Thought Factory Podcast

#211 || Summer Days, Celebrity Lookalike, & More

Season Two has officially come to a close, so in this episode, we recap a few of this past year's topics, talk about our plans for NTS Camp this summer, and share an exclusive announcement of what is yet to come that will benefit both adult leaders and students in their faith journey.  The Thought Factory will be taking the summer off, but Season Three will launch in October 2017, so stay tuned.

#210 || Faith & Reason Part 2 | Six Foundational Questions We Must Ask Students

Is there evidence for a Creator?  Where does my truth come from?  What do I believe about Jesus?  Can I doubt the resurrection and still be a Christian?  If God is so good then why is my world so bad?  Am I committed to Godly sexuality?  In this two-part episode, Michelle Rewa, with a background in apologetics and a degree in science, explores the 6 foundational questions where faith and reason intersect.  This episode gets us thinking about the last three questions and why it is important to engage with these topics ourselves.

#209 || Faith & Reason Part 1 | Six Foundational Questions We Must Ask Students

Is there evidence for a Creator?  Where does my truth come from?  What do I believe about Jesus?  Can I doubt the resurrection and still be a Christian?  If God is so good then why is my world so bad?  Am I committed to Godly sexuality?  In this two-part episode, Michelle Rewa, with a background in apologetics and a degree in science, explores the 6 foundational questions where faith and reason connect.  This episode gets us thinking about the first three questions and why it is important to be asking our students in the first place.

#208 || Porn & Tech Guinea Pigs

Why do good students fall prey to pornography?  How do you feel when you receive 100 likes on Instagram?  Why are students...ok, the majority of users seem addicted to their smartphone?  In this episode, we discuss how porn, tech, and social media companies are preying on the neurological development of students' brains to hold our attention longer and to get us addicted.  We are simply their guinea pigs.  Hosts Jeff Eckart and Jayson Brewer interview Chris McKenna of protectyoungeyes.com on ways we, as youth leaders and parents, need to be aware of what is happening in our students' brains when we put digital devices in their hands at a young age, as well as, the potential downfalls that are simply one click away.

#207 || Redeem & Engage Technology

How long could you go without your phone?  Less than an hour?  We are talking more about the digital nemesis that the majority of us have accepted into our lives, the smartphone.  In today's episode, we hear from high school students about their attachment to this device.  We also provide suggested guidelines for youth ministry when it pertains to phone use.  Has the phone caused us to be more disengaging when youth ministry is mainly about building relationships?  How can we engage with technology and redeemed it without it being a distraction?

#206 || Verbally Solving America's Greatest Issues

Are we going in the right direction as a country? What do students think? Today we’re talking about what students say are the most important issues facing America.  Issues that include terrorism, race relations, sexual identity, and abortion.  Are students better off spiritually today than 20 years ago? In today's episode, we discuss these issues and our perspective on the direction of this country.

#205 || The Crisis Moment for Students

Hosts Jeff Eckart and Jayson Brewer interview Charlie Alcock, a youth ministry professor at Indiana Wesleyan University.  Charlie has been a youth leader/youth pastor for 28 years and now raises up the next generation of youth leaders who sense God's call into ministry.  We discuss many aspects of students' life, but more specifically the time period after they graduate.  As much as students want to do great things and change the world, can we teach them that extraordinary acts of God start with everyday acts of obedience?

#204 || The Future is Further Than it Appears

It seems more and more that students are growing up too fast in our society. But something else has been trending, these kids aren’t growing up. And no matter who you are, parent, youth worker, etc., you need to be aware of this trend.  This trend continues to change our society as we know it.  This episode revolves around students' thoughts on the future and their plans post-high school.  Is it possible to have an optimistic outlook on something yet worry so much about it?  How do we provide assistance in the long drawn out transition from adolescence to adulthood?

#203 || The Most Influential Environment in Society | Interview with Chuck Klein

What is the most influential environment in society?  Hosts Jeff Eckart and Jayson Brewer interview Chuck Klein, not to be mistaken for the professional baseball player.  Chuck is the Director of Campus Alliance, a coalition of over 60 ministries and denominations coming together to see an impact happen on every one of the 67,000 school campuses across the United States.  We discuss this small window of opportunity and how to best leverage this age group before they graduate high school and disperse into thousands of directions.  

#202 || They Are Certainly Unsure at School

Based on our research of nearly 3000 students from around the country, students shared what the toughest thing is about being a Christian at school.  Students deal with the fear of what others think, fear of offending people with their beliefs, but that was not their top answer, where 45% of students said the same thing.  In this episode, we take a closer look at the school environment, how we can help students stand for the truth and navigate their faith on their school campus, and how prayer can be a catalyst for change. For more information, go to claimyourcampus.com.