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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

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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)

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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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