Dear Parents,
​Have you experienced loss or a situation that caused you a great deal of pain?  Most of us have.  Pain and loss are aspects of life that everyone encounters at some point in time.  Whether a lost job or a lost friend or relationship, loss hurts and letting go is not easy!​  It can be ugly and painful; it can cause bitterness and depression; it can feel like we are being punished or disciplined.  Proverbs 3:12 says "The Lord disciplines those he loves, as a father the son he delights in." 

Please understand, I am not suggesting that every loss/hurt is an act of God's discipline.  However, there are times when we need to make a choice about how we handle the loss/hurt.  We could grow bitter, harvesting the hurt and pain from what happened; replaying the scene over and over in our hearts and minds.  But the only thing that does is make us more miserable.  Matthew 6:15 challenges us to change:  "But if you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not fogive your sins." When we surrender the hatred and bitterness in our heart, we can truly be free to live a new life.  God never designed human shoulders to carry the weight of the world

"Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding;  in all your ways submit to him and he will make your paths straight." Proverbs 3:5-6

Ask your teen...
In what ways do you try to carry the weight of the world?
What worries do you need to let go of?
​Who do you need to forgive?
​​
​Challenge your teen...
What will you change in the New Year in order to become the person you want to be?

Prayer...
​Lord, please help us to let go of the anger we hold so tight and to walk closer with you each day of our lives.  In Jesus' name, we pray.  Amen.

​May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.  Romans 15:13

Dear Parents,
Every year, we hear about Mary and Joseph seeking shelter in a stable because there was no room for them in the inn.  We wonder how an entire town, the town of Bethlehem, could see a young pregnant woman​ and her husband (ok, I admit I am thinking of my daughters now) and not make room for them.  How could the couple be overlooked?  Wouldn't people open their hearts and their doors for the soon-to-be parents?  Why was no one willing to give up his or her room in the inn when Mary and Joseph were so obviously in need of shelter?

​Before we get too self-righteous, let's stop and take a look at ourselves.  Friday night we are going to the basketball game.  We have Christmas parties with family and friends to attend.  We have to go shopping and study for exams.  We don't want to miss the Christmas program at school or the holiday parade in Lincoln.  The list of activities goes on and on and before we know it, Christmas is over and we have forgotten to take time to celebrate Jesus.  There was simply no room for him in our busy schedules.  After all Jesus has done for us, how can we fail to make room for him during this season when we claim to be celebrating his birth?  ​

This year, let's cut out things that don't matter and make room in our hearts, and in our homes, and in our schedules for the one who does.  Let's make our homes open and welcome to all who need a meal or place to sleep.  Let's help the individual in a wheelchair reach an item on a grocery shelf.  Let's be willing to assist neighbors, friends and others who need a ride, need a meal, or need a hug.  As we devote ouselves to others in love, God in turn pours into us.  In giving to others, our souls are filled.
​
Ask your teen...
​How can you show hospitality at the store, on the school bus, in the cafeteria line?

Challenge your teen...
Christ's love is alive in all his disciples.  With whom will you share the unconditional love of Christ today?

​Prayer...
​Lord, help us to view each moment as an opportunity.  Open our eyes to those in need.  Equip us with your strength to love and to serve friend and stranger alike.  Amen.

"I will sing to the Lord all my life; I will sing praise to my God as long as I live." Psalm 104:33

Hi Parents!
As you make preparations for the Christmas season, you may be listening to music.  Music is so powerful and can have a tremendous effect on us, for good or bad.  We can dance, cry, work, smile, and make memories to the tunes of our music.  Particular songs can evoke memories from long ago; memories that make you smile and memories that may make you sad.  Music reaches deep into the soul and lifts us to new heights.  Words alone cannot carry us beyond the brain into the heart.  They often fail to express the depth of our feelings.  But in music, we find a way to express the fullness of our souls.  Music gladdens the heart and expresses the joy of our faith.  It unites our hearts and voices in praise and gratitude to God!

​Most people tend to get personal when it comes to the type of music they listen to.  Music is a direct line to our souls and our innermost emotions, so it is understandable.  Music can unify people as God does and when the two are brought together in worship, mountains are moved! 

