plugged in parents newsletter (december 2013)

8/13/2019 Plugged In Parents Newsletter (December 2013)

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/plugged-in-parents-newsletter-december-2013 1/8

A publication of IBC Student Ministry.

www.ibclrstudents.org © 2013

MERRY CHRISTMASEACH CHRISTMAS WE OFTEN FIND OURSELVES JOURNEYING BACK

DOWN MEMORY LANE AS YOU PULL OUT ORNAMENTS FROM YEARSPAST. THIS YEAR, WE HAVE A SPECIAL GIFT FOR EACH FAMILY IN OUR

STUDENT MINISTRY. WE HAVE AN ORNAMENT THAT WE WOULD LIKEFOR YOU TO HAVE. WE HOPE YOU WILL USE THIS ORNAMENT NOT

JUST AS A REMINDER TO ANOTHER CHRISTMAS GONE BY, BUT AS ACONVERSATION PIECE TO ENGAGE YOUR FAMILY WITH THE TRUE

MEANING OF CHRISTMAS. WE HOPE THAT YEAR AFTER YEAR, IN THEMIDST OF ALL THE HUSTLE AND BUSTLE, YOU WILL MAKE TIME TO

TALK ABOUT THE REAL STORY OF CHRISTMAS! COME BY OURSTUDENT MINISTRY OFFICE TO PICK UP YOUR GIFT!

DecemberIssue

THIS MONTH

! THE GATHERING (12/4)

! GIRLS MINISTRY (12/15)

! NO STUDENT WORSHIP (12/25 OR1/1)

COMING SOON

! THE GATHERING (1/15)

! DNOW (1/17-19)

! Keep eyes and ears open forSunday School class Christmasparties!

VOLUNTEERSPOTLIGHT

MARK GUINEE

ENGAGENOT ANOTHER DATE ON THECALENDAR!?!?

EQUIPHELPING TEENS MAKEHEALTHY DECISIONS

A MONTHLY PUBLICATION TO HELP PARENTS BETTER PLUG INTO THESPIRITUAL DEVELOPMENT OF THEIR STUDENT.

http://www.ibclrstudents.org/







STUDENT MINISTRY STAFF

Matt Hubbard

ead Student Pastor

Melissa Sponer

Girls Ministry Associate

Ross Spigner

Middle School Pastor

Amanda Bea

Ministry Assistant

A publ ication of IBC Student Ministry. www. ibclrstudents.org © 2013

FAVORITE CHRISTMAS GIFT:

Little Tykes Full Kids Kitchen Set


Optimus Prime or G.I. Joe stuff

FAVORITE CHRISTMAS G

Mail-order My Little Pony S


Toy Box with pop-up Basketball

Goal and Punching Bag

Over the past few weeks, Cassie and I have started the joyously arduous task [insert sarcasm] of potty-training Jackson. To you veteran parents, you may not remember that time in your life while others are chucklingremembering those days. For some it is a breeze and others, like us, not so easy. My dad taught me a long time agothat one of the few ways to guarantee failure is to never try to begin with. This is so true considering our currentparenting journey. But isn’t it true throughout all of our lives, especially with parenting, whether with discipline orpotty-training...driving lessons or after-church conversations. During this holiday season, my challenge to you is to try investing spiritually in the life of your student. Someof you are are already doing this and it is going great. For others, this investment has started to stagnate, maybe youteen seems less interested or you’ve run out of ideas. For others, you’ve tried getting started, but keep hittingroadblocks or pushback from your student. Whatever the reason...the excuse, you have a unique opportunity that onlycomes around once a year--Thanksgiving/Christmas.

Take advantage of the holiday time together whether driving to see family or shivering in a duck blind. Engagand encourage conversation with your student. Don’t just limit the content of your talks to “how was your day.” Step up a notch. Your students desire to be challenged, especially by their parents. If you have to, use the excuse thatThanksgiving/Christmas only comes around once a year.

The greatest failure a parent can make is having never tried to actual parent your children as God intended. Iwould even say that that is also the biggest failure of the church...our society.







VOLUNTEER SPOTLIGHT

MARK GUINEE

Y FAMILY: BRENDA (WIFE...MARRIED 1981)PHILLIP (ENGAGED TO LAURIN) THOMAS (AGE...17)BEBO (HOUND FROM THE POUND)

WHERE I SERVE: I TEACH THE 6TH/7TH GRADE BOYS.

HAVE SERVED FOR: 8 YEARS.

Y DREAM VACATION DESTINATION IS: WHEREVER THE NEXT GO TRIP IS!

Y FAVORITE SNACK FOOD IS: STEAK AND SHRIMP.

Y FAVORITE BIBLE STORY IS: THE PARABLE OF THE WEDDING FEAST BECAUSE GOD HAS INVITED US TO JOHIM AT THE FEAST, EVEN THOUGH WE ARE GENTILES.

OMETHING NOT MANY PEOPLE KNOW ABOUT ME: I DIDN’T COME TO KNOW CHRIST UNTIL I WAS 22 YEARS OLD. PLUS, I’M ANEXPERT IN FIXING NEARLY ANYTHING WITH DUCT TAPE!

O N TH E W E B

S t i c k y F a i t h

I N P R I N T

M a k e C o l l e g e C o u n t

b y D e r e k M e l l e b y

A g e o f O p p o r t u n i t y

: A B i b l i c a l G u i d e t o

P a r e n t i n g T e e n s

b y P a u l D a v i d T r i p p

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http://www.amazon.com/Age-Opportunity-Biblical-Parenting-Resources/dp/0875526055/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1385327980&sr=1-1&keywords=age+of+opportunity+by+paul+david+tripp






















http://www.amazon.com/Make-College-Count-Faithful-Learning-ebook/dp/B004FV4RZO/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1385327928&sr=1-1&keywords=make+college+count










http://stickyfaith.org/parents














January 1 No Wednesday night worship - Happy New Year! January 8 Wednesday night worship starts back

January 15 The Gathering January 17-19 DNOW (Save the Date!) January 26 DGroups start back up!

SS Christmas parties.....stay tuned.

2Football

Banquet3 4

The Gathering

5:45-7:30 5 6

MS GUYS

Christmas

Party

6:30 - 9:00

Read through

the Bible

7

Read thro

the Bibl

Big Day

Worship at

9:00am

No Sunday

School

9 10 11

Student

Worship

MS (5:45-7:15)

HS (6:15-8:00)

12 13 14

5

10th Grade

9:00 SS

Christmas

Party

last DGroup

meeting

16 17 18

Student

Worship

MS (5:45-7:15)

HS (6:15-8:00)

19 20

HS GUYS

10:30 SS

Christmas

Party

21

2 23 24

building closes

at noon

25

CHRISTMAS

26 27 28

9 30 31building closes

at noon

2013 / December






ENGAGE

NOT ANOTHER DATE ON THE

CALENDAR!?!?

As a student ministry, we do not see ourministry as just to those who are at ourevents or campus. Nor do we see ourministry as only to teenagers. We view ourstudent ministry as a ministry to all thoseconnected to teenagers...peers, teachers,co-workers, teammates, parents, etc.

Parents, we see your role as primaryspiritual provider for your student. Weunderstand the reality of fulfilling thisresponsibility is nearly impossible intoday’s culture. We know first hand thechaos of life. Have you ever tried to

schedule a major student event for astudent ministry that has hundreds ofstudents from over two dozen schools?It’s crazy! We know that you have no morewiggle room in your schedule as it is. It’s aconstant struggle juggling everyone’sschedules while also trying to lead yourstudents to be a part of the right/bestthings.

As we continue to develop our parentministry, we are trying not to add

ANOTHER date to your already slammedschedules. Rather, we are going to

leverage existing things where you arelikely already engaged. For example, youwill probably begin to notice more parentmeetings or conferences during times onSundays and Wednesdays when you arealready on campus.

As you know, the largest in-house studentministry event (DNOW) that we do is justaround the corner on January 17-19, 2014.MANY of you are already making plans tovolunteer that weekend, which isincredible! This year, however, we want tochallenge you during DNOW as well.

As stated earlier, we are trying to leverageexisting things/events rather thanscheduling new dates. This year, we willbe adding a couple of new features forparents during DNOW. On Saturdaymorning, we will do an intense equippingtime with the parent volunteers who arehelping with DNOW.

On Sunday morning, we are inviting allparents of students involved with DNOW to

join us for a time of reflection andcelebration for what God did throughoutDNOW. We will have a special time forparents and students in either Horne Hallor the Gym and then we will attend

HighPoint together.

So what’s the challenge for you, you ask?Well, I want to challenge you to beginthinking now of those other parents. Youknow, the one’s whose house your studentcrashes at on some Saturday nights? The

parent sitting at the other end of thebleachers at the basketball game? Theparent who is in the carpool line behindyou? Would you consider asking them thefollowing: (1) would their student beinterested in going to DNOW? and (2)

would you begin inviting some parents ofthose you know already who will beattending DNOW to join us Sunday?

B y Matt Hubbard

EQUIP(NOTE: IBC Student Ministry does notnecessarily endorse the content and viewpoints expressed in these articles. Theyare posted here for purposes of keeping yoinformed as to what is happening in the woof youth culture.)

HELPING TEENS MAKE

HEALTHY DECISIONShttp://bit.ly/healthydecisions

It was when my own children were toddli

around our house that a father of a teenaboy asked me a question I'll never forget:"How can I expect my son to hear the stilsmall voice of God with all those othervoices screaming in his ears?" I never fullunderstood the seriousness of his questiountil my children entered their teenageyears. Like their peers in the generationlabeled "Millennial Kids", my children arefacing an unprecedented array of attitudeand behavioral choices while growing up a postmodern culture that says the finalcourt of appeal is how "I feel" at any givemoment in time.

The "voices" are getting louder. While theare lots of kids making good choices,teenage behavior indicates far too manyare traveling through adolescence and intadulthood without making good decisions

There are the "will I or won't I" decisions akids face. Usually related to moral andethical dilemmas, the negative fruit of thedecisions can be seen in some of thecurrent statistics on teen behavior. By thetime they reach their senior year in highschool, over 65% will have had sexualintercourse. Almost 55% will have usedsome illicit drug. Over 70% of high schoostudents and 54% of middle schoolstudents admit to cheating during the prio12 months.

In addition, they all face the "what shoulddo?" decisions. While not always related issues of right and wrong, these choices



amanda@ibclr org

mailto:[email protected]?subject=DNOW%20Host%20Home%20or%20Manna%20Provider

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are nonetheless extremely important. Theadolescent years are filled with questionsabout what music to listen to and whatmedia to watch. Teens make choices onhow to spend their time and money. Whatabout choices related to vocation and howI will spend my life? They make daily

decisions on friends and issues related topeer pressure. They make importantchoices on how to handle and resolveinterpersonal conflict. Will I marry? Who willI marry? What role will faith play in my life?The list goes on and on.

What role do you as a parent play inhelping your teen wade through thesechoices and onto the point of healthydecision making? Wether you know it ornot, you do play a powerful role. In fact,even though it may seem like all thoseother influences may drown you out, you

still play the most significant role of anyonein their young lives.

Deuteronomy 6 and the rest of theScriptures clearly teach us that God hasestablished parents as the primary spiritualguides and nurturers in their childrens'lives. One of the most important tasks weface as parents of teens is our God-givenresponsibility to help them make gooddecisions in this confusing world. What aresome of the steps we can take to guide ourteens into making healthy decisions? Herea few timely and helpful suggestions:

First, understand that they are extremelyvulnerable to making wrong choices. WhenI find myself expecting my kids to respondto a situation by making the same choice Iwould make, I'm not being fair. I forget thatmy decision-making ability has grown outof years of accumulated wisdom andexperience that I've gained over 45 yearsof making mistakes! My kids don't havethat same experience. Add to that the factthat they are going through the mostchange and question-filled period of life,and it's easier to see that it's tough forthem to go it alone. I often describe teensas "walking question marks trying to findtheir way through the earthquake ofadolescence." But even though they arevulnerable to making bad choices,teenagers are just as able to make goodchoices. The key? They need us to walkalongside as guides while we take the timeto answer their questions and guide them

through the earthquake of adolescence.God has given them the gift of parents.

Second, we must realize that the best wayfor us to train them to make gooddecisions is through example. "Because Isaid so!" isn't a reason we can give them

as we make their decisions for them.Instead, we've got to go beyond words totap into the incredible power of example.Before we tell them how and what todecide, we've got to show them how andwhat to decide through consistentexample. Invite them into your decision-making process by allowing them to watchyou struggle with, process, and come tosome resolution on the di"cult decisionsyou need to make. Be sure that your life isshaped and guided by God's Word andthat you aggressively seek to integrate yourfaith into all areas of your life. This

generation of millennial kids is prone tolearn relationally rather than propositionally."Show and tell" is the way they learn best.For better or for worse, parents are still themost powerful role models in a youngperson's life.

Third, teaching teens to make gooddecisions can't happen without giving themthe gift of our time. The power of exampleand positive guidance increases as we acton the resolve to spend time with our kids.Lack of time is interpreted by them asrejection. Rejection can quickly grow into

resentment. Resentment is the seed bed ofrebellion. Teenage rebellion is often adeliberate e#ort to do the exact opposite ofa parent's desire and can be at the root ofmany unhealthy decisions.

Fourth, be proactive, looking for any andevery opportunity to guide them into gooddecision making. One of the keys toparenting teens is knowing how to seizeand make the most of those "teachablemoments" that come several times a day.When they face a point of decision, createan atmosphere for openness so that theywill seek your advice. That atmosphere ofopenness is best created by being a goodlistener. Once they know they've beenrespectfully heard, your job is to gracefullyshoot straight, letting them know whereyou stand on the issue and why.

Fifth, teach them to use Scripture as adecision-making guide. We live in a dayand age where personal feelings and

preference have become the guides forliving and deciding. Perhaps the loudestlesson spoken by our words and examplemust be that there is an unchangingstandard of right and wrong that liesoutside ourselves and that true freedomcan only be found by living according to

that standard. The light of God's Wordillumines all of life and each choice wemake. The Scriptures are clear thatblessing comes from following theguidance of God's Word ( Psalm 1; IITimothy 3:16). We must train them tosearch the Scriptures for guidance anddirection. God has something to say aboumatters of honesty, integrity, character,work ethic, sexual behavior, substanceabuse, vocation, athletics, time, dating, eMaking a decision based solely on howsomething "feels" is a dangerous way tolive.

And sixth, we must use stories to teachthem that all decisions haveconsequences. Stories connect with kidsby putting meat on the bones of abstractconcepts and ideas. One of the best wayto help our kids consider theconsequences and implications of theirdecisions is by pointing them to others whave reaped the benefits of good choicesand the painful agony of bad choices. TheBible is full of stories that can be read andretold. Whenever I talk to kids about sexuchoices I tell them about David's

adulterous relationship with Bathsheeba.While the story itself is powerful, it'sDavid's gut-wrenching cries of remorse inPsalm 51 that shed light on the result ofsexual sin. The newspaper is full of storieabout the consequences of both good anbad decisions. Finally, don't be afraid totap into your own experience, giving yourkids firsthand accounts of the good andbad choices you've made over the courseof your life. Your honesty and vulnerabilityabout your own life goes a long way incementing these lessons into your child'shead and heart.

Every parent must remember that teenswho grow up in today's youth culture facelots of confusing decisions. It's a toughworld out there and the "voices" are loudThey need your voice and life to reflect thvoice of the Creator. Are your speaking tothem?By Dr. Walt Mueller, President of Center forParent and Youth Understanding (CPYU)



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plugged in parents newsletter (december 2013)

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