x

75% of people globally want unbiased news (Pew Research) but are concerned they're not getting that.

Get balanced coverage with Symby. See how stories are covered across diverse outlets and spot when one side covers a story the other skips.

PODCAST

A Time to Sharpen

Axel Liimatta & Brandon Maxwell

A bi-weekly podcast that examines how working with teenagers can make us better versions of ourselves: better teachers, better counselors, better parents…better people. Join two of Whetstone Boys Ranch"s co-founders, Axel Liimatta and Brandon Maxwell, as they discuss what twenty years of serving struggling teenagers and their families has taught them about how to address the most challenging of behaviors. You"ll find answers without dogma, encouragement without false hope, and sharpening without

kids & family parenting

All Episodes

00:40:22

Sarcasm

A Time to Sharpen ·

2023/11/07

The word sarcasm is descended from a Greek word which literally means “to strip off the flesh” - as in with a knife, or with one’s teeth. It is a violent word. We don’t think of it in these terms nowadays, but perhaps we should. The damage that we inflict on others with our sarcastic language is no less painful. In fact, it might be much more so when we examine the big picture. Join us this time on A Time to Sharpen as we examine the use and misuse of sarcasm in our work with teenagers. It may

en-us

00:45:33

Table Manners

A Time to Sharpen ·

2023/10/25

Sit up straight. Elbows off the table. Don’t chew with your mouth open. We’ve heard this advice since we were little, and we’ve probably passed it on to the next generation. Why? Because table manners are important. Table manners show respect for other people. They communicate that we care about others and that we are willing to put their interests and comfort before our own. This is one of the first steps in a young person's moral development. There is a lot of training for life that occurs

en-us

00:46:50

A Time to Say No

A Time to Sharpen ·

2023/10/07

Two little letters: “n” and “o.” They shouldn’t be so hard to say, but there are times when it’s just so much easier to take the path of least resistance. We grow weary of the struggle. And teenagers have a way of wearing you down. Am I right, or am I right? Join us this week on for a friendly discussion about if, when, and how to say “no” to our kids. It ain’t easy, but if you don’t have this tool in your belt, you’ll never build (or repair) your relationship with them. --- Send in a voice

en-us

01:18:53

Meant 2B Outdoors

A Time to Sharpen ·

2023/09/12

Have you ever felt that something was “meant to be?” Like that time you opened a pack of baseball cards and there, lying on the very top, was a 1989 Upper Deck Ken Griffey, Jr. rookie card? Maybe the clouds parted and a beam of light encircled the card while angelic music flooded the room. That card was meant to be yours…until you traded it to your brother for a Billy Ripken error card. Anyways, you get my point. There are times in life when we feel, deep inside, that we meant to do something, meet

en-us

00:48:24

The Youth Minister

A Time to Sharpen ·

2023/08/31

Brandon tells us at the beginning of each podcast that the ensuing conversation will help us to become better teachers, better counselors, better parents…better people. I always like hearing him say it. Because first of all it reminds me of who our intended audience is, and that’s important when you’re doing a podcast. And second because it reminds me that I am all three. All adults, whether it’s their occupation or not, whether they have children of their own or not, serve in each of these

en-us

00:39:37

The Power of Music

A Time to Sharpen ·

2023/08/13

Music is the universal language. It crosses the boundaries of culture, gender, age, and race. It speaks to us before we have the words to understand language; and it continues speaking to us even if we lose this ability in old age. At Whetstone Boys Ranch, we use music to make meaningful connections to our boys. Among other things, we use it to help them cope with emotions, to teach life lessons, and to challenge assumptions. In a word, we are “intentional” - mainly because it is such a powerful

en-us

00:38:43

Home...but not Alone

A Time to Sharpen ·

2023/07/06

At least once during a boy’s stay at Whetstone, he will return home for an entire week to test out what he has learned about living with his family. As you can imagine, the boys and parents look forward to this time which comes after months of separation. On the other hand, it is a source of much anxiety…for both parties. Will things be any better than they were? The answer is always yes, and no. Many things have changed to be sure, and distance usually makes the heart grow fonder - but we should

en-us

00:43:17

Aircraft Carriers

A Time to Sharpen ·

2023/06/15

“I feel the need…the need for speed.” This iconic Tom Cruise line in Top Gun accurately describes the drive that many teenagers feel while they work to create space between their parents and themselves. They want freedom and independence, and they can’t get it fast enough. Parents, on the other hand, bear the responsibility of slowing things down by asking important questions about safety, direction, and destination. This process is normal and healthy. But with adopted children, the need for

en-us

00:42:07

The Myth of Quality Time

A Time to Sharpen ·

2023/06/02

Twice a year, Whetstone Boys Ranch hosts a father-son retreat here in Mountain View, Missouri. Dads travel from all over the country to spend a weekend with their son. They join other dads who work here, along with our counseling team, for a series of guided activities and adventures designed to get everyone talking - talking about expectations, perspectives, frustrations, hopes, and fears. There were many takeaways from this year’s retreat, which was led by Matt Foster and Katie Johnston. There

en-us

00:38:14

Close Quarters

A Time to Sharpen ·

2023/05/18

Summer is coming. The kids are going to be underfoot for the next three months, and there is nowhere to hide. If you home school, you might be thinking, “get on my level,” but for most families the next few weeks can be a very stressful transition. Everyone is excited about vacation and free time, but these things are a double-edged sword. At some point, the lack of structure usually starts to get on everyone’s nerves, and the tension starts to climb alongside the temperature. On this episode of A

