We recently sat down with our good friend Curtis Zackery, or as many of you probably know him, CZ.  CZ is a teaching pastor at Church of the City, but his first job with a church was as a youth pastor.  In this conversation he shares about his life growing up and what he learned about parenting from his time as a youth pastor. 

CZ also just wrote his first book, Soul Rest.  The book looks at God's invitation for us to find rest in him. With so many parents and students alike feeling stressed out and over-worked, we were excited for CZ to share some encouragement to the parent who is having hard time finding their own rest.

Episode 19: Curtis Zackery

In this episode you'll hear from Nate Larkin, founder of the Samson Society.  Nate travels the country speaking on sexual addiction.  He shares with us his own journey of pornography addiction and offers some observations on this critical topic facing adolescents today. Pornography is one of the most under discussed crises facing our society today. With great humility and transparency, Nate shares his heart for this next generation and challenges parents to think about how we can be part of the solution.  

Check out SamsonSociety.com to learn more about Nate's work.

Check out Nate's book Samson and The Pirate Monks on Amazon or other Christian book outlets.  You can get his newest book, Beyond Accountability for free at Discipleship.org.

For web/mobile based resources, check out FightTheNewDrug.org and the Fortify app.

Episode 20: Nate Larkin Shares His Story

After a short break, WE'RE BACK! Today's episode is a recording from a recent gathering where Matt shared some observations of what he's seeing in regards to drug use and underage drinking among teens. For more specific information in regards to vaping, be sure to go back and listen to episode 12. Next week, we'll share the second half of this gathering which was a candid conversation between a marriage and family therapist and an addiction counselor.

Episode 21: Navigating Drugs and Alcohol

Recently we had the privilege to host a conversation between Jeff Helton and Laura Glover. Jeff and Laura are both parents of young adults and have developed a friendship over the years through their common work. Jeff has been a pastor and counselor for years and Laura is an addiction counselor at Cumberland Heights, a non-profit alcohol and drug addiction treatment center. Jeff talks to Laura about what parents should know as they try to navigate alcohol and substance abuse issues with their adolescents.

For more information about Cumberland Heights, visit CumberlandHeights.org.

Episode 22: Jeff Helton and Laura Glover

BACK. TO. SCHOOL! It's that time of year again. Summer break is over, and the bus is pulling up very early in the morning. Whether you're sad, excited, or both, we're here to offer some encouragement. In this (shorter) episode, Matt offers three encouragements for parents heading into the new school year.

Navigating Adolescence: Conversations for Parents