2022-08-10T12:59:00+01:00By Rob Parsons
What might be possible if you began to dream?
2022-08-02T10:12:00+01:00By Andy Peck
Are you happy to receive good advice, whatever the source?
2022-08-01T09:59:00+01:00By Jenni Whymark
Jenni Whymark is thrilled to see England Women’s football thriving and asks whether we can learn a thing or two in the church
2022-07-21T15:29:00+01:00By Jo Rowe
What works for you when you are angry with someone?
2022-07-21T12:31:00+01:00By Victoria Beech
Do you secretly dread it when your children break up for summer?
2022-07-18T08:55:00+01:00By Transforming Lives for Good (TLG)
Could your church supoort this nationwide work?
2022-07-11T14:04:00+01:00By Claire Hailwood
Where do you draw the line?
2022-07-07T10:21:00+01:00By Jo Rowe
Make sure God’s beautiful gift to us is understood well
2022-06-30T12:02:00+01:00By Mark Arnold is additional needs ministry director at Urban Saints and co-founder of the Additional Needs Alliance. He is a Churches for All and Living Fully Network partner and member of the Council for Disabled Children. He is father to James, who has autism.
Longer, sunnier, days are here! The opportunity to take our children’s or youth group out for the day or just for a couple of hours on a club night has arrived! Perhaps to the beach or the countryside, maybe to a park or to a children’s farm, there are lots of places that we can take our children and young people to, including those with additional needs.
2022-06-28T15:03:00+01:00By James Pratt, who is a Falmouth University graduate and Production Assistant at Premier Radio
What would you say to someone about to head for uni?
2022-06-22T08:08:00+01:00By Claire Hailwood, a former youth worker who is involved with her husband at Freedom Church in Worcester. They are parents to four children
What do your children find funny?
2022-06-13T09:47:00+01:00By Claire Hailwood
Are your young people tempted to smoke?
2022-04-27T11:30:00+01:00By Claire Hailwood
Wouldn’t it be great if anyone at church just ‘got on’! But we all know it’s not that simple
2022-04-27T11:26:00+01:00By Andy Wood
Your child is excited about an option, but darn it, it’s on at the same time as church!
2022-04-27T11:22:00+01:00By Joel Toombs
You know you want to improve your conversations with your teenage son or daughter, but don’t know how
2022-04-27T09:02:00+01:00By Jenni Whymark
Have you ever had a sinking feeling when you see who your children are hanging out with?
2022-04-27T08:58:00+01:00By Trish Hahn
Is there anything more important that you will read or hear today, than God’s Word?
2022-04-27T08:49:00+01:00By Jo Rowe
Are we realistically expecting our teens to stand out as Christians in the classroom?
2022-04-27T08:36:00+01:00By Alison Keddilty
Sleep deprived and feeling just slightly desparate?!
2022-04-27T08:04:00+01:00By Dawn Savidge
Your children may be addicted to digital screens, but Dawn Savidge believes it’s time they started to live a little!
2022-04-11T14:47:00+01:00By Ali Hull
It’s a joy having grandparents on hand to help out. But what happens when parenting styles clash with yours?
2021-02-23T00:00:00+00:00By Andy Robertson
Video games are often a cause of worry for parents and carers. How much gaming time is too much gaming time? Andy Robertson will put your mind at rest, or at least will try…
2021-02-03T00:00:00+00:00By Claire Musters
Addiction to gaming is now recognised as a mental health condition. What does that mean for parents and youth and children’s workers?
2020-12-09T00:00:00+00:00
Can you remember how you learnt about sex? Was it a VHS describing what happens using euphemistic fruit images? Was it whispers in the playground? Was it graphic content seen online?
2020-11-17T00:00:00+00:00By Andy Robertson
Headlines about the dangers of video games may not be so prevalent, but most parents are nervous about the content of games and the time spent on them. Youth and Children’s Work Game Boy columnist, Andy Robertson, suggests the answer may be to play video games yourself. Yes really.
2020-07-13T00:00:00+01:00By Annie Wilmott
There’s been a lot of difficult subjects to tackle with our children and young people in recent months. Annie Wilmot, a funeral pastor, author and mum-of-two, revealed how we can talk to our children about the tough stuff.
2020-05-01T00:00:00+01:00By Rachel Turner
Parenting for Faith’s Rachel Turner, author of a new book from BRF entitled Parenting as a Church Leader, shares some encouragement.
2020-03-24T00:00:00+00:00By Jess Lester
Keeping children and young people entertained with tech may feel like a cop out – but now we’re in isolation, it’s only natural that we will be relying on our TVs, smartphones and gaming consoles for entertainment.
2020-03-23T00:00:00+00:00By Jess Lester
Children and young people know the importance of washing their hands – I know we’ve been singing Happy Birthday a lot in our house, at least – but did you know that we could be spreading germs with our technology?
