4 On The Couch

4OTC Indefinite Hiatus

Chris Fane — Wed, 23 Apr 2008 14:16:01 +0000

Hi everyone,

It’s with regret that I inform you that 4OTC in on an indefinite hiatus. Well, the hiatus is definite… the length of time is indefinite.

This was our first stab at running our own podcast and as first attempts go, I think we did alright. But, there’s lots of room for improvement and if we ever did come back, we would only do so if we could do things better (better content, better format, quick posting of content, etc.)

We’ve begged and pleaded for feedback and comments since day one, but really, aside from 5 or 6 cool listeners, there hasn’t been much dialogue back and forth and that’s really what we’ve been craving. We didn’t want this to be a one-sided conversation, but it’s kind of gone that way.

Anyway, I digress… the fact is that Lauren, Ian and I have had a blast and although 4OTC is being put on the back burner, we really do appreciate that you’ve joined us each week for our little show and wish you all the best!

Sincerely,
Chris

4OTC Podcast - Episode 12

Lauren — Wed, 09 Apr 2008 20:27:47 +0000

On a cold and snowy St. Patrick’s Day in Ontario, we discussed some news articles Chris brought to the table … nice fluffy stuff like distressingly high STD rates in teenage girls, studies that show that teenage drivers are responsible for a significant percentage of automobile fatalities, and survey results that indicate an increasing number of American citizens do not have any religious or faith-based affiliation.

These articles raised some interesting questions — what role should youth leaders take in educating their students on sexual health? Are we putting our students in danger if we let them drive to youth events? Are we doing ourselves any favours by watering down the name of Christianity?

Our EGADIdeas Game o’ the Week is “Where’s Waldo at the Mall”, a fun & easy way to involve members of your congregation in a youth event.

Tweet and Twitter

Chris Fane — Sat, 29 Mar 2008 03:22:02 +0000

If you tweet on Twitter, my name on the site is Shucker (www.twitter.com/shucker). Look me up and drop me a line! There’s a “badge” on the left of this page as well…

- Chris

4OTC Podcast - Episode 11

Lauren — Wed, 26 Mar 2008 20:55:31 +0000

This podcast goes to eleven! This week we try to figure out if it is possible to track down any media or movies to show at a youth event that pass the sniff tests for both appropriateness-for-a-church-event and lack-of-sucking (and we eventually come to the conclusion that maybe the time we devote to movie nights might better be put to better use). We also chat a bit about the role retreat weekends can play in our overall youth ministry strategy.

For our EGADIdeas Game o’ the Week, we share our favourite Fear Factor Night games (including The Blender of Doom, which will haunt Lauren’s dreams for the rest of her life).

The comments want to know your experiences with Fear Factor nights and your best gross-out games!

4OTC Podcast - Episode 10

Lauren — Sat, 08 Mar 2008 19:26:23 +0000

This week we respond to a comment from Bill, who wondered if we had any suggestions on how youth leaders can find a good balance between Bible teaching and games/activities, especially when a significant percentage of the students are unchurched. Ian shares some thoughts from a great book he has been reading lately and we hear a bit from Jonathan McKee on his website, The Source for Youth Ministry.

This week’s EGADIdeas Game o’ the Week is the Toilet Paper Fashion Show (plus a variation on the game called “Stuff-That-Is-Going- Stale-In-Lauren’s-Kitchen Fashion Show”).

Episode 10 - coming soon!

Lauren — Mon, 25 Feb 2008 01:33:29 +0000

Sorry for the delay on posting the next episode! I came down with the plague and that threw our plans off for a week. We’re working on Episode 10 and hope to have it posted soon.

4OTC Podcast - Episode 9

Lauren — Sat, 02 Feb 2008 22:30:40 +0000

This week we really do have 4 on our couch! We were lucky to have Frank join us for Episode 9, sharing his unique perspective as a parent with three students in a youth program. He satisfies our curiosity - and hopefully yours! - on what sort of characteristics parents like to see in youth leaders, what sorts of communication they appreciate, and the impact leadership turnover can have on students … among other topics!

This week’s EGADIdeas Game o’ the Week is The Toaster of Destiny, a creative, hilarious, and potentially gross game of get-to-know-you!

Promote Your Podcast or Website!

Chris Fane — Fri, 01 Feb 2008 13:02:23 +0000

Do you have a Christian or ministry-related podcast or website? Send us a 20-30 second MP3 promo clip (as fancy - or shmancy - as you like) and we’ll play it on our podcast and link to it in the show notes. Send along an MP3, your name, and the link to your website to chris@4onthecouch.com!

