Archive for April, 2009
Influence
This morning I woke up asking myself “what is God doing?”…in my life?…in the lives of our students?…in the life of our youth ministry?…in the life of our church? After a game of “I spy” with Isabel and a couple of cups of coffee I still haven’t been able to shake the question. It’s stuck in my mind…and on my heart. I want to know what God is up to.
I’ll be talking about this Wednesday in both TM 412 and Escape. I’ll share what God has been doing in my life and I’ll ask what God has been doing in other lives. As the church (by the way, Dr. Brisco’s sermon on the church yesterday was spot on incredible! I hope you caught it…if not, you can hear it here) we need to share this with each other…not just as a nice gesture or another activity, but as part of the lifeblood of what God has called us to be (again, thanks to Dr. Brisco for speaking so clearly about God’s “calling” yesterday).
So about influence…I see stats often that remind me that the most important influence in the life and faith of a teenager is Mom and Dad. This is true across the board: for believers as well as for non-believers, for all races, for all socioeconomic groups, for all religions, no exceptions. I came across this table yesterday…yet another reminder.
My question then is this: What is God doing in your life, Mom and Dad? When was the last time you shared this with your daughter and with your son?
You are the strongest influence in the faith of your sons and daughters. I am the strongest influence in the faith of my daughter. This is the way God designed it (and it’s working by the way…you see a dad who prioritizes his relationship with God above everything else and you will see a son or daughter who learn to grow closer to God and make Him number one also). As parents we have got to leverage this influence. And a great way to start is through regular, intentional conversation.
So how about it Mom and Dad…What is God doing in your life?
One Week
7 Days. 168 Hours. 10,080 Minutes.
Of your 10,080 minutes during the next week, I’m going to ask for 8 of them. That leaves you 10,072. During those 8 minutes go here. Print off the forms. Fill them out. And bring them to the church office.
These 8 minutes will make an eternal impact on the life of your teenager. You have one week.
Go.
One Incredible Day
Yesterday was an incredible day for me! It was, of course, one of my favorite days of the year…opening day for Major League Baseball. And my favorite team, the Rangers, kicked some Cleveland Indian tail (which was awesome)! And also my favorite college basketball team left no doubt about who is the best team in the NCAA last night! BUT…WHAT REALLY MADE THE DAY ABSOLUTELY INCREDIBLE DIDN’T ACTUALLY HAVE ANYTHING TO DO WITH BASEBALL OR BASKETBALL.
Yesterday I went to Bonita Park to check out the camp facilities for youth camp. And it was beautiful! The facilities are extremely nice, but offer a touch of nostalgia, reminding me of youth camp when I was growing up! But the most incredible thing during the day was thinking about all the really cool things God is going to do in the lives of our teenagers during those 5 days of camp. I just got so excited walking around the campground praying and thinking ahead 8 weeks about everything that is going to take place. If you haven’t registered your teenager (and their friends) for camp yet, don’t put it off any longer!
New Website for Youth
I’m excited to finally announce the arrival of our brand new youth website.
Tell your kids!!!
