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THEPARENTLINK (insert logo or text here)
February 2014 FOR PARENTS OF TEENS
TIPS >>> PONDER THIS
MAKING CHURCH IRRESISTIBLE
Getting teenagers to church can be a Herculean task. At some point, it’s tempting
to stop fighting with kids and just let them make their own decisions about faith
and worship. But God entrusts Christian parents to provide instruction about him and his laws (see Deuteronomy 6:5-9).
So what are parents to do—especially when church seems boring or irrelevant even to you? Thom and Joani Schultz tackle that topic in their new book Why No-
body Wants to Go to Church Anymore (Group Publishing). People today often
complain that churches aren’t making Jesus real to them, yet the message of Jesus’
unconditional love is needed now more than ever.
One solution, the Schultzes say, is to understand how people actually discover and
learn for themselves—through conversation, experience, and story-based ap-proaches. “Just look at how Jesus interacted in his ministry,” Joani told GROUP
magazine. “He was very relational and asked lots of great questions that forced
people to grapple and discover for themselves. We need to really trust that process because Jesus did; we forget that we can trust the Holy Spirit. We create an envi-
ronment that is rich with love and acceptance and the Gospel, and then we let God
go to town.”
Churches and parents can embrace this advice as they work together to engage
young people with worship and, ultimately, with God.
THE VIEW
Ponder these findings about peo-
ple’s focus and priorities:
Teenagers say their top need is
“help building a positive rela-
tionship with God.” —Group magazine
Personal activities, hobbies,
hanging out with friends, and
earning money come well ahead
of evangelism as priorities for
the average Christian teenager. —Dare 2 Share
Only 12% of American adults
say faith is a top priority in their
lives. —Barna Group
What positive and negative connotations do you have
about church, and how do they
compare to your kids’ views?
What things or people get you most excited about worship,
and why?
What are some ways you can ignite your own faith—and
your teenager’s?
In W hy Nobody Wants to Go to
Church Anymore, Thom and Joani
Schultz recommend four “acts of
love” that are based on how Jesus
lived. Use these acts to help bring
kids closer to God:
Radical Hospitality. Kids feel wel-
come when they’re known by name, accepted, appreciated,
missed when they aren’t around,
and loved unconditionally. Express the joy you find in simply being
with your kids.
Fearless Conversation. Inter act
with kids verbally about what they’re learning in church or youth
group, beyond fact-based questions.
Don’t be afraid to discuss tough topics that teenagers wonder about
and would benefit from discussing.
Kids are already wondering about the tough stuff and need to know
that God is with them throughout it.
Be real. Be authentic. Let God’s
Holy Spirit guide you.
Genuine Humility. Focus more on
the relationship that you and your
kids are developing with God than on appearances and various accom-
plishments. There’s freedom and
relief in that.
Divine Anticipation. As you talk
to kids about God and the Bible, it’s
easy to get stuck in the past tense.
Yet teenagers need to know that God is very much here—now. In-
vite them to watch for God in eve-
ryday details and to share these “God sightings” with you. That
habit will help them develop a per-
sonal, blessed expectation of God.
BIBLE FOCUS You are…fellow citizens with God’s people and members of God’s household…with Christ Je-sus himself as the chief cornerstone. In him the whole building is joined together and rises to become a holy temple in the Lord. And in him you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit.
Ephesians 2:19-20
HEARTFELT ADVICE Expert Insights for Parents of Teenagers
By Brian Berry
RESOURCE
Church As It Should Be, a six-week downloadable sermon series based on the book of Acts, offers young peo-ple a broader understanding of what this “church thing” is all about—and what role they can play in God’s king-dom. Available at simplyyouthminis-try.com.
A Christian school asked 14-year-olds to share advice with a new believer.
Here are excerpts from one of the let-
ters:
Dearest Warrior,
I know you’ve recently made the most
important decision of your life. You’re now secure in the Savior’s arms. Can
you feel his love flowing in your veins?
It’s so amazing that he died for you!
You’re at the beginning of the best but
most arduous journey of your life. To
grow closer to God, you must study his Word. You also can talk to the Savior—
he absolutely loves to listen to you. You
must quiet your heart to hear him, though. The Savior is quiet, and you
can’t hear him if you’re surrounded by noise.
Another great way to grow is to fellow-
ship with other Christians. This isn’t necessarily always in a church build-
ing—it could mean attending a small
group or praying with Christian friends. The Word says that when two or more
Christians come before God, something
amazing happens.
Remember—though you’re saved,
you’re still a sinner and nowhere near
perfect. The Destroyer will still try to tempt you, even though you’re a child
of God. A great example of how to re-
act is in Matthew 4:1-11. When Satan tempted Jesus, he simply replied by
quoting Scripture. Ephesians 6:10-18 talks about the armor of God, which
protects you from evil.
