない？/議題「社会は、お風呂だったのか？」/ワーカホリックになっている人しかいない/「仕事だから」他の予定を制限できるというのは、道理が通ってなさすぎる/プロ意識が芽生えると、仕事や研究に集中できてしまう/向こうがこっちを「プロ」と見てしまう/「プロ」として腹を括るプロセスを用意してほしい/修士論文を書き、進学か就職かを決意した時期が、覚悟を決めた時期？/生きるためにやるだけと思っていたのに、周りの人はそうではない/トリプルファイヤーの「スキルアップ」の歌詞/適正な労働の質や労働の価格と、自分のスキルとのバランスって取りようがない？/労働運動を起こすという発想が妨害されている/会社勤めあるある：一人称は「私」？/謙譲語に全然慣れない/ミーティングをMTGと書く/ズームの招待リンクを「インビ」と書く/「刈り取る」というワードが銀行と出版社でちがう意味を持つ/アカデミアの世間知らずな感じにも違和感/「社会は、お風呂だったのか」という決を取る

This is the morning All Local update for Saturday February 21, 2026.

Rebellious teenagers often feel like no one understands them. On today's edition of Family Talk, Dr. James Dobson continues his powerful conversation with Rev. Franklin Graham, Pastor Raul Ries, and Pastor Mike MacIntosh who were once troubled teens themselves and later went into full-time ministry. They share how prayer, patience, and the power of God's Word helped them find their way back. This honest conversation offers hope for weary parents in the trenches. To support this ministry financially, visit: https://www.oneplace.com/donate/707/29?v=20251111

Social media is 'well down the list' of factors impacting youth mental health, according to experts warning against a blanket ban for teenagers. Anton discusses this further with Dr Ruth Melia, Department of Clinical Psychology in University of Limerick.

Childhood wounds can leave lasting scars, but God's healing power transforms even the mostbroken lives. On today's classic edition of Family Talk, Dr. James Dobson has a conversation with Rev. Franklin Graham, Pastor Raul Ries, and Pastor Mike MacIntosh. These three influential men share powerful testimonies of defiance and redemption, revealing how Christ rescued them from darkness and called them into ministry. To support this ministry financially, visit: https://www.oneplace.com/donate/707/29?v=20251111

"Connect with Us: Follow us for updates, bonus content, and discussions about all things South Park. On Facebook: @SouthParkPod On YouTube : @SouthParkPod On TikTok : @SouthParkPodOn X: @SouthParkPodsOn Blue Sky: @smbsouthparkreview.bsky.social On Instagram: @SouthParkPodcastSubscribe and Support: Subscribe to SMB South Park Review Crew on your favorite podcast platform to never miss an episodeContact: Got a question, suggestion, or just want to share your thoughts on South Park? Reach out to us at suckmyballspod@gmail.co or visit us at linktr.ee/southparkpod

In der ZEIT war wieder einmal ein schmalziger und völlig unkritischer Artikel über das Leben von Jesus zu lesen. Patrick Schwarz faselt über Jesus als Baby, als Kind, als rebellischer Teenager und als vom Schicksal getriebener Erwachsener. Mit großem Pathos wird Jesus glorifiziert. Von journalistischer Distanz ist kaum noch etwas zu spüren. Die Ketzer schreiten ein.   Kommentare? Hier geht's zu YouTube... Neues Buch von Jörn Dyck: Die Morde der Bibel Das Buch bietet einen fundierten und gut lesbaren Rundgang durch das Alte Testament. Jörn Dyck als Sprecher auf Deiner Veranstaltung Weitere religionskritische Quellen: Podcasts: Podcast: Ketzerpodcast Podcast: MGEN — Man glaubt es nicht Radio Athikan (Österreich) YouTube: Atheismus-TV auf YouTube Neuer Atheismus TV auf YouTube Artikel und Nachrichten: Artikel: AWQ — Answers Without Questions News in deutscher Sprache: AMB — Atheist Media Blog (Blasphemieblog) News in deutscher Sprache: HPD — Humanistischer Pressedienst Bibelwissen und Religionskritik: Bibelkritik.ch Lesenswerte Bücher: Ist der Papst ein Betrüger? Die Legende von der christlichen Moral Die Morde der Bibel Witziges: Reimbibel.de

Support Dr. Grande on Patreon: ⁠https://www.patreon.com/drgrande⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Dr. Grande's book Harm Reduction: ⁠https://www.amazon.com/Harm-Reduction-Todd-Grande-PhD/dp/1950057313⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Dr. Grande's book Psychology of Notorious Serial Killers: ⁠https://www.amazon.com/Psychology-Notorious-Serial-Killers-Intersection/dp/1950057259⁠ Check out Dr. Grande's merchandise ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://teespring.com/stores/dr-grandes-store⁠ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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In this 1851st episode of Toronto Mike'd, Todd Bueler paints a picture for Mike as to what it was like to be a 1970s teenager in Swansea. Toronto Mike'd is proudly brought to you by Great Lakes Brewery, Palma Pasta, Ridley Funeral Home, Nick Ainis, and RecycleMyElectronics.ca. If you would like to support the show, we do have partner opportunities available. Please email Toronto Mike at mike@torontomike.com.

Teenagers with superpowers in a post-apocalyptic highschool setting. What could possibly go wrong? Join our heroic players Byll, Jorien, and Monica in their fight against the evil that Joaquin will unleash upon them. Intro Music: Aaron Kenny - Yonder Hill and Dale Outro Music: John Deley and the 41 Players - Ersatz Bossa (Sting) Check out our: Discord Chat: https://discord.com/invite/yRBnVqVm2F Twitter Feed: https://twitter.com/BoldCrewRPG LinkTree: https://linktr.ee/BoldCrewRPG

Teenagers are riding at 70km/h with no helmets. Police are investigating. Communities are furious. Parents are terrified. E-bikes are everywhere — and the debate is explosive. Is this about reckless teens? Bad laws? Or something far closer to home? In this episode, Dr Justin Colson from the Happy Families podcast unpacks the real issue behind the headlines. It’s not just about e-bikes. It’s about freedom, responsibility, and the parenting conversations we’re either having… or avoiding. Because banning them won’t fix it.But shrugging won’t either. If you’ve got a risk-taking teen — or one who soon will — this is a conversation you need to hear. KEY POINTS Freedom without responsibility becomes a free-for-all Risk is essential for development — recklessness is not Pedal-assist bikes and throttle bikes are not the same Legislation won’t solve what parenting must address Teens chase status, thrill and belonging — not danger The real missing ingredient is consideration QUOTE OF THE EPISODE “Freedom isn’t the same as a free-for-all. The real issue isn’t the e-bike — it’s whether we’re teaching our kids what freedom requires.” ACTION STEPS FOR PARENTS Have the deeper conversation.Not just “be careful.” Ask: Who could you hurt? What does sharing space mean? Differentiate risk from recklessness.Climbing trees builds capability. Blowing through traffic signals destroys trust. Talk about invisible impact.Help them imagine the pedestrian, the driver, the nurse in emergency. Channel thrill safely.Structured sport, competitions and supervised challenges can meet the same need. Stay connected.Consequences matter — but relationship influence matters more. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Anxiety feels like a storm—your chest tightens, thoughts race, and your brain forecasts worst-case scenarios. But what if the way you're trying to escape anxiety is actually keeping you stuck in it longer?In this episode of The One Second of Strength Podcast, we explore the powerful metaphor of the buffalo and the storm. While most people run FROM their fears, there's a better way: turning INTO the discomfort.Discover why avoidance creates more anxiety, how your nervous system is trying to protect you (even when it overestimates danger), and the three simple anchors you can use to stay steady when anxiety hits.This episode is for parents who want to help their teens build confidence, and for teenagers who are ready to stop letting fear control their lives.---WHAT YOU'LL LEARN:✅ Why avoiding anxiety actually makes it worse (the science behind fear circuits)✅ The buffalo vs. cow metaphor: How to move THROUGH storms instead of around them✅ 3 practical anchors to manage anxiety in real-time: • Control Your Body: Breathing techniques that calm your nervous system • Control the Frame: How to tell the difference between discomfort and actual danger • Control Your Direction: Taking one small step forward when fear shows up✅ How to build confidence through "survived discomfort"✅ Why relief isn't the same as freedomWHO THIS EPISODE IS FOR:• Parents of anxious teens looking for practical strategies• Teenagers struggling with anxiety and fear• Anyone who feels controlled by their worries• Families wanting to build resilience and courage• People tired of running from their fears---RESOURCES & LINKS:

SPD und CDU wollen Social Media für Teenager verbieten. Studien zeigen schließlich, wie gefährlich Tiktok, Insta und Co. sind. Aber regulieren solche Verbote die Richtigen? Oder kapituliert die Politik vor den Konzernen? Und: Die Ukraine erobert so viel Land zurück wie seit Jahren nicht. May, Philipp

Cancel your unwanted subscriptions today at https://www.RocketMoney.com/DWKTUse Code DWKT at https://HungryRoot.com/DWKT and get 40% off your first box!In today's episode, we break down 2 TikTok dramas that went viral over the past week. First we discuss how the well known hockey brand, Bauer, not only threatened one of their biggest fans for posting a leaked version of their Spring catalog, but they did so after baiting her into giving her e-mail address by making her think they were reaching out to discuss a collaboration opportunity. Spoiler alert: there was no opportunity, just legal threats. Then we move onto the drama that went down at the Showroom, a dress store in Nashville, after a viral video revealed sounded like the store owner body shaming a customer. It wasn't long before the customer identified herself in her own video and shared her experience. It then became apparent that this wasn't necessarily an isolated incident and the store's owner actually has a history of treating customers with less than stellar customer service. We Love the Internets:https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZThHwLFgW/https://www.instagram.com/jasongudasz/reel/DUn87I4EflS/00:00 Introduction01:16 Boutique Owner Body Shames 17 Year Old29:39 Bauer Hockey's Messy TikTok Drama53:30 We Love the InternetWe hope you enjoyed this episode! Please let us know on Twitter or Instagram if you have any topic suggestions for a future episode! (@lily_marston & @jessismiles__)PS. The girlies have officially entered their short form content era! Follow our official accounts: https://instagram.com/doweknowthempodcast & https://tiktok.com/@doweknowthempodcastBusiness Inquiries: doweknowthempodcast@gmail.com

Morse code transcription: vvv vvv How dark web agent spotted bedroom wall clue to rescue girl from abuse Teenagers guilty of Alexander Cashford beach manslaughter in Sheppey Actor Robert Duvall, who starred in The Godfather, dies aged 95 Australian IS families in Syria camp turned back after leaving for home Government abandons plans to delay 30 council elections Six of Sarah Fergusons companies are being dissolved Ice and snow warnings as another blast of Arctic air sweeps across the UK Students begin Covid compensation claim against 36 more universities Ancient bone found in Spain could be from Hannibals war elephants Jet2 hands passengers life ban after mid air fight

TT: Hot Dogs and AI Regulations In this episode the Teenagers discuss the dark truths behind hot dogs, more info on immigration, the Department of Transportation using AI to write regulations, and much more. Ethan also talks about some of the USA's airplanes, and the crazy stories behind them.  Sponsors: American Gold Exchange Our dealer for precious metals & the exclusive dealer of Real Power Family silver rounds. Get your first, or next bullion order from American Gold Exchange like we do. Tell them the Real Power Family sent you! Click on this link to get a FREE Starters Guide. Or Click Here to order our new Real Power Family silver rounds. 1 Troy Oz 99.99% Fine Silver Abolish Property Taxes in Ohio: www.AxOHTax.com  Get more information about abolishing all property taxes in Ohio. Our Links: www.RealPowerFamily.com Info@RealPowerFamily.com 833-Be-Do-Have (833-233-6428)

Ellen Cochrane is an author and educator who has just written the book Follow the Water: The Unbelievable True Story of a Teenager's Survival in the Amazon.A former teacher and certified California Naturalist, Cochrane has crafted an immersive book for young readers, blending a gripping survival narrative with environmental science.

Morse code transcription: vvv vvv Teenagers guilty of Alexander Cashford beach manslaughter in Sheppey Ancient bone found in Spain could be from Hannibals war elephants Government abandons plans to delay 30 council elections Actor Robert Duvall, who starred in The Godfather, dies aged 95 Australian IS families in Syria camp turned back after leaving for home Ice and snow warnings as another blast of Arctic air sweeps across the UK How dark web agent spotted bedroom wall clue to rescue girl from abuse Jet2 hands passengers life ban after mid air fight Students begin Covid compensation claim against 36 more universities Six of Sarah Fergusons companies are being dissolved

Morse code transcription: vvv vvv Ice and snow warnings as another blast of Arctic air sweeps across the UK Students begin Covid compensation claim against 36 more universities Actor Robert Duvall, who starred in The Godfather, dies aged 95 Australian IS families in Syria camp turned back after leaving for home Six of Sarah Fergusons companies are being dissolved Teenagers guilty of Alexander Cashford beach manslaughter in Sheppey How dark web agent spotted bedroom wall clue to rescue girl from abuse Government abandons plans to delay 30 council elections Jet2 hands passengers life ban after mid air fight Ancient bone found in Spain could be from Hannibals war elephants

Morse code transcription: vvv vvv Actor Robert Duvall, who starred in The Godfather, dies aged 95 Students begin Covid compensation claim against 36 more universities Ancient bone found in Spain could be from Hannibals war elephants Ice and snow warnings as another blast of Arctic air sweeps across the UK Jet2 hands passengers life ban after mid air fight Six of Sarah Fergusons companies are being dissolved How dark web agent spotted bedroom wall clue to rescue girl from abuse Government abandons plans to delay 30 council elections Australian IS families in Syria camp turned back after leaving for home Teenagers guilty of Alexander Cashford beach manslaughter in Sheppey

2.  Guest: Richard Snow. Snow describes the Somers setting sail with a crew of inexperienced teenagers. He details how Spencer, ostracized by fellow officers, violated protocol by befriending the crew with gifts, setting the stage for the alleged mutiny.

In Aurora, Illinois hundreds of students marched out of class waving Mexican flags the other day. They were protesting ICE agents. The mob of teens attacked police officers and a man holding a Trump banner. In Lake Zurich, Illinois a teenager holding a pro-ICE sign was literally punched in the face. And in another incident – a kid wearing a MAGA hat was taunted and bullied. Do you really think that middle schools and first graders are really monitoring ICE deportations? Or do you find it more plausible that teachers are using classroom time to promote anti-ICE propaganda? There is a clear and present danger in our nation’s classrooms. The Communists and the Anarchists have gotten a foothold in our nation’s education system. That’s why it’s imperative that President Trump abolish the Department of Education, bust up the teachers unions and return control of our schools back to the American people. Otherwise, we will lose the Republic. I have much more to say about this on ToddStarnes.com. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Teenagers flipping houses? Bill Allen is teaching financial literacy and real estate investing to the next generation of entrepreneurs. In this episode of the Legacy Podcast, I sit down with Bill Allen to talk about building a $4M real estate business, navigating a $1.5M payroll when revenue went to zero, redefining what "scale" really means, and why he's now focused on helping kids build wealth through real estate instead of just leaving them an inheritance. We get into: - Scaling from 1 deal to 200+ deals per year - What COVID taught him about leadership and margins - Why "scale" can actually hurt your lifestyle - Teaching teenagers to flip houses - Legacy vs. leaving millions behind - The mindset that matters more than money Bill is the founder of Seven Figure Flipping and the creator of Teenage Tycoon and the TV show Kids Who Flip. He's built businesses in real estate, education, and media — and now he's helping the next generation think differently about money. If you're an entrepreneur, investor, or parent who wants to build real wealth and legacy, this one's for you.

