Have you ever needed to get out of a sticky situation? Perhaps you said something mean or hateful to your parents and later felt remorse. Or maybe you and a friend got into a fight and you sent that nasty email, hateful text or “vented” to another via instant messenger. Perhaps you’ve found yourself in deep remorse and regret over a stupid decision. Thanks to a man in Leechburg, Pennsylvania, if you’ve ever wanted a clean pass or forgiveness, then a new option is available. You can simply say: my other personality did it.

That’s right, a man in Leechburg, Pennsylvania broke the law and claimed that his split personality, the Mr. Hyde to his Dr. Jekyll if you will, was the one who committed the crime. 23-year-old Timothy Beer remembers walking into China King Restaurant. He remembers asking for a table and sitting down. He remembers the waiter bringing a glass of water and then asking him for his order. But then things get fuzzy. They get a little strange. They get somewhat, bilingual, if you will.

Beer remembers getting angry at the waiter because he believed he was speaking Chinese and wouldn’t speak English so that Beer could understand what he was asking. Next thing Beer knew, he was at home playing video games. He has no recollection of what happened because he claims his split personality came out and did something punishable by law.

In the time of Beer’s memory lapse, he became angry enough at the waiter to rob the restaurant and go home with his loot, all over a few unrecognizable Chinese words. Or maybe it was simply a thick accent. Beer can’t really remember. He read about the robbery in a newspaper the next day and assumed that he was the culprit. He turned himself into police saying that he believed himself to be the robber but has no memory of the incident.

The trial should be interesting. How does a man with two personalities defend himself? One wonders who will show up when he has his day in court.

Questions for your youth group – Have you ever felt like you had a split personality? Was there a time when you did something so out of character that it almost seemed like you became someone else for a moment?

Paul talks of this in the New Testament. He says he often times knows the right thing to do but still ends up obeying his flesh and not his spirit. Can you relate to Paul?

What do you think will come of this man’s trial?

In an age where reality TV shows continue to take over most of what is aired on television, MTV has been a forerunner in the genre. Now, they are heading into a new frontier as they explore the lives of teenagers in a rather unique area of the country: a rural Appalachian town.

Many Americans don’t realize that there are parts of the country nestled in the Appalachian Mountains that seem frozen in time. Life seems simpler and economic times continue to be hard, but MTV is set on exploring this “unique and unexplored youth culture” that exists in the heart of the mountains. The show is being called “Buck Wild” and follows the lives of teenagers living in both more wealthy and poorer communities in the mountains.

Critics are concerned that MTV will only bring further ridicule to rural America, something that shows like CBS’ The Real Beverly Hillbilllies and UPN’s Amish in the City ultimately ended up doing, especially as the show is featuring kids that grew up “down in the holler”, meaning the poorer areas of the Appalachian mountain communities. David Janollari, spokesman for MTV on the project, said, “These kids have the same kind of issues and goals and desires as we all do. They all want to find true love or have families. They just live in a world that’s really different that many of us live in.” According to Janollari, viewers will see nothing but authentic youth who lead different lives, lives that involve mud racing, squirrel hunting and rope swinging.

Interestingly enough, MTV made sure to hire J.P. Williams, a man known for helping the careers of Jeff Foxworthy, Larry the Cable Guy and Bill Engvall, all of whom are known for bringing humor to country, redneck America. The show will air next spring once West Virginia has thawed.

Questions to use after your youth group lessons related to this article:

When does a reality TV show overstep its bounds?

Do you think it’s fair to focus on a single people group like the teenagers living in the Appalachian mountains of West Virginia?

Does the show seem interesting to you? Why or why not?

What do you know of rural America?

Nine years ago U.S. forces declared war on Saddam Hussein and entered the borders of Iraq. During those nine years, 4,500 soldiers lost their lives in the fight and tens of thousands of Iraqi’s, all in the chance of creating a democracy in a country that had been torn apart by Saddam Hussein and his bloody regime. In an epic day in U.S. history, the last troops withdrew from Iraq in the middle of December, leaving behind the memories and struggles of a war that, at most, created what many see as a fragile democracy.

At the height of the operation there were 170,000 U.S. troops stationed in Iraq on more than 500 military bases. Now, there are a mere 157 soldiers in the country that will continue to train Iraqi troops and a small group of soldiers that continue to protect the diplomatic mission. In all, the United States spent over $1 trillion dollars fighting the war in Iraq.

As the final soldiers left Iraq in the middle of the night, they stopped at the Iraq-Kuwait border and took pictures of themselves and also with fellow Iraqi soldiers, trying to memorialize the epic moment that seemed to happen in a rather plain, boring way. “(It’s) a good feeling… knowing this is going to be the last mission out of here,” said Private First Class Martin Lamb, a member in the final group of soldiers to leave Iraq. “Part of history, you know – we’re the last ones out.”

December 2011 was the pullout date set during the President George W. Bush administration and President Barack Obama upheld the promise to have all U.S. troops out of the country by the end of 2011. The pullout has gained support and controversy. President Obama assured returning troops they were leaving behind “a sovereign, stable and self-reliant government” at a speech given at Fort Bragg, North Carolina. There are also many, however, that fear the Iraqi government is far from stable and is ill-equipped to handle the independence. Perhaps time will tell if Iraq is ready for the independence that has been forced upon them by the removal of American troops from its borders.

