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It’s been a good 25 years.  Very good.  So what does a 52-year old youth pastor do when she still wants to be in youth ministry?  She starts a new project.  She continues Wild Frontier living. 

The new project is Bravester.com.  Wild Frontier living has required lots of brave moments.  Bravester is the collection of brave thoughts and brave teachings.  Our Wild Frontier blogs will be moved to this new site as they are brave thinking blogs.  Several new bloggers will be joining us also at Bravester.  These blogs will provide lots of fresh and vulnerable content as these brave people share with us their growth. 

In the following months Bravester will also feature a video series called “Note to Self.”  Brave thoughts will be matched with the writings of singer and songwriter, John Amodea.  

Another Bravester feature is Brave Dating Coach.  These classes and teaching opportunities are an outgrowth of Brenda Seefeldt’s 35 years of youth ministry and coaching many grown teens through dating and into marriage.  Brave dating is dating to discover who you are.  The result of this learning process will then lead to a good match for that love for a lifetime.  This may sound “different.”  But then again, this has its roots in Wild Frontier living.  

Check everything out at Bravester.com.  Capture a meme and tell others about this new site.  Check out the blog writers regularly.  We are very excited about all this.  

What this means for the 25 years of content here at Wild Frontier is it will stay here just as it is.  It is as clickable and searchable as it always has been.  Our monthly published resource, Moms & Pops Stuff, will release its last issue October, 2015.  This has been by far our most popular resource as a tool to give parents to help them pass on their faith to their own children.  Popularity hasn’t waned but the time has come to move on to this new project of Bravester. 

It’s been a good 25 years here on the Wild Frontier.  Thanks for being on this journey with us.  Please join us on our next brave adventure.  

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Apologies for the quirks in our blogs.  We are undergoing some internal fixes and a lot is quirky.  We have a blog on June 22 that is extra enlightening and brave--in our opinion.  In no way do we want these quirks to detract from the power of this blog from our Dauntlessly Cautious writer, a 16-year old who is living bravely.  We are also proud of our other blog posts--and they have quirks too.  Sorry.  

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This character has a lot to do with the teaching theme for camps this summer.  To believe you are worthy of love and belonging, so many believe that you must contort yourself to stay in relationships believing that it is the relationship that makes you lovable.  The result of this is a lot of numbing behaviors. 

We do the same thing in our relationship with Jesus.  Because of shame we contort Jesus into an image that makes sense to help us cope. 

Colossians 2:10 states “You are complete through your union with Christ.”  A relationship cannot complete you—unless it is with Jesus.  A Jesus true to the word of God, not the creation of your contorted image.  You are worthy of love and belonging because God’s desire is to complete you. 

Coloring is a part of the learning this year because coloring simply makes sense.  A frank talk about dating relationships is also a part with another session for Q&A on relationship questions. 

Booking is now open for summer of 2016.  Parts of this summer’s theme can be contorted (get it?!!!) to fit a retreat plan or multi-night plan.  Contact. 

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Personal note from Brenda:

I strongly believe that teens should not be dating.  I also know that teens hunger after this trying to fill that need to know that they are loveable and worthy of love.  Because of this real need, too many teens accept a poor version of love often contorting their very selves to remain in a relationship.  In fact, nearly 20% of both boys and girls reported themselves as victims of physical and sexual abuse in dating relationships.  That is 1 out of 5! 

When the same survey asked about psychological abuse--broadly defined as actions ranging from name-calling to excessive tracking of a victim--more than 60% of each gender reported being victims and perpetrators of such behavior.  Stop and ponder that—over 60%!  Over half of teens believe this behavior was okay in a dating relationship.  All so they could stay in the relationship to figure out if they are loveable and worthy of love. Source.   

This grieves me.  These beautiful and fragile hearts of teens—and women!!!!—are being destroyed because they believe this is okay as long as they have a relationship.  

From this grief, I’ve created a free downloadable resource to hopefully change this thinking error.  Remember doing flash cards as a child when learning the multiplication table?  These are flash cards you can print out and run through with your daughter—or someone else’s daughter.  The answer she has to give is simple—either yes or no.  Statements are posed such as:

• There are some things that the two of you just can’t talk about because you fear his reaction.
• His influence develops your ability to love and be responsible.
  More...

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What started as a call Brenda Seefeldt received in 1983 came into fruition in 1990.  Those 7 years of waiting took so long! And now Wild Frontier is celebrating 25 years! 

It started with a deep gut feeling that there was “more” to youth ministry.  Brenda Seefeldt was so young back then and so young in youth ministry but she still felt that there was “more” out there.  On that night in June 1983 in Alexandria, Minnesota, that “more” led to a time of seeking which led to a download of plans into Brenda’s brain. 

Then the time finally came when Brenda could kick off these nebulous ideas in January 1990.  What a ride it has been!  When you seek for that “more” you can only expect to go on a ride.  Bravery leads you to get on that ride--though it is rarely comfortable.  Seeking “more” cannot be comfortable. 