4OTC Podcast - Episode 8

Lauren — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 01:41:42 +0000

Bear with us this week as we are testing some new technology. Good news for Ian (he’s getting married) means bad news for us (he’s moving away) so we are working with Skype to record the podcast from different locations. Our recorder choked on the whole thing so the synchronization between each of us gets way off track at times. Even moreso than what you’ve usually come to expect from us.

In this week’s podcast, we talk about how early is too early to get our act together when planning activities, and how it can be difficult to even get leaders together to plan due to conflicting schedules. We also run through our opinions on how to influence our students’ decisions without alienating them.

The EGADIdeas Game o’ the Week is Musical Connect Four, a fun twist on a classic board game.

4OTC Podcast - Episode 7

Lauren — Wed, 19 Dec 2007 01:48:26 +0000

What do you do when you have a student that doesn’t want to participate in the activities you have planned? And how do you keep your focus on youth ministry during times of major upheaval during your life? We answer both of these questions in Episode 7, plus Ian shares a scavenger hunt he created called “Count by Numbers” (not the most original title, we recognize, but it does the trick) in this week’s EGADIdeas Game o’ the Week.

P.S.: Chris had lots of trouble with the audio quality and levels this week… sorry about that!

Delays

Chris Fane — Sat, 15 Dec 2007 14:26:13 +0000

Sorry that we haven’t churned out the next podcast. It was recorded over a week ago but recorder we use has gone AWOL. I now know where it is, will get it at church tomorrow and will get on to the editing.

4OTC Podcast - Episode 6

Lauren — Tue, 27 Nov 2007 22:04:23 +0000

Tune into Episode 6 for a discussion on youth-ministry-based leadership training, some surprising (at least to us) statistics on drug use amongst teens, and some tips on how to make the most of the many ways we have to communicate with our students.

This week’s EGADIdeas Game o’ The Week is the Tower of Flour - a messy game that sounds like a lot of fun but gives Lauren the heebie-jeebies.

4OTC Podcast - Episode 5

Lauren — Sun, 18 Nov 2007 16:58:39 +0000

It’s our Sex, Technology, and Rock & Roll episode! This week, we discuss this article on abstinence education and our role in this as youth leaders, the Straight Edge movement and whether there are things we watch/say/do that we’d prefer our students not know about, and the role of modern technology in worship. Plus Lauren gets in a few good digs at Chris and Ian for being older than the hills. We also highlight Jonathan McKee’s website and podcast at: The Source For Youth Ministry.

Our EGADIdeas Game o’ the Week is Air Jello.

4OTC Podcast - Episode 4

Lauren — Sat, 03 Nov 2007 21:13:04 +0000

This week’s podcast features a discussion on this article and the pros and cons of students dating other students within the youth group, and Chris examines planning your Bible study time for the year, based on The Seven Checkpoints by Andy Stanley.

This week’s EGADIdeas Game o’ the Week is tag - each of us share our favourite update to this old standard.

4OTC Podcast - Episode 3

Lauren — Fri, 26 Oct 2007 15:40:43 +0000

This week on 4 On The Couch, Ian answers the age-old question of how can we determine which movies are appropriate to show at youth events and suggests a great resource. Lauren shares how to run a 3-tiered Random Acts of Kindness event at your next overnight youth event, and Chris talks about the challenges and blessings inherent in saying NO. This week’s EGAD! Ideas Game o’ the Week is a backwards scavenger hunt.

Episode 3 - Ready and Waiting

Chris Fane — Thu, 25 Oct 2007 13:32:44 +0000

Well, I upgraded our podcasting plugin last week and it seems to have messed things up with Wordpress. Episode 3 is “in the can” and ready to be posted but there are some technical problems behind the scenes. I should have something up soon!

4OTC Podcast - Episode 2

Lauren — Wed, 17 Oct 2007 14:30:06 +0000

If you tune into this week’s podcast, you can learn how Lauren orders a latte, what Chris thinks about the value of hang-out time at youth night, and how to addiction-proof your teen, according to this controversial article on CNN.com

The EGADIdeas.com Game o’ the Week is actually several games this week … Lauren shows you the fun you can have with a tube of pink lipstick, Ian shares the reasons why soccer baseball is his favourite self-sustaining game, and Chris calls Lauren a pig, but in a completely non-offensive way.

4OTC Podcast - Episode 1

Lauren — Sat, 13 Oct 2007 15:00:29 +0000

Tune into our inaugural podcast to hear Chris’s thoughts on game safety, an inspirational story from Ian on this year’s See You At The Pole event, and tips and tricks from Lauren on running a tuck shop in your youth room. The Game o’ the Week on EGADIdeas.com is Camouflage, an exciting outdoor update to traditional Hide & Seek.