Hi Parents!
"The Lord is good to all; he has compassion on all he has made." Psalm 145:9 (NIV)

​God created us all and is a parent to us all, whether we live in the United States, Australia, Burkina Faso or Syria.​  God's children in Kiribati are in danger of losing their homes because of rising sea waters.  Hundreds of God's children worshiping in Mecca were crushed in a crowd stampede.  God's children, fleeing from atrocities in Syria, drowned when their boats capsized in the Mediterranean.  God's children kill each other, often claiming to do so in God's name.  God's children in many countries don't even know Him.

​God feels the pain of the world so much that in Jesus, God came to show people the way, to teach us the truth, and to give us life.  Jesus calls us to follow him and to be as compassionate as he was to all people.  Jesus embodied compassion.  Traveling with his disciples, he spread the good news through words and deeds.  Jesus was always flipping social standards upside down. He hung out with prostitutes, tax collectors, cheaters and liars.  Rather than receiving compassion, he showed compassion to people from all walks of life.  With his love, he sought not to glorify himself, but God.  Compassions doesn't simple see the need and express sorrow for the afflicted.  Compassion demands action.  It motivates, strategizes, and searches for answers.  It is a deep feeling, a gift from God to us and to the suffering to let them know that someone cares.

Ask your teen...
What does practicing compassion look like?
It's holding the door open for the elderly gentleman behind you.
​It's offering change to the person in McDonalds that is short of cash.
It's offering your coat to a shivering homeless man.
​It's donating food to those who are starving.
​It's a simple gesture of kindness.

Challenge your teen...
Think about how God wants you to respond to the needs of other people.  Are you willing to be inconvenienced?  Sometimes helping people is hard.  Maybe they don't want help, or maybe we're too afraid of offending someone or too busy to offer it.  That's not a reason to stop trying.  Jesus never gave up on people who were sick or in need, but did everything he could to help them.

​Prayer...

​

Hi Parents,
​Have you ever had a long-time best friend who, even though you don't see each other often, you are able to pick up right where you left off?  There's such a strong connection and bond with them, it's as if you were never separated at all.  You are able to share your joys and your burdens and ask each other for prayer.  No matter how busy you are with work or life, you stay in touch.  Friendships such as these take attention and care, trust and vulnerability.

​God did not design us to live without the intimacy and fellowship of friendship.  He crafted us as dependent beings, needing resources outside of ourselves for companionship, partnership, friendship and relationship.  It can be difficult at times to maintain those friendships when life and busyness get in the way. But Paul reminds us in Romans 12:10 to "Be devoted to one another in brotherly love.  Honor one another above yourselves."  And Philippians 1:3 tells us "Every time I think of you, I thank my God."  Friendships are a gift from above. 

​While friendships with others are needed, Jesus is our ultimate friend.  The devotional "Jesus Calling" by Sarah Young, gives the following perspective:
​"I am your BEST FRIEND, as well as your King.  Walk hand in hand with Me through your life.  Together we will face whatever each day brings: pleasures, hardships, adventures, disappointments.  Nothing is wasted when it is shared with me.  I can bring beauty out of the ashes of lost dreams.  I can glean joy out of sorrow, peace out of adversity.  Only a Friend who is also the King of kings could accomplish this divine alchemy [a way of changing one thing into something better].  There is no other like Me!  The friendship I offer you is practical and down-to-earth, yet it is saturated with heavenly glory.  Living in My Presence means living in two realms simultaneously: the visible world and [the] unseen, eternal reality.  I have equipped you to stay conscious of me while walking along dusty, earthbound paths."

Ask your child...
Do you have a friend that you can confide in and pray with?
​
Challenge your child...
​Reach out today and thank the people who have made a difference in your life.
​Write a poem, or send a card to a friend who lives far away

Prayer...
​Thank you, God, for all the ways you have given us to stay in touch with friends.  Please help us to build and maintain deep friendships grounded in your love.  Amen.

Hi Parents,
The blog this week is about carrying the [+weight of the world] and is as much for you as parents, as it is for your teens.  As we go through our days, we deal with stress, anxiety and pain.  We come across every type of situation that needs to be handled in a different way.  Friends get angry with one another, school makes demands, we need to take each child in a different direction and before we know what's happening, we feel like the weight of the world is on our shoulders.  Then, to top it off, we get to deal with what society expects of us. 
DON'T PANIC!  Rather, if you do panic, call on the Lord.  Cry out and ask him to meet you where you are broken and bogged down.  Ask Him to lift the heavy burden. Psalm 40:1 says "I waited patiently for the Lord; he turned to me and heard my cry."

To your teens who are managing a summer job, football camp, volleyball camp, basketball camp, church camp, mission trip, family vacation, and finding down time... wow, I'm tired just typing all that... are you feeling overwhelmed? DON'T PANIC!  Remember Jesus is with you to lift that weight from your shoulders and to give you strength.  This prayer is for you:

• ​May you wake up with excitement in your heart every morning for all that the day can be.
• ​May you lay your head down at night with a heart that is bursting and memories too plentiful to count.
• ​May you know unspeakable joy at the end of the day!
• ​May you know that you are wildly loved by the Father!

