Hi Parents!
"Then Philip ran up to the chariot and heard the man reading Isaiah the prophet.  "Do you understand what you are reading?" Philip asked. Acts 8:30

We can read through the Bible numerous times and still struggle to understand a passage.  Or sometimes, we read so quickly that we couldn't tell someone what we just read. There are many methods to read the Bible - lectio divina, SOAP (scripture, observation, application, prayer), Dwelling in the Word (our Board of Deacons uses this method), the Swedish method as well as others.  Let's look at lectio divina... the ancient practice of quietly praying the scriptures.  You can practice lectio divina on your own or in a group. 

Select a passage or verse in the Bible ​the move through the four steps of this practice...

1. ​The first step is 'lectio' or read.  Read through the passage several times.  Allow the passage to soak in.  Once you have read the passage a few times, a word or phrase may pop out at you.  Choose this or any other word or phrase from the passage to use in the next step.
2. The second step is to meditate - simply thinking about the word or phrase you have chosen.  Think about what it means.  Are there different definitions of the word?  What other words come to mind when you think of the word or phrase?  What does the word mean to you?
3. The third step is to pray.  Form a prayer about the word or phrase.  Ask God what it means.  If the word or phrase makes you think of a situation in your life, pray about it.
4. The fourth step is to contemplate.  Be still and listen.  Do any new thoughts come to mind after praying?  Do you come to a new understanding?  Sit for a while in God's presence and be filled with God's love.

Ask your teen...
When have scripture and everyday life collided so that you had a better understanding of both?

​Challenge your teen...
​Try reading a different Bible translation.
​Find ways to slow down as you read.  What do you notice that you haven't seen before?
​​As you read the Bible, imagine the stories with real scenery and real people.

Prayer...
Thank you, God, for showing us that everyone has weaknesses and that you are willing to work through us anyway.  Show us what to do to serve you.  Amen.

Hi Parents!
​When we're teenagers, a lot of things are decided for us.  But no one else can answer for us the question, "Who do you say Jesus is?"  Early on we're taught about God and Jesus and we learn from others who Jesus is.  But the beauty of growing as a Christian is that we begin to know the Lord more intimately through Bible study, prayer, worship, and our own personal experience.  For example, we learn that Jesus loves us because someone tells us or we read it in Scripture.  But we believe that Jesus loves us by having faith that he died for us and by seeing his love at work in our lives.  Over time, our knowledge and experience will grow, but we can see the power of Christ at work in us no matter what our age.  Knowing Jesus begins with faith and develops as our relationship with him deepens.  With so much decided for us, we get to decide how to answer this most important question: "Who do I say Jesus is?"

How will you answer?  How will your child answer?  When Jesus asked his disciples , "Who do you say I am?" their answers revealed the deepest conviction of their hearts.  "You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God," Peter answered.  Jesus asks each of his disciples the same question and is the same question he asks each of us:

• ​When you are ridiculed, belittled, or don't fit in, we can ask, "Jesus, who do you say I am?"
• When we are discouraged with ourselves and our circumstances, we can ask, "Jesus, who do you say I am?"
  
• When we struggle with shame or mistakes that have gone public, we can ask "Jesus, who do you say I am?"
  

We don't know fully who Jesus was.  He lived over 2,000 years ago, and the world has changed a lot since then.  But the Bible offers several accounts of his life.

Ask your child...
​Who do you say Jesus is?

Challenge your child...
Have your child make a list of who Jesus is to them.  (Friend, promise keeper, the one who holds my hand...).  As their experience with Christ grows, keep adding to the list.

Prayer...
Dear Lord, speak to us through our confusion, and help us to understand more deeply who you are.  Reach through our doubt and insecurity so that we can hear and remember who you say we are.  Amen.

"Therefore encourage one another and build each other us, just as in fact you are doing." I Thessalonians 5:11 (NIV)
​Hi Parents!
​One of the things I love to do is give gifts!  I guess you could call it one of the gifts the Lord has given me.  In our devotions this week, a student uses the word surcie (gift).  A surcie is a little gift that shows other people you love them and are thinking about them.  A favorite surcie of mine was a treat I received unexpectedly from a friend when I began a new job years ago.  I have found that giving a gift is more meaningful to me than receiving one.  We don't need a reason to give a gift; it can be a spontaneous gesture from the heart.  It can be a small treat or a thoughtful note.  It's a great way to offer encouragement and to put a smile on someone's face. 

​When we use God's gifts to us in small ways, it can make a difference to one person, who might be empowered to do something nice for someone else.  God takes our seemingly insignificant actions and multiplies and transforms them into an amazing contribution for the Kingdom.  We all have a part to play in the Body of Christ and others will be blessed when we use our gifts.  In I Corinthians 12:4-6 (NRSV) it says "Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same
​Spirit; and there are varieties of services, but the same Lord; and there are varieties of activities, but it is the same God who activates all of them in everyone."

​Ask you teen...
What are your gifts and how do you use them?

Pray and act...
​For the next week or the next 40 days, prayer the prayer below as your own.  Then look for opportunities to serve; and respond by saying, "Yes, Lord. Thank you."

​"Lord, I confess that too often I want someone to tell me exactly what to do to serve you and to present me with a mission.  But the truth is that ways to serve you are presented to me every day.  When I obey my parents, I'm serving you.  When I love those at my school who seem unlovable or who treat me badly, I'm serving you.  When I refuse to follow the crowd and choose instead to be loving in the way I speak and act toward others, desiring to be faithful instead of popular, I'm on a mission that you appoint to all of us who say we know you.  Empower me to serve you in every way that presents itself.  Help me to keep my eyes and ears open for mission opportunities; and give my heart the desire to say, "Yes, Lord, yes!"

Hi Parents!
​Have you urged friends or family members to take care of themselves?  Has someone told you to "take care?"  Taking care of ourselves involves staying in tune with our whole being.  Too often, we focus on our body and forget to take care of our soul or to exercise our mind.  Caught up in our daily routines, we don't stop to take stock of our overall health.  Our bodies may be healthy, but our souls could be in shambles. 

Body, mind and soul are all connected.  If we neglect one, the others suffer.  But if we stay healthy with diet, exercise and spiritual disciplines, we feel better all over.  God created us as physical creatures and calls us to honor God by paying attention to our bodies and taking care of them the best we can.

Ask your child...
What area do you feel out of tune with - body, mind or soul?
​
Challenge your child to...

1. Get enough sleep.  Homework, sports, technology, family and friends can keep us from sleeping and can also become like idols if they get in the way of our relationship with God.  What can you give up so that you have enough time to sleep?
2. ​Express your emotions.  God created us with emotions so that we can feel things and express our feelings in healthy ways.  Bottling up our emotions can negatively affect our health.  So if you feel like crying at movies, cry!  This goes for you too guys.  Expressing our emotions can bring us closer to God and in turn, may bring other people closer to God.
3. ​Exercise.  Get outside or go to the gym and stretch your body.  Pray for others as you walk, run or stretch.
4. Take a break.  I can always tell when I've pushed myself too hard.  My body begs for rest.  We need breaks.  The times we feel as if we can't pull ourselves away from daily responsibilities may be exactly the times we need a break.  Pause and let Psalm 46:10a breathe healing into your soul: "Be still, and know that I am God!"

Prayer...
​God, help us to care for our bodies in the ways you want us to, knowing that they belong to you.  Amen.