These early wrestling days led to CFBYM or Church Family Based Youth Ministry.  Brenda first wrote about it in 1993.  Many other contributors have joined with Brenda on this message.   The Wild Frontier page is loaded with those thoughts and ideas and Moms & Pops Stuff will continue to be published as a tool for youth workers to give parents to help them in passing along their faith to their teens.  (Brenda thanks the contributors immensely—she’d be nowhere without you.)

There is much to look back on in the 25 years of Wild Frontier.  But we are looking forward.  When you are “out there” there is not much time to look back. 

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Providential circumstances have come together for “such a time as this.”  Long before Ferguson happened, a movie was in production about the story of the man who has done the most to bring healing to this problem in America.  The movie is Selma, the first biographical movie on the life of Martin Luther King, Jr.  The first. 

You have got to believe that God was a part of this providential circumstance.  If not, read this interview with the actor who played Martin Luther King Jr.

Now from the grassroots level, #Selma for Students has arisen.  From their press release:  “In an unprecedented effort led by a team of African-American business leaders in New York, organizations across the U.S. coordinated a massive national campaign to find African-American business leaders to underwrite free admission to theAcademy Award-nominated film “SELMA” for students around the country.

“The new cities added are the efforts inspired by the overwhelming success of the program in New York City, in which 27 African-American business leaders created a fund for 27,000 of the city’s 7th, 8th and 9th grade students to see the film for free. That effort sold out in the very first weekend.

 Due to the generous contributions by so many of the country’s most prominent African-American business leaders, more than 275,000 middle and high school students will experience the critically acclaimed film for free at participating theaters while supplies last.”

Parents and Church, take this unprecedented opportunity to take your teen to see Selma.  Pay the money to purchase the tickets.  And have this difficult (is it really that difficult?) conversation afterwards.  Need help starting that conversation?  Here are some questions you can use:

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There is now lots and lots and lots of information out there on the “new” youth ministry philosophy of teaching and training the youth with the parents help and in the midst of the church family.  We at Wild Frontier have named it Church Family-Based Youth Ministry.  (Brag moment:  We’ve been on this “new” youth ministry philosophy since 1993.)  There is now lots of information but if you are a church that is struggling to know how to adapt this information to your unique setting, Brenda Seefeldt is available to come and assist in this transition.  Because each church is so unique, how Brenda can be a transition resource is up to you.  Just know that someone who has been teaching this and practicing this for a very long time is available to help. To start the discussion, contact Brenda This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .   

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October marks an anniversary for us.  We are beginning Year 13 of Moms & Pops Stuff.  We know there are now a plethora of similar resources for parents out there.  We are proud to have been one of the firsts and to be able to offer this at no cost still. 

Back in 1992 we at Wild Frontier first came under the conviction that parents are a priority for any youth ministry.  We have pondered and rued over that Wild Frontier thought since then.  One of those thoughts was the creation of this resource.  It is designed to give parents the help and encouragement they need to pass on their faith.  And it is designed so that it comes from you, the youth worker, to let your parents know from you that they are a part of their teen’s spiritual development.  This is not such a Wild Frontier thought any more--something we are very grateful for. 

Year 13 is going to be a good one.  If you are not a subscriber yet, you can sign up for free here.

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Brenda’s summer camp schedule for 2014 is set. This year’s theme is “Hope.” The story of the paralytic who sat by the pool for 35 years is our story of hope. Every day he had to make himself vulnerable–for 35 years!!–because he had hope that one day he would walk again. Hope is not something one can just have. It is actually a function of struggle. And somehow throughout the week beautiful popcicle stick art will created.

Brenda’s summer camp schedule for 2014 is full. However, her fall schedule is open and the “Hope” theme can be tweaked to fit a fall schedule. To learn more about Brenda and topics she is available to teach on for you, go to Who is Brenda.

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The new issue of YM Shorts is live and free for your reading, viewing, clicking, and rating learning.  We are also excited to show you two new features in the magazine.  One is a Q&A with youth workers called "6 Short Questions with Long Answers" and the other is titled "YM Long" which is an interview with a youth minister with over 20 years experience. Enjoy the multi-sensory experience where you can read, watch, click, like, rate and participate in this unique digital magazine format. Just click HERE to start reading.

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The articles are collected.  The creation begins...

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There is new and fresh content on Wild Frontier.  Not to dis the old content though. (Thanks all for the high Alexa number!)  The new content comes in the form of four blogs of fresh and Wild Frontier-type thinkers.  Three are fresh thinkers, one is shall we say seasoned. Plus we've recently formatted the blog section to look much much better.

Our blog writers are:  

The first comes from the mind of Scotty Meiser.  Scotty is a unique mind and talent as a freshman at Cairn University.  He will be using his space to share his worldview through his “cellophane glasses.”

The second comes from a gifted teen writer, Abigail. She is a writing talent with a voice of truth to share with teens.