This is the All Local 4:00 P.M. update for Saturday, February 14, 2026.

Welcome back to another episode of the unSeminary podcast. Today we're talking with Jason and Nan Britt from Bethlehem Church, one of the fastest-growing churches in the country with three campuses in Georgia—and a fourth on the way. Jason serves as Lead Pastor, while Nan has pioneered a powerful inclusion ministry called Bethlehem Buddies, designed to help children, students, and adults with special needs fully participate in the life of the church. In this conversation, they unpack how inclusive ministry became a defining part of Bethlehem's culture and how any church—regardless of size—can take meaningful steps in this direction. Is your church unsure how to serve families affected by special needs? Do you feel overwhelmed by where to start or afraid of doing it wrong? Jason and Nan offer practical, hope-filled wisdom rooted in real-life experience. Revitalization with intentional mission. // Bethlehem Church is a revitalization story at every campus. When Jason arrived 14 years ago, the church had plateaued and was struggling to reflect its surrounding community. Rather than questioning the church's heart, Jason focused on intentionality—helping the congregation shift from insider-focused habits to an outward-facing mission. Located near Athens, Georgia, Bethlehem serves a family-centric community, prompting leaders to double down on reaching families and the next generation. That commitment laid the groundwork for inclusion ministry, even before the church realized it. Seeing an unreached community. // Nan's background in special education played a critical role in shaping Bethlehem Buddies. Long before it became a formal ministry, Jason and Nan were deeply immersed in the lives of families affected by disability. When they arrived at Bethlehem, they recognized that many families in their community wanted to attend church but lacked the support to do so. Rather than being opposed to special needs ministry, churches often feel overwhelmed by it. Bethlehem chose to take a different approach—starting small, stepping in with humility, and learning along the way. Inclusion, not separation. // Nan defines inclusion as inviting people with disabilities into the same environments as everyone else—preschool, kids ministry, student ministry, and adult worship—rather than isolating them into separate spaces. Inclusion honors the individual and recognizes that people with disabilities don't all look the same or need the same support. A five-year-old with autism and a 30-year-old man with Down syndrome should be welcomed into age-appropriate environments, with individualized support when needed. The goal isn't just inclusion, but belonging—creating space for people to contribute and use their gifts within the body of Christ. The buddy model at scale. // Bethlehem Buddies pairs each individual with a trained volunteer—called a “buddy”—whose role is simple but powerful: be their best friend for 90 minutes. Buddies focus on connection over compliance, valuing relationship more than control. While some individuals prefer quieter environments, most are included directly into existing ministries with one-on-one support. Parents can attend worship knowing their child or adult family member is safe, known, and loved. Over time, this model has grown from serving one child to serving more than 300 families every weekend. Unexpected volunteer impact. // One of the biggest surprises has been how Bethlehem Buddies shapes volunteer culture. The ministry attracts people who might never serve in traditional kids or student roles—men, teenagers, business leaders—and cultivates empathy, humility, and ownership. Jason notes that the ministry has become one of the strongest volunteer-recruiting pipelines in the church, strengthening the overall mission and heart of Bethlehem. From program to culture. // Early on, Nan personally recruited volunteers by tapping shoulders and inviting people she saw potential in. Over time, inclusion became embedded in the church's DNA. Today, the culture itself recruits. Serving families affected by special needs has reshaped Bethlehem's understanding of the gospel—reinforcing the truth that the kingdom of God is for everyone, especially “the least of these.” Jason emphasizes that while inclusion started as the right thing to do, it has become one of the most spiritually formative aspects of the church. Simple steps for churches. // For churches wondering where to begin, Nan encourages leaders to start with one service, one plan, and one conversation. Decide how you would respond if a family arrived this Sunday. Identify a few volunteers who could serve as buddies. Use a detailed family intake form to prepare volunteers and build trust with parents. Jason urges pastors to see opportunity rather than obstacles—and to remember that you don't need to be an expert to start, just willing to learn. To learn more about Bethlehem Church and the Bethlehem Buddies Network, visit bethlehemchurch.us. Churches interested in starting or strengthening inclusion ministry can email Nan directly and take take a look at Bethlehem’s Buddies Volunteer Handbook. Thank You for Tuning In! There are a lot of podcasts you could be tuning into today, but you chose unSeminary, and I'm grateful for that. If you enjoyed today's show, please share it by using the social media buttons you see at the left hand side of this page. Also, kindly consider taking the 60-seconds it takes to leave an honest review and rating for the podcast on iTunes, they're extremely helpful when it comes to the ranking of the show and you can bet that I read every single one of them personally! Lastly, don't forget to subscribe to the podcast on iTunes, to get automatic updates every time a new episode goes live! Thank You to This Episode’s Sponsor: Risepointe Do you feel like your church’s or school's facility could be preventing growth? Are you frustrated or possibly overwhelmed at the thought of a complicated or costly building project? Are the limitations of your building becoming obstacles in the path of expanding your ministry? Have you ever felt that you could reach more people if only the facility was better suited to the community’s needs? Well, the team over at Risepointe can help! As former ministry staff and church leaders, they understand how to prioritize and help lead you to a place where the building is a ministry multiplier. Your mission should not be held back by your building. Their team of architects, interior designers and project managers have the professional experience to incorporate creative design solutions to help move YOUR mission forward. Check them out at risepointe.com/unseminary and while you’re there, schedule a FREE call to explore possibilities for your needs, vision and future…Risepointe believes that God still uses spaces…and they're here to help. Episode Transcript Rich Birch — Hey, friends. Welcome to the unSeminary Podcast. So glad that you have decided to tune in. I really want you to lean in today. This is one of those issues that we see in churches all the time that I really hope tons churches that are leaning in or listening in today will lean in on this issue, particularly if you’re a growing church. This might be one of those just up over the horizon issues that it that you can get ahead on and work ahead on now and and actually create more space for more people in your community. Rich Birch — Really excited to have Jason and Nan Britt with us. They’re from Bethlehem Church. It’s repeatedly one of the fastest growing churches in the country with three locations, if I’m counting correctly, in Georgia. Jason is the lead pastor and Nan has championed a program called Bethlehem Buddies. And we’re really looking forward to pulling this apart. They offer that all campuses and they provide inclusive support to help preschooler, child, teenager, and adults with special needs transition smoothly into one of the church’s worship environments. So Jason, Nan, welcome to the show. So glad that you are here.Nan Britt — Thank you. Jason Britt — And we’re thankful, thankful for for you having us.Rich Birch — Yeah, Jason, why don’t you tell us, kind of give us the picture of Bethlehem Church, kind of tell us a little bit about the church, kind of set the picture. If we were to arrive… Jason Britt — Yeah. Yeah. Rich Birch — …on a typical weekend, what would we experience?Jason Britt — Yeah. It’s three campuses, hopefully four soon. They’re all revitalization story. We just actually relocated our broadcast campus about a mile down the road. We’re a year in now… Rich Birch — Nice. Jason Britt — …December when you’re broadcasting this. And so we opened, new and it’s a revitalization story, multiple services, and it’s just a church that had history. And all of our campuses, Rich, are revitalization stories, too.Jason Britt — And it was a church with history that just had the courage, if you will, to envision a new future or be open to envisioning a new future. And we’ve been here for 14 years. It was my first senior pastorate, and it’s been a phenomenal year. And the church has just embraced the mission of leading people to discover new life in Christ in all areas of our ministry.Rich Birch — Why don’t we stick with you, Jason, and double click on revitalization. Jason Britt — Yeah. Rich Birch — Kind of pull apart that picture a little bit, help people, because I know there’s people that are listening in today that are on the other side of revitalization. And they’re thinking, hey, you know, what were some of, you know, you first stepped into that journey. What were some early questions that you were asking that really about that kind of led you to the place of like, hey, this is what I think the church could become. Where what started that journey for you?Jason Britt — Yeah, I think even in the process of, you know how it goes in different denominations or tribes have different ways of calling a pastor. And so for me, as I talked with the group that was selecting a pastor, the church had been plateaued for a number of years, plateaued, declining, kind of fell on that. And ultimately, my question for them is, what’s your limiting, have you guys considered your limiting factor? You know, and I think our church, although the heart was there, it did not reflect the community as a whole. And so by that, I mean the heart for mission was there, but not the intentionality of mission, if you will.Jason Britt — And so we really kind of began a two to three year journey of what would it look like for our church to reflect our community. And our community, Rich, we’re outside we’re kind of the bedroom community of Athens Georgia. Rich Birch — Okay. Jason Britt — All of our campuses surround the college town of Athens and it’s very family-centric, very kid-centric. I mean it’s not a high single adult population out here, if you will. This is where families