Remember, Image is Everything Now you ever brought a group of inner-city teens to camp in the steamy sticky summer heat of southern Missouri, you know that image is important to urban teens. The temperature is ninety-five in the shade and the humidity is even higher. Flies are dropping and mosquitoes are sucking up Gatorade. Yet your teens are parading around head to toe in their hot but stylish heavy denim gear as if they don't notice the heat. It makes you sweat just looking at them. These teens would rather look cool than to literally be cool. But believe it or not, a city teen's need to be cool can lead to a great lesson on the ultimate verse of self expression.

It used to be that the definition of cool was the one who had the guts to be different and whose wardrobe couldn't be replicated at one of the world's 4175 Gap outlets. Now teens feel that they are only as cool as their athletic shoes are new. So challenge your teens to be the leaders of the crowd, not the followers with Paul's words:

Do not conform to the patterns of the world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is--His good and pleasing and perfect will. Romans 12:2

Talk about the ER factor Even a top media executive has been quoted as saying Advertising sells anxiety to teens, telling them that they are not thin enough, pretty enough, and that they're losers--unless they are cool...,but I don't think anybody, deep down, really feels cool enough--ever"

But the anxiety media leaves them can again work in your advantage. The need advertisers create in urban teens sets them up for a powerful lesson on the inadequacy of ALL of us without Christ. Call it the "ER" factor. Ask teens what "er" that they want the most. Do they want to be richer, smarter, a better baller, cooler, thinner, whatever-er? Spend a bit of time exploring their desires. But rap it up letting teens know that the very quality they lack can make their relationship with Christ better. Remind your teens that the only way anyone will ever feel adequate or all together, is through Jesus Christ. My grace is sufficient for you--for power is perfected in weakness. II Corinthians 12:9.

Replace their media gods with Reality Role Models As crazy as it sounds, urban teens do live sheltered lives. They are exposed to lot of society's evils but only a bit of society's good. That's why many urban teens quickly look up to media stars (such as super athletes, rappers, and video divas) who come into their neighborhood via the TV screen. These might be the only successful role models your teens ever see. So it is important to constantly introduce your teens too Reality Role Models. For instance, introduce a graphic designer to your group's tag artist. Invite your friend who's successful at investing to talk to your teens about investing a dollar in stock vs. a dollar in a lottery ticket. And especially keep track of the kids in your group who went on to a state university instead of state penitentiary. If you want your teens to emulate someone other than Snoop Doggy Dog and Ludicrous, you better supply your teens with them.

These lessons are especially powerful with the gals. While the media might taunt the young men in your group with sexy images, those images are telling young ladies that they are supposed to look way. And the standards of beauty are impossible to measure up to. While Marilyn Monroe was a size 14, Christie Brinkley was a lean size 8, today's models are about a size 4. That's roughly the size of one of my thighs.

All in all, you want to help your young ladies look at the Bible for it's definition of beauty, not Victoria's Not So Secret. A good verse is I Peter 3:3-5: Do not let your adornment be merely outward--arranging the hair, wearing gold, or putting on fine apparel--rather let it be the hidden person of the heart, with the incorruptible BEAUTY of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is very precious in the sight of God.

Stress to teens that TV is not reality, but a money making machine How many have ever gotten a hamburger at a drive through that looks anything like what you see in a commercial? Probably not. But teens are buying into the fantasy, at a rate of 150 billion dollars a year. It's really quite a simple but impactful lesson to show them it's just boloney. How? Bring in an advertisement you see picturing a Big Mac, then go through a drive-thru and buy the real thing. Get teens to start talking about how the media can make things appear better than what they really are. But perfect buns are only the beginning. Go on to talk how TV paints a better picture of everything, from the lifestyles of rappers, to prime time sex.

Find out what they are plugged into Media know that the biggest most important part of any campaign is knowing their audience. McDonald's probably knows more about you than your own mother. They know how many sesame seeds you want on a bun, and how many times you like to chew a Big Mac before swallowing it. Another king of Market Research is MTV.

They snoop into their lives of their viewers to the point that not only do they know what fashion labels are hanging in their closest, but what fast food wrappers they have stuffed under their bed.

Tuning into the lives of your teens is important to urban youth ministry. While you might not approve of the media choices your teens choose, it's important you know they exist. They will give you a clue of what messages your teens can relate to. Who are their favorite rap stars? What fashions are they into? What shows are they watching? What values are these choices setting? Continue

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