Podcast
Youth Culture Today with Walt Mueller
Hosted by Walt Mueller · EN
Youth Culture Today is a 60-second daily radio spot from CPYU and Walt Mueller, now available as a podcast. It provides a quick glance into the world of teenagers and today's youth culture for parents, youth workers and others who care about kids and want to help them navigate adolescence in ways that bring glory to God.
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Works or Grace?
Jul 700:01:00Tap to summarizeAll this week we’re looking at some great quotes that help us to look deeply into who we are and how our culture has shaped us and our kids. Here’s one from C.S. Lewis: “A world of nice people, content in their own niceness, looking no further, turned away from God, would be just as desperately in need of salvation as a miserable world. . . and might even be more difficult to save.” What do Lewis’s words have to do with today’s youth culture? Sadly, research is pointing to the fact that many kids and adults – some who claim to be followers of Jesus Christ – believe that salvation depends not on the free grace and sacrifice of our Lord Jesus Christ, but on our works and living as a nice person. But the Scriptures are clear: our salvation is a free gift of God that depends on our trusting in him alone. Teach your kids the truth about the saving grace God shows to us, through his son, Jesus Christ.
Transcribe →The Idols We Worship
Jul 600:01:00Tap to summarizeHere’s a thought-provoking quote that I recently ran across from Ralph Waldo Emerson - “A person will worship something, have no doubt about that. That which dominates our imaginations and our thoughts will determine our lives and our character. Therefore, it behooves us to be careful what we worship, for what we are worshipping we are becoming.” You may now be wondering why I would use time on a spot about today’s youth culture to share an old quote from someone who’s not living. Well, there’s great wisdom in Emerson’s words, wisdom that holds true for our kids and even ourselves as we live in today’s world. You see, all kinds of potential idols jockey for our attention and allegiance. And even though we claim to be followers and worshippers of Jesus Christ, it’s easy to slip into worship of something else. Take a look at your life. What do you worship? And what are you modeling for your kids?
Transcribe →True Freedom
Jul 300:01:00Tap to summarizeThis is a big weekend for those of us living here in the United States. Tomorrow, we celebrate the two hundred and fiftieth anniversary of our nation, or, what’s called our Semiquincentennial. You’ve no doubt experienced the buildup and even some anniversary events, where the main theme of these celebrations is freedom. This weekend’s events give us a great opportunity to teach our kids about true freedom, which is the freedom which comes through a relationship with Jesus Christ. Take some time to read and talk about John chapter eight, verses thirty one to thirty eight. This is where Jesus says, “If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth and truth will set you free. If the son sets you free, you will be free indeed.” True freedom is not the ability to do whatever we want whenever we want. True freedom comes when we are liberated from sin’s power and penalty through the death of Christ on the cross, and living obediently to His glory!
Transcribe →Digital Fatigue
Jul 200:01:00Tap to summarizeOne of the great responsibilities we have as parents raising kids in today’s screen-saturated world is the prevention and treatment of what’s now known as digital fatigue. Also known as “tech burnout”, digital fatigue occurs when the excessive use of digital devices like a smartphone and the constant connection to the online world becomes exhausting. We live in a world of over-stimulation, where notifications and other prompts continually increase screentime. What occurs is a multi-layered state of exhaustion that’s mental, physical, emotional, and yes, spiritual. When screen time takes up most of our time, other important and noble pursuits fall by the wayside, including the time we should be spending in God’s Word and prayer. In effect, our screens become idols. They don’t give us life. Rather, they suck the life out of us. What we need to do is get our kids to tap-out from screen time, so that they can tap in to the gifts of Jesus Christ, God’s Word, and sabbath.
Transcribe →Gen Z and Marriage
Jul 100:01:00Tap to summarizeThe latest “State of Today’s Family” report from Barna includes some interesting insights into how Gen Z is thinking about and practicing marriage. In the years since nineteen fifty, the average age of first marriage has increased by about eight years for both men and women. The average age now for men is thirty, and for women it’s twenty-eight. They seem to be waiting longer in order to become more emotionally ready, more financially stable, and more certain of the long-term viability of the marriage. Gen Z is also the least likely generation to say that marriage is important for raising children, with only two-thirds agreeing. This research reminds us of the importance of teaching our kids about God’s institution of marriage, equipping them to understand the importance of a covenantal commitment between one man and one woman, and that marriage has been ordained as the place for children to be born. Are you correcting the culture’s script for marriage?
