I just ran across this list of "The TOP 10 Fears for Teenagers In America" in an article by "Tomorrows Leaders "( not a christian group) They surveyed over 100000 teens in America to get these stats. Some of them really surprised me, especially #6, and #10. Thought I'd post so you could see. Fears can be so crippling.
A prayer for this week... God help us to really KNOW our kids hearts. Help us to be keenly aware of what they fear and struggle with so we can show them and help lead them to the freedom You have for them. The freedom that comes from trusting You and Your plan for their lives.
#1. something bad will happen to my family
#2. I won't get into a good college
#3. I won't be able to make it financially
#4. I or someone I know will be a victim of crime
#5. I'll give in to peer pressure
#6. I can't tell right from wrong
#7. I can't find time to do everything
#8. I feel like I need to have sex to be accepted
#9. someone I know will die
#10. I will never have a happy marriage or family
Friday, March 25, 2011
Tuesday, March 22, 2011
lol...idk...jk...haha :):):)
Question for any of you moms out there on a touchy subject???( FB me, or txt me if you don't want to leave your comment)
"How do you feel about texting? What freedoms/restrictions have you allowed in this area of tech, and what have you found helpful/harmful in managing cell phone use and limiting privacy for a teen????"
"How do you feel about texting? What freedoms/restrictions have you allowed in this area of tech, and what have you found helpful/harmful in managing cell phone use and limiting privacy for a teen????"
Monday, March 7, 2011
Dear Jesus, Thank you for our food....
Any of you that have strived to teach prayer to your children will probably relate to the struggle in what I am about to share.
It is hard to teach a child what Godly prayer is, but it is a job we are called to do. First of all, how do you begin to convey who God is to a six year old, or a ten year old? or how do you explain that He answers prayer according to His will and not just our desires? Through the years the kids have asked me questions like, why do we tell God things He already knows about? Why does He take so long to answer? How do you know He can hear me? How do my prayers change things? Being honest, sometimes I have asked some of the same questions as an adult.
This burden to see our kids learn the importance and habit of conversing with their Father is something I have struggled with for many years. I don't want our prayers to be calloused. I don't want them to be empty. I don't want it to be difficult or forced. I want it to be real. But, sometimes our prayers have sounded more like a list you'd give to Santa than words spoken to the God of the universe. How do you make sure prayer is more than a routine that ends the night or starts a meal? ughhhh.
When they were about ten, we started alternating praying. Pete and I would pray, then we would have them pray. This was good, but still, I continued to feel desperate to see their understanding for who they were talking to expand...for them to "get" that the God of the universe wants relationship with them, not just a token habit.
I know much of this understanding has to come from them growing in their own personal walks with Jesus,,,,but a few days ago, I had an epiphany. Or maybe it was that the Holy Spirit impressing something on my heart.
Jesus reminded me of how He taught the disciples to pray.
Matthew 6:5-13
"And when you pray, you must not be like the hypocrites. For they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, that they may be seen by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. But when you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to you Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you. And when you pray, do not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do, for they they think that they will be heard for their many words. Do not be like them, for your Father nows what you need before you ask him. Pray then like this: Our Father in heaven,
Hallowed be your name.
Your kingdom come,
Your will be done,
on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread,
and forgive us our debts,
as we also have forgiven our debtors.
And lead us not in into temptation,
but deliver us from evil."
He also reminded me that the most powerful and life changing prayer times for me have been when I have prayed through, or prayed back scripture.
So, I started praying through the Psalms with the kids and we are crying the scriptures back to Jesus. When we finish with the Psalms, we will just continue with other scripture. IT IS AMAZING! There is such power in HIS WORD. and like He says in 2 Timothy3:16 "All scripture is breathed out by God and is profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction and for training in righteousness." What is so incredible has been getting to see how God is using His word to glorify Himself. The passages have been timely and relevant to our days happenings. The word is spurring on repentance and praise. I see a freedom that is being unleashed and the Spirit is revealing to them and to me more of who the God we are praying to is.
So, I had to share this. Could it really have been this simple all along? Just pray the Word and watch the Spirit do all the work? The cool thing is that whether you have a two year old, or a 12 year old or a 22 year old, this practice will change their lives....It's changing mine!
Bre
It is hard to teach a child what Godly prayer is, but it is a job we are called to do. First of all, how do you begin to convey who God is to a six year old, or a ten year old? or how do you explain that He answers prayer according to His will and not just our desires? Through the years the kids have asked me questions like, why do we tell God things He already knows about? Why does He take so long to answer? How do you know He can hear me? How do my prayers change things? Being honest, sometimes I have asked some of the same questions as an adult.
This burden to see our kids learn the importance and habit of conversing with their Father is something I have struggled with for many years. I don't want our prayers to be calloused. I don't want them to be empty. I don't want it to be difficult or forced. I want it to be real. But, sometimes our prayers have sounded more like a list you'd give to Santa than words spoken to the God of the universe. How do you make sure prayer is more than a routine that ends the night or starts a meal? ughhhh.
When they were about ten, we started alternating praying. Pete and I would pray, then we would have them pray. This was good, but still, I continued to feel desperate to see their understanding for who they were talking to expand...for them to "get" that the God of the universe wants relationship with them, not just a token habit.
I know much of this understanding has to come from them growing in their own personal walks with Jesus,,,,but a few days ago, I had an epiphany. Or maybe it was that the Holy Spirit impressing something on my heart.
Jesus reminded me of how He taught the disciples to pray.
Matthew 6:5-13
"And when you pray, you must not be like the hypocrites. For they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, that they may be seen by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. But when you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to you Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you. And when you pray, do not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do, for they they think that they will be heard for their many words. Do not be like them, for your Father nows what you need before you ask him. Pray then like this: Our Father in heaven,
Hallowed be your name.
