Search Results for: blog getting teens involved in church

Getting Other Adults to Invest Into Your Teen’s Life

I truly believe that our teens need other adults to invest into their lives. While at one time grandparents were usually the outside parental influence in a teen’s life, today that has changed. Many grandparents are still working, live far away or are otherwise engaged in their own lives. If a teen doesn’t have the advantage of an involved grandparent, then parents may need to look elsewhere. Of course, care and caution must be exercised when deciding on who will invest into your teen’s life. I am so thankful for the wonderful youth program available at my church. It not … Continue reading →

Surviving Holiday Trips with Teens

Millions of families throughout the world will be hitting the highways, the rails, or the air this week as the busy holiday travel season reaches its peak. For many parents that means spending uninterrupted time with moody teens who would rather be any place, besides stuck in a minivan or plane with the entire family unit. So how can you make the most of a family vacation that spans hundreds of miles and costs thousands of dollars? Here are a few tips: Choose Your Destination Wisely. Do so by first getting input from your teens on where they would like … Continue reading →

Getting Teens Involved in Church

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My husband and I have the privilege of working with the Youth Group in our church. For several months when we first began this ministry, our focus was on serving them. We planned events that would entertain and encourage them, and spent much time deciding on games and activities that we hoped they would enjoy. While it is good to plan activities for the youth in the church, it is equally important to get the youth involved in the ministries of the church. My husband and I caught this vision and began planning service ministries in which the teens in … Continue reading →

Does Your Spouse Get Your Time?

One of the things couples fail to realize is that many marriage problems stem from a lack of time. You see, it takes quality time to nurture a relationship. If you are spending more time at your job or with your kids, then your marriage is bound to suffer. Now don’t get me wrong, different seasons in life require more attention than others. For instance, when my children were young they naturally required more of my time and attention. But even then, it didn’t necessarily mean my husband only deserved the leftovers. Time can’t always be measured in quantity. It … Continue reading →

Should You Allow Your Tween/Teen to Join Facebook?

You might be at that point as a parent where you are making the decision about whether or not your tween or teen should join Facebook. Perhaps your tween will be turning 13 sometime this year, which is technically the age they are supposed to be before signing up. Or you might have been wavering and can’t decide if your teen should jump in. Being that I am an avid Facebook user with a tween and two teens, I can offer you some thoughts. First, let me say that no parent should ever assume their teen doesn’t already have a … Continue reading →

Children Need Human Contact

E-mail, computers, electronic games, the telephone–today’s kids have an entire world of “socialization” that occurs without them ever coming face-to-face with an actual human. Add to this reality, the fact that many live far away from grandparents and extended relatives, or never really get to know the people who live in their neighborhood and you can see how our children might be literally starved and challenged when it comes to actual, live human mentors and connections. I believe that we all need human contact for optimal personal development (not just our kids)! Many of our children go to overcrowded schools … Continue reading →

5 Advantages to a Christian School

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The decision of how to school your child is a very personal one. Many parents feel that the public schools in their area are excellent and gladly send their children there. Other parents feel that homeschooling is the best option for their family. Whether they object to the material being taught in the public school, feel the quality of the school is inferior, or simply want to be with their children, home schooling is a wonderful blessing for many parents. If a parent is uncomfortable with the public school, but also lacks the time or the desire to homeschool, Christian … Continue reading →

Humility in Short Term Missions

I struggled to come up with a title for this blog. What I really wanted to call it was too long: What Your Host Ministry Really Wishes You Would Understand Before You Come to Their Church on a Short Term Missions Trip–But They’re Too Afraid to Tell You. (See? Entirely too long. . .) Being in New York City, we are quite a popular destination for the conscientious young person going on a short term missions trip. We have it all: the homeless, drug addicts, teen age pregnancies, the general loopy population (not to mention cool tourist opportunities on your … Continue reading →