live. And so we really needed to double down and become incredibly serious about the next generation and reaching families.Jason Britt — And I think it was just the reality of getting intentional with what our mission and heart was. The church wasn’t, I think I heard years ago, maybe on your podcast or somebody else, a pastor say, when you take over a church, one of two things are happening. They either believe they won the Super Bowl or they believe they’re losing every game.Jason Britt — Neither he goes, neither—I think it was Jud Wilhite said, I’m not sure… Rich Birch — Okay. Yeah, yeah. Jason Britt — …He goes, neither are true. Rich Birch — Right. That’s good. Jason Britt — But you have to understand their psyche… Rich Birch — Right. Jason Britt — …and the way they see their ministry. So for me, the gift of Bethlehem, Rich, was they were, they were, they were ready to win. I didn’t have to convince them they had to change a ton. I just had to, in many ways, give permission to see things differently. That if you will, the local church tends to be drift toward insider focused…Rich Birch — Yep, that’s true. Yeah.Jason Britt — …and the gospel is very outsider focused. And so for us, it was a lot of, if you will, deconstructing some things before we reconstructed, a lot of examining the fruit of what we were doing, not the intent. You know, that was a lot of the earliest, probably where lot people that you’re listening, your listeners are in revitalization. A lot of it’s not what we, early on, is not what we need to do that we’re not doing is what we need to stop doing that we’re doing.Rich Birch — Right. That’s good.Jason Britt — Right. And that’s the hard part, the deconstruction.Rich Birch — Yeah, that’s good. That’s true.Jason Britt — That was my first two or three years. It’s when I had a full head of hair and no gray, you know what i’m saying, bro? And so it was good though, man.Rich Birch — Yes, for sure.Jason Britt — And so that was our early days of really the heart didn’t need a lot of work. The direction and the intentionality to mission, if you will, strategy and vision. So.Rich Birch — Well, I think there’s a lot of churches that are listening in that I think can relate with that idea of like, hey, the heart of our church is is right, but we’re not really taking intentional steps. And at some point as a leadership team, you realized that there were families that wanted to participate fully, but needed something different in order to do that. That’s ultimately what led us to what we’re talking about today. Rich Birch — What opened your eyes to that gap? What kind of got the ball rolling for you as a leadership team, for you specifically or for our leadership team as you were thinking about this issue?Nan Britt — Yeah, so, um you know, we’ve always been in ministry, Jason in ministry, but really my calling has been early on in special education. You know, that was my training and experience.Rich Birch — Okay.Nan Britt — And ah so professionally, you know, that was my job as a teacher. And so really for the first 10 years of our marriage, Jason walked alongside that road with me. And so the students that I taught really had a lot of needs. And so we really got to know those families. We were really immersed in the special needs community of families.Nan Britt — And so as we came to Bethlehem, we knew, we just knew this was such a great need. This was really an unreached group of people in our community. And so we were excited at the opportunity to be able to serve these families. You know, with him taking that role as as lead pastor, we wanted to make that a priority with our church.Nan Britt — And so that was that was an easy way for me to get involved as a volunteer. So I served as a volunteer for several years because that was just my experience and training and gifting and, you know, what I felt called to to do to to take what I had learned and really use that, you know, in the church.Jason Britt — Yeah, I think we’ve been to some great, we served at two great churches before we came here, awesome churches. If I said them, many of your listeners would know they were awesome and we have nothing, but I remember us being there. A lot of times it was, as we as we were serving there, it was not a, nobody’s against special needs ministry. It just seems overwhelming. Rich Birch — That’s true. Yeah.Jason Britt — Right. And that’s what you find is nobody’s against doing it. It’s just kind of what it seems overwhelming, if you will, or where do we even start? And so I think for us, when we came, our kids were young. And as Nan began to It just began as with one person. Rich Birch — Right.Jason Britt — And really beginning inclusion there. It was more of instead of being overwhelmed by it, almost, if you will… Nan Britt — Yeah. Jason Britt — …taking a step in and giving the example of what of what that looks like.Rich Birch — Yeah, that’s great. I love that. And let’s let’s start, we’re going to get into some tactics in a second, but Jason, I want you to think about from like at a 30,000 foot point of view. My impression as an outsider, looking at this, you know, what you guys are doing, it’s pretty robust. You’ve created a pathway for children, students, adults with special needs to be fully included. And we’ll talk about what that means in a minute. But it to me, i think this could struggle if it’s just a tactic. It seems like what you’ve done has been able to talk about it really at kind of a cultural, this who we’re trying to be. So talk to us how we do that as senior leaders. How do we move this from beyond just like this is another thing we do to like, oh, this is a part of who we are. This is how we see ourselves.Jason Britt — Yeah, and and Nan could probably fill a little bit of the gaps here, but I think for me, I would say two things to senior leaders or senior teams if you’re talking about that. I think the cultural piece is when it becomes a kingdom of God, everybody’s invited at the table. Nan Britt — Yes. Jason Britt — The least of these, marginalized, which we know the gospel – Jesus is more drawn to empty hearts and empty lives than he is full rooms, if you will, you know? And so then in our society, the poor, the marginalized or the least of these is not only poor and impoverished, but oftentimes it’s families who have lived and wrestled with and, walk through this. And so creating space for everybody, I would say was a very, for us, Jesus-centric type thing. Nan Britt — Yes. Jason Britt — It was like this, if we are for the least of these, if we are for all people, that was one of our kind of core values as Bethlehem Church is a church for all people, right? Gospel, for God so loved the world. That’s a pretty broad path right there, the world.Rich Birch — Right. Yes.Jason Britt — So then let’s be intentional there. And, and the thing that I would tell you now, and as Nan gets into the tactics, we didn’t do this to start. This wasn’t the reason. The reason was it was the right thing and we could do this, but, Rich, man, I am telling you, when you begin to serve these families and and you see the joy and the blessing and what it does to the heart of the church, you cannot exchange.Rich Birch — That’s true.Jason Britt — Serving these families, when I talk to other pastor buddies that are stepping into this or some good friends that are in the Buddies Network who would do this, I’m like, man, what it does for the whole of your church when it comes to the heart of Christ, you know, and we’ve seen it go from one kid to three serving 300 families a weekend now. And so it’s been a crazy thing. But what it does for the overall mission and heart of the church and the volunteers and the church seeing this is a powerful thing.Rich Birch — Yeah, I would agree. You know, we talked a little bit beforehand about yeah when I esrved at Liquid Church for years, and this has been a part of our story there. It’s like of my proudest things that we had been a part of. And but but I want to take a step back. And Nan, can you help us understand when you say the word inclusion, what do you mean by that as opposed to separation?Rich Birch — So I’ll paint a bit of a picture for you. Maybe I’m a church of, I don’t know, 5-, 600 people. And sure, there are some kids that we can see. There are kids with special needs. And and I’m like, don’t don’t we just want to create a place where we can like put those kids away so they don’t bother us? Again, I’m I’m using hyperbole. Nan Britt — Right. Rich Birch — Obviously, I’m playing a bit of the devil’s advocate. I don’t actually believe that. Nan Britt — Right. Rich Birch — But what what do you mean by inclusion, not separation? What does that look like?Nan Britt — Yes. Well, inclusion simply means that you are, in the church setting, looking at preschool ministry, kids ministry, students, adult ministries, and really just looking for opportunity to include everyone into those environments. You know, and we know that some people, individuals with disabilities, just may need some individualized love, care, and support. But I think inclusion also speaks more importantly to honoring people and seeing people as individuals. Rich Birch — So true.Nan Britt — And so, for example, we know that a 30-year-old man with Down syndrome looks very different than a five-year-old with autism. And so inclusion is honoring and seeing a person for who they are. And so we want to invite a 30 year old man with Down syndrome into the same opportunities that we’re inviting other 30 year old men in in the church. Nan Britt — And so, so that just gives an example and it actually simplifies things a lot. You know, you you’re really whatever is being offered, you know, at your church, for each age group, you’re you’re simply just opening up that opportunity for our kids and adults with disabilities and special needs to be a part of that.Nan Britt — And then, like we said, we just know sometimes that may mean they need some individualized support in order to be a part of those ah great ministries happening. But it I think inclusion really speaks to honoring that individual and seeing them, what they can contribute to the body of Christ. Nan Britt — And so we know everyone wants to be included, but belonging is really the goal. You know, people, we we know the difference, you know, as people when we’re included in a place, but when we’re invited to to to contribute back… Rich Birch — So good. Nan Britt — …and to use our gifts and strengths, you know, that’s when you really feel a sense of belonging. And so I think that’s the power of inclusion versus just, hey, let’s just provide a separate space and because this is what we’re supposed to do.Rich Birch — Right. Right. So can you get tactical on that? What does that actually look like for, because I, you know, I, I understand doing this at a one or two people, but at scale, 3-, 400, 500 every weekend over a year, like that’s, how