Latest Edition of REALWORLD PARENT NEWSLETTER

Featured Resource: A Parent’s Guide to Helping Teenagers in Crisis

Fights at school, sexual abuse, eating disorders, school crises … the list goes on and on. Hardly a day passes without a local crisis at involving junior highers or high schoolers. This practical resource covers the whole continuum of private and public crisis, equipping parents to work with their kids to deal with any crisis in a way that helps the individual and helps the family stay intact.

Receive 20% off A Parent’s Guide to Helping Teenagers in Crisis using coupon code RWPN106 by July 31st, 2009.

http://www.realworldparents.com/store/item/a_parents_guide_to_helping_teenagers_in_crisis

2. Learn Their Lingo

PBB = Text message or Instant message, short for “Parent Behind Back”

Man Cave = A room, space, corner or area of a dwelling that is specifically reserved for a male person to be in a solitary condition, away from the rest of the household in order to work, play, involve himself in certain hobbies, activities without interruption.

3. Movie Reviews for Parents

G-Force

None of the worldview perspectives in this cute-but-forgettable kids’ movie dig very deep, but the “G-Force” team does live in a world of values worth…
Read Review:
http://www.realworldparents.com/movies/review/g-force/

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince

Episode 6 of this enormously popular franchise lightens the tone a bit and dabbles in some real teen issues like crushes, cheating, obsession, and obedience…
Read Review:
http://www.realworldparents.com/movies/review/harry_potter_and_the_half-blood_prince/

4. Links to Learn From

Counseling 101: How do I get my teen to go to therapy? [Examiner.com]
http://www.examiner.com/x-12730-SF-Teen-Issues-Examiner~y2009m7d28-Counseling-101-How-to-I-get-my-teen-to-go-to-therapy

Even the School Janitor Can Play a Role [Health News Digest]
http://www.healthnewsdigest.com/news/Education_390/Even_the_School_Janitor_Can_Play_a_Role.shtml

“No Doubt” Sunbeds Cause Cancer [BBC]
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/8172690.stm

5. A Little Encouragement…And Humor

Fear less, hope more; whine less, breathe more; talk less, say more; hate less, love more; and all good things are yours.
- Swedish Proverb

What’s Up With You & Twitter?

Recently I’ve been receiving a great deal of grief from family, friends and colleagues re: my new found friend TWITTER…

RELAX people!  He’s just a friend ..nothing more nothing less…maybe you need to give him a chance or at least understand where he is coming from – here is who TWITTER is…

So many ask WHY??…here is why;

* “It has helped me network with youth workers locally/nationally/ globally. I can keep in touch with what local youth workers are doing .  Depending on what they are tweeting, I can find out what they are teaching, what they are struggling with, how I can pray for them, and — yes — what they are eating for lunch and other trivial things that people tweet about.  But I see value in ALL of it.  I like getting to know people outside of their youth-ministry-world, too.

* I can also follow leaders in the field of youth ministry. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve gleaned some of my best ministry ideas in the past couple of years from my Twitter stream.  In addition, I’ve even been able to send short comments to them and, in some cases, hear back!  What fun!

* Lots of great student ministry sites utilize Twitter. Be the first to hear about new content, prizes, and youth ministry ideas that they have to offer.

* Keep parents/guardians informed and updated on student trips. Parents can now get updates from camp, youth convention, weekend retreats, etc. in real time and it is as easy as sending a text from your phone.

* Students ministry pics and video are also easy to publish… through services like TwitPic and 12Seconds.tv or even simply posting links to Flickr, YouTube, or any other media site.

* Stay current on just about any topic. Twitter is a great way to keep up-to-date on youth culture, local news, youth training events, etc.

* Get quick answers to general questions. Sometimes if you post a question, you’ll get answers within minutes. For example:“Does anyone have a good resource for teen counseling in the event of a family loss?”  “Looking for an extra pop-up tent that I can borrow for camp next month. Any ideas?”  “Is there a good online resource for junior high small group curriculum?”

