​Dear Parents,
​The purpose of the CORNERSTONE AT HOME Blog was to be a resource to parents to help engage in faith growth at home.  Parents are the #1 influence on a child's faith formation, so we offered three resources this year to support your child's faith growth at home:

1. ​Devozine Devotional for your child to take home.
2. ​Blog post for parents about the devotional or about what we covered on Wednesday nights.
3. Conversation questions to discuss at home.

Hi Parents!
Have you ever struggled to spend time with God every day? You have a Bible reading plan, your "assigned" reading for the day, your Rejoice magazine or other devotion book. So what's wrong?  Why is it so difficult to get into a routine and read the Bible every day?

Sometimes we lack focus. 
​Sometimes we struggle to find the time.
​Sometimes it's another item to check off a to-do list.
​And sometimes... we're just don't feel motivated.
​
The aim of our Bible reading in our devotions this week [April 25-30 +the great adventure] is not just the response of the mind, but of the heart. God gave us the Bible not just to inform our minds, but also to transform our hearts — to enjoy the great adventure through God's word!

Ask your teen...
Do you find it difficult to find time for devotions? Why or why not?
​Have you ever put yourself in a Bible story? 
What Bible characters inspire you?

Encourage your teen...
Slow down and focus on what God is saying to you in scripture:

1. ​Read small sections.
2. Read one passage several times, read slowly, absorbing each word.
3. Ask yourself questions:  What words or phrases jump out at me? What confuses me? How can I apply this to my life? What does the passage tell me about God?
4. Write down your reactions to the passage.
5. Rewrite the passage so that it speaks directly to your life today.
6. Read the scripture from different translations.
7. There are various helpful resources for reading scripture; the Swedish Method, S.O.A.P. (stands for scripture, observation or objective, application, prayer), Dwelling in the Word, Lectio Divina and more.  Go to http://www.centralplainsmc.org/word-and-spirit.html to check out the various methods at the Central Plains Mennonite Conference website.​

​Challenge your teen:
Now that we live in the digital age, we can access God's word on phones, tablets, and laptops.  We can carry God's word with us and God can speak to us wherever we go.  ​The Holy Bible Life. Church App sends a daily inspirational verse. There's tons out there and most of them are free!  Search the App Store and find one that appeals to you!

Prayer:  Lord, help us to see your word not as a task on a to-do list, but as the key to a relationship with you.  Lead us to the passages we need to read, and help us to understand your word to us.  Amen.

Dear Parents,
​Sometimes staying positive is difficult.  Something bad happens and it can change how we see the whole world.  We get angry and bitter.  We go through stretches of time when it's hard to see the bright side of anything.  We can say hurtful words we don't mean.  We look to God for answers, for direction, for healing, for hope...
​As believers, we know that prayer is our lifeline to God.  When life seems too difficult to handle, remember that everything is in God's hands and that your attitude is what you choose to make it. 

​During the week of [April 18-24 +sunny side up], we'll look at ways to keep our chin up and to look at the bright side, even when it's hard to do.

• ​Look on the sunny side.  Create reminders to be positive and to inspire other people for good.  Print or draw pictures: funny frog sunny-side-up eggs, a happy face, a sun, a favorite verse! Stick the notes on your locker or mirror as daily reminders.  Read Psalm 16:11.
• Choose to be content.  Learn how to wait well. Philippians 4:11b (NIV) says "I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances."
  
• Think positive. Is the glass half-full, half-empty, or does it really matter?  How we deal with reality is what matters.  Scripture tells us that we are going to have trouble in this world, and yet we can take heart because the Lord has overcome the world (John 16:33).
  
• Know that what you are feeling is normal.  We can choose to believe that God is good despite our lives being hard and we can take comfort in knowing that every Christian struggles with bad days.
  
• Dare to do something different.  In a world where most of us have a glowing screen within arm's length, intentionally create time and space to be silent before the Lord, giving Him room to move in your heart and to speak to you.
  
• Tell God what you think.  He invites us to be honest about the things going on in our hearts.  Psalm 139:23-24 says, "Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts.  See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the say everlasting."
  
• Keep moving.  Let the words of Scripture give you the encouragement to carry on, whether you feel like it or not.  "And my God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus." Philippians 4:19
  

Ask your child:

• Do you find it difficult to stay positive? Why or why not?
• ​What/who can change your attitude from good to bad? 
• ​Do you have a friend/parent you can vent with?  Expressing negativity once in a while and getting it out of our system is a good thing.  Having someone acknowledge that it's ok to vent can put you back on the positive path.
• ​How have you brightened someone else's day and what kind of impact did it make?