do you actually do that? We’ll stick with you, Nan. If I’myeah, what what does that look like? How do how do we provide that care? How do we and how do we learn how we can best support people and then communicate with them and all that? What does it kind of… Nan Britt — Yes. Rich Birch — I know there’s a lot there, I understand… Nan Britt — Yes.Rich Birch — …but but give us kind of an overview. We start there.Nan Britt — eah, that’s a great question. I think it’s really important to first define your goal of like… Rich Birch — Right. Nan Britt — …okay, what is our goal and why are we we providing disability ministry, special needs ministry? And what I believe is the goal of it is that so a family can attend worship, can attend a worship service together on a Sunday morning.Rich Birch — Great.Nan Britt — That is the goal. You know, first, over other nights of programming happening at your church, we believe that we want our families to hear the gospel message, the hope of Jesus, to experience worship, prayer, sit under preaching. And so that’s why we we want to focus on inviting them and providing support around a worship service. We know most likely for parents to be able to attend the service, then that means their child or adult is going to need some individualized support and care.Nan Britt — And so that’s that’s where the Buddies team, the Buddies ministry comes in. And so ah you’re going to need some some volunteers. And so really, i think that simplifies it a lot because I think churches get overwhelmed to think, man, do we need to provide something every time the doors of our church are open? And I would say a great place to start and focus on is we want families to be invited to your worship service. Nan Britt — And then equally, ah we want our individuals to experience the love of Christ, grow in their faith, be be in community um with others. And so I think that’s the place to start is while mom and dad get to attend a service and they’re siblings, then we provide a volunteer to pair up with kids and adults with disabilities.Nan Britt — And then from there, you already have these great ministries happening in your church, kids ministries, student ministries, sometimes on a Sunday morning. And then you’re able to just join in the great ministry happening with that buddy support with a child.Nan Britt — And then I do think that if you have the space at your church, you can also offer a classroom space for kids and adults who prefer a quieter setting or do better in a small group setting. Then you can offer another space that that also has the same great ministry happening. So I really think those volunteers drive the ministry… Jason Britt — Yeah. Nan Britt — …and then just get to participate in with with all the great things happening on a Sunday morning at your church.Rich Birch — I love that. Jason, can you, let’s talk about it from the side, because Nan was talking there about the volunteer side of the equation. Let’s talk about it from that end.Rich Birch — What have you seen, kind of what impact has adding buddies and adding a really robust inclusion culture to your church?Jason Britt — Yeah.Rich Birch — How has that kind of impacted the volunteers who are and engaged in this ministry?Jason Britt — Yeah, I think a couple things and our kids will be examples, but they’re friends as well. What you see is there, and and we’ve seen this with male leadership, is there are people that would probably not raise their hand and say, hey, I want to be in preschool or kids ministry. But the chance to pair up and walk with a teenager with special needs, to be included, to be a one-on-one individualized and walk into our kid’s town or our midtown, which is our younger environments, it’s very empowering. And, I mean, it just opens opportunities for connection. And that’s one thing that we’ve seen, that we see people who may not want more than handing out a, but if you will, just on the Sunday service, if you were the Sunday morning weekend environment, serving opportunities, obviously there’s more in the church, but those coffee, parking lot, greeter, than kids ministry. A lot of your churches that you minister to look similar ours, you know what I mean? Jason Britt — And so what we found was that stream of empowering and inviting, and candidly our buddies ministry, is stronger in the recruiting aspect than our kids or student ministry because it’s so unique and it calls things out of people that maybe the other don’t, if you will. We’ve seen that. And so I would say that that was one of the benefits that we didn’t know early on. Nan maybe did just because of her background in special needs. But as we’ve seen it, I mean, you know, students, it’s a powerful thing when you’re watching a 16-year-old, 17-year-old high schooler, when you’re watching them walk with a five-year-old with autism or Down syndrome into a children’s ministry class. That’s just a pretty powerful thing. The humility, the ownership, there’s just… Nan Britt — Empathy. Jason Britt — …empathy. That rich, the discipleship piece of that’s incredibly strong. You know… Rich Birch — Yeah, absolutely. Jason Britt — …that just in this simple, it’s not filling a hole, it’s empowering. And so that’s one of the things we’ve seen. I mean, I know you’ve been around, if you were Liquid, even the Night to Shine, obviously the the Tim Tebow thing. Rich Birch — Yeah, it’s fantastic. Jason Britt — Even that, that’s probably the big mass on a mass scale we do where the church is incredibly involved. But then the opportunities it’s opened up for us on the outside of the church to partner with other nonprofits and bring nonprofits that for serve families with special needs, but we get to bring a gospel presence to that. Rich Birch — Love it.Jason Britt — And that’s because of what we’re doing internally. So I’ve seen both of those things that the mission fulfilled in ways that it’s not just serving those families with special needs, but taking the church to a place we’ve never been.Rich Birch — Yeah, I love that. And, you know, to underline something you said there that we’ve seen through multiple conversations that I think when we cast a big picture and a big responsibility to volunteers, they will step up to that. In fact, they’ll actually lean in. They’ll be like,I’m this is great. This requires a lot of me.Jason Britt — Yes.Rich Birch — I would love to lean in.Jason Britt — Yes.Rich Birch — So Nan, what have you learned about, let’s keep keep on this whole topic here, volunteers. What have you learned about recruiting, finding these volunteers, training them so they feel prepared, confident, like, you know, this is your professionally, you said this… Nan Britt — Right. Rich Birch — …your this is your professional background, but, you know, you take your average 16-year-old, they’re not professionally equipped for this. And so how do you help them get to a place where they can be a buddy?Nan Britt — Right.Rich Birch — Talk us through what that looks like.Nan Britt — Yes. It’s, it’s really, it’s so exciting. That’s something that I’ve always been passionate about to connect people to purpose. And so, and then like you said, to take what I have learned and, and really, put it into terms and, and easy ways, easy strategies for, everyday volunteers to feel equipped.Nan Britt — And, and, and so I think that we, a lot of our training materials have come from that that we love to share with churches because we that’s something that we prioritize is we we have many volunteers that serve that do have a background in special education a lot like myself with experience, and I think they’re needed for sure in this ministry. But we have the majority of our volunteers are teenagers and adults who are businessmen. They own their own construction company. Women who you know are stay-at-home moms. Teenagers who, yeah, who would say, hey, I have a heart for this. I’m available. And we love that. We think that that is absolutely the right person to serve. And so we’ve just found some easy ways. Nan Britt — We are highly prepared on our end as a staff. to ah provide the best experience possible for the volunteer and the child on a Sunday morning. And so we do that with, we have a great family form that we have all of our families fill out. We’ve done that for 11 years. It’s a really detailed form. And so we feel like that gives us so much great information about the child or adult that we’re working with, that the parent has given us. Their interests, their likes, things that their dislikes, what to do to to help them stay calm and engaged. We utilize that every week. We get that in the hands of the volunteers so they feel equipped to to know the child they’re paired up with. Jason Britt — Yeah. Nan Britt — And then we we have great just engaging activities and and Bible stories and worship that that just provide the best experience possible for for an hour and a half on a Sunday morning while they’re with us. We want our volunteers to feel supported, to just enjoy being with their child or adult. You know, we say your role is to be their best friend on a Sunday, to hang out. We really prioritize connection over compliance. You know, we’re highly relational. It’s very individualized. And so we, I think that takes away a lot of the nervousness for our volunteers. Jason Britt — Yeah.Nan Britt — And we really, do have great experiences because church is different. Church is different and should be different than school, than therapy, than camp.Rich Birch — Right.Nan Britt — And so you really can have such a a great experience, you know, for an hour and a half, you know, during a service and people feel equipped. We encourage them. We support them. And, and as you know, Rich, people step in to, to volunteer and, but they always come back to us and say, they are so much more of a blessing to me.Jason Britt — Yeah, yeah. Nan Britt — You know, they, they are really ministering to me because our kids and adults, you know, just have such a, a peaceful presence and unhurried spirit, gracious. They’ll pray for you. And so they turn around and bless our volunteers and minister to them. And in so many greater ways than we, than we ever really do for them. Jason Britt — It’s good.Rich Birch — Yeah, love that. And you use the word buddy, and I’d love to double click on that. You you talked about this, Nan, this idea of be their best friend that, you know, for that 90 minutes every week. It’s not about compliance. Talk us about talk to us about that a little bit more, kind of unpack that a little bit. What does that look like? Because that’s a nuance that I think people might, who have not been around this kind of ministry might not understand that. So unpack that a little bit more. What’s that look like?Nan Britt — Yes. So that’s, that’s what we choose to call our volunteers, buddies, buddy volunteers. And we we think it’s, it fits whether you’re with a child or with