What to do about low self esteem

Image by Capt. Tim via Flickr

7 in every 10 girls in the United States have low self-esteem. Jim Liebelt calls it a national crisis.

Think about that next time you’re in a crowded cafeteria, gym or mall. It’s really shocking.

What’s dangerous is that low self-esteem can lead to destructive behavior like cutting, eating disorders and substance abuse. That’s physical.

What about the spiritual? God created each and every one of us in His own image and has created us for good work that He has already planned.

If you have a friend that’s having a hard time, share God’s good news with her, and if it’s getting dangerous, tell someone you trust.

How One Lutheran Congregation Fought Racism

Did you know that in days gone by, there were sometimes two Lutheran churches in the same town? A black Lutheran church and a white Lutheran church.

That’s not something we like to admit, however there were people that stood up and fought racism in that system. We too can stand up and fight that which we find contrary to the Gospel of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

This movie (it’s 55 min. long but well worth it) documents the amazing courage members of one congregation took to fight racism and bring Jesus to the fore. Hopefully this leaves you with more questions than answers.

By the way, take note of the important role that youth played in this nonfiction story.

Watch “A Time for Burning” here!
We originally found this movie on Mark Daniel’s blog . We’d like to second his recommendation to share this documentary with those you love.

Is One Church Cooler than the Other?

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In one of the better Lutheran Blogs we’ve found so far, Pastor McCain keeps his thoughts on Lutheranism. He’s a fairly conservative guy, which you might find shocking that we’re linking to him on a youth group blog which tends towards the middle!

But one of his points is that large non-denom churches are lacking in substance are are soon to fail, while Lutheran churches are built on a solid foundation.

Really? When we first started working with the youth, there were quite a few that we heard preferred the big box churches to ours. Is Lutheranism uncool and Church Inc. cooler? Some people think so.

We have two responses:

1. Jesus was not about being the biggest, the best, the coolest, the most popular. He was and is the way the truth and the life, and anyone who follows him will know eternal life. So the biggest thing is that we’re true to what He has taught us.

2. We have a strong foundation in the Bible and the Book of Concord. However we must also recognize that there were all walks of life amongst the 12 disciples: fishermen and tax collectors. So too do different churches that preach the salvation that Jesus alone brings, reach people in different walks of life.

Holy Smokes!

Image by Robert Crum via Flickr

We just got word that Thrivent has agreed to match the Chili Cookoff, bringing the total raised for “Lord, Give me Your Eyes” to $2,378.55! God is good!

To date Thrivent Financial for Lutherans has awarded $764.00 to support youth serving others in “Lord, Give me Your Eyes”. Many families are feeling the pinch of the economy, but with this support seven youth have already had their trip fees completely paid for through participation in fundraisers. The value of that investment can not be quantified.

Thank you Thrivent!