Your kingdom come,
Your will be done,
on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread,
and forgive us our debts,
as we also have forgiven our debtors.
And lead us not in into temptation,
but deliver us from evil."
He also reminded me that the most powerful and life changing prayer times for me have been when I have prayed through, or prayed back scripture.
So, I started praying through the Psalms with the kids and we are crying the scriptures back to Jesus. When we finish with the Psalms, we will just continue with other scripture. IT IS AMAZING! There is such power in HIS WORD. and like He says in 2 Timothy3:16 "All scripture is breathed out by God and is profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction and for training in righteousness." What is so incredible has been getting to see how God is using His word to glorify Himself. The passages have been timely and relevant to our days happenings. The word is spurring on repentance and praise. I see a freedom that is being unleashed and the Spirit is revealing to them and to me more of who the God we are praying to is.
So, I had to share this. Could it really have been this simple all along? Just pray the Word and watch the Spirit do all the work? The cool thing is that whether you have a two year old, or a 12 year old or a 22 year old, this practice will change their lives....It's changing mine!
Bre
Wednesday, January 19, 2011
Submitting + Surrender + Silence = Strength
I took a bit of a blogging break, (well really a big break in general) over the holidays to spend some time re-organizing, re-prioritizing and seeking God in a lot of areas. Pete and I have been desperate for wisdom to know how to structure our home and daily life as we have entered the High School stage. During the past two years, a hobby has turned into a full time job for me, and I have found myself really struggling with how to be everything I need to be to everyone who needs me.
As moms, I think we have a special God-given ability to recognize when the balance of our home is out of sync. But if you are anything like me, maybe your first reaction is to fix, change, or even just "man up" rather than to pray and wait on God for direction.
"Strength will rise as we WAIT upon the Lord".
It is such a rare concept for me to wait rather than to act, but God is showing me the freedom that comes when I am completely surrendered to Him. He has also been teaching me how important it is for me to trust Pete's leading. (Sometimes that means more waiting....which by now you've figured out, that I stink at. :)
I wanted to share ONE area that God has been showing us we need to make changes in:
~SPORTS~
For any of you who know our kids, you know how much they love sports. And we love them too; love watching our kids play, watching them learn to lead, learn to fail, learn to work hard. Sports can be huge tools to help train kids about life. They keep us physically fit and teach us how to set and reach goals. They provide friendship and camaraderie. That said, sports can become idols. They can steal your time, your money, your devotion and thought. They can distract us and pull us in too many directions. And even though they are activities we can do together as families, more often than not, I see them dividing families rather than bringing them together.
Because there are so many families we know who have been more devoted to athletics than we have been, I think at times we have justified our own commitments. But with three kids, even just one team per child has at times pulled us in too many directions.
I'm not saying sports are bad, or that we shouldn't let our kids participate in them. And I don't have the answer to the question of "how much is too much?" but, I know that God has impressed on Pete and I's hearts that for us, the schedule we have maintained is too much.
So as a family we have decided to take a year off of any traveling sport or club team and just play sports for the school. In this decision, I have had coaches tell me that we are wasting our kids' talent....even throwing it away. Some have even yelled at me and put huge amounts of pressure on the kids to "convince your parents otherwise".
So, I'll keep you posted on how this plays out. My hope is that we will be able to spend the year creating more memories PLAYING WITH EACH OTHER, RATHER THAN JUST WATCHING EACH OTHER PLAY.
My heart is that we would be a family submitted to God's heart and not the worlds' expectations.
So, I'm just curious....have any of you struggled with this issue? Have you ever found yourself crying in a drive-thru during baseball season? Have you mastered the balance?
Please share...
As moms, I think we have a special God-given ability to recognize when the balance of our home is out of sync. But if you are anything like me, maybe your first reaction is to fix, change, or even just "man up" rather than to pray and wait on God for direction.
"Strength will rise as we WAIT upon the Lord".
It is such a rare concept for me to wait rather than to act, but God is showing me the freedom that comes when I am completely surrendered to Him. He has also been teaching me how important it is for me to trust Pete's leading. (Sometimes that means more waiting....which by now you've figured out, that I stink at. :)
I wanted to share ONE area that God has been showing us we need to make changes in:
~SPORTS~
For any of you who know our kids, you know how much they love sports. And we love them too; love watching our kids play, watching them learn to lead, learn to fail, learn to work hard. Sports can be huge tools to help train kids about life. They keep us physically fit and teach us how to set and reach goals. They provide friendship and camaraderie. That said, sports can become idols. They can steal your time, your money, your devotion and thought. They can distract us and pull us in too many directions. And even though they are activities we can do together as families, more often than not, I see them dividing families rather than bringing them together.
Because there are so many families we know who have been more devoted to athletics than we have been, I think at times we have justified our own commitments. But with three kids, even just one team per child has at times pulled us in too many directions.
I'm not saying sports are bad, or that we shouldn't let our kids participate in them. And I don't have the answer to the question of "how much is too much?" but, I know that God has impressed on Pete and I's hearts that for us, the schedule we have maintained is too much.
So as a family we have decided to take a year off of any traveling sport or club team and just play sports for the school. In this decision, I have had coaches tell me that we are wasting our kids' talent....even throwing it away. Some have even yelled at me and put huge amounts of pressure on the kids to "convince your parents otherwise".
So, I'll keep you posted on how this plays out. My hope is that we will be able to spend the year creating more memories PLAYING WITH EACH OTHER, RATHER THAN JUST WATCHING EACH OTHER PLAY.
My heart is that we would be a family submitted to God's heart and not the worlds' expectations.
So, I'm just curious....have any of you struggled with this issue? Have you ever found yourself crying in a drive-thru during baseball season? Have you mastered the balance?
Please share...
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