Each week AFL posts an Anglicans in Action video, which gives practical suggestions, resources, and ideas for life-ministry. This week’s focus is the You Were Made for More Podcast. You can see all the Anglicans in Action videos on our YouTube Channel.
Welcome back to Anglicans in Action! I’m Sammie, and I am so excited to be with you guys for episode 50 of this video series, and I’m even more excited because we’re announcing the launch of our new podcast for parents, youth leaders, and students called “You Were Made for More!”
The podcast is an extension of the Abundant Life: You Were Made for More curriculum that Anglicans for Life has developed – the curriculum’s goal is engage teens, partner with parents, and equip youth leaders about discussions surrounding the topics of relationships, sexuality, dating, and identity. If you want more information about our youth curriculum that was released in January 2019, please check out our website, or watch Week 45 of Anglicans in Action, where we dive more into how the issues of life and sexuality are related and talk about how the curriculum works in a practical manner.
Like I mentioned, the mission of the podcast is actually an extension off of the curriculum’s – to make sure that every teenager knows that they are valued, loved, and created for a purpose. In our culture, teens are fed so many lies that tell them they’re defined by what others think about them, how they perform, and what they have to offer. Our goal is to switch the narrative to one that speaks of the Gospel. Our mission is to consistently speak about the abundant life that is freely offered to them. On the podcast, we host conversations on tough, relational topics, while always pointing back to the hope that God offers us when we understand who we were created to be.
Throughout the weeks, you’ll hear from different guests – some of which will be personal friends of mine and some of whom are experts at different relational topics.
My heart is for teenagers to grow up with a Gospel-centered environment, in which they can wrestle with questions pertaining to their sexuality. The last thing I want is for a child to feel isolated – like they can’t turn to their parents because the conversation hasn’t been brought up before or because their youth leader hasn’t talked to them about what the Bible says about this stuff. I’ve met so many teens who feel like the only option they have is to turn to the internet – which will 100% lead them in a direction that is damaging to their heart.
The truth is, how we express ourselves sexually is VERY much linked to the condition of our hearts. I know this well – and I think you know it well, too. Sexuality is so freely discussed and accessible in our culture today that it has in essence become our children’s identities. Who they decide that they are in middle school – between the ages of 10-12 – will determine decisions they make, the people they are willing to be in relationship with, and what they believe that they are worth.
Our children’s lives are at stake because the enemy is slowly attacking who they are in a very calculated manner – through their identities as men and women, children of God. Being pro-life is about being pro-abundant life, too – and that’s what we want to see the next generation grab a hold of.
If you search “You Were Made for More with Sammie Gallo” in the search bar of whatever platform you choose to listen on, you’ll see our podcast! Our action idea this week is for you to subscribe to the podcast on iTunes, Stitcher, Spotify, Google Play, or wherever you listen to your podcasts. If you like what you hear, please go ahead and leave us a review and rating, so we can create content that will minister to more and more people.
