Growing up can be really tough in today’s culture! We understand that each student is incredibly unique and may need answers to questions that can be difficult for parents to answer. If you’re looking for resources to dig deeper into a particular topic, we have compiled a list from trusted voices to help you parent. Check them out by clicking on the categories below.
How to Care for Someone Battling Anxiety and Depression (Podcast)
This discussion between Paul Tripp and David Powlison discusses how someone is to care for someone battling anxiety and depression. They make great points to change the perception of a parent who would be discussing it with their child by speaking of these states of mind in a relatable and sympathetic manner while at the same time providing practical ways to help people with these issues biblically.
Stressed Out: Anxiety Seminar (Handout)
Easy to read and understand, very informative, and gives detailed descriptions of different types of anxiety. It also provides many additional resources (books, sermons, publications).
Three Ways to Relieve Teen Anxiety Today (Article)
This article discusses helping children deal with anxiety.
5 Simple Strategies to Help Teens Cope with Anxiety (Article)
This article provides five practical steps for parents to help children deal with anxiety.
Helping Students Beat Test Anxiety (Article)
This piece offers exercises to help students and gives a balanced look at the good and bad of anxiety and actions to take to help with anxiety going forward.
What to Do When You Find Out Your Child is Being Bullied (Article)
This article provides practical steps to take when a child is being bullied. This helps understand what is going on and keeps your child from having a more difficult time with bullying later on.
Help! My Child is the Bully! What Should I Do? (Article)
Long but informative article of things parents can do to help kids that are bullying others.
Bullying and Cyberbullying (Article)
Article about how parents can identify bullying, actions that can be taken to help, and signs and symptoms of bullying.
Depression & Anxiety: How Can Churches Help? (Video)
This video addresses depression/anxiety from a Christian perspective centered on God. It is a little long but has good things to say.
Emotionally Healthy Spirituality (Book)
Emotional health and spiritual maturity are inseparable. It is not possible to be spiritually mature while remaining emotionally immature.
How do I walk with my child through separation or divorce? (Video)
This is a video in which Julie Lowe is asked the question, “how do I walk with my child through separation or divorce?” and answers the question empathetically, offering ways to help children through this trauma. Not only does she provide wisdom-driven ways to help, but she also expresses answers to the parent who fails when discussing things with their kids and how to handle that mistake.
Divorce Recovery: Growing and Healing God’s Way (Book)
Winston T. Smith’s short (24 pages) book acts in two parts guided by biblical principles for help regarding the pain and trauma of divorce. He acknowledges and speaks of the unsettling changes that accompany divorce and the specific directions for facing even the most mundane aspects of a day for both adults and children.
Divorce Happens to the Nicest Kids (Book)
Discussion questions and a brief story examine many common concerns and feelings frequently accompanying divorce.
Young People and the Dangerous Trend of Vaping (Article)
This article tackles the issue of vaping specifically. Through Biblical principles and practical relational aids, Julie Lowe offers practical tips to help with this issue.
How Should Christians Think About Marijuana? (Podcast)
Short answer? It’s a more complicated, nuanced topic than we want it to be. But before you jump to any conclusions, listen in on the conversation as we discuss medical vs. recreational marijuana use, being sober-minded, gateway drugs, and even how this topic has been understood and experienced differently in the African American community. Join us!
For Parents of Spiritual Doubters (Article)
This article encourages parents of kids that may be struggling with their faith. This gives practical steps to teach children by example the process of spiritual growth and the importance of prayer.
Youth, Faith, and Church: Will They Stay or Will They Go? (Article)
This short article (and podcast) is about how youth respond to faith and church post-graduation, and how to communicate with them as they decide for or against church.
After Doubt (Book)
This book by A. J. Swoboda looks into whether there is a way to walk faithfully through doubt and come out the other side with a deeper love for Jesus, the church, and its tradition. Can we question our faith without losing it?
The Prodigal God (Book)
This short book by Tim Keller is meant to lay out the essentials of the Christian message, the gospel. It can, therefore, serve as an introduction to the Christian faith for those who are unfamiliar with its teachings or who may have been away from them for some time.