- youthminblog.com

 

I hope this post has given you a clearer picture of why I use social media…like Twitter/Facebook.  It’s definitely not because I want to “air out” my life for all to see.  I use it primarily for the above reasons stated.

Your thoughts?

 

To Honour or not to Honour?

 

As I prepare and plan for the Family Services coming up at the end of August – I’ve once again been reminded of the need to honour our parents.  With both of my parents now with the Lord it appears that I have become more aware and sensitive when I see children not honouring their parents and particularly their mothers.

I am well aware that I work with a generation that often perceive their mothers as old fashioned, irrelevant and not completely in tune with the times.

I remember being a teenager…when I turned 14 my mom was already approaching 60!  Talk about a clash of two generations! As I look back at those days…the only words that come to mind are these… “You have only one mother & God places a high premium on your relationship with her – no matter what your age.”

In fact, we’re told in Ephesians that one of the seeds you can plant in a long and healthy life is respect for your parents. Why is that?

I believe it is because God places a high calling on mothers. Your mothers brought you into this world (and remember she can take you out!  My mom used that phrase all the time!) I didn’t realize what a sacrifice that was until I had children of my own. Watching my wife give birth gave me a whole new respect for my own mother.

Your mother carried you nine months and gave you life. So if you want to have a right relationship with God, make sure that you are doing all you can to have a right relationship with your mom.

Pastor G <><<

Latest edition of REALWORLD PARENT NEWSLETTER

Featured Resource: A Parent’s Guide to Helping Teenagers in Crisis

Fights at school, sexual abuse, eating disorders, school crises … the list goes on and on. Hardly a day passes without a local crisis at involving junior highers or high schoolers. This practical resource covers the whole continuum of private and public crisis, equipping parents to work with their kids to deal with any crisis in a way that helps the individual and helps the family stay intact.

Receive 20% off A Parent’s Guide to Helping Teenagers in Crisis using coupon code RWPN106 by July 31st, 2009.

http://www.realworldparents.com/store/item/a_parents_guide_to_helping_teenagers_in_crisis/

2. Learn Their Lingo

fauxhawk = A full head of hair combed into the middle to fabricate the look of a mohawk.

TTYN = Talk to you never

3. Movie Reviews for Parents

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince

Episode 6 of this enormously popular franchise lightens the tone a bit and dabbles in some real teen issues like crushes, cheating, obsession, and obedience…
Read Review:
http://www.realworldparents.com/movies/review/harry_potter_and_the_half-blood_prince/

I Love You, Beth Cooper

Almost nobody is recommending this unfunny film for teens (or anyone else). And with a barrage of teen sexual content, it’s another example of how…
Read Review:
http://www.realworldparents.com/movies/review/i_love_you_beth_cooper/

4. Links to Learn From

Minimum Wage Hike Could Lead To Job Losses [CBS News]
http://www.cbsnews.com/blogs/2009/07/21/business/econwatch/entry5178888.shtml

Drawing up a game plan for life [Chron.com]
http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/sports/hso/6538772.html

Divorce: don’t discount dad, you’ll deny your daughter [Examiner.com]
http://www.examiner.com/x-5939-Divorce-Support-Examiner~y2009m7d20-Divorce-dont-discount-dad-youll-deny-your-daughter

5. A Little Encouragement…And Humor

Kids go where there is excitement. They stay where there is love.
- Zig Ziglar

Faith / Silence / Sacrifice

Faith /  Silence / Sacrifice

Luke 7:6 So Jesus went with them. When Jesus wasn’t far from the house, the officer sent some friends to tell him, “Lord, don’t go to any trouble for me! I am not good enough for you to come into my house. 7 And I am certainly not worthy to come to you. Just say the word, and my servant will get well. 8 I have officers who give orders to me, and I have soldiers who take orders from me. I can say to one of them, ‘Go!’ and he goes. I can say to another, ‘Come!’ and he comes. I can say to my servant, ‘Do this!’ and he will do it.”