2020-02-07T00:00:00+00:00
New research by Childwise found that more than half of children say they sleep with their mobile phone beside their bed, with most young people now having their own phone by the age of seven. The annual report into children’s use of media also found that seven to 16-year-olds spend an average of three hours and 20 minutes per day on their mobiles.
2020-01-23T00:00:00+00:00By Martin Saunders
The friend you’re made to be
2019-12-11T00:00:00+00:00By Annie Wilmott
Annie Willmot shares some advice and encouragement for anyone who feels like they’re blagging their way through parenting
2019-12-10T00:00:00+00:00By Rachael Newham
As a new year and a new term begins, there can be pressure to start all guns blazing, with fresh energy and enthusiasm. Yet for many of us, a busy Christmas period can mean starting the new year exhausted rather than exhilarated.
2019-11-19T00:00:00+00:00
December… The month of the most important birth in history is finally here. That’s right, the birth of a brand new government. Merry Brex-mas!
2019-09-19T00:00:00+01:00By Kay Morgan-Gurr
Kay Morgan-Gurr explores spiritual development in young people with additional needs
2019-07-18T00:00:00+01:00
Ruth Jackson reflecting on the Soul Survivor talks and seminars that really impacted her and the one that stood out most.
2019-06-24T00:00:00+01:00
Natalie Williams on growing up poor - and finding the church.
2019-05-23T00:00:00+01:00
Pornography is often the first place children and young people learn about sex, so how do we break this damaging cycle?
2019-05-23T00:00:00+01:00By Rachel Gardner
How do you know that what you want is what you want and not what others want you to want? Confused? You should be. Desire is super confusing for everyone, and especially for young people.
2019-05-01T00:00:00+01:00
The paradox of being up since 5am but still arriving late to church can baffle parents and those who are supporting them. Here’s how to help kids of small children feel genuinely supported in church.
2019-04-29T00:00:00+01:00
There is a growing body of research to support the importance of a child’s development from conception to the age of 2 (the first 1,001 days). But what does this mean for those running groups for these young children?
2019-04-29T00:00:00+01:00
The world of YouTube is vast and may feel overwhelming. Around 5 billion videos are watched each day and more than 400 hours of content is uploaded to the site every minute. Our children and young people are immersed in the world of online video, but how much do we understand about this site, its videos and the people creating them? And what impact does this have on those we work alongside?
2019-03-19T00:00:00+00:00
You may not have even heard of county lines, or if you have you may be inclined to think it isn’t relevant to your context. But as this London social worker (who wishes to remain anonymous) explains, no child or young person is exempt, and our youth and children’s groups may be vulnerable to this horrific exploitation.
2019-02-20T00:00:00+00:00By Emma Waring is a sex therapist and author of Seasons of Sex and Intimacy: For a Husband and Wife in Marriage.
Talking about sex is something we often shy away from, but sex therapist Emma Waring has dedicated her life to the topic. She spoke to deputy editor Emily Howarth about how couples can maintain sexual intimacy after having children
2019-01-21T00:00:00+00:00
12-year-old Jonathan Bryan was labelled with profound and multiple learning difficulties (PMLD). The only part of his body he has full control over is his eyes, which he uses to communicate. He shares his experience of education, faith and the need for us to create spaces for all children and young people to actively contribute
2018-12-14T00:00:00+00:00
We know the many benefits of taking young people away, but how do we achieve the best results? We spoke to youth and children’s workers to hear their thoughts…
2018-11-23T00:00:00+00:00By Margaret Pritchard Houston is the children’s and youth worker at St George’s Church in London. Her book, There is a season: celebrating the church year with children is published by SPCK
Margaret Pritchard Houston challenges us to make the most of our crèche spaces
2018-11-22T00:00:00+00:00By Annie Wilmott
The nine months before giving birth can be a great time of preparation. Children’s worker and mum of two Annie Willmot shares her thoughts…
2018-10-03T00:00:00+01:00By Claire Musters
Claire Musters shares how a difficult situation with her son’s schooling has reminded her that God cares deeply for our children
2018-09-19T00:00:00+01:00By Joel Toombs has an MA in Christian mentoring and wrote the Grove booklet Mentoring and young people. He is a mentor in the music industry and a youth worker.
I had a great experience of peer mentoring the other day (that’s really just a posh term for two friends chatting and encouraging each other!).
2018-09-17T00:00:00+01:00
With anxiety in children on the rise, psychologist Dr Kate Middleton explores some of the ways we can support those we work alongside
2018-07-20T00:00:00+01:00By Ruth Jackson
As the summer holidays begin, former Blue Peter presenter and mum of two Helen Skelton talks about why it’s so important to take a break and how electronic devices can help.
