Save me, God! I am about to drown. I am sinking deep in the mud and my feet are slipping."
Hi Parents!
Save me, God! I am about to drown. I am sinking deep in the mud and my feet are slipping."
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Dear Parents:
We each have a biological family, but our church is also our family. We can choose our friends, as the saying goes, but not our family. That's true of our church family too. We can't choose the people who belong to our church family. Our church includes people of different ages, with different habits and personalities. Some members seem to have a long way to go to be like Christ and others may have it more together. Then I think about the people who followed Jesus: militants, prostitutes, fishermen, lepers, soldiers and a few genuine, though sometimes dense disciples. Would I have chosen Judas the betrayer? persecutor Paul? self-seeking John and James? blundering Peter? How could Jesus love all of those people? Or me? Hang on! Maybe that's God's idea of love - a family to which we all belong, a home where we all fit. Even me. In Romans 12:4-5 we learn that the body of Christ is made up of different parts all working together. God gave each of us unique talents. God calls on us to focus on combining our talents so that together we build up the whole body of Christ. Ephesians 4:16b (CEV) says "Christ holds [the body] together and makes all of its parts work perfectly, as it grows and becomes strong because of love." Ask your child... When have you gathered with friends or family to enjoy one another's company to talk about what God is doing in your lives? What about this time together are you especially grateful for? How might you encourage the group to make this a regular gathering? Challenge your child... God calls us to love one another. Identify one person at school or church whom you might not choose as family. Make time this week to strike up a conversation. Ask get-to-know-you-questions, and listen closely to the responses. Try to discover something you have in common, and offer the gift of friendship. Prayer... God, help me build a community of friends who accept me, encourage me in my faith and challenge me to grow. Amen. ![]() Dear Parents: Fear is an instinctive reaction. I can clearly recall the fear and terror I felt when the Twin Towers fell on 9-11. All living creatures have the defenses of fight (standing our ground) and flight (running away to safety). We need to learn that being afraid is not a sign of weakness, but we also need to learn when to run or get help and when to stand up for ourselves. NAMING OUR FEARS School shootings and bullying, natural disasters, terrorist bombings and shootings... our world feels less safe, our homes less secure. Suddenly we know friends, friends of friends, or family whose lives have been hit by tragedy. A HIDING PLACE When I feel overwhelmed, when the news or my own anxiety gets the better of me, the psalms have become a hiding place. Many of the psalms are a cry for help, a desperate shout to God. These psalms express a lament - a feeling of deep sadness, fear, or hurt about something that has gone wrong, something beyond our control. We feel powerless and desperate and overwhelmed by fear. Save me, God! I am about to drown. I am sinking deep in the mud, and my feel are slipping. Psalm 69:1-2 (CEV) Day and night my tears are my only food, as everyone keeps asking, "Where is your God?" Psalm 42:3 (CEV) LORD HEAR MY PRAYER Then, something changes in the psalm. God hears our grief. God sees our tears. We remember that God is with us and has always been present. Our ancestors trusted you and you rescued them. When they cried out for help, you saved them. Psalm 22:4-5 (CEV) These heartfelt cries for deliverance remind us of the disciples in a boat that was swirling around in the middle of a storm. "Master, wake up! Save us, or we'll drown!" When we are anxious or frightened, we are not alone. We have the company of family, friends and our God who will huddle together with us in the howling wind. Sometimes we yell for help and the raging waters subside. At other times, we must seek the calm within the storm and trust that Jesus stands firm beside us. You, Lord, are the light that keeps me safe... You protect me, and I have no fears. Psalm 27:1 (CEV) Ask your teen... When has your safety been threatened? Who helped you find a place of safety or a sense of peace? How was God a source of strength when you were afraid and vulnerable? Challenge your teen... Our experiences - good and bad - shape us, but they do not have to define us. We can find ways to feel safe and we can talk to people we trust to help us move forward with healing and even forgiveness. Select one of the psalms below and read it as your prayer for today. Listen for a word or phrase that speaks to you. Look for the movement from terror to trust. Write your own prayer of lament or of gratitude. Psalm 6, 7, 13, 22, 38, 41, 42, 43, 51, 69, 88 Prayer... Thank you, God, for carrying us through the pain and grief of trauma. Give us courage to believe your promises to be with us and to keep us safe. Amen. "If you forgive other people when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you." Matthew 6:14 (NIV)
Hi Parents! Sometimes we feel as if the world is against us. A friend betrays us, we don't get the recognition we were expecting, or we are accused of something we didn't do. Yet even in those times, God sees us - the tears we shed in hiding, the prayers we shout into the air, the cries of confusion when we wonder, "What happened Lord?" Sometimes our pain feels like barbed wire biting into our skin or we feel like a cow chewing on its cud - chew, swallow, bring up the conversation again, repeat. As the day wears on, that cud begins to taste bitter. Paul David Tripp says "Harboring bitterness against people is actually confessing their sin to ourselves, over and over again." Rather than holding on to bitterness, anger, and disappointment, rather than shouting to the wind with a clenched fist because we have been wronged, we can release our pain to the One who knows our hurt and can teach us to forgive. We can choose our "food for thought." We can choose what we chew on. Careless words hurt us, and people offend us, but we don't have to chew on those words over and over. God alone can heal our wounds. Ask your teen... How can you change the conversation in your own mind so that you can let go of bitterness and see the truth? Challenge your teen... When bitterness and ager start building up inside, step back, take a deep breath, and say a prayer. You might discover that you were indeed wronged. But by taking time to get some perspective, you might find a way to respond with grace instead of lashing out in the heat of the moment. Angry words are easy to speak, but you can never get them back. Prayer... Lord, help us to trust you with our pain and to release the bitterness we carry. We want to forgive those who have hurt us. Teach us how, Lord, Amen. |
AuthorCORNERSTONE AT HOME is a blog that shares what is being covered each week at Wed. Night Youth Group and other resources to support you as you intentionally shape your child's faith. Archives
January 2019
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