Transcribe →The Cozy Comeback
Jun 3000:01:00Tap to summarizeRecently, I was reading through a list of projected youth culture trends for 2026 published by the fashion media platform, Qui Talks. One trend that caught my eye is actually quite hopeful, and it’s one that we should not only take note of, but work to facilitate. The Qui Talks site calls the trend “The Cozy Comeback”, explaining that it’s all about a generation that increasingly finds itself burnt out and desiring a slower pace of life. The site tells us that young people are romanticizing rest – not as laziness, but as survival. In a youth culture world marked by anxiety, constant pressure, and ongoing stimulation, this is not at all surprising, after all, God made us for a rhythm of work and rest. What a great opportunity we have to introduce our kids to the restorative and God-ordained practice of sabbath. The translation of the Hebrew word for Sabbath is translated as “cease” or “desist”, which clearly reminds us of our need to rest. Start with one day, Sunday, to practice Sabbath.
Transcribe →Christian Education in Your Homes
Jun 2900:01:00Tap to summarizeWay back in the year 1750, the famous preacher and theologian Jonathan Edwards preached his farewell sermon in Northampton, Massachusetts. We all know that when people give their parting words, they say things that they deem of the utmost importance. Guidelines that they want to be remembered. Edwards spoke these words that have absolutely no expiration date: “Every Christian family ought to be as it were a little church, consecrated to Christ, and wholly influenced and governed by his rules. And family education and order are some of the chief means of grace. If these fail, all other means are likely to prove ineffectual.” Parents, do you hear what Edwards is telling us? In order to effectively pass on the faith, we must prioritize the Christian education of our children in the home. This means that we not only know and live out God’s will and way for our lives ourselves, but we speak truth to our kids, and we do it all without ceasing. Are you committed to this in your home?
Transcribe →School Smartphone Bans
Jun 2600:01:00Tap to summarizeOne of the most encouraging trends regarding kids and smartphones is the fact that a growing number of school districts are banning phone use and engagement during the school day. Some schools have installed cell phone lockers where kids place their phones at the beginning of the school day, and where they retrieve them when school lets out. Support for cellphone bans in school is on the rise among U.S. adults, with seventy-four percent saying they would support banning middle and high school students from using cellphones during class, and forty-four percent want them banned for the entire day. Researchers at the Pew Internet and Life Project tell us that now, forty-one percent of our thirteen to seventeen year olds support a ban during class time. Whether that number rises or not, it’s important that we as adults instill and enforce borders and boundaries that help our kids remain safe. The Lord has called us to protect our kids from harm, and we must!
Transcribe →Marketers and Teen Spending
Jun 2500:01:00Tap to summarizeNow that I have grandkids entering their teenage years, I’ve got a front-row seat to see what’s popular among kids, especially when it comes to shopping and spending money. In today’s world, the top categories for teen spending are clothing and other accessories, food and snacks, entertainment and gaming, and experiences with friends, like concerts and other outings. Marketing’s push for the maintenance of youthful beauty has our girls spending lots of money on make-up, hair care, and skin care. But don’t count out our boys in this last category! Young Gen Z males are spending an average of three-hundred-twenty-four dollars a year on cosmetics, skin care, and fragrances. Because marketing effectively convinces our kids to spend, spend, and spend some more, we need to ramp up our efforts to teach biblical principles on stewardship. In First Timothy six seventeen, we are reminded to not put our hope in wealth, but to put our hope in God. Teach your kids to spend wisely.
Transcribe →70,000 Lollipops, Kids and Phones
Jun 2400:01:00Tap to summarizeWhen Kentucky mother Holly LaFavers looked at a charge that popped up on her bank account, she panicked. What she found was a Forty-two-hundred dollar charge. Upon further investigation she discovered that her eight-year-old son Liam had ordered seventy thousand dum dum lollipops from Amazon when using her phone. And yes, Liam did it all on purpose as he wanted to share them with his friends. Holly LaFavers was unable to get Amazon to refund her money, so she spread the word in her community about the cases of Dum Dums and was able to sell them to friends and neighbors. Eventually, Amazon stepped up and offered a refund. While the story does put a smile on our faces as we think about well-intentioned Liam, it reminds us that there are times when a phone in the hands of an eight-year-old is risky business. This time, the story turned out ok, but we need to be careful as our kids can see and hear dangerous things. Parents, be diligent with your kids.
Transcribe →