The step after growing in your faith is sharing God’s Word with others. At
first this may be terrifying, but as your
passion for the Savior grows, so will your passion to share him with others.
Some people will openly accept Jesus,
but others will reject him. Don’t get discouraged when people reject him. It
isn’t your job to work in their hearts;
that’s what God does.
I hope you’ll take my advice and grow
in your love and admiration for the Sav-
ior. —GROUP magazine
MEDIA SPOTLIGHT
MAINSTREAM MUSIC
JENNIFER NETTLES Background: Nettles, 39, is best
known as lead vocalist of the award-
winning country group Sugarland. Now
she’s releasing her long-anticipated
debut solo album, which explores her
roots in both country and gospel music.
(Nettles began singing in her Southern Baptist church while growing up in
Georgia.) In 2008, Nettles launched
Common Thread, which encourages
musicians to raise money for their fa-
vorite charities.
Albums: That Girl (2014)
What Nettles Says: Of venturing into
a solo album, she says, “I think it’s way
more intimate to me and way more
personal in the sense that when you
collaborate…you’re affecting each
other, and playing with and inspiring each other, and yet there are things that
one may not get to do or want to do
when collaborating.”
Explore: In “That Gir l,” Nettles
sings about not wanting to break up a
marriage. The video is available here:
www.youtube.com/watch?
v=yh4n9tdS5yo
CHRISTIAN MUSIC
JAMIE GRACE
Background: Toby Mac dis-
covered this singer-songwriter
via YouTube in 2010. Two years
later, she won the Dove Award
for New Artist of the Year. Her single “Hold Me” hit it big on
Christian radio. Grace, now 22,
was diagnosed with Tourette
syndrome at age 11.
Albums: Ready to Fly (2014),
One Song at a Time (2011)
What Grace Says: When dis-
cussing her song “God Girl,” she
says, “I don’t know if the first guy I date will end up being my
husband, but I do know I’m not
going to date anyone who isn’t
husband material. If a guy isn’t
working with me spiritually,
doesn’t respect my parents, and
doesn’t respect his parents, then
he’s not dating material because
he’s not husband material.”
Explore: Watch the video for
Grace’s new single “Beautiful Day” here:
www.youtube.com/watch?
v=uPy0ctqMwE0
MOVIES
Movie: Ride Along
Genre: Action, Comedy
Rating: PG-13
Synopsis: In this buddy com-
edy, a security guard (Kevin
Hart) joins a cop (Ice Cube) for patrol duty to prove he’s wor-
thy of marrying the cop’s sis-
ter.
You Should Know: The mov-
ie received a PG-13 rating for
“sequences of violence, sexual
content and brief strong lan-
guage.”
Movie: Vampire Academy:
Blood Sisters
Genre: Action, Comedy, Fan-
tasy
Rating: Not yet r ated
Synopsis: In this movie,
based on the best-selling
“Vampire Academy” books,
two best friends with vampire
roots face a threat from undead
vampires.
You Should Know: This film,
which releases on Valentine’s Day, hopes to fill the vampire
void left by the completed
“Twilight” series.
VIDEO GAMES
Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII—In this game, players have 13 days to accomplish specific tasks before
a “doomsday clock” runs out. They choose which souls to save and take to a new world. (Rated T; PS3, Xbox
360)
Plants vs. Zombies: Garden Warfare—This series combines traditional shooter games with humor. Players can compete in four-player co-op mode or 24-player online battles. (Rating pending; Xbox 360, Xbox One, Win-
dows)
FEBRUARY 2014 Sun Mon Tue Wed Thurs Fri Sat
1
2 3 4 5 6 7 8
9:45 Epic 11:15 Fusion
Fusion 6:30-8:30pm
Big Epic Games @ the CBC Gym 6:30-8:30pm
9 10 11 12 13 14 15
2nd Sunday Breakfast 9:45 Epic 11:15 Fusion 12:30 Fusion Student Leadership Team Meeting
Fusion 6:30-8:30pm
5:00pm Epic Student Leadership Team Meeting
Epic 6:30-8:30pm
Valentine’s Day
5:00-8:00pm Epic Bowling @ Brighton Bowl (Meet at the WareHouse)
16 17 18 19 20 21 22
9:45 Epic 11:15 Fusion
Fusion 6:30-8:30pm
Epic 6:30-8:30pm
23 24 25 26 27 28
9:45 Epic 11:15 Fusion *Jamaica 2014 Fusion Summer Mission applica-tions due today
Fusion 6:30-8:30pm
Epic 6:30-8:30pm
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