Modern-Day Idolatry (Podcast)
How should we, as Christians look at the idols that may exist in our lives?
Raising Christian Children (Podcast)
As a Christian parent, one of the most important joys is when your child comes to know and love Jesus.
3 Ways To Help Your Kid Push Past Fear (Article)
Good advice, the importance of right thinking, and starting young by doing hard things rather than fearing.
Facing the Monster Called Fear (Article)
Each child is different. For some, record courageous moments and be aware that some movies or books they should not consume.
The Reality of Fear and What to Do Next (Article)
This article addresses when your kid’s fears line up with a real fear you, too, face and how you can walk through those fears together. Practical steps are given to address issues.
How To Forgive (Article)
Practical steps of what it looks like to forgive and keep the relationship healthy.
Affirming God’s Image (Book)
J. Alan Branch takes a fair, respectful, and factual tone in addressing this complex issue through a biblical lens.
Shutting Down Gossip and Building Character (Article)
This is a solid practical article on gossip and the impact that seemingly small gossip can have. This is good to help stop kids from learning to talk negatively about others early on.
Homosexuality and Christian Faith (Podcast)
Rosaria Butterfield gives a detailed and transparent explanation of her story from heterosexual to homosexual, then to a Christian woman who loves Jesus. She focuses not only on her story but also on the brilliance of the Bible and how the Word of God was her “highway to a holy God.” Great podcast to explain her path out of her lifestyle and how important the Bible and ridding of her own pride was in this process.
What Does the Bible Really Teach About Homosexuality? (Article)
Denny Burk’s review of Kevin DeYoung’s book on homosexuality is an excellent summary and motivator to pick up this book and read it. DeYoung’s book is the best option to be informed about the Bible’s opinion on homosexuality because it is relatively concise, confronts the opponent’s view on the issue, interacts directly with the biblical text, and is incredibly informative on this issue.
Is God anti-gay? (Book)
How do we relate to both Christians and non-Christians who experience same-sex attraction? In this short, simple book, Sam Allberry wants to help Christians understand what God has said about these questions in the scriptures. Drawing on his own experience, he offers a positive and liberating way forward through the debate. Drawing on his own experience, he offers a positive and liberating way forward through the debate, including answers to some new questions: Should Christians attend gay weddings? Isn’t the Christian view of sexuality dangerous and harmful? Is it sinful to experience same-sex attraction?
Gay Girl, Good God (Book)
In Gay Girl, Good God, author Jackie Hill Perry shares her own story, offering practical tools that helped her in the process of finding wholeness. Jackie grew up fatherless and experienced gender confusion. Her story is about this struggle and ultimately, the redeeming power of Christ.
Holy Sexuality and the Gospel (Book)
Dr. Christopher Yuan explores the concept of holy sexuality–chastity in singleness or faithfulness in marriage–in a practical and relevant manner, equipping readers with an accessible yet robust theology of sexuality.
Affirming God’s Image (Book)
J. Alan Branch takes a fair, respectful, and factual tone in addressing this complex issue through a biblical lens.
How to Respond to Your Child When You Find Out the Unexpected (Article)
This article provides insight into parenting, encouraging relationships between parents and children, and how to work out situations in a healthy way.
An Escape Plan For Teens (Article)
The x-plan provides phrases ready for teenagers to use in situations they want to avoid. Emphasizes the importance of empowering them to say no in situations they don’t want to or should not be a part of.
Boundaries with Kids (Book)
Join Drs. Henry Cloud and John Townsend, authors of the New York Times bestseller Boundaries, as they share the research and guidance you need to raise your kids to take responsibility for their actions, attitudes, and emotions.
Parenting: 14 Gospel Principles That Can Radically Change Your Family (Book)
In this life-giving book, Paul Tripp offers parents much more than a to-do list. Instead, he presents us with a big-picture view of God’s plan for us as parents. Outlining fourteen foundational principles centered on the gospel, he shows that we need more than the latest parenting strategy or list of techniques. Rather, we need the rescuing grace of God―grace that has the power to shape how we view everything we do as parents.