your, whether you’re with an adult with a disability. And I think that, the the beauty and the success of the ministry is it’s just individualized, you know, undivided attention for a whole, like you said, 90 minutes where we want our kids and adults to feel seen and heard and valued.Nan Britt — And so if you’re a buddy volunteer, you you have that permission to just celebrate and make that morning just all about their child and get on their level, play with them. You know, we we give a lot of direction around ways to interact with people that have differences. You know, if they’re in a wheelchair, if they don’t verbally communicate, hey, here’s some creative ways of of how you can interact with your buddy. And just to that, you know, to to just place such a high value on that child or adult. And yeah, and there there’s so much celebration around it and so much joy. I think people who walk by buddies or around our ministry, that’s the culture of it’s just so much joy and celebration.Rich Birch — Yeah, it’s great.Nan Britt — Even when they’re you’re in the presence of so many complex needs, you know, this is a group of people who have a lot of hardships and and very complex needs on paper, but yet you can still just have such a great experience as a buddy volunteer. And like I said, I think that the reason for it is it’s so individualized and it’s ah based around their interest, what they like, and really valuing them and then sharing the love of Jesus. Jason Britt — Yeah.Nan Britt — You know, that unconditional love. That is what we are we strive to share, you know, as a buddy volunteer to our kids and adults. Jason Britt — And I think, we’re Rich, I would add, I think in your churches that are listening, now, then we’re 10 years in, the culture recruits. Nan Britt — True.Jason Britt — Early on, early on, I would say Nan, and she doesn’t give herself enough credit for this, she shoulder tapped a lot of people and would say, hey, you know this is when the church was very smaller and it was. But in the early days, it was a lot of, just like there’s individual care, I would just say the recruiting was individualized… Nan Britt — Yes. Jason Britt — …by Nan, tapping shoulders, saying, hey, I see this in you, or hey, I think you could help me. I mean, I think about… You know, our friends, Richard, Andy, some of these guys who were men’s men that are friends of mine that and and she would just be very specific. Would you and and all of them were like, absolutely. Nan Britt — Yeah.Jason Britt — Before they even knew what they were getting into.Rich Birch — Right.Jason Britt — I just think early on, I would tell you now our culture does a lot of the recruiting.Rich Birch — Yeah, that’s good.Jason Britt — But early on it was individualized. I see this in you, that shoulder tapping. Nan Britt — Yep, that’s true. Jason Britt — It was never necessarily my vision for it, recruiting people. It was more of the individualized. Rich Birch — Yeah, that’s good.Jason Britt — And then now it’s part of our culture, but I would say it didn’t start. It just became a part of our culture. Nan Britt — Yeah. Jason Britt — Does that make sense?Rich Birch — Yeah, that’s 100%. 100%. That’s a great thing to underline, even just in general… Jason Britt — Yes. Rich Birch — …but specifically in this this ministry, that those early people that we get involved really do kind of cast vision for the future of like, oh, we’re looking for more of these kind of, like you said, whoever those guys are, your men’s men guys.Jason Britt — Yeah.Rich Birch — It’s like, well, that then creates a door for like other guys like that to say, hey, I want to be a part of that.Nan Britt — Absolutely.Rich Birch — And yeah, that’s good.Nan Britt — Yes.Rich Birch — I was also don’t underestimate the the power of the person asking. I know you highlighted this celebrating your wife, but that’s very true. Like that you want to, the person you put in in charge of this wants to be the kind of person that is trusted and is loved and has got some wisdom. So Jason, sticking with you, I’m sure you get calls from leads, from other lead pastors or executive pastors that might have some like common misunderstandings or fears that about starting a special needs ministry. What are some of those fears that they have and what do you say to them to try to say, no, no, you should do this. What are what are the things that come up in a conversation like that?Jason Britt — It’s great question. I think a lot of times it’s not, it’s, if you don’t have a background or awareness or someone in your family or close to you that has special needs or disabilities, there is a lot of what if, what if, what if.Rich Birch — Right.Jaon Britt — And so like, what if the needs extreme, you know, they have feeding tube or they kind of create the worst case scenario or the hardest situation to go, I don’t know if we could ever. Rich Birch — Right. Jason Britt — And what you realize is the vast majority, the, the, the, the needs not that extreme. So it’s kind of almost right size and go in. No, no, no, no. I think you’re, you’re out thinking, you know, in church, you’ve been around church, Rich, you know, we have a way of out-thinking ourselves somehow of going, well, what if…Rich Birch — Sure. Sure.Jason Britt — Hey, Hey, Hey, there’s a really good chance, you know?Rich Birch — Right.Jason Britt — And so I think that’d be one of going, no, I think, but a lot of times it’s not from against, it’s just a lack of awareness. Rich Birch — Right. Jason Britt — You know, it’s not, we can’t do this because. I think liability, something that comes up, I mean, candidly, Rich, you know, in this day and age of liability and stuff like that. And I think again, the reality is, we are 10 years in, 300 families. It’s just not something we’ve ever dealt with. Nan Britt — Yeah. Jason Britt — You know, got think these families love these kids more than we could ever love these kids.Rich Birch — Right.Jason Britt — And so we’re going to be fully equipped and they’re, they’re not, if there’s great needs that, that are, that, they’re probably not going to check them in. They’ll sit with them in the service. You know what I mean? Something like that.Rich Birch — Yep, sure.Jason Britt — I think sometimes that would be one. And then… Nan Britt — Well, yeah, and I would just say, I think that’s when it’s important to have have humility and invite in someone that, like myself that, and I only say myself because like a teacher. Someone who has experience and training professionally in this field so that they’re able to to answer those questions, and to really right size and give a realistic. You know, and I’ve been in some of those conversations before to say, you know, in 11 years, that’s not something that we’ve ever dealt with the church… Jason Britt — Right. Yeah. Nan Britt — …but, but, Hey, here’s something else that you need to think about.Jason Britt — Yeah.Nan Britt — And so I think it’s, it’s really important. I have a lot of respect for leaders who show humility in saying, Hey, I, I even admit I have some ignorance about this conversation… Rich Birch — Yeah. Right. Nan Britt — …and I’d like to invite in so ah someone, an expert in this area to help us move forward in this conversation. Yeah.Jason Britt — Yeah, that’s been the, I think that’s the, yeah, that’s what we have talked to. Again, it’s almost permission, that Nan’s right, humility and just going, okay, we don’t know what we don’t know, let’s just ask some questions. Rich Birch — Right.Jason Britt — But the other thing I would say is, like, we don’t have, um if you will, a room. We don’t have space. We don’t, we’re we’re for it. And I think we go back to our early days, neither did we. You know It was all inclusion-based and all still is before we had a safety room, if you will, or before we had, what do you call it?Nan Britt — We don’t call it a safety room. It’s just a buddy space. Jason Britt — Buddy Space. Like like you know if there’s a kid that’s having an issue or or you know something. We didn’t we have a little more now than we did, but back in the day, it was more inclusion and just start where where you’re at. Nan Britt — Yeah. Jason Britt — You can do something.Nan Britt — That’s right.Rich Birch — Yeah. I think that’s a good word, Jason, that I think we get way too far ahead of us. And we’re like, we and we picture 300 families and like, oh my goodness, what’s going to happen? It’s like, well, how about but we start with the two kids that are right in front of us?Nan Britt — That’s right. Jason Britt — That’s it.Rich Birch — And what can we do to support those families? Nan, you said this, I’d love to invite you in on these conversations. I’m sure there’s churches that are listening in there like I would love Nan’s help. Talk to me about the buddies network. This is a way—I love this—you guys have stepped out to try to help more churches. Talk us through what that is. How do you help churches? How can you engage with them that sort of thing.Nan Britt — Yes. I mean, you’re exactly right. That’s that’s where the idea came from, is that in our area, you know, around metro Atlanta, around Athens, we are in weekly conversations with churches of of how to start a ministry or just begin, like you’re saying, what are some easy steps, tangible ways to serve families, bring awareness to it. And so we just decided, you know, out stewarding, being a good steward of the the great work God has done at Bethlehem, the resources he’s provided for us that we love. Nan Britt — Jason and I, we, we, our big kingdom church people. We love partnering with churches. We love knowing other pastors. And, and so that’s been exciting for me just to work with other churches and share with them. I think we’ve learned so much at Bethlehem, like Jason said, from being very small with no budget, no space, being very conservative in, in what we’ve done to now having a huge ministry, a large ministry, having great space. Jason Britt — Right.Nan Britt — I think we just have learned so many ways to be able to equip churches. And and that’s really the heart behind it. And so we’ve done this last year, really, I have I’m leading that and and kind of initiating that. We just have put in quarterly quarterly lunches if you are nearby and close to us to join us for that. Quick things to your inbox that give ideas. We share our resources. We’re where we don’t want you to recreate something, spend time on that.Bethlehem Church — Because like you said, a lot of that a lot of times it’s kids’ ministries, people who already wear a lot of hats at their churches. I mean, they are overwhelmed. They are leading kids’ ministry. We have some a part of our network that are family pastors, and then they have also been given this task of, hey, figure out special needs ministry as well.Jason Britt — Yeah. Nan Britt — Or volunteers. They’re not paid. So it’s our desire just to get in there and help