2018-05-24T00:00:00+01:00By Ali Campbell
In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus turns to his followers and says: “You are the light of the world” (Matthew 5:14). The first picture Jesus uses to illustrate this is “a city on a hill” which has come to represent the Church. As we gather together as this community of ‘called-out ones’, which is what Church literally means, we are to be this light. The second picture is a “lamp on a stand”, whose job is to “give light to everyone in the house”.
2018-03-20T00:00:00+00:00
“I’m feeling so awake today!” said no teenager ever. We all know the signs of tiredness: bags under the eyes, pallid skin, frequent headaches, dry lips, sugar cravings. And that’s just when we look at ourselves in the mirror!
2017-12-13T00:00:00+00:00By Rachel Turner is an author and pioneer for The Bible Reading Fellowship’s Parenting for Faithprogramme, equipping carers of all kinds to raise God-connected children and teens, including through the free Parenting for Faith video course.
Parenting can feel like something of a high-wire act, especially when it comes to discipline. Rachel Turner explores the balance between punishment, teaching our children consequences and giving them room to make mistakes
2017-10-20T00:00:00+01:00By Jamie Cutteridge is the director of With, a new Christian community and retreat centre dedicated to praying for and with young people bewith.community
Taylor Swift is returning! The new Marvel movie is, in fact, all about Jesus and young people. What’s Kanye been up to recently? Oh! The Star wars trailer, we should talk about that… The apprentice is still bad… So much culture to talk about, so little to say.
2017-09-22T00:00:00+01:00By Jamie Cutteridge is the director of With, a new Christian community and retreat centre dedicated to praying for and with young people bewith.community
“I fell in love with football as I was later to fall in love with women: suddenly, inexplicably, uncritically, giving no thought to the pain or disruption it would bring with it.”
2017-08-24T00:00:00+01:00By Jamie Cutteridge is the director of With, a new Christian community and retreat centre dedicated to praying for and with young people bewith.community
As another school year starts, inevitably, at some point over the next 12 months, we’ll hear both sides of the ongoing debate about sex ed at schools. Does giving children and young people comprehensive sexual information open their eyes to a whole new world of ‘debauched’ activity, or is it vital equipping to navigate a world of sexting and online porn, as well as providing key skills surrounding consent and sexual health? There’s something else to consider though, because, as this summer has proved, the children and young people we work with are getting sex education, they’re being shaped and influenced by the media and advertisers, norms are being established… dangerous, exploitative norms.
2017-05-24T00:00:00+01:00By James Vaughton is director of Bath and Wiltshire Youth for Christ. You can read more about his research at bathyfc.co.uk/publications.
In youth and children’s ministry we’re constantly on the lookout for a silver bullet - one programme or approach that will solve our discipleship crisis. But Bath and Wiltshire YFC’s James Vaughton thinks it might be simpler than that…
2017-05-23T00:00:00+01:00By Jamie Cutteridge
Imagine being able to tell everyone in your life exactly what you think of them, exactly how they’ve hurt you, without any consequences. The only catch is that you’re dead. This is the premise of 13 reasons why, Netflix’s latest binge-worthy show: a 13-episode suicide note to a teenage girl’s friends and classmates, outlining their role in her decision to end her life. Originally hyped as a smart, important look at mental health and the social issues affecting teenagers, upon release the show attracted criticism for its ‘triggering’ impact, its overly realistic depiction of sexual assault and suicide, and negative portrayals of counselling or other forms of support. So what do we do with it? Ignore it? Watch it with our young people? Something between?
2017-03-20T00:00:00+00:00By Jamie Cutteridge is the director of With, a new Christian community and retreat centre dedicated to praying for and with young people bewith.community
In an age of political angst, Jamie Cutteridge explores how we can channel the Trump-based concerns of our children and young people
2017-01-23T00:00:00+00:00
This month, we look at video games. So, those in the top right will be worth a play, those bottom left, less so.
2017-01-19T00:00:00+00:00
Have you ever fallen down a social media black hole? You know, one of those missing afternoons where you start off looking at an interesting video on YouTube and find yourself, three hours later, staring blankly at a meme of Donald Trump with absolutely no idea how you got there. What did we ever do when waiting for a bus or during a dreadfully boring sermon before we had Instagram, Twitter and Facebook to check in on?
2017-01-19T00:00:00+00:00By Jamie Cutteridge
Here are some genuine news stories you may have missed:
2017-01-19T00:00:00+00:00By Jamie Cutteridge
How far would you go to stop people knowing your darkest secrets? What if virtual reality played on your deepest fears? Could you imagine a world where we’re rated the whole time? How would people react if they knew what you really thought? Who wants to live forever? What if your very worse moments got shared with the rest of the world? Black Mirror is back to answer all these questions, and more…
2017-01-19T00:00:00+00:00By Jamie Cutteridge
You can barely walk down the street without tripping over a super hero these days. We all know the feeling of getting home and finding Spider-Man on the bottom of our shoe or one of the Fantastic Four in our bag – they’re everywhere.
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