Parenting the Wholehearted Child (Book)
With authenticity, conviction, and a lively sense of humor, Jeannie guides you on a transformative journey into raising wholehearted—not perfect—children who live from the freedom found in being wholeheartedly loved (and liked!) by God.
The 5 Love Languages of Children (Book)
Dr. Gary Chapman and Dr. Ross Campbell help you discover how to speak your child’s love language in a way that he or she understands.
The Whole-Brain Child (Book)
In this pioneering, practical book, Daniel J. Siegel, neuropsychiatrist and author of the bestselling Mindsight, and parenting expert Tina Payne Bryson, offer a revolutionary approach to child rearing with twelve key strategies that foster healthy brain development, leading to calmer, happier children.
The Place We Find Ourselves (Podcast)
This podcast features private practice therapist Adam Young (LCSW, MDiv) and interviews with guests as they discuss all things related to story, trauma, attachment, and interpersonal neurobiology.
10 Questions Every Teen Should Ask (and Answer) about Christianity (Book)
Backed by state-of-the-art research, personal stories, and careful biblical study, this book doesn’t dodge tough questions. Instead, it invites teenagers to ask their hardest questions about Christianity and to find surprising, life-giving answers.
Talking to Your Kids about Pornography (Podcast)
This podcast between Jason Soucinek and Walt Mueller focuses on how parents, grandparents, mentors, etc., can talk to their kids about pornography. This podcast is EXCELLENT because it is so informative in such a brief 10-minute podcast.
My Child Was Caught Viewing Porn! What Do I Do? (Article)
This article provides practical information and steps for parents that may have children struggling with pornography. Lays out how to start the conversation well and be aware that it will happen with their kids earlier than when the parents were growing up.
Lies the Culture Tells Us about Porn (Podcast)
This podcast gives steps for parents to take in conversation and beyond when they find their kid has seen pornography and also addresses the biblical standard of sexuality.
Fight the New Drug (Website)
Fight the New Drug exists to raise awareness of the harmful effects of porn using only science, facts, and personal accounts.
The Death of Porn (Book)
Written as personal letters, as from a father to his son, Ray Ortlund aims to offer hope and assurance to those who have been misled by porn into devaluing themselves and others. Scripture and personal stories show that God loves even in the moments of deepest shame and encourages men to join together to fight the injustice of porn and build a world of nobility for every man and woman―for the sake of future generations.
Is Pornography Harmless? (Podcast)
Pornography is not just an “out there” problem— it is an issue that plagues the men and women of the church. And in a day and age where the porn industry takes in more money than all major sports leagues combined, we have to talk about it. Join us as we discuss the difference between lust and love, the danger of consumerism, and the importance of aligning every aspect of our sexuality with God’s character.
When a Friendship Becomes Co-Dependent (Article)
This dynamic article confronts toxic friendships when they begin to exist in a co-dependent state. The article provides a narrative to learn from, a brief diagnosis of this issue, and then three steps of repentance to shift our focus from co-dependency to falling more in love with Christ.
Real Vs Virtual Relationships (Podcast)
This podcast directly deals with the possible danger of virtual relationships and how they can influence real relationships. True connection does not come from being connected to the virtual world, but rather in connection to others in reality.
31 Things to Say to Help Teens Navigate Relationships (Article)
This article provides practical rules and help for parents and teens to navigate all relationships. (Not just dating) Many items on this list provide safety nets for temptation, much focuses on God’s creative work and love for all people. (Meaning that we should respect all people.)
How to Help Preteens Navigate Friendship Drama (Article)
Practical advice for parents to help children navigate friendship drama.
Self-Injury: When Pain Feels Good (Book)
This short book (30 pages) is an incredible piece that is focused on the audience of someone who is experiencing self-harm or to someone you may know who is experiencing this cycle. Not only does he help family and friends understand the self-harmer’s world, but he also gives a cure to the harmer that rests in the Gospel message.
Kids Who Cut (Article & Handout)
This handout describes that often there is deep emotional pain, or an attempt to feel something. Cutting is something that can be controlled and often provides temporary relief.
What Parents Need to Know About Kids Who Self-Harm (Article)
Article on self-harm to help parents understand what causes an individual to self-harm. It is a symptom of emotional pain that is often unbearable. There is a detailed list of information, actions parents can take, and practical help.