en-us

00:37:13

Paying Attention

A Time to Sharpen ·

2023/05/03

God is never not communicating with us. If we can’t hear him, it’s not His fault. We need to pay closer attention to the signs and signals he unceasingly sends us, taking time to reflect in contemplation and conversation. On this episode of A Time to Sharpen, we will discuss how God speaks to us through our kids, students, or anyone in our care. It behooves us to learn how to listen to what they are telling us through their actions, not just their words. --- Send in a voice message:

en-us

00:41:25

Youth-Driven Culture

A Time to Sharpen ·

2023/04/13

Elvis. Chuck Berry. The Beatles. Young people flocked to hear them sing. Boys and girls bought their records by the millions, lined their rooms with posters, and toted lunch boxes with their image to school. Young men dressed like them, moved like them, and wore their hair like them. Young women swooned at their feet. Corporate America took note. The money-making machine went into high gear and created an entire class of people that didn’t really exist before then: the “teenager.” Popular

en-us

00:29:38

The New Kid

A Time to Sharpen ·

2023/03/28

We’ve all been the new kid on the block. We all know what it feels like to have “all eyes on you.” You’re in a fish bowl, and there is no way out. The faces of people around you are exaggerated by the strange curved glass that distorts your view of them and traps you inside their gaze. At Whetstone Boys Ranch, we have a boy, or two, or three going through this experience every month, and it’s our responsibility to make them feel welcome, loved, seen, and heard. It’s not easy, but we’ve learned a

en-us

00:35:02

Celebrate Success

A Time to Sharpen ·

2023/03/06

Change usually happens slowly. Our minds and our bodies are not capable of handling too much all at once. It’s actually kind of unhealthy. Yes, there are baptisms of fire, and God can pull off a ‘road to Damascus moment’ any time he desires, but these seem to be the exception. At Whetstone, graduations are a time to publicly celebrate the change that has occurred within a young man over many months. They are also a reminder that whatever change occurs in his future will also take time. It will not

en-us

00:39:45

Mentoring

A Time to Sharpen ·

2023/02/16

We cannot underestimate the power of mentors in our lives. None of us has the power of will to make it on our own. We are not strong enough, smart enough, or good-looking enough. When we are teenagers, we THINK we are, but within a few short years (years that don’t feel short at the time) most of us realize our own folly. As John Wayne is credited as saying, “Life is hard. It’s harder if you’re stupid.” At their most basic level, mentors help us to not be stupid. This might seem like a very low

en-us

00:32:06

Making SMARTr Goals

A Time to Sharpen ·

2023/01/18

A mental note is a lost note. A short pencil is better than a long memory. If you aim at nothing, you’ll hit it every time. That last quote is from Zig Ziglar. The first two my dad told me growing up…like…every day. They were drilled into my soul. “You have to write things down,” he’d say, “or it’s never gonna happen.” This is backed up by countless studies. I don’t know if successful people tend to write things down, or if writing things down makes you successful, but it doesn’t really matter which

en-us

00:36:34

Enough is Enough

A Time to Sharpen ·

2022/12/29

Timing is everything. This is true in so many areas of life. It’s true with hitting a curveball. It’s true about making a joke and about offering words of wisdom. It’s true about investing in crypto…boy, is it true about investing in crypto! It’s also true when considering the right time to send a son or daughter to a therapeutic boarding school. Wait too long, and you’ll lose the window that you have to make an impact. Send them too soon, and you risk communicating that you don’t care enough to

en-us

00:40:20

The Struggle is Real

A Time to Sharpen ·

2022/12/06

The story of Gideon has some serious ups and downs. He trusts God and then he doesn’t. And then he does. And then God decides that Gideon doesn’t trust Him enough. So God reduces the size of Gideon’s army from 32,000 to 300, “lest Israel” according to the Biblical account, “claim glory for itself…saying, ‘My own hand has saved me.’” It seems that God orchestrates our circumstances at times, so that He will be glorified, not us. He makes it impossible for us to conclude that the goodness in our life

en-us

00:33:16

Born to Run

A Time to Sharpen ·

2022/11/17

We are born to run. The human body is built for it – it’s a biomechanical miracle, allowing all of our muscles, bones, and joints to move in synchronization. Little children can do it all day long without being trained how or told why. As we get older, we become more interested in speed and utility. We see it as a means to end. We compare ourselves to others. Our bodies break down. Eventually, for most, it starts to cause pain. The pure joy of running gets pushed farther and farther from our

en-us

00:34:23

A Ram in the Thicket

A Time to Sharpen ·

2022/11/01

Jehovah Jirah! “The Lord Provides.” People of the book like to say this, sometimes without thinking. It’s a nice thought to adorn a coffee mug or a t-shirt. Maybe we have a bumper sticker that proclaims it. Nothing wrong with any of this, but there is a danger that its ubiquity strips it of its power. It can become cliché, and as such, something we can take or leave. But when Abraham was suddenly and miraculously relieved from the responsibility of sacrificing his only son, Isaac, he didn’t use it

en-us

72 results

Similar Podcasts

Tale Teller Kids™

Sarnia de la Mare

米克馬故事坊

咪萊

Imagination Station

Imagination Station

Die Pferde sind nicht das Problem - und du bist nicht zu blöd. Der Aha-Podcast für Pferdemenschen

Silke Jahn & Maren Diehl

Hanna fragt Papa - Der Podcast für neugierige Kinder und Eltern

Hanna und Thomas Schamberger