Thought Factory Podcast

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. Original Air Date: May 2, 2017

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. Original Air Date: April 28, 2017

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. Original Air Date: April 21, 2017

Students are one click away from being surrounded by danger that could possibly ruin their lives, and in this digital age, when smartphones are more prevalent in the hands of students, are we aware of the dangers?  Today, hosts Jeff Eckart and Jayson Brewer discuss life online and these dangers with the founder of Protect Young Eyes, Chris McKenna.  We will talk about the five most dangerous places for students to be when they go online and some ways to protect them in these environments. Original Air Date: February 5, 2019

Nick is a 7th grader who was born in South Africa.  He moved to the United States when he was 7 years old.  He provides a unique and, at times, a profound perspective on the topic of race in America, coming from a different culture.  Just like any adolescent, he is trying to figure out where he fits in, both racially and ethnically.   Racism is not an adult issue but can be experienced regardless of age.  Are we willing to take the time to listen to students to hear their perspectives on tough topics like this? Original Air Date: March 19, 2019

Depression and anxiety are gripping adolescents and there is no easy pill to swallow to eradicate this from their lives.  Someone cannot just simply “cheer up” or “snap out of it” to solve the problem. Twenty percent of youth between 13-18 live with a mental health condition and that number seems to continue to grow each year.  Jackie Sheppard, who has over 50 years of study and research in this area of science and medicine, discusses the connection between the gut and the brain.  Issues start in the gut, which affects the brain, and the body affects the mind, will, and emotion of a person.  Could the solution to overcoming mental illness be more than just taking medication? Could it be found in replacing the things we've deprived of our bodies?  Original Air Date: April 30, 2019

A change in circumstances and stress can trigger episodes of anxiety or depression in students, and with the changes in school and church dynamics due to the pandemic, how have students been emotionally and mentally affected?  In this episode, Jayson interviews Elizza LeJeune, a clinical social worker at Pine Rest Christian Mental Health Services.  We discuss a variety of aspects of mental health in students, signs we should look out for, and when is the right time to step in if a student is struggling with suicidal thoughts. 

For those who have been around youth ministry for a couple of decades, we have seen plenty of change.  Changes that occurred in that time period appears to have accelerated in the year 2020.  What do you think youth ministry will be like in 10 years?  In this episode, Jeff makes ten bold predictions on where he thinks youth ministry is going to be by the year 2030.  He also gives five pieces of advice to youth ministry leaders, to help lead us into the future of youth ministry.  Jayson takes no responsibility in these predictions. This is part two of a two-part series.

The landscape of youth ministry changes as each decade passes.  The student life is different now than it was 20 years ago.  The church youth group was executing different methods to spread the gospel as it was 10 years ago.  Who could have even predicted what culture and the church would have been like in the year 2020?  Well, someone got pretty close and we will discuss those predictions.  In this episode, Jeff and Jayson look at culture and youth ministry in 10 year blocks, and will look ahead to what it may look like 10 to 30 years from now.  This is part one of a two-part series.

January 6th, 2021, the United States of America changed.  In response to the Capitol Riot, hosts Jeff Eckart and Jayson Brewer ask eight questions about politics mixing with our faith.  These questions are directed at those who lead students, but all stem from the main question, is politics ruining our witness?  One thing that has been witnessed over centuries of time, the zeal for God begins to diminish as our passion for politics grows.

If you were to evaluate the youth ministry you are a part of and how the Bible is used, would you view it as student-centric or Christo-centric?  Do we start with where the students are at and teach from there or start with God?  Hosts Jeff Eckart and Jayson Brewer discuss the transformational power in integrating this one habit into youth ministry.  We must stop teaching and reading the Bible as a self-help book and start helping our students understand it as a autobiography of God.

We may know someone who became negative, jaded, cynical, and critical in ministry and eventually dropped out.  You may even be on the verge of becoming that person.  How do we avoid burnout in ministry and last the long-haul, through all the challenges?  The main question comes down to answering this question, "Who are you serving?"  How you answer that question will determine the strength and length of your time in ministry.

Great coaches can motivate their players to higher heights.  They possess a cultural trait that gets the most out of them doing this one thing.  In this episode, Jeff and Jayson discuss what it takes to get students to grow spiritually in your youth ministry.

A chauffeur is a person employed to drive a private or rented automobile.  Driving instructors help their driving students in practically learning how to drive a car individually.  One has the customer in the back and the other has the customer in the driver's seat.  If you were to evaluate your youth ministry, would you be more considered as a chauffeur or a driving instructor, based on how involved and engaged your students were?  In this episode, hosts Jeff Eckart and Jayson Brewer discuss the cultural difference between student-led youth ministries and adult-driven youth ministries.

Culture is the beliefs and behaviors of a community.  Leaders have the ability to create culture in their environment, but they also have the ability to surrender to the surrounding culture.  So, how does a leader build a winning culture?  What is the one thing that a leader needs to create the culture that is desirable for others to be a part of? 

The school campus has changed due to the pandemic.  From that first day in March when schools shut down and students were sent home to now, the new school year looks different.  To any parent who set their sails to navigate these new waters, it may have seemed chaotic and choppy.  The waters were uncharted - different options for your student, virtual vs hybrid vs full-time in person.  There were also the possible "psychological effects" that wearing a mask all day could have, the social distancing in small classrooms, the protocols for students testing positive.  As adults, we just wondered how our students would handle this.  In this episode, we hear from students about the changes on their school campus and their perspective on the decisions that had to be made.  

We are in an election year, and America gets to choose their president as we close out the chaotic year of 2020.  Since we know and understand that you are sick of the political messages coming your way, let this episode separate itself from all of that noise, as we talk and listen to students on what they perceive in the political climate and what we can learn from their opinions.

The year 2020 has been an unforgettable year.  No doubt we all have been affected to varying degrees, but it has been a shared experience no matter where you live.  In this episode, we talk to pastors, youth pastors, and students from various parts of the America to discuss how the coronavirus pandemic has had an effect on their lives, their ministries, and their emotions.  

Originally aired on October 20th, 2016 If we aren't doing this one thing in our youth ministry settings, then what are we doing?  We can spend an enormous amount of time in our week preparing for things that do not have a lasting impact on students or allowing their faith to develop in meaningful ways.  Students say the Bible is important, but are they actually reading and engaging it throughout the week to make a difference in their faith?  Are we missing this #1 thing as we work with students?

The Potawatomi Trail of Death was the forced removal by militia in 1838 of some 859 members of Potawatomi nation from Indiana to reservation lands in what is now Kansas.  In this episode, host Jeff Eckart shares his 3-week journey of prayer walking the Potawatomi Trail of Death.  Going beyond the physical, emotional, and spiritual toll it took on him, he dives into why he felt led to do this walk, what he learned along the way, and the divine outcomes that have resulted since.