Ask your teen...
What songs have made you cry? 
What songs have given you hope?
​Are you using your musical talents for God's glory?

​Prayer...
God, guide our singing and playing so that we please you and inspire others.  Amen.

Dear Parents,
Ecclesiastes 3:1a, 4 (NIV) says "There is... a time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance." 
​When my daughter was small, she attended dance classes weekly.  It was fun to watch her perform doing something she loved so much. In the beginning years, the dance steps were simple and a bit hesitant, trying to mimic the teacher at the head of the class.  As she progressed through the years, new steps were added to the ones already learned and so on until the moves became like second nature. 

Our walk with the Lord is comparable to dance.  We may start out shaky, not sure of the path, but with Jesus in the lead and us following, we trust the Him to guide our steps and choices, trusting in Him even when we may not understand why.

In the midst of all that is happening in your life and in the world, try placing your feet flat on the ground and your hands on your lap in an open, receptive position.

• ​Breathe in your fear, discomfort, anger, sadness, grief.
• ​Breathe out all you want for yourself, your family, your friends, your world.

​By breathing in whatever you feel, you claim your feelings, admitting that they exist and that they matter.  By breathing out what you want for yourself and the world, you are able to dream and envision a new reality that begins with breath, movement, air, and power; that fuels hopes, ignites dreams, and sustains prayers.  Breathe in and out for a few minutes.  When you feel complete, gently open your eyes and trust that your breathing is your prayer and that the God who is love not only hears you, but also breathes with you and within you.

Ask your child...
What kind of movement inspires you to do your best?
​When has movement brought you closer to God? To other people?

Challenge your child...
​Think of ways to serve God by dancing or using other talents to express God's love to others.
Make a list of emotions and the body movements that express them.  Let the list guide your prayers as you seek to cultivate the "holy body moves."

Prayer...
​Dear Jesus, help me to keep my eyes on you as I dance through the highs and lows of life.  Direct my steps in all that I do.  Amen.

Dear Parents,
​The story of Elijah in I Kings 19, has him running for his life because he challenged Queen Jezebel and shown the people of Israel the futility of believing in her god, Baal.  Elijah ended up in the wilderness, alone and scared, convinced that he was the only one left in Israel who believed in God and that he would die for his faith and his actions.  Yet, in a series of visions, God showed Elijah that the situation was not as bleak as he imagined and that many others believed as he did.
​
​Feeling hopeless - that all is lost and nothing you can do means anything - is easy at times.  Hopelessness was prevalent when Jesus began his ministry.  We know that John the Baptist sent some of his followers to Jesus to find out if he was the Messiah or if they should look for someone else.  The idea that God cared for his people was being challenged by a legalistic and unbending religious establishment and tempered by the presence of a political dictatorship.  We can easily see why there was no hope in the land.  But Jesus stood up to speak in the synagogue and announced hope, real hope!  He proclaimed:

​"The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to bring good news to the poor.  He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free, to proclaim the year of the Lords' favor." Luke 4:18-19 (NRSV)

Faith in God allows us to welcome hope into our lives and at times, hope may be all that gets us through the dark times.  To wait with expectation is to hope!  We wait with hope for Jesus to show us that we are his beloved children.  We hope for our friends to understand Jesus' love for them and to accept him into their lives.  We wait with expectation for peace in this war-torn world.  We wait expectantly for Jesus to show us how he is present in every difficult situation.  Even if the culture of the world has become sad and hopeless, Jesus tells us, "Take heart.  I have overcome the world."  Hope helps us overcome problems, and knowing that after this life we have an eternity to spend with Jesus, offers us enough hope to last an entire lifetime!

Ask your teen...
How can you hope if you do not have faith?
​What situation in your life makes hope difficult?
God doesn't always give us what we need.  What helps you to trust that God is with you and to hope for the future God wants for you?

Challenge your teen...
Remember that God will meet you wherever you are.  Set aside time to pray.  Talk to God.  Read your Bible.  Ask your family and friends what enables them to hope.
​This Christmas, find ways to proclaim and to live out the hope of God's dream for the world.

Prayer...
​God, give us light in the darkness and hope for a new day.  In Jesus' name, we pray.  Amen.