equip. Jason Britt — Yeah. Nan Britt — And to make it fit the structure of your church. You know, every church is unique. And so ah we just want to make this tangible and easy. And so, yeah. And so we we walk alongside churches really at their own pace, you know, of what they say, hey, we need help with this. Jason Britt — Yep.Nan Britt — And in 2026, we hope to keep expanding resources and more so online that really allow churches outside of Georgia, you know, to access more resources.Rich Birch — Yeah, that which you’ve provided and we’ll link to this, the Buddies Volunteer Handbook. I thought this was great, kind of a I know I love this kind of thing. I’m always like diving deep on, wow, it’s so cool to see what people do. I love this. Talk to us a little bit about this resource. How does it fit in your… Nan Britt — Yes. Rich Birch — …like in your process with Buddies and all that?Nan Britt — Yes. For sure, you know, the first few years, like we’re saying of our ministry, that our our procedures and systems looked more like just a Word document. Rich Birch — Right.Nan Britt — You know, something that I would share onboarding volunteers of, hey, this is your role as a buddy. You know, this is what it means to serve at our ministry. This is these are the expectations. This is… And then in time, you know, we created that. It turned into a handbook, you know, a nicely you know printed handbook that that matched really what our kids ministry handbook and our student ministry handbook looked like. And so it is a great resource that that’s how we onboard volunteers and kind of their their first invitation into the ministry of we go through that handbook with them. We prioritize, hey, this is what we say is your role and what a win is in our ministry. So it goes through a lot of our our systems put around the ministry, the procedures. And what I like to share with churches is kind of what Jason was saying. Really, special needs ministry fits neatly into that that umbrella of all the systems and procedures and policies that a church already has in place for kids ministry… Rich Birch — Yeah. Nan Britt — …and student ministry, special needs ministry fits within that. And that is the way we function at our church. And so there, back when you said there really is not additional liability or additional policies for special needs ministry. So, that’s contained in our handbook. And yeah, it’s a great resource to share with our volunteers and drives the the goals and expectations of the ministry. Jason Britt — Yeah . Rich Birch — That’s so good. Nan Britt — And that’s what we share a lot with we share our handbook with churches and then our family form. Most churches are saying, hey, you mentioned the form that you give to parents.Rich Birch — Yeah. Help us understand that. Yeah. Yes.Nan Britt — Hey, can you share that with us? And we say, absolutely. Just just take our logo off of it. You put your church logo on there. Rich Birch — Yes. Nan Britt — And you just just just start using that because that’s that’s another great resource we share.Rich Birch — Yeah, that’s great. So as we’re coming down to land, kind of a same similar question to both you. I’ll start with you, Nan. Let’s picture that you’re a leader within a church who’s got a passion for this area and is like thinking, hey, we we need to take some steps in the next, maybe the next six months, next three months to kind of move this from, hey, we’re helping a couple kids to we want to create a bit more structure there. What would you say to them to like, Hey, here are some first steps that you should be taking to try to expand this beyond something that’s informal to like, we’re trying to make this a little bit more part of what we do, not just something we’re kind of dealing with. It’s like, we’re going to actively add this.Nan Britt — Right. Yeah, I think that’s a great question. I think something immediately that churches can do is to have a conversation, you know, around kids ministry, around the team on Sundays, and essentially just to have a plan in place of, okay, what would we do if a family visited our church? And just by having a conversation and being prepared, really just allows you to welcome that family without the stress and panic on your face. Rich Birch — Sure. Right. Nan Britt — You know, of that we know it’s unintentional, but we never want a family to feel like an inconvenience or a burden or unwelcomed at our church. But simply by having a plan of okay, what would we do if a family came? And I think that that could easily be we’re going to get them checked in and they’re going to go into our kids’ ministry environments. But maybe we can have two or three extra volunteers on call that we would utilize or we might pull from our existing kids ministry classes to be a buddy for that morning for that child in the second grade class. That’s that’s pretty easy to do. But if you have already talked through that, then when a family comes, it doesn’t send you in a into panic mode.Rich Birch — Right. Yeah. Nan Britt — And and then, like because as we said, the parents are still there. They’re in service. You can always call them or text them with a question or a need that you might have. And then from there, I think it gives you time to put some systems in place. What that might be like is you you prioritize a Sunday morning service. If you if you offer multiple services, I always tell churches, hey, you know, pick, choose a service and build your volunteer team around one service. Rich Birch — Oh, that’s good.Nan Britt — And then that is a service you can communicate to the community of, hey, we’re offering our buddies team at the nine o’clock service on Sunday morning. We’d love to invite you to attend at this time. That’s pretty manageable for churches rather than feeling overwhelmed of, wow, do we need to offer her volunteers at every service that we have on a Sunday? So just starting small. Jason Britt — Yep, yep. Rich Birch — Yeah, that’s good.Nan Britt — And then, like I said, an easy step is, is, getting access to a family form. Rich Birch — Yeah, yeah. Perfect. Nan Britt — And like I said, we can easily share that with you because you collect such great information that really helps you feel prepared for the hour and a half that the family’s with you on a Sunday morning.Rich Birch — Yeah. That’s great. So similar question, Jason, let’s say you’re, imagine you’re a lead pastor and, you know, somebody on their team comes to you and says, Hey, we, we had this conversation as a huddle, like, Hey, what could we do? And we realized we’ve got to add some more emphasis on this. We, you know, if, if we had a family come today, oh, I’m not sure, you know, we might be able to serve one kid or two kids if they came or one or two people if they came, but we’re not, I’m not sure if we had any more than that, that we, and we’d like to add some more volunteer time. We’re not looking for money, just kind of some more emphasis. What would you say to a lead pastor who had someone come to them? How would you kind of coach them to respond to that, to a, to a leader that came with them with that kind of request?Jason Britt — Yeah, I would say just because I know how does a senior pastor would, hey, we got this, we got this. It seems like there’s always about five things pressing and and and it’s like another thing, you know. I would say see the opportunity.Rich Birch — Love it.Jason Britt — That’s what I would just go, man, the opportunity and, you know, see the opportunity for gospel presence. I mean, I think some of my favorite stories, and we don’t have time to get to them, have been families that came or brought their special needs adult or student, or and they’ve been baptized because of that, you know. So the opportunity of it, it is a communit… Rich Birch — Yeah, it’s so good. Jason Britt — …of people that in the local church we are for, but oftentimes unintentionally we haven’t been prepared for or, and again, it’s legitimate and get it. I think it’s the, also there’s just great resources. Like I just got, we just came off, I mean, you know, this stuff, Rich, there’s just like there’s people who help out. We just came off of a two-year generosity initiative. And I need help thinking strategically. Rich Birch — Right.Jason Britt — I don’t need, you know, and and they help that. Well, there’s people like Nan. Uh, there’s people that are out there that are there to help.Rich Birch — Right.Jason Britt — And I think there’s a lot more similarities in churches with people who can help… Nan Britt — Yeah.Rich Birch — Yes. Jason Britt — …than just like I needed in the general there. That’s the same thing I would tell a pastor. Don’t be overwhelmed. See the opportunity. Nan Britt — Yeah.Rich Birch — Yeah, that’s so good.Nan Britt — I would add, I think that’s key that, you know, in the same way that, like you’re saying, in the world of production or other ministries, we are familiar with contracting with people who that’s their specialty. That’s their skill. That’s their experience. I think it’s the same way in this conversation with special needs ministry. I think that is the quickest way to… Jason Britt — Yep. Nan Britt — …move along the conversation is to maybe to consider contracting with a person that that has that is a professional in this. It it it will eliminate all of those what-if questions… Jason Britt — Yep. Nan Britt — …the fear around it, and someone who knows this this ministry and knows what to do. Jason Britt — Yep. Absolutely. Rich Birch — That’s so good. Nan Britt — You know who’s not surprised by the needs of people with disabilities and special needs. So I think that for churches that And like we said, it’s it’s similar to contracting with other needs around the church.Rich Birch — Right. Good.Nan Britt — So just as quickly as you can, get someone in the conversation that is an expert and kind of knows ah you know what how to care, how to care for these kids. Jason Britt — Yep, yep.Rich Birch — So good. Well, Nan, we’ll give you the last word. If people want to get in touch with with you, with the church to talk about the network or to just just even learn more, where do we want to send them online so they can access more information, you know, that sort of thing?Nan Britt — Yes. So ah they are welcome to email me, nan@bethlehemchurch.us. I would love that to just, like I said, eat weekly, that’s really my role on our staff now is is talking and training and and just working alongside churches. So I would love to connect. And then our website is BethlehemChurch.us, which they can find our Bethlehem Buddies page. Just see a lot of great resources there and then get in touch with our staff there as well. Jason Britt — Yep.Rich Birch — That’s great. Appreciate you guys being here today. Thank you so much. And thanks for what you’re doing. Appreciate being on the show today.Nan Britt — Thanks so much. Jason Britt — Thank you.