Youth Ministry Lessons all need great questions to get the teens talking, check out these:

When you hear the name “Saddam Hussein” what, if anything, do you know about him?

What, if anything, do you know about the war in Iraq?

Many have criticized the huge amount of American resources that the war in Iraq has eaten. Do you think $1 trillion dollars is worth it to create a democracy? Why or why not?

Mauritania is a West African country bordered by Western Sahara, Algeria, Mali and Senegal. It is not a rich country as 20% of the population lives on less than $1.25 per day. The political history of the nation is one of instability, which contributes to the rather bleak economic situation that the country faces. In the midst of all of this is another bleak situation for many Mauritanians: modern day slavery is still a reality for an estimated 20% of the population.

Slavery in Mauritania was legally abolished in 1981 but that didn’t stop the practice. Many say the move was simply one to advance the country internationally as it seems the government made no attempts to actually halt the practice. To date, there has not been a single case of prosecution for slave ownership. This is why the word of Abdel Nasser Ould Ethmane is so controversial. Abdel is a modern day abolitionist working to end slavery in Mauritania.

When Abdel turned seven he celebrated with a cultural circumcision ceremony. As was tradition, he was allowed to pick any present. Abdel will never forget his decision: a slave. Abel asked his father for Yebawa, a young dark-skinned boy whose mother belonged to Abdel’s father. He was given the young boy as a slave. “For me, it was as if he were a thing — a thing that pleased me,” Abdel speaks, reflecting back on his decision.

Growing up, Abdel did not think anything was wrong with the slaves that his family owned. He even remembers laughing at them while hearing their teeth chattering outside of his tent on cold desert nights. But then something happened. Abdel was sent away for college and encountered a sentence in a book that would forever change his life: Men are born and remain free and equal in rights. That one sentence sent him down a road that would eventually lead to Abdel renouncing the idea of slavery.

The idea is not popular in Mauritania. In the beginning, it was merely hushed conversations in the dark of night with others who, like Abdel, were beginning to think that slavery was not right for Mauritania. When Abdel and another formed the group SOS Slaves, an organization to end slavery in Mauritania, he was beaten for his beliefs. He has since moved from Mauritania and resides in the Ivory Coast, afraid that if he stayed he would be arrested for being too outspoken.

Most importantly, Abdel’s family did grant Yebawa his freedom only, once given to the man, he wasn’t sure what to do with it. “It did not matter much,” Yebawa spoke, a reaction that did not surprise Abdel. When slaves in Mauritania are freed, many do not leave their masters. They usually have no idea how to gain employment and consider slavery part of the natural order, the lot in life that they have been given. Though Abdel feels like he failed Yebawa, he is hopeful that the future of Mauritania is bright and slave-free.

Discussion Questions:

Why would a freed slave not want to leave their master?

Did you realize that this form of slavery still exists?

What does the Bible say about slavery?

If you don’t think living in a different region of the United States makes that big of a deal, then a new study released by Auburn University might change your mind. Specifically, Auburn set out to find the difference, if any, of teen sexual health in the South versus other parts of the United States. What they found was quite alarming as teens in the South have the highest rate of pregnancies and STDs than any other region in the United States.

According to the study, 47 out of every 1,000 teenagers in the South gave birth to a baby out of wedlock in 2009. While that number might not seem that high, the closest was the West at only 38. In addition to teenage pregnancies, the South also had higher rates of the STDs Chlamydia and Gonorrhea than any other region in the country. In both cases, females posed a much higher rate of infection than men, which is typical in all areas of the United States. The creators of the study were straightforward in their conclusion: it’s time to do away with abstinence-only health education in the South and embrace a “Medically accurate, age-appropriate, Evidence-Based and Evidence Informed Sexual Health Education.” This, it seems, is the magic pill that will begin to lower teenage pregnancies in the South.

Unlike other regions in the United States, the Southern states still have a rather high level of abstinence only education in the public school system. Three states in the South (Alabama, Louisiana and Virginia) do not even require the schools to teach sexual health education at all. Researchers were quick to point out that the condition of sexual health education in the South is not representative of what the people want considering 89.3% of adults polled in 2010 were in favor of sex education in public schools. The study was also quick to point out the flaws contained in abstinence-only educational materials as well as citing sources that stated all federal funding for such programs should stop; they simply do not work.

Finally, the study also made the correlation between the high rate of poverty in the south and the diversity of the population, as both of these factors have been known to contribute to high rates of teenage pregnancy. According to the study, if the sex education in the South were better then the rates would be lowered. “(Teenagers) can make educated decisions … rather than not getting educated because parents don’t like to think about their teenagers having sex,” said Kathrin Stanger-Hall, one of the contributing researchers to the study.

Discussion Questions:

Why do you think the South has a higher rate of teenage pregnancy?

Do you think abstinence only sex education is outdated? Why or why not?

How does your faith speak to issues like sex education?