Friday Review (2/13/26)
Each week we compile a list of helpful articles from other sites, in a variety of categories, for youth workers to read, reflect on, and/or discuss with parents and volunteers. If you have any articles you’d like to suggest, we’d love for you to share those in the Youth Pastor Theologian Facebook group. That’s a great way to bring them to our attention and to discuss them with like-minded youth workers! (Inclusion in this list does not imply complete agreement with the publishing source, but we have found these articles to be beneficial.)
Youth Ministry
What To Say To Your Students When Tragedy Happens, by Cameron Cole (Rooted)
In moments of tragedy or crisis, every person, no matter how spiritually mature they are, struggles with theological questions. How could a good and loving God allow such pain? How could a sovereign God tolerate such darkness? Everyone experiences some degree of theological dysphoria.
Why Middle School Ministry Is the Most Important Ministry at Your Church, by Doug Franklin (LeaderTreks)
The church has always wrestled with its priorities. We’ve focused too much on insiders. We’ve leaned on preaching over relationships. We’ve relied on programs instead of equipping people to reach their world for Christ. And for decades, we’ve prioritized high school ministry while treating middle school ministry like an optional add-on.
Biblical & Theological Studies
How Christians Can Out-Narrate Nietzsche, by Michael McEwen (The Gospel Coalition)
Even though Nietzschean categories of genealogy, power, authenticity, and endless self-creation are adopted and adapted nowadays, I’m convinced the Scriptures still out-narrate Nietzsche.
Harder Is Not Always Holier, by Tilly Dillehay (Desiring God)
So, can we see created pleasures rightly? Can we receive them as tiny shards of God’s glory, scattered across the earth to meet needs, provide small joys, and whisper truths about the one who made them? Can we use them the way they were meant to be used?
Cultural Reflection & Contextualization
Artificial Theologians, by Ryan Currie (Gospel Centered Discipleship)
It takes discipline to avoid artificial substitutes. Theology is based on a relationship with God. The theologian is shaped through the slow process of prayer, meditation, and suffering — a process that AI cannot replicate or replace.
Why Are Medical Groups Now Opposing Gender Surgeries for Minors?, by Joe Carter (The Gospel Coalition)
What we’re witnessing in the medical community may be the tail end of that process. This is less a revival of morality and more a reality check imposed by biology.
Pastoral Ministry
Why Pastoral Wellness Matters to Congregations, by Mark Dance (Lifeway Research)
It’s unrealistic, if not naïve, to think a healthy church can be led for long by an unhealthy pastor. Although Jesus is the primary key to church health and revival, it’s fairly obvious that the health of the pastor and church are intrinsically connected.
Family & Parents
Raising Church-Loving Children, by Katie Polski (By Faith)
In the same way, when it comes to cultivating a love for Jesus and his church, we must first examine our own habits and loves. What we treasure and prioritize forms the patterns our children will naturally adopt.
How to Love Your Wife Through the Rough Patches, by Darryl Dash (Dash House)
If you’re married, you will hit rough patches. We all think we’re exempt, but we’re not. You’re going to need a strategy to love your wife through the rough patches. It will never be easy, but here are a few biblical principles that have helped me.
Children as a Mirror to God’s Wonder, by Michael Goldstein (Rooted)
My children show me that I don’t have to live in the prison of a secular, disenchanted world. Like the hole they are currently digging in my front yard (and ruining my flower beds) to tunnel to their friend’s house across the street, they know the path to escape and find deeper joy in a world of God’s presence, glory, creativity, and wonder.
From YPT this week
ep.128: Does our Delivery Matter?
Is our content the only important part of preaching, or does delivery matter? Mike and John discuss what this means for youth workers.
The Bronze Snake and John 3:16… A Lesson in Typology, by Cody Cagle
Four principles of Biblical Typology are explored and applied to John 3:16, showing how typology helps students understand this beloved verse with greater clarity (and awe).