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Based on a recent listener question about how to start to let go as our kids get older, this "Deep Dive" series highlights some of our past interview episodes on the topic. There's a mental health crisis among teens. Teens are also highly emotional creatures by design. Adolescent psychologist Dr. Lisa Damour thinks the two are starting to get conflated– and that means parents and educators can sometimes overcorrect in their responses to teens' emotional outbursts. ⁠⁠Dr. Lisa Damour⁠⁠ co-hosts the Ask Lisa podcast and writes about adolescents for the The New York Times, in addition to her clinical practice. Her book discussed in this episode is ⁠⁠The Emotional Lives of Teenagers: Raising Connected, Capable, and Compassionate Adolescents⁠⁠.  Amy and Lisa explore: Why good sleep is the first thing we need to help dysregulated teens solve What the pandemic actually revealed about teens' mental health Key myths and misconceptions about adolescent emotions Dr. Lisa says that we– and our teenagers– can gain much by asking if the strong emotion a teen may be feeling is uncomfortable or unmanageable. If it's uncomfortable, learning to sit with that is part of the process of healthy emotional maturation. Here's where you can find Lisa: Our ⁠⁠previous interview ⁠⁠with Dr. Lisa ⁠⁠https://drlisadamour.com/⁠⁠ @lisa.damour on IG ⁠⁠https://www.facebook.com/lisadamourphd⁠⁠ Buy Lisa's book: ⁠⁠https://bookshop.org/a/12099/9780593500019⁠⁠ This episode originally aired on February 24, 2023. What Fresh Hell is co-hosted by Amy Wilson and Margaret Ables. We love the sponsors that make this show possible! You can always find all the special deals and codes for all our current sponsors on our website: ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.whatfreshhellpodcast.com/p/promo-codes/⁠ What Fresh Hell podcast, mom friends, funny moms, parenting advice, parenting experts, parenting tips, mothers, families, parenting skills, parenting strategies, parenting styles, busy moms, self-help for moms, manage kid's behavior, teenager, tween, child development, family activities, family fun, parent child relationship, decluttering, kid-friendly, invisible workload, default parent, teen mental health, adolescent emotions, letting go as kids grow up, parenting teenagers, Dr. Lisa Damour, Ask Lisa podcast, teen emotional regulation, teen anxiety and stress, pandemic teen mental health, parenting teens through big emotions, how to help dysregulated teens, teen sleep and mental health, emotional development in adolescence, teen mental health myths, supporting teen independence, raising emotionally healthy teens, The Emotional Lives of Teenagers, Untangled, Under Pressure, connected and compassionate teens Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices