plugged-in parents newsletter (march 2014)

8/12/2019 Plugged-in Parents Newsletter (March 2014)

1/8

A publication of IBC Student Ministry.

www.ibclrstudents.org 2014

CAMPUS IMPACTHAVE YOU HEARD WHAT IS GOING ON YOUR STUDENTS CAMPUS

LATELY? MANY OF OUR STUDENTS HAVE STARTED BIBLE STUDIESON THEIR SCHOOL CAMPUSES. ITS AMAZING TO HEAR HOW GOD ISBLESSING THIR OBEDIENCE. IF YOU HAVE NOT HEARD, ASK YOURSTUDENT ABOUT IT. THIS MONTH WE HAVE ANOTHER OPPORTUNITYTO IMPACT SCHOOL CAMPUSES ALL OVER LITTLE ROCK THRUDODGEBALL. ON WEDNESDAY, MARCH 12, A GROUP OF LITTLE ROCKSTUDENT MINISTRIES (CALLED THE 501 NETWORK) WILL PROVIDE ADODGEBALL TOURNAMENT AT WAR MEMORIAL STADIUM IN HOPESTHAT MANY WILL HEAR THE GOSPEL, RESPOND, AND CONNECT TOLOCAL CHURCHES. IF YOU CAN VOLUNTEER, CLICK HERE.

March Issue

THIS MONTH

" DODGEBALL @ WAR MEMORIAL(3/12)

" SE ASIA 301 TRAINING/COMMISSIONING (3/16)

" GIRLS MINISTRY (3/16)

" SE ASIA GO TRIP (3/21-30)

" SPRING BREAK (3/24-28)

COMING SOON

" MARRIAGE CONFERENCE (4/3)

" IMPACT LITTLE ROCK (4/5)

" THE GATHERING (4/16)

" EASTER (4/20)

VOLUNTEERSPOTLIGHT

SUE REEVES

ENGAGECELL PHONE USE ANDSLIPPING GRADES

EMPOWERFROM SELF-ABSORBED TO

SELF-SACRIFICING

EQUIP HOW TO WRITE A FAMILY

MISSION STATEMENT

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

PLUGGED IN
http://www.ibclrstudents.org/http://www.501network.org/volunteer-registrationhttp://www.501network.org/volunteer-registration


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STUDENT MINISTRY STAFF

Matt Hubbard

ead Student Pastor

Melissa Sponer

Girls Ministry Associate

Ross Spigner

Middle School Pastor

Amanda Bea

Ministry Assistant

A publication of IBC Student Minist ry. www.ibclrstudents.org 2014

MOST MEMORABLE FAMILYVACATION

12th Birthday at Disney World

MOST MEMORABLE FAMILYVACATION

Disney World in the late 80s

MOST MEMORABLE FAMVACATION

White Sands, New MexMOST MEMORABLE FAMILY

VACATION

Family Ski Trips

From Our HeartThis letter is a thank you. I thank you from me to you for many years of encouragement, ceaseless love, anddedication.First, to my mom and dad, I thank you for following Proverbs 22:6, training me in the way I should go so that when Iam older, I will not depart from His word. Most importantly, I thank you for setting our family on a steadfastfoundation. Looking back, I realize how fortunate I was to grow up in a home with two parents who loved the Lord,who took me to church every Sunday they could, and who introduced me to my Savior, Jesus Christ. I thank you foranswering my questions, for encouraging me in my faith, and for challenging me to live a life that reflects my beliefs.Overall, I thank you for providing me with roots to my faith in order that I may grow even more each day and teachinme the importance of my own personal relationship with Him.Next, to the other parents who have played a significant role in my life. Whether it is church staff, Sunday Schoolteachers, or volunteers, I thank you for creating an environment that overflows with the love of Christ. I thank you fomodeling lives that are examples, not only for me, but for my peers as well. You all do not understand the importanceof your love and encouragement. Immanuel Baptist church has granted me the opportunity to have a church family anmultiple other parents who continue to challenge me and provide me with the essentials necessary to grow in my faith.Parents, on behalf of the students, I thank you for being imitators of God.Parents, you have had a fundamental role in my life and the lives around me. Thank you for listening to His commandsand in return, teaching us about Him and providing us with wisdom. Though it is not professed, you truly areappreciated.

High School Studen


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VOLUNTEER SPOTLIGHT

SUE REEVES

Y FAMILY: OLAN (BUTCH) (HUSBAND...MARRIED 1987)KENT (AGE...25) PHILIP (AGE...23) SADIE AND SUGAR (MALTESE)

WHERE I SERVE: I TEACH THE MIDDLE SCHOOL GIRLS DURING THE 10:30 HOUR WITH K IM FENDLEY.

HAVE SERVED FOR: 24 YEARS. Y DREAM VACATION DESTINATION IS: GREECE Y FAVORITE BIBLE STORY IS: JOSEPH AND HIS BROTHERS.

INPRINT

InstructingaChildsHe

artbyTeddandMa

rgyTripp

FamilyDrivenFaith

byVoddieBaucham

AGuidetoBiblicalM

anhoodbyRandySt

inson

www vimeocom www twittercom www insgram com


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COMING SOON

April 3 Marriage Conference with Kirk CameronApril 5 Impact Little RockApril 16 The GatheringApril 18 Good Friday

April 20 EasterMay 3-4 Senior Recognition Weekend

2014 / March

I CLRSTUDENTS ORG


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ENGAGE

FREQUENT CELL PHONE USE

LINKED TO ANXIETY, LOWER

GRADES, AND REDUCED

HAPPINESS IN STUDENTS,

KENT STATE RESEARCHSHOWShttp://bit.ly/1cXVb1w

Today, smartphones are central to

college students lives, keeping them

constantly connected with friends,

family and the Internet. Students cell

phones are rarely out of reach whether

the setting is a college classroom,

library, recreational center, cafeteria or

dorm room. As cell phone use

continues to increase, it is worthconsidering whether use of the device

is related to measurable outcomes

important for student success, such as

academic performance, anxiety and

happiness.

Photo of Kent State student with cell

phoneKent State University

researchers Andrew Lepp, Ph.D.,

Jacob Barkley, Ph.D., and Aryn

Karpinski, Ph.D., all faculty members in

the universitys College of Education,

Health and Human Services, surveyedmore than 500 university students.

Daily cell phone use was recorded

along with a clinical measure of anxiety

and each students level of satisfaction

with their own life, or in other words

happiness. Finally, all participants

allowed the researchers to access their

o#cial university records in order to

retrieve their actual, cumulative college

grade point average (GPA). All students

surveyed were undergraduate students

and were equally distributed by class

(freshman, sophomore, junior and

senior). In addition, 82 di$erent, self-

reported majors were represented.

Results of the analysis showed that

cell phone use was negatively related

to GPA and positively related to

anxiety. Following this, GPA was

positively related to happiness while

anxiety was negatively related to

happiness. Thus, for the population

studied, high frequency cell phone

users tended to have lower GPA,

higher anxiety, and lower satisfaction

with life (happiness) relative to their

peers who used the cell phone less

often. The statistical model illustrating

these relationships was highly

significant.

Earlier this year, a team led by Lepp

and Barkley also identified a negative

relationship between cell phone use

and cardiorespiratory fitness. Taken as

a whole, these results suggest that

students should be encouraged to

monitor their cell phone use and reflect

upon it critically so that it is not

detrimental to their academic

performance, mental and physical

health, and overall well-being orhappiness.

THE STUDY REPORTED IS PUBLISHED INTHE JOURNAL COMPUTERS IN HUMANBEHAVIOR (2014),PAGES 343-350,DOI:10.1016/J.CHB.2013.10.049 AND CAN BE

ACCESSED AT HTTP://WWW.SCIENCEDIRECT.COM/SCIENCE/ARTICLE/PII/S0747563213003993.

EMPOWER

TEENAGERS: FROM SELF-

ABSORBED TO SELF-SACRIFICINGhttp://bit.ly/1jEj6Fc

Researcher Tim Elmore has found

young adults to be a narcissistic or

me-centered generation. They have

spurts when they want to change the

world but have not grown up with

strong enough commitments to sustainactivity toward change. Youth ministry

today shapes future young adults.

The moralistic therapeutic deism that

characterizes most church teenagers is

almost entirely me-centered. Now we

know that teenagers mostly absorb

this focus on self from the adult

congregation. When prospective

church members approach the visitors

center in the lobby, their first question

usually is, What programs and

services do you o$er that our family

might enjoy? I once heard Erwin

McManus say, Looking for a church

meet my needs sets up a consumer

mentalityand the church becomes

pig farm.

Whether we are discipling teenagers

adults, our focus must be on changin

their orientation from self to others.

Giving believers genuine hearts for

others is one of the antidotes to

moralistic therapeutic deism.

Giving believers genuine hearts for

others is one of the antidotes to

moralistic therapeutic deism.

Scot McKnight says: Everything abo

spiritual formation for Jesus is shaped

by his version of the Shema. For

Jesus, love of God and love of others

is the core. Love, a term almost

indefinable, is unconditional regard fo

a person that prompts and shapes

behaviors in order to help that person

become what God desires. Love, whe

working properly, is both emotion and

will, a$ection and action.

Mobilizing teenagers to love and show

compassion for others in the name of

Christ may be completely comfortabl

to you. In fact, it might be right at the

heart of your youth ministry. But it is

also possible you are in a stream of th

church that does not give as much

attention to this theme.

If discussing sacrifice, compassion,

and justice makes you a little nervous

let me make a suggestion. Just decid

you are going to follow the instructionof Scripture alonefrom Genesis to

Revelation. And decide you will give

closest attention to Gods most

complete revelationHis Son.

God redeems believers to be

conformed to the image of Jesus

Christ (Rom. 8:29). But what exactly i

that image to which we are to be

conformed? The image of the Son is

multifaceted. But one of those facets

A publication of IBC Student Ministry. www.ibclrstudents.org 2014


6/8

was declared by Jesus Himself when

He said, For even the Son of Man

came not to be served but to

serve (Mark 10:45).

Believers who imitate Christ are

believers who serve.

Believers who imitate Christ are

believers who serve. Just to make sure

we did not miss this, Jesus said it

another way in Mathew 20:2528: You

know that the rulers of the Gentiles

lord it over them, and their great ones

exercise authority over them. It shall

not be so among you. But whoever

would be great among you must be

your servant, and whoever would be

first among you must be your slave,

even as the Son of Man came not tobe served but to serve, and to give his

life as a ransom for many.

Compassion for those with great

needs clearly is biblical. But is this just

a peripheral teaching, or is it

something much more than that?

David Platt says: Is materialism a

blind spot in American Christianity

today? More specifically, is materialism

a blind spot in your Christianity today?

Surely this is something we must

uncover, for if our lives do not reflect

radical compassion for the poor, there

is reason to question just how e$ective

we will be in declaring the glory of

Christ to the ends of the earth. More

pointedly, if our lives do not reflect

radical compassion for the poor, there

is reason to wonder if Christ is really in

us at all.

Some might say it is too radical to hint

that lack of compassion reveals a

person does not know Christ. Perhapsthey need to carefully read Jesus

words in Matthew 25: Then he will say

to those on his left, Depart from me,

you cursed, into the eternal fire

prepared for the devil and his angels.

For I was hungry and you gave me no

food, I was thirsty and you gave me no

drink, I was a stranger and you did not

welcome me, naked and you did not

clothe me, sick and in prison and you

did not visit me. . . . Truly, I say to you

as you did not do it to one of the leas

of these, you did not do it to

me (Matt. 25:4143, 45).

In fact, Christ permeates the entire

drama. He commands you to go and

be compassionate. He is the

commander on His white horse,leading you to address needs and rig

wrongs. When you get there, He is th

servant with towel and basin, already

caring for others as your example. Hi

Spirit fills you and empowers you to

join Him in what He is doing. And the

as you care for others, He accepts th

as loving acts toward Him. From star

to finish, it is all Jesus.

Compassion is not a gimmick.

Service also brings healing for

teenagers whose view of themselves

has been damaged. Jim Burns and

Mark DeVries report that teenagers

with low opinions of themselves are

also extremely self-absorbed. When

those same teens are challenged to

serve and become focused on the

needs of others, their view of self

improves.

We can move teenagers more quickly

toward a lifestyle of care and

compassion if they see this in their

homes. Scot McKnight says,

neighborly love begins in the home. In

fact, if it is not shown in the home, it

a sham in public.

As you immerse teenagers in

compassionate ministries, you need t

help them avoid two extremes. On th

one hand, you must explain that we d

not o$er practical help as a trick to gepeople to hear the gospel. We show

compassion with respect because

people are Gods creation, because H

loves them, because He commanded

us to care about them, and because

when we get thereHe already will b

there serving them.



7/8

It is unloving to meet someones

practical needs and then fail to

respectfully share the gospel.

But on the other extreme, it is unlovingto meet someones practical needsand then fail to respectfully share the

gospel. Well-fed people who spendforever separated from Godbecausethey never once heard the good newshave not been treated justly.

Bottom line: Youth ministry calls andleads teenagers to love others in thename of Jesus by the power of theSpirit for the glory of God.

By Dr. Richard Ross,Southwestern BaptistTheological Seminary,Fort Worth,TexasEQUIP

(NOTE:IBC Student Ministry does notnecessarily endorse the content andviewpoints expressed in thesearticles.They are posted here forpurposes of keeping you informed as towhat is happening in the world of youthculture.)

5 STEPS TO WRITING A

FAMILY MISSION

STATEMENT http://onforb.es/1bbbrvc

Like arrows in the hand of a warriorare the children of ones youth.Blessed is the man who fills his quiverwith them! Psalm 127:3-5

As J.D. wrote in this recent post,When Solomon says that our childrenare arrows, he is telling us that Godgives us our kids so that we can

prepare them for his mission. After all,what is the purpose of an arrow? Anarrow is designed to be shot!#

Many of you may be absolutely onboard with the idea of preparing yourkids for missionbut youre equallystuck on how to do that. One way toe$ectively prepare our children prior tolaunching them is to develop a familymission statement.

Stephen Covey describes a familymission statement as a combined,unified expression from all familymembers of what your family is allaboutwhat it is you really want to doand beand the principles you chooseto govern your family life. So, a family

mission statement can be a tool tohelp your children remember andreflect on the core values and goalsyouve established as a family.

Here are five practical steps you cantake to help develop a family missionstatement:

Step #1: Engage the whole family:This is a great exercise for the entirefamily. Set aside some extended time

to cast vision with your children forwhy a family mission statement isimportant. The more your children feela part of the process, the more likelythey will be to embrace it.

Step #2: Identify specific goals and

values based on Scripture As youtalk with your children about Godspurpose for their lives, take time todiscuss specific values and goals youhave for the family.Also let yourchildren speak into the process bysharing specific things God is puttingon their hearts.

Step #3: Work together to craft a

statement Heres where you can getreally creative. Theres no one formatthat your family mission statement

needs to take. It may take the form oa catchy motto, be an acrostic usingyour familys last name, or take onsome other creative form. The easier remember, the better. But remember,no one size fits all.

Step#4: Creatively display and

reinforce your family missionstatement In order to keep thefamily mission statement in front ofyour family, look for ways toprominently display it in your home.

Also try and celebrate when a familymember honors a value oraccomplishes a goal thats beenidentified. The best mission statemenin the world wont do anything if youdont reinforce it. The more it comesup, the more those key ideas take roo

Step #5: Evaluate periodically Especially if youve never doneanything like this before, it may taa while to land on a family missionstatement that actually fits you anyour kids. Dont get frustrated ifyour first attempt turns out to be adud. Revisit, revise, and move on.You may also find that as yourchildren grow and mature that youfamily ministry statement needs tobe modified. Evaluating periodical

will allow you to adjust for thedi$erent seasons of life your familywill go through.

Need a little more direction? Thisarticle from Focus on the Family givesome excellent examples of familymission statements. It also has somegood questions to ask during theprocess that will help shape yourmission statement.

Parenting is an adventurea wild,

unpredictable, tiring, rewardingadventure. Start the adventure with thright tools, and you are well on yourway to preparing your children tolaunchlike the arrows that they are.#

ByWill Toburen,Executive Pastor ofDiscipleship Ministries,Summit Church,Raleigh,North Carolina


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plugged-in parents newsletter (march 2014)

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