I’ve been preaching to teenagers for about twelve years now. When I first started I was barely older than they were. In those good old days I could make a reference to something from my childhood and the kids would track with me. Now I just get blank stares when I try to use some of these:
- Michael Jordan and his tongue wagging. It’s sad. I know. But only one student in my current youth group has seen Michael play. Ever.
- Zack Morris and his oversized cell phone. That means that none of them know Kelly Kapowski or AC Slater. The glories of Saved by the Bell are lost on them.
- In West Philadelphia Born and Raised…These kids know Will Smith as an established actor that bathes with jellyfish, not as a the Fresh Prince of Bel-Air.
- Drinking Surge. They’ve got no frame of reference for this sweet-sugary-death bomb.
- The crazy adventure known as the Aggro Crag. Not only do they not remember GUTS but also Double Dare, Legends of the Hidden Temple, and a host of other awesome game shows.
- O.J. Simpson. For them OJ is just orange juice. No memories of a Ford Bronco. No recollection of him in a Leslie Nielsen movie or on the sideline of NFL games.
- The deadly toy known as Pogo Balls. Trying to stay on a Pogo Ball without breaking your face or tearing your ACL is a discipline foreign to these kids.
- ALF. I can’t make any jokes about a lovable little alien that had an affinity for eating cats.
- The creepiness that was Pee-Wee Herman. They’ll never know the creep-show that was Pee Wee’s Playhouse.
- Pretending to smoke candy cigarettes or chewing tobacco in beef jerky cans or Big League Chew. Not that I want to teach our students how to smoke or chew—but I remember as a kid candy cigs that would actually puff when you blew on them. Now I don’t believe they even exist.
- Knowing where in the world Carmen San Diego was. Not to mention dying of dysentery playing Oregon Trail.
- Tying fabric around your forehead and practicing your crane kick. These kids have never been trained by Mr. Miyagi.
Thankfully some of these amazing thing are coming back. A few of our students know of Skeletor. This alone helps me sleep at night. I can only hope that eventually these other things make a comeback so I can be culturally relevant again. Because as it is—every year I’m getting less and less in touch with these teenagers.
Of course the Gospel is timeless and always relevant. They don’t need to know Teddy Ruxpin and I don’t need to be able to identify a Justin Bieber song (is he still cool?). But it sure would make my illustrations better if they knew about Trapper Keepers, and Scratch-N-Sniffs, and the Goonies.
Fear not Mike… Surge is back! 😀
SURGE!!!!!!!
https://www.facebook.com/surgemovement
I’m not sure this is a good thing…
Funny and I know the feeling. But I’m 60 and didn’t get half
Your references! As for OJ I got The bronco and the dumb movies but I don’t remember him in the sidelines, I remember him running down the field hard to catch. Oh and running thru airports. What’s a skeletor? Izzat sum kinda Olympic thing?
Who is skeletor??????? Only the greatest villain in the history of villains.
Second only to Cobra Commander…
Lies. When did Cobra Commander ever chide one of his minions for not wearing a seat belt?
“Beast Man you imbecile put on your seat belt…”
I didn’t think big league chew went away?
A couple of months ago they did a saved by the bell biopic movie on lifetime… I admit to watching it and nostalgically enjoying it. And if anyone wants my man card for that, I will joust you on pogo balls before I give it up…
I’m with you on the SBTB biopic, bro. I especially enjoyed the tales of Dustin Diamond (Screech) behind the scenes.
You are correct that big league chew has not gone away. That was just clunky writing on my part–what went away are those candy cigarettes that puffed smoke.
I’m almost 60 and like Clark didn’t get several of the references. But I’ve seen candy cigarettes available in several stores recently. Haven’t bought any in about 50 years, but remember liking the taste of that candy!
You did not mention that OJ ran over 2K yards in a season. Or maybe this was before your time.
And that was a 14 game season too.
Had a discussion about the despair or godlessness with the teenagers last Wednesday. Brought up a reference to Kurt Cobain’s suicide. Nobody knew who he was. Blank stares. I went home and cried into my old flannel shirt/waistband.
*despair of godlessness
Did you happen to mention the Christians who have committed suicide? I could give you a list, if necessary. But for them, of course, it was not “despair of godlessness” but “mental illness”.
Nope. Sorry, Chris. He was a junkie. Heroin was his idol whose fountains ran dry. He found his meaning, value and purpose in his art and his drugs. They failed. Ever read his suicide letter? It’s pretty obvious where he found his meaning.
Adam,
No argument that he was a drugged out, depressed guy, it’s your connection to the despair of godlessness that is more than somewhat unsubstantiated. Again, we could run through the list of Christians who have been where he was and have done what he did.
I don’t believe saying “Christians commit suicide too” necessarily disproves what Adam is saying.
Adam is not saying all suicide comes from godlessness. Nor is he saying that all godlessness leads to suicide. If he were saying this then you could point to believers committing suicide and say, “your argument stinks”.
But since Adam is saying the godlessness of some people leads them to despair–look at Kurt Cobain. I’m sure you disagree with Adam’s conclusions and solution (Jesus) but saying that Christians commit suicide doesn’t really refute his point.
Also…this is all assuming that Courtney Love didn’t write that suicide letter…..
Mike,
I gather his point was, “Kurt Kobain didn’t believe in God. Kurt Kobain did drugs and committed suicide. See! The despair of godlessness!” That is hardly a well-established chain of causality.
That’s an awful lot to gather from his one sentence. You’ve almost got three points and a poem out of it.
But, alas, this isn’t a discussion about suicide and godlessness or suicide and the Christian.
Mike,
3 points and a poem!
Bawahahahaha.
Maybe he is having flashbacks?
And yet they still know who Weird Al is…..
But havent seen “UHF”. I cant even use the “we dont need no stinking badgers” reference.
So, so sad. I need to buy that movie.
UHF is comedy gold.
I recently used 911 as an illustration in a room full of teenagers…the blank stares made me realize that many of them were not born yet and those who were were mere toddlers at the time.
Afterwards I was joking around with a couple of the teens about my illustration that fell flat and they told me “its cool, we know about 911 from history class” – man I went home feeling rather old. LOL
http://www.beloit.edu/mindset/previouslists/2016/
A list of things that happened before 1994. It makes me feel older than I did.
My son was born in 1996 (will be 19 this month), I was born in ’55. He likes to ask “Dad, what was it like before electricity (or TV, cars, etc)?”
Ouch!
I do remember visiting my relatives in the country before they had electricity. And we did not get TV until I was in High School. Cars were “always there” for me though.
Mike,
Great post, this is why it is so hard to use cultural illustrations in sermons!
wilbur
Thanks, Wilbur. You are correct. Despite the silliness of this post I’m also making a point–it’s impossible to keep up. Fads don’t work, but the gospel does!
I’m 31 and I was born in the wrong generation. I don’t understand much of today’s pop-culture references and I don’t use them myself. Rather I am more likely to use references such as “Walk this way” (Not the Aerosmith song), “Right turn Clyde”, and “It’s only a flesh wound”. That said, as a child of the 80’s, I got most of those references.
Love when I say “Bueller, Bueller…….” and my high school class just looks at me blankly. They dont even know “Throw me the idol I throw you the whip” So many go by them daily, makes me feel old.