7:9 When Jesus heard this, he was so surprised that he turned and said to the crowd following him, “In all of Israel I’ve never found anyone with this much faith!”

13 When the Lord saw the woman, he felt sorry for her and said, “Don’t cry!”  

14 Jesus went over and touched the stretcher on which the people were carrying the dead boy. They stopped, and Jesus said, “Young man, get up!”

37 When a sinful woman in that town found out that Jesus was there, she bought an expensive bottle of perfume. 38 Then she came and stood behind Jesus. She cried and started washing his feet with her tears and drying them with her hair. The woman kissed his feet and

poured the perfume on them.

I love the way Jesus responded to those in need! There wasn’t simply one way to get his attention….he saw their hearts – he knew their motives and because of their faith he responded in love.

The army officer had faith that it would simply take Jesus “saying the word” and his servant would be healed. This man had the faith to verbalize his need and Jesus responded by instantaneously healing his servant.

The grieving widow had no words….but the expression on her face spoke volumes. Jesus could have easily passed her by….but he reached out to her with words of comfort. There was no need for him to physically touch her son…he simply touched the stretcher and the boy came back to life.

Finally the prostitute…her words were her tears….a heart broken by many years of pain and hardship. This woman who had been

marginalized by her friends, family and strangers for many years…she came to Jesus on this particular day and she gave all she had. It was her actions….along with her open heart that set her free.

3 incredible examples of faith at work…through words, through silence and sacrificial giving

Taking a Break for the Weekend…

I am feeling alot like this pumpkin these days…   I need a few days to clear the mind…rest up…the opportunity to get feeling better.  Since returning from MTO I can’t seem to shake this cold…thanks for your understanding – I’ll be back Monday!

G <><<

My Frustration with Short-term Missions

 The team is back from Vancouver…we had an amazing experience and already everything within me is saying, “was it really worth it”?

• What difference did your team really make in Vancouver?

• Is spending a large amount of money over a week period really a form of good stewardship?

• Will the life change in these students take root or will they look back on this experience as nothing more as a “FUN WEEK”.

• Should we be focussing on Vancouver and other mission destinations…or do we start in our own backyard first?

Before you start thinking I’m not a fan of the short term mission experience let me explain my thoughts; With this being my 25th experience if I was not a fan I would have stopped leading them a long time ago. Every time I have had the privilege of leading a trip I have seen something ignite in the hearts of the participants.

The frustration arises when we return and the same students, who were prepared to charge hell with a water gun, fall back into the old patterns of mediocrity.

Why do I feel these opportunities are still so necessary?

• They give kids a glimpse of what God is doing elsewhere and potentially what he wants to do back in their sphere of influence.

• Forces them to step out of their comfort zones and to fully rely on the power and strength of God.

• Reinforces their need to prioritize things in their lives…what’s truly important?

• Forces them to confront the brokenness of our world.

• Provides an opportunity for students to tap into their gifts and natural talents to make a difference in the lives of others.

• Ignite a passion for God’s redemptive purposes in this world.

I want to make it very clear that I believe missions for all of us are important. Our God is a God of mission, and as His people we are called be involved in missions as well. But I think we may be confused regarding what that term, missions, actually means. For many years it appears that within the church (and primarily in youth ministry) “missions” has been viewed as nothing more than an external activity; a duty to be fulfilled, a chore to be accomplished.

My personal frustration lies in a mission opportunity being perceived as a” noun” instead of being embraced as an “adjective”. “Missions” is not a task to be completed – to be done, so much as it is to be a way of being. In other words, we are to be “missional.” What is it going to take to view missions as something more than a week in Vancouver? We are to be missional 24-7. In other words, there must be a shift in perspective from “doing missions” to “being missional.”

