Wow! It’s been another great year here at FaithONCampus.com.
Thanks to all of you who helped to shape these conversations, challenge my thinking, and push me into new realms of research and praxis in the world of college ministry.
Here are the TOP 12 most viewed posts of the year!
12. Why Relationships Are Considered Too Risky, But the Hookup Culture “Safe” and Easy
I think there’s a fundamental reason why we have seen our student culture shift from (primarily) pursuing authentic, long-term relationships… to settling for casual sexual encounters within the hookup culture…
In a word… fear.
It’s a fear of pain.
A fear of loss.
A fear of investing in something… only to see it fall apart. (Keep reading…)
Do you know about Prezi.com?
It’s not brand new, I think I’ve been using it for about a year now — and for some reason it just dawned on me that I should share about it here, in case YOU haven’t ever experienced it.
Why?
Because it has totally revolutionized the way I do presentations (sorry if this sounds like an infomercial — I just like sharing cool stuff with cool people).
What is it? (Keep reading…)
10. 5 Lies (Student) Leaders Believe
I recently had the chance to co-present to our student leadership population of 350+ about the lies many leaders believe. Many of these lies were identified by different student leaders who have seen them — in some shape or fashion — played on within the student leadership culture on our campus.
So I wanted to share them here, with you, believing that there are some of your leaders who might be struggling with — and leading out of — one (or more) of these lies. (Keep reading…)
This is another post in my series of reflections on my two days with Eugene Peterson at Q Practices.
Our focus was on Cultivating the Inner Life in an Age of Distraction.
I continue to marinate in all of the wisdom that was shared…
Our third and final session on Day 1 was focused on Prayer.
As Peterson spoke, you could tell that his wisdom was gained through the long, challenging task of living a praying life — and not merely through studying the subject. (Keep reading…)
8. Why Abstinence Isn’t Working in America
The call to young Christians to be abstinent until marriage is not working.
Why do I say that?
The September/October 2011 issue of Relevant Magazine, in an article entitled (Almost) Everyone’s Doing It, starts with the following revelation: (Keep reading…)
7. [INFOGRAPHIC] Teens and Porn: 10 Stats You Need to Know
With my first book scheduled to release in mid-February of 2013, I’ve started work on my second — which will be geared towards college students and will examine some of the things that are literally “killing their souls.”
I’ve already included this quote from Mumford & Sons (found in their song, Roll Away Your Stone):
You told me that I would find a hole,
Within the fragile substance of my soul
And I have filled this void with things unreal,
And all the while my character it steals
Darkness is a harsh term don’t you think?
And yet it dominates the things I seek
I think these six lines embody the major struggle I see happening on campuses (and in our culture) today. (Keep reading…)
6. Overcoming A Culture of Instant Gratification
There seems to be a lot working against the (slow) development of healthy relationships today.
We live in an instant society. We want things and we want them now. And yet, most of us can remember a time not too long ago, when things weren’t so “instant.”
That’s not the case for the majority of our students however… (Keep reading…)
5. An Experiment in Being Present
I recently had the pleasure of enjoying lunch with a couple of friends — and a few strangers.
And when one of the young guys put his phone in the middle of the table, two others quickly followed — and then looked at the two of us who had yet to clue in.
As I looked at the growing pile of phones, and then back at the young guy who started the pile, he could see that I needed an explanation.
“The game,” he said, “is quite simple. The first person to reach for the phone — for any reason — buys lunch.”
“YIKES!” I thought. (Keep reading…)
4. 5 Reasons to Teach College Students About Love & Respect Now
We had the pleasure of hosting Joy Eggerichs on campus as a part of our week-long Sex & the Soul series — conversations exploring the intersection of sex, sexuality and faith.
Joy works for her parents who founded Love & Respect Ministries, which conducts conferences and provides resources to the married, divorced, separated, dating and single. As a young adult, Joy has made it her mission to help young adults learn this message of love and respect long before they ever enter into a marriage relationship. (Keep reading…)
3. 8 Things Our Young Men Can Learn From Tim Tebow
Tim Tebow fan or not… You have to admit that this young man has faced a lot in his first couple of years out of college.
And the reality is that the way(s) in which Tebow has carried himself, especially the second half of this 2011 season — after he became the starting quarterback for the Broncos — has been a work in progress for many years.
Unfortunately there’s no quick way to construct the kind of faith, character and integrity displayed by Tebow — it’s something that’s cultivated over the course of a long obedience in the same direction. (Keep reading…)
2. 5 Reasons the Sex Before Marriage Conversation is Such a Big Deal
I started this blog — in it’s original form — three years ago.
On January 11, 2011 I wrote I post entitled Is Sex Before Marriage Really A Sin? for the 1st Annual Sex & the Soul Blogathon.
Since that post went live, it has far and away received the most traffic on my site — accounting for 13,000 views.
Daily — DAILY — I’ll get numerous visits to my blog from people who have used the following terms in search engine searches: (Keep reading…)
1. Love > Sex
God IS love.
God is not sex.
But I think that many of us have made an idol out of sex. We’ve made sex a god that we worship. We have made sex out to be the pinnacle expression of love… and while it is great– a special gift from God — it is by no means the be all and end all of love.
The Enemy has sold us a bill of lies. (Keep reading…)
And there you have it! I look forward to more great conversations in 2013!!