Have You Talked to Your Kids About Sex? (Article)
This article may seem a bit odd at first but is excellent in our culture. It speaks to how parents need to talk to their kids about sex at a young age due to technology, other kids, etc. Laying this foundation not only informs them about the truths of sex, but it also solidifies the parent as a safe source to discuss these matters with.
Teens & Sex: How Should We Teach Them? (Book)
This brief book (32 pages) discusses not only the pragmatic ways in how parents should teach their kids sex but is also very informative in explaining characteristics that are extremely sexually tempting for teens.
Rethinking Sexuality (Book)
Instead of arguing with the world about what’s right and wrong about sexual choices, this practical resource equips you to share the love and grace of Jesus as you encounter the pain of sexual brokenness—your own or someone else’s.
Biblical Sexuality (Podcast)
This podcast episode discusses the topic of sex and its relation to the biblical sexual ethic and Jesus’ love for us and the gospel. Join Church Unplugged as we examine what the Bible teaches about sex within the context of marriage and how it impacts our lives. They also raise the question of whether we can trust God in this area of our lives.
Holy Sexuality and the Gospel (Book)
Dr. Christopher Yuan explores the concept of holy sexuality–chastity in singleness or faithfulness in marriage–in a practical and relevant manner, equipping readers with an accessible yet robust theology of sexuality.
Purity Culture (Podcast)
If you grew up in church in the ’90s or 2000s, you might be familiar with the idea of purity culture––a specific way of teaching about sex, dating, and marriage. Though parents and leaders had good intentions, the teachings of purity culture left many with a skewed, shame-based understanding of sexuality and relationships. Tune into this episode of Church Unplugged as the CCC Leadership Team unpacks the idea of purity culture, gives thoughts on where it went wrong, and shares some better ways of teaching about sexuality.
Why is Sex Outside of Marriage Wrong? (Podcast)
In this episode of Church Unplugged, CCC pastors dig into this topic to help us reflect on how our willingness to obey God is actually based on how much we trust him and value others.
Young Teens and Social Media (Article)
Julie Lowe speaks to the harmful influence that inherently rests within social media. She does an excellent job comparing parents just giving their children phones as being similar to handing a child keys to a truck. These good things can be lethal and must be met with proper guidance and wisdom from a parental figure.
Social Media and Depression (Podcast)
This short one-minute podcast shows the connection between social media and depression. It shows statistics regarding the connection between social media and depression while offering solutions to this problem in a straightforward manner.
How Social Media is Molding Your Child (Article)
Article discussing how social media has changed from “a thing” that is part of life to a lifestyle. Social media influences almost every aspect of how kids see themselves, others, and the world. This article also discusses practical steps to monitor social media, create real values and connections as a family, and help your kid navigate this world.
Christians, the Gospel, and Social Media (Podcast)
Regardless of the platform, what we say is invariably connected to our hearts. In the same way that our spoken words can be used to bring healing or division, love or hate, so can our social media posts. So, how can Christians use social media to bring healing and love?
Parents’ Ultimate Guide to Instagram (Article)
This article provides the basics of how Instagram works, and how parents can help their children use it wisely and safely.
How to Recognize the Signs of Teen Depression and Suicide (Podcast)
Really good, practical advice, tangible things to do versus surface-level guidance. Shares warning signs, community depression, and preventative measures, and also give additional resources.
Rising Suicide Rates (Podcast)
Using statistics, this short podcast references the rising suicide rates in our culture and points to the risk factors that lead to this decision. The podcast concludes that no matter the factors, parents must preach to their kids that the gospel is the solution to the darkness they are experiencing, not the act of suicide.
Suicide: Understanding and Intervening (Book)
This short book (40 pages) speaks biblical truth about the confusing and tragic decision of suicide. It is dynamic in that it speaks of the signs of suicide and the guidelines for intervening when the signs come to fruition. This brief book is a very powerful tool.
The Suicide Talk (Article)
This article has really good info, not being judgmental or shameful. Having conversation with your kids when their friends try suicide. Listening more than talking.