Road Signs: Caution (Weeks 3 & 4)

Your direction, not your intentions, determine your destination.

Your attention influences your direction

For a High School student, this doesn't sink in until they've already headed down the wrong path. It's our responsibility as parents to help our kids see which path they should take. Even if they don't take it... we have the challenge of helping them navigate their path. 

1. We’re Teaching This

What you put your attention on, has tremendous influence on what direction you go. That's why time reading your Bible, praying, going to church/youth group, and seeing every relationship as an opportunity to point someone to Christ is so important. It may not reap immediate benefits, but by giving those things your attention, you will be better prepared to make tough decisions when you come to them.

2. Think About This

If you are going on a trip, 20 years ago, you would have pulled out a map of the place you were going and you would have marked key places you wanted to go. At my daughter's elementary school, the 6th grade class would go to San Francisco. They had to mark, on a map, the places they wanted to go and what buses or public transportation they needed to take to get there. There's something to be said about preparing to make decisions before you have to make decisions. It's a huge stress relief when you know where you are going and how to get there. 

But in real life situations, we just find ourselves at a point of having to make a decision... so how do we help our kids see the value of spending time with God, in His Word, praying, and being the Gospel in our relationships?

3. Try This

Step 1: MODEL

• What do you give your "attention" to? Are you spending time in God's Word, praying, living our the Gospel in your relationships? 

Step 2: ENCOURAGE

• Each month, we have a new series. And with each series, we have a Bible Study book that goes along with the series. Encourage your teens to grab one of the booklets and ask them what they are learning in their time with God through the Bible Study.
• Ask your teens for things in their lives (or people they know) that needs prayer. Commit to praying for them for the week. Even take time to pray with them for those things.

Step 3: LISTEN

• Listen to their stories. Find out how their day went ( I know this can be like "pulling teeth through the arm-pit"). Look for teachable moments... not to preach at them, but to find out what they are thinking and learning through their experiences. You may even want to document what you hear from them, so that down the road, you can remember what to pray for them, for; and you can show them how God is working in their lives over the years.

NEW SERIES STARTS THIS SUNDAY! GAME ON (A STUDY OF DANIEL)

Road Signs: One Way (Week 1 & 2)

You direction, not your intentions, determine your destination.

For a High School student, this doesn't sink in until they've already headed down the wrong path. It's our responsibility as parents to help our kids see which path they should take. Even if they don't take it... we have the challenge of helping them navigate their path. 

So a little different format this month... a challenge to start off:

1. We’re Teaching This

If you set your course in the wrong direction, you’ll end up in the wrong place every time. No matter where you hope to end up, the road you choose matters. The book of Proverbs gives us wisdom to help navigate the choices of life, because we know that each choice determines the direction of our lives. And it’s our direction, not our intention that ultimately determines our destination. Where are you heading? What path are you on?

2. Think About This

It’s easy—in the midst of the busy-ness and craziness of life—to get off course. It’s easy to forget goals we’ve set and ideas we once had of who we want to be and just keep trucking along, ticking things off our lists and getting the next “thing” done. It’s the tyranny of the urgent and it often keeps us stuck in the immediacy of the moment.

This can be true for our families as well, can’t it? We start off with young children, thinking about all of the goals we have—the values and virtues we want to instill and model for our children. And then, life happens and things just start going too fast. And suddenly, we see road signs—we see warnings—telling us that maybe, somewhere along the line, we’ve gotten off course. It’s the moment we realize that though we intended to head in one direction, our choices of what to do with our time, money, words and actions take us in a different direction.

It’s totally normal. It’s a place most people with children—of any age—often find themselves. And it’s a place we don’t have to stay in.

To remedy it, it may be that the best thing to do is to take a step back and look around. Look back at the things we had once hoped for our families. And then, look forward towards the steps we can take to get to where we ultimately want to go. Make a plan. Take a moment to pause and refocus—to do a little course-correction. A small pause and a little action can go a long way.

3. Try This

Pick Two: Two Words, Two Rules, Two Answers

Get your family together to try the following:

Two Words

Together, pick two words/phrases that you would like to describe your family. Feel free to come up with some of your own as well:

• fun
• connected
• generous
• healthy
• less busy
• good communicators
• patient
• open to other people/families
• servants
• good stewards

Two Rules

There are two rules for when your family does this.

1)     Don’t call anyone out. This is not a chance to dish, bash or point figures. It’s a chance to move forward.

2)     There are no perfect answers. Just start brainstorming and go from there!

Two Answers

1)     What is the first step you need to take to make each of the words/phrases you chose above a reality for your family?

2)     What kind of mile markers and guardrails/boundaries can you set up as a family to make sure you stay on course for the long haul? 

Week 4: LIVE315 - Gentleness & Respect

YOUR MAIN PURPOSE FOR HAVING RELATIONSHIPS IS TO POINT THEM TO THE GOSPEL

We wrap up our series by looking at the last part of 1 Peter 3:15... the "how to" section.

We use a phrase in our culture... "DIY" or "Do it Yourself". The idea of "doing it yourself" is that whatever project you are doing, you will save money and get what you want if you "do it yourself". 

When it comes to living our our faith, it's important that we don't just go through the motions (see logo on the left). We can't forget that God calls us to something more. Throughout the Bible, God tells us to "go and make disciples". Sure, He can send missionaries to do that. He can "hire" professionals... but He calls us to "do it ourselves". We are all called to point the people we come into contact with, towards the Gospel.

Obviously, the next question is "how do I do this?" Well, in regards to people noticing something different about us, Peter tells us to react to life situations, tension, frustrations, even suffering with "GENTLENESS AND RESPECT". Easier said than done? Absolutely... unless you have the Holy Spirit residing in you. If you honor Christ as holy in your heart, you will be prepared to give an answer because people will see the hope that is in you... and to have a lifestyle of gentleness and respect only adds to the curiosity people will have for the "hope that is in you".

So where is your hope? What about your teen? What about your family? Take a look at the following passage:

Read: 

1 Peter 3:14-18

What does "gentleness & respect" look like with authority, husbands & wives, and even children?

Discuss: 

• What are some ways we should show "gentleness" in how we respond to someone?
• What are some ways we should show "respect" in how we treat someone?
• Who are some "relationships" that God has put us in, that need to know about the hope that we have in Christ? Pray for them as a family.