​Prayer:  Lord, help us to know that every day is a good day because of what we learn and experience and because of what we give to others.  Whatever happens, we know that you are with us, which is reason enough to be happy.  Amen.

Dear Parents,
​As a child growing up, do you remember hurling this familiar sing-song phrase at a sibling or friend? "Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words can never hurt me!"  I certainly do!  Words thrown out there, trying to impress someone, trying to look or sound cool...  
James 3:8 says "No one can tame the tongue - a restless evil, full of deadly poison."
 
​This week, [April 11-17 +verbal abuse] is the topic.  Our words can cut deeper than any knife and leave scars on others forever. It can take the form of a one-time off-the-cuff comment,  gossiping about others, or ongoing verbal abuse from a friend, love interest or even a parent. So what are we to do?  Just stick our tongue in an electrical socket and be mute the rest of our lives?  As tempting as that may be, Jesus offers other solutions!

• ​Speak only encouraging words.  The old saying "if you can't say something nice, don't say anything at all" still holds true. Proverbs 10:19 says, "The more talk, the less truth; the wise measure their words." (The Message)
• Steer clear of conversations that promote gossip and negative rumors.  Talking about every piece of gossip only keeps the fires going.  Refusing to discuss them cuts the fuel line and makes the fires die out.  Does someone continually irritate you?  Decide not to complain about the person, and see if your irritation dies from lack of fuel. Read Proverbs 26:20.
• Matthew 18:15-19 offers ideas for dealing with abuse.  Confront, in private, the person who has abused you.  Try to explain that the way the abuser speaks is hurtful and that a change is necessary.  If they do not listen, ask another friend, teacher or adult to come with you to confront the abuser. 

​
Ask your teen...
Evaluate your relationships.  Are any of your friends easily angered or self-seeking?
Do they show love to you with how they talk to you?
​Are you ever afraid to speak to them alone or to confront them?
​
Encourage your teen...​

1. ​To continue to pray:  As you go through your day, listen to the words you speak.  Pray that your words are encouraging to others and that they reflect the love of God. 
2. To read Scripture:  Commit Psalm 19:14 to memory.  Look in your Bible Concordance for other Scriptures on taming the tongue.
3. To get help:  If you have a difficult relationship, know that you are not alone.  Accept the help of supportive, caring people in your life.  If you are the subject of verbal abuse, please tell someone.
4. To encourage one another:  I Thessalonians 5:11 tells us to encourage and build each other up. If you have friends who are being abused by peers or adults and are unable to stand up for themselves, offer to assist them in finding help.  Be available to show God's love and compassion.

​Prayer: God, help us to see everyone as worthy.  Help us not to judge based on appearance or popularity.  Give us grace to treat each person as if we were encountering Jesus himself.  Amen.

Dear Parents,
​Teddy Roosevelt once said, "Comparison is the thief of joy."  Comparing ourselves to others can suck the joy right out of you. Do you catch yourself mentally weighing your good traits against those of other people or wondering why someone else always seems to be a step ahead of you? Or maybe you just feel second best at everything you do.  We look at people who seem to excel at everything, and we feel jealous or angry, wondering, "why couldn't that be me?" We struggle to accept the gifts God gave us. 

This week's devotions [April 4-10 +too gifted?] looks at cultivating our gifts to bring joy to the world.  I Corinthians 7:7b (NRSV) says "Each has a particular gift from God, one having one kind and another a different kind."  ​God created each of us with particular gifts and talents; no one else is exactly like us.  We are all unique!  God gave you gifts that I can only dream of having and the same is true of me.  So the next time you look in the mirror, say with confidence, "I am the best me I can be, and God loves me!"

​Ask your child...

• Have you given someone a gift, then seen it months later sitting untouched in a corner?  Imagine how God feels when we don't use the gifts He has given us.

Encourage your child...

• Do not be ashamed of the gifts you were given.  Only be ashamed of using God's gifts in the wrong way.
• ​Don't hide your gifts.  Use your talents for God's glory.
• ​Love yourself, but be humble in the process.  True humility isn't talking down about ourselves or acting as if we're not good at anything.  True humility is being real about our weaknesses and our strengths.

​Challenge your child...

• ​Think about how you can use your God-given gifts.
• Are you trying to squeeze in too many things?  Make a list of the activities you enjoy and take time to think about why.