THEPARENTLINK June 2013 FOR PARENTS OF TEENS FIND STRENGTH IN MEEKNESS One of the many qualities our culture encourages young people to develop is strength. Physically, academically, and socially, teenagers are urged to try to come out on top. Those who seem too meek or gentle are viewed as pushovers and told to stand up for themselves. THE VIEW In The Jesus Survey (Baker Books), Mike Nappa discovered that young Christians find strength through core beliefs: Yet the Bible has a different message about strength not only about how to show it but also where to find it. Psalm 73:26 (NIV) says, My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever. Jesus spoke often about the blessings of gentleness and servanthood. In fact, Jesus himself did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many (Mark 10:45, NIV). In our noisy, me-first world, meek people display peace, calmness, and caring. They don t have an overinflated view of themselves but instead rely on God s grace. In Live Large. Be Different. Shine Bright (Simply Youth Ministry), Doug Fields and Joshua Griffin write that meek people are slow to speak, put other people first, and serve in small and large ways. Yet meekness shouldn t be equated with weakness, they write. Instead, meek people accept their status before God and realize that the beautiful, sensitive, humble quality of meekness comes from knowing that God has the power and love to make you his new creation. 94% of Confident Christian Teens strongly agreed with this statement: I m 100% certain Jesus has answered one or more of my prayers and I can prove it. 86% of Confident Christian Teens strongly agreed with this statement: I m 100% certain that the Holy Spirit is present and active in my life today and I have proof that this is true. TIPS >>> PONDER THIS In 99 Thoughts on Jesus-Centered Living (Simply Youth Ministry), Rick Lawrence offers strategies for living like and for Jesus: Practice congruence. A congruent life means that what you say is who you are, in every environment. It s evident from your choices and priorities. Live The Progression. Following this will change your life: Get to know Jesus well, because the more you know him, the more you ll love him, and the more you love him, the more you ll want to follow him, and the more you follow him, the more you ll become like him, and the more you become like him, the more you become yourself. Realize that nothing is beneath prayer. God wants to be involved in every aspect of your life, so don t think anything is too small for his concern and consultation. Offer ridiculous love for your enemies. Jesus said it s basically a no-brainer to love the people who love you. The real evidence that you follow him is that you love people who don t particularly love you. Practice extreme generosity. Give with no requirement that you receive anything in return. Armor up! Find strength from God by suiting up in his armor. God offers you protection against harm. Every day, simply ask Jesus to dress you before you leave your bedroom for the day. How would you define the following words: strength, weakness, gentleness, meekness? How does your relationship with God empower you? In what ways have you found strength through serving?
Power Under Control Expert Insights for Parents of Teenagers By Brent Carl When I was asked to fill in and preach during a Fruit of the Spirit sermon series, I was excited until I discovered my topic was gentleness. As a guy who loves sports of all kinds especially contact sports that require a certain level of aggression I had a hard time seeing how gentleness was going to apply in my own life, let alone be able to share it authentically with the audience. So I prayed that God would help me understand gentleness by living it. Turns out I was going at it all wrong. I thought of meekness as weakness and of gentleness as downright wimpyness. RESOURCE My mind went back to when I coached an eighth-grade football player named Joseph. Despite his intimidating 6' 4", 245-pound size, the boy couldn t tackle. Joseph s problem was that he didn t want to hurt anyone. He never did get the concept of tackling. I moved away but then returned four years later for Homecoming. I was amazed at the play of the left defensive end. He was about 6' 8" and 290 pounds, quick as lightning and extremely powerful. I asked a fan sitting next to me who that was. To my surprise, he replied, That s Joseph. He s gotten a tad better, hasn t he? Indeed. He was now a force to be reckoned with. The guy added, You know what s funny? Joseph is the nicest guy in the world off the field, and even when he puts on the equipment, he doesn t go out to hurt anyone. In fact, when he tackles someone, he picks them up, dusts them off, asks if they re okay, and apologizes if he hurts them. He is power under control! That s it right there: power under control. All the power that exists in the person of God is available to us, his children. He wants us to learn to use it his way, not our way. I still don t have gentleness all figured out, but God expects me to approach him for guidance with this and every area of life. YouthMinistry.com In Flipped: Wrestling With What Matters Most (Simply Youth Ministry), Kurt Johnston addresses Jesus upsidedown views. For example, Jesus said power doesn t matter; instead, if you have influence, you should use it to serve others. These messages can be a launching pad for hands-on ministry opportunities. BIBLE FOCUS My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness. Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ s power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong. 2 Corinthians 12:9-10, NIV
MEDIA SPOTLIGHT MAINSTREAM MUSIC CHRISTIAN MUSIC MOVIES KENNY CHESNEY Background: Chesney, who s been around since 1994, is one of country music s biggest names. Of his 15 albums, 14 have been certified gold or higher. He s sort of the Jimmy Buffett of country music, touring each summer with themes of having fun and hanging out on a beach. Chesney s charity work includes cancer fundraising and Farm Aid. Albums: Life on a Rock (2013), Lucky Old Sun (2008), No Shirt, No Shoes, No Problems (2002) What Chesney Says: The song Happy on the Hey Now was inspired by a friend s death. Chesney says death has a way of stopping you in your tracks, grounding you in ways you didn t see coming. He adds, It changed me. It made me realize I had to appreciate the experiences life has to offer. Life doesn t stand still. Explore: All of Chesney s albums are available on services such as Spotify, Pandora, and Last.fm. SKILLET Background: Although this rock band has been around since 1996, they re still one of the most popular Christian acts around. Because they ve toured with big names in the secular and Christian markets, they ve been ranked as one of the hardestworking bands. Skillet has received two Grammy nominations, and Awake went doubleplatinum. Albums: Rise (2013), Awake (2009), Collide (2003) What Skillet Says: Lead singer John Cooper, the only band member who s been around since the beginning, says, You ve got to follow your heart and do what you feel called to do. You can t measure success by how many records you sell. You ve got to measure it by if you re doing what you re called to do and giving it everything you ve got. Explore: All of Skillet s albums are available on services such as Spotify, Pandora, and Last.fm. Movie: Man of Steel Genre: Action, Adventure Rating: PG-13 Synopsis: A young boy (Henry Cavill) finds out he s from another planet. As he grows up, he must use his superpowers to save the earth. Our Take: More than any other superhero, Superman has always embodied pure goodness. Although this film was directed by Zach Snyder (300, Watchmen), it should be safe teenage fare. Movie: World War Z Genre: Action, Drama, Thriller Rating: PG-13 Synopsis: A United Nations employee (Brad Pitt) is in a race against time to stop a pandemic that s changing people into zombie-like creatures. Our Take: Despite the playedout zombie theme, this film should be very popular with teens this summer. VIDEO GAMES Remember Me In a future where memories are bought, sold, and traded, a woman s memories are wiped clean. After escaping from prison, she sets out to discover who she truly is while being hunted by her enemies. (Rating pending; Xbox 360, PS3, PC) The Last of Us This gorgeous third-person, post-apocalyptic thriller features scares, paranoia, monsters, and a deep story. It s just the sort of game teenagers will love to play until the next version of Call of Duty comes out. (Rating pending but almost certainly M; PS3 exclusive)
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