What's Happenin' @ Forward Mid-Week

Below is a brief summary of what talked about tonight. Most of the time we teach through a series for several weeks at a time that way students that miss can get caught back up quickly, and so we can dissect a topic more fully than just a one night deal. Use the overview and questions for both you and your teen to answer and have a dialog that continues outside the church walls and into your homes. Use this opportunity to see what God is teaching your student and also allow your student to see what God is teaching/taught you.

Current Series:

Have you ever been around an older person who talks about what it was like to be young? They reminisce about the music they listened to, the lack of responsibility they had, the freedom they experienced. They almost always talk about being young as if it’s awesome. And for the most part, they’re right. Being young is awesome. You don’t pay taxes. You don’t have to understand insurance. And someone, someone other than you, buys you snacks. It’s a pretty good set up. But just because being young is awesome doesn’t mean it’s easy. There are some tough parts to being a student. For starters, there’s school. Maybe you’ve heard someone say those are the best years of your life, but it sure doesn’t feel that way when you’re sitting in Geometry class. What’s worse is when people ignore you or treat you like you don’t matter because you’re younger—like somehow the date on your birth certificate disqualifies you from having an opinion. In fact, maybe one of the toughest parts of being young is feeling like you don’t count yet, like you can’t be heard or respected or even helpful until you’re older. And it’s frustrating because, deep down it feels like that shouldn’t be true, like there’s something wrong with that system. If you’ve ever felt that way, you’re in good company. As we take a look at two letters from the New Testament written to a young church leader named Timothy, we find not only why by but how to keep anyone from looking down on us just because we are young.

 

This Week's Recap:

Week #2 (09.14.2016): A Different Planet

Bottom Line: You have the choice to give them a voice

What we talked about:

Have you ever seen an older person and a younger person get into an argument? Maybe it was a teacher and student or a coach and athlete. Maybe it was a parent and their kid. Chances are, it was tense and both sides were sure of one thing: they were right. For some reason, that kind of tension has always existed between adults and teenagers. And, it can be tempting to feel like every conversation is a fight to be won. But, in all the frustration and questions over who’s right and who’s wrong, is it possible that we’ve missed out on something huge? As we check back in on what Paul has to say on the subject, we’ll see that choosing to listen to – not fight with – the older, wiser voices in our lives may just be one of the best decisions we can make.

 

This Part is For YOU Parents:

If you missed last week's post, click here. 

Here's the rest of the list to help you.

ADULTS WITH INTERESTING CAREERS
Other adults can broaden their imagination about the kind of career they can have one day. Look for any opportunity that can expose them to understanding what people who may be wired like them do as a profession.
 

Don’t limit their concept of work to what you do.
 

ADULTS FROM DIFFERENT BACKGROUNDS
Spending time with other adults who are from a different ethnic background can also play a critical role in how your kids treat and respect others. A significant part of their adult life will be interacting and working with people who are different than they are.
 

Don’t limit their view of the world to what you see.
 

ADULTS WHO ARE EXTENDED FAMILY
Something interesting happens to a child’s understanding of their family story when they hear your parents or siblings talk about you. It has a way of connecting them to a bigger family dynamic. It is always valuable to recruit key adults in your extended family to build relationships with your kids. They can usually be trusted to definitely have your children’s best interests at stake. Who are the adults in your extended family that can give your kids a sense of who they are and where they came from?
 

Don’t limit the connection to their family’s story to what you tell them.
 

Some of these leaders can be enlisted to help your kids with a specific task or on a short-term basis. Others can and will have long-term influence. Just remember the greatest thing that you do for you child may be what you get another adult to do.

 

TRY THIS

 
Every kid needs someone they can trust and someone their parents can trust to speak into their lives.
 

This week... try brainstorming a list of five people you trust to mentor or advise your kids.
 

Then, ask your son or daughter to look at the list and choose someone that he or she would be comfortable talking to.
 

The goal is for the two of you to decide together on someone that you both trust, someone who can advise your student when he or she doesn’t feel comfortable talking to you.
 

Once you’ve decided, give that person a phone call or an email and ask if they would mind being involved in your kid’s life this way. Chances are, he or she will feel honored that you asked.