I am convinced that missions needs to become something much bigger and more formative than simply a work project somewhere “out there” that we do once in awhile, when it is convenient for us. Are you up for the challenge?

Latest edition of REAL WORLD PARENTING

Contents

1. Tools for Parenting Teens
2. Learn Their Lingo
3. Movie Reviews
4. Links to Learn From
5. A Little Encouragement…And Humor

1. Tools for Parenting Teens

From http://www.realworldparents.com/starters/

Talking About Sex

What’s the big deal? Isn’t it just a normal, physical act? Haven’t we been freed from the Law? Why not just do what comes naturally? Why would God care what I do with my own body? Paul seems to be…
Read More:
http://www.realworldparents.com/starters/article/talking_about_sex/

Featured Resource: A Parent’s Guide to Helping Teenagers in Crisis

Fights at school, sexual abuse, eating disorders, school crises … the list goes on and on. Hardly a day passes without a local crisis at involving junior highers or high schoolers. This practical resource covers the whole continuum of private and public crisis, equipping parents to work with their kids to deal with any crisis in a way that helps the individual and helps the family stay intact.

Receive 20% off A Parent’s Guide to Helping Teenagers in Crisis using coupon code RWPN106 by July 31st, 2009.

http://www.realworldparents.com/store/item/a_parents_guide_to_helping_teenagers_in_crisis/

2. Learn Their Lingo

JTOL = Text message lingo for “Just Thinking Out Loud”

Facebrag = To use Facebook as a platform to brag. Normally about a job, internship, trip, purchase or anything else that nobody really needs to know but you’d like to tell everyone because you’re awesome.

3. Movie Reviews for Parents

I Love You, Beth Cooper

Almost nobody is recommending this unfunny film for teens (or anyone else). And with a barrage of teen sexual content, it’s another example of how…
Read Review:
http://www.realworldparents.com/movies/review/i_love_you_beth_cooper/

Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs

This strangely titled addition to the “Ice Age” saga is getting less love from critics than the first two films, but the franchise continues to…
Read Review:
http://www.realworldparents.com/movies/review/ice_age_dawn_of_the_dinosaurs/

4. Links to Learn From

Smart Snacking to Combat Obesity [Chicago Tribune]
http://www.chicagotribune.com/health/sns-health-smart-snacking,0,7415046.story

Teen pregnancy project ditched [BBC]
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/8139315.stm

Teen sex linked to children’s TV viewing [Baptist Press]
http://www.sbcbaptistpress.org/BPnews.asp?ID=30846

5. A Little Encouragement…And Humor

Nothing you do for children is ever wasted. They seem not to notice us, hovering, averting our eyes, and they seldom offer thanks, but what we do for them is never wasted.
- Garrison Keillor

MTO Vancouver 2009 – Day 7

I apologize for the lack of postings the last few days

We finished off the week really strong – so many great memories!

We had a blast at Stanley Park….then we had a very powerful club where we sand, shared and as leaders we washed the students feet as a sign of our desire to serve.

Today we woke up at 6:30AM…packed up the vehicles, cleaned up the warehouse, grabbed a quick breaky and headed out of town.

We arrived in Kamloops around 12:30PM…stopped at the mall to eat (and of course a few of the girls did a little browsing)

We loaded up the vehicles around 2Pm – stopped for a quick Starbucks and made our way to Sicamous for a delicious cone from Dutchmen Dairy.

Finally, after what appeared to be a fairly quick day…we arrived (safe and sound) in Revelstoke!

We gave the kids a few hours to unwind – grab a nap – go for a swim…we then headed over to the park for a pizza dinner and a time of debriefing our week.

And now – it is time for a good night’s rest!  We will be heading out tomorrow morning around 9AM.  With a lunch stop in Canmore, we should arriv eback at the West Campus between 3-30PM

We are looking forward to seeing you all!

MTO Vancouver 2009 – Day 5 …ministry day 3

I thought instead of writing a blog tonight …I would throw together a little recap video of our first few days; enjoy!