To the parents who are furiously juggling summer camps, summer vacations, work schedules, BBQ's, family picnics, weightlifting schedules and other family obligations, and who feel like summer is busier than the school year, hang in there!  ​To all the moms and dads who have given up trying to keep the refrigerator stocked and the pantry filled, who are going broke from feeding all the neighborhood kids and who are wondering if the kids will notice that you're serving hot dogs again.  To every mom and dad who feels guilty that you signed your kids up for multiple VBS programs this summer, who are now enjoying a quiet moment to run an errand, prep dinner, or speed clean the house (ok, not so relaxing), this prayer is for you:

• ​May you have clarity of thought and a morsel of sanity today.
• May you know that His grace is enough. 
• ​May you recognize that though these days are so long, the years are so short.
• ​May you know that you are wildly loved by your Father, just as you are.  Not by what you accomplished, or messed up, but because He adores you, just because.

​Ask yourself or your teen...
Have you helped someone who has weightier problems than your own?  See what happens when you take the focus off yourself and put it on helping others.
Do your perform well under pressure? 

​Challenge for parents and teens...

• Ask God to help carry your burdens.
• ​Listen to an encouraging song.
• ​Breathe deeply and slowly in order to slow down.
• ​Blow bubbles, play a game, act like a child.
• Go on a walk or exercise.
• Hug a dog or cat.
• ​Smile.  Trust that God is in control.

​Prayer...
God, when we are overwhelmed by the stresses of life, remind us that we are safe in your arms.  Thank you for filling us with your peace.  Amen.

Hi Parents,
​Remember the "Back to the Future" trilogy?  Dr. Emmett Brown's DeLorean time machine breaks the time barrier as he and Marty traveled back in time to change that one fateful decision!  If you were able to go back in time to any point, what would be your first stop?  I like to think about what it would be like to interact with Noah before the great flood or my parents before they started dating.  I've also thought about the idea of traveling back in time to undo some of the bad decisions I've made - to make different choices, hopefully ones that would leave me with less guilt.  Do you have regrets?  Does it still affect you as you try to move forward in life?  if God gave you the chance to go back in time, would you change the decision you made?

​We all have moments we wish we could change.  Think about David, who committed adultery with Bathsheba, Peter, who denied that he knew Jesus, or even Paul  who martyred other Christians.  Even the best make mistakes.  2 Corinthians 5:17 reads "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!"

​​Learning from others is part of what it means to be counted among the great communion of saints, an expression that is meant to remind us that we are part of something bigger than jus ourselves - bigger than all of the people living in our time and place.  As part of that connection, we can choose to reap the benefit of their wisdom, modeling our choices after the decisions they made that were helpful and avoiding the pitfalls that resulted from their bad ones.  Instead of wishing away our failures, part of our role in God's Kingdom is to bear witness to the lessons we have learned so that other people may reap the benefit of our decision or wisdom that we gained.  God didn't promise to undo our mistakes, but promised that in Christ, we are given a fresh start and the grace to move forward. We can be MADE NEW!

​Ask your teen...
If you were given a chance to travel back in time to change one decision you made, which would you choose and why?

Challenge your teen...
Pray about what God may be calling you to do with the wisdom your gained through that mistake. 
​Actively look for ways to share your knowledge with other people so that they benefit from what you learned.

Prayer...
​Father, strengthen us.  Take our hands and guide us through troubled times.  Give us a new identity in Jesus Christ.  Amen.

Hi Parents! 
This week is Vacation Bible School, which coordinates with our devotions, [+KIDZ Camp].  This picture was taken three years ago with Ben and Maddie and it brought back great memories.  I loved Bible School as a kid and it's even more fun as an adult because I get to participate in getting a little crazy and out there!  ​Working with kids is awesome!  They arrive every morning to Bible school with contagious smiles and happy hugs, eager to learn more about Jesus, and well... they say the most random things at times!

​God calls each of us to minister in many different ways.  It can happen behind a  pulpit, on the streets, in a classroom, on a farm, in a prison, or at home.  It can involve making crafts with kids at Bible school, eating a snack with a child who is too shy to make friends or telling children they are loved no matter what.  You can minister by being creative, being a positive role model in a young person's life, or teaching them Bible stories.  Consider your unique gifts and talents.  God created each of us differently, therefore, each of our gifts is different.  "Ministry is found at the intersection of who God created us to be and what God puts before us.  So God's call to ministry may change throughout our lives.  Our responsibility is to be open to where God steers us along our journey."
​
Jesus said, "Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these." Matthew 19:14 (NIV)

Ask your child...
Would you consider being open to opportunities to work with children? Maybe at Vacation Bible School or a summer camp?
Attitudes are contagious.  Is your attitude worth catching?

Challenge your child...
Find out about opportunities to be in ministry with children in your church or community.  Then make plans to volunteer.  Reflect on these questions: 
What did I learn about myself? 
What did I learn about others? 
What did I learn about God?

Prayer...
God, your steadfast love never ceases.  Prompt us to use the gifts you graciously gave to each one of us in a way that is pleasing to you.  Give us willing hearts and hands